im now beginning to seriously practice a tibetan-style liberation meditation,in which "surrender to god's will(any phenomena which arises)" forms the backbone.

now im serious in trying to attain liberation from self(insight into no-self) from this style/technique.

im maintaining the highest level of awareness/mindfulness,and whatever phenomena(thoughts,bodily sensations,emotions etc..)comes,to let them "just be" like a drop of water on the surface of mirror.the main obstacle now is to adapt the awareness into activities involved movement,and conditioned patterns of reaction(recollecting of memories,arising of anger etc..)how to "liberate" in such situations?

i was hoping real insight is going to arise with this practice,and through reading certain practitioners writings,the desire and possibility for attainment has become high.(esp dharma dan's site - trying to e-mail him for advice but there;s no contact there)

any commends/advices?

Hi -
This seems to be your first post, so, welcome -

In order to comment, I'd find it helpful to know a bit more about your background - is this the first time you've used this form of meditation? Have you practiced other forms of meditation or is this your first attempt? In a simple way, what is your situation - do you work? How much time are you spending in this meditation - from what you said it sounds like a lot. Where did you learn about this meditation form? I've followed a Tibetan tradition for many years and I think I recognize what you're doing, but I'm not sure.

Susan

Hi -
This seems to be your first post, so, welcome -

In order to comment, I'd find it helpful to know a bit more about your background - is this the first time you've used this form of meditation? Have you practiced other forms of meditation or is this your first attempt? In a simple way, what is your situation - do you work? How much time are you spending in this meditation - from what you said it sounds like a lot. Where did you learn about this meditation form? I've followed a Tibetan tradition for many years and I think I recognize what you're doing, but I'm not sure.

Susan


................................................................................

hey susan,

im really an amateur in meditation,and this is my first attempt in serious practice.

right now being free frm work committment(at least 2-3 weeks) and others(no kids etc..),ive full time for practice now.wanna take full advantage of this opportunity .more importantly,i want to build a solid base which can be taken into the busyness of working life later on.

im not really learning frm any teachers,and my (intellectual)understanding comes from reading.

my point of view is this(but i really see any views as simply pointers,am not a hardcore believer in any paradigm - concrete stages,etc... ):

the 'self' is the cause of suffering.this 'self',in my mind,can be put simply as a 'knot',a 'contraction' which is 'inside/within'.
and i can sense this 'contraction' within me,this sense of beingness,of 'i am'.

and i now try to force insight/knowingness/wisdom into the truth that there is really no self (for it has been said that the self ,ultimately when being seen as it is,is just an illusion) .i believe /trust on theravada buddhism's emphasis on the arising of insight/wisdom ; and many experiences of oneness/unity etc.. in my opinion,is not true awakening.true knowledge into the reality that there is really not an entity 'in here' is needed for awakening to occur,and not just experiences,no matter how blissful and high.

but i dont find much reasonance in the vipassana(theravadin's) technique.the path of 'letting go' , 'surrender' , seems more pleasant and less straining(is this true?)

and as long one maintain high enough intensity of awareness/mindfulness(and this may not seem so pleasant and relax as i expected) ,couple with intense desire to know the truth, "grace will descend (as to when,this cannot be predicted)"

was hoping more experienced meditators can share their knowledge.

and what's your personal experience with the tibetan meditation?

Hi -
My experience of Tibetan meditation - I was lucky enough to spend about 20 years with a teacher who was in the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. I have to say that I don't know much about any other tradition. In my own experience, clear guidance has been very important. For a year or so, before I met the person who became my teacher, I explored different Buddhist (and other) traditions. I read a lot and tried various meditation methods. Once I decided that I wanted to learn more in the Tibetan tradition I found a teacher. In that tradition, a teacher is essential, in my opinion. Although you can get a lot of information from all the books that have been published in recent years, there's still no handbook type book that can take a teacher's place.

As far as books in other Buddhist traditions go, Daniel's "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha" is very good. It is extremely helpful in that it is written in clear and ordinary language and it gives a whole overview of Theravadin Buddhism and enough practice instructions to get started with.

You said "im really an amateur in meditation,and this is my first attempt in serious practice." You also mention that you are learning from your reading. What in particular are you reading?

Susan

.................................................................

thanks susan for your reply,

as regarding teachers,due to life situation and personal point-of-view,ive no intention to commit my time/effort into a guru/teacher-disciple/learner relationships.but if one can learn personally/receive guidance from a fully awakened teacher,this is a very fortunate occurance on one's path indeed.

my view ,as ive pointed in earlier posts,is that i just dont take/submit to any fixed paradigm concerning enlightenment and the path.there's much confusion when trying to integrate the various stages expounded by different teachers/traditions(for now ive let go of this tendency).agnosticism is my position,and no doubt to some this is quite "egoistic".as to how far i'll be able to go with this attitude,that remains to be seen .

there's much truth/merit in the saying ' the map is not the territory'.

so,in another sense, i can say that im drawing my own map,and this is to me,a far more satisfactory approach.

so i guess this answers your question ' What in particular are you reading?'

and pls dont take this as means im completely close to any criticism/point of view.do share what your experiences are,especially obstacles on the path(and this apply to all other viewers on this post as well,will appreciate your sharing)

my practice now can be summarize as this ;

1. deepening/heightening of " investigative attitute "/mindfulness/bare attention (this is the point that's being stressed by daniel/dharma dan in his book MCT

and

2. " letting go " - keep opening to the reality of here/now(i.e let whatever sensations/experiences to "show up unhindered").
on this 2nd aspect,thoughts - planning,memories,etc.. is the greatest enemy.

metta :-)

Thoughts are also more empty phenomena, arising and vanishing on their own, but it is true that initially they are a source of what seem to be problems for most or all meditators.

They are not the enemy, finally. In the end, all the phenomena: thoughts, intentions, effort, physical sensations, and all the rest: all come and go on their own, all surrender to themselves naturally, but it takes a lot of work for most to know this directly.

I agree that finding and working with a good teacher is of great importance: it can really speed things up and help one avoid wasting effort (or effortlessness) and time. There are so many subtle side-tracks that can be easily avoided by having a skilled, kind, helpful teacher.