Refining Self Through Absorption & Contemplation

One of the most important aspects of the refinement process is that of decompressing the mind and thereby decompressing and relaxing the body. When there is compression there is no room for free, creative and spontaneous movement within self. This compression within self creates the feeling of being completely bound to certain patterns of thought. This is because there is a belief in the importance of certain conditional situations in life that pushes one to continuously juggle ideas and potential situations and outcomes around the mind continuously. That is why in order to live fully and really express self openly and spontaneously one must be established in a space beyond that arena of expression and action otherwise one will be forever bound to the pre-existing limited patterns of thought, emotion and behaviour.

This decompression happens through the practice of blissful absorption and the integration of that absorption into daily life. Absorption must always translate into realisation and realisation must always translate into action. This is the flow that one must go through in order to evolve spiritually. By stepping beyond the mind into the stillness of the natural being one is able to relax the body and pierce through the illusionary thought and emotional patterns within the self. When one uses that absorption to contemplate upon an aspect of the manifested reality, for example one’s own patterns of thought and behaviour or another aspect of the creation, then one will naturally begin to have realisations – self-born knowledge will start to spring forth spontaneously from within. One must act from through one’s realisations in one’s life circumstances and situations. This is the way that integration happens. If one realises something about the self in meditation then one must naturally act in daily life through that realisation. Distorted and unrefined emotional programs within the self do not just sit within aimlessly, they are expressed through action in life situations through relationships, interactions, choices etc. Therefore for the realisation to come full circle it must become alive in action in real life.

It is one thing to realise something whilst sitting in meditation and then feel a certain sense of peace and decompression when contemplating on that aspect of self that needs refining. but when it comes to real life it can be a lot more difficult to maintain that decompressed state as one may be pushed and triggered beyond one’s means to control and maintain that state of equanimity. This is where the fruit of the process is to be seen. Many think that absorption and the realisation is enough, but how that realisation is expressed in life is the proof and the fruition of genuine realisation. If one realises but then again slips into the same old patterns in one’s actual life then one must again go back to start of the process and use that life situation as a springboard to go into that aspect of self even deeper and try and uncover the deeper roots that need to be disentangled and dug out. It is a repetitive and tedious process, and one may find that they are stuck on refining the same aspect for many years until one first realises the true root and then actively refines and transforms that aspect until it is integrated into a refined expression of self through daily life.

So for whatever one realises there always has to be a proof of that in the real situations of daily life. States of absorption or meditation are not in themselves achievements or proof of any kind of spiritual realisation. These are simply tools to slow the mind down and access the deeper levels of awareness that are needed to refine and dismantle the programs within self that prevents these states of absorption from being seamlessly integrated into a whole living expression through all situations and circumstances of life.

If one has pinpointed a recurring issue in life that seems to be caused by some underlying unrefined aspect of the emotional/mental self then one may enter into meditation with this issue in mind. As one steadily slows down the waves of the mind and one’s enter into a more relaxed and absorbed state then one may get spontaneous insights into the nature and roots of this issue. This is truly the practice of spiritual contemplation. If one is sincere and assiduous in this practice then one should receive spontaneous self-born knowledge about how the illusion plays one out through different programs within self. One is to then allow these realisations to blossom as teachings and pointers from one’s being on how to refine and work on self further. This is the true purpose of meditation and absorption. It is not to enter and escape into a blissful void. It to connect to a deeper layer of one’s awareness and use that as tool to integrate that deeper level of awareness through all aspects of self’s expression in life.