Regarding your final paragraph:

… i am using the practice of watching the mind, and will continue to do so for as long as it appears useful. I have no doubts as to how useful it is to watch the mind like this. I believe some kind of mind watching technique should be taught to children, even it should be one of the first thing a child learns, show them that their mind will do things without them being aware of it and to improve this awareness leads to great things. We never teach anything like this in the west, to me this is a major travesty and we are letting down people by not sharing this insightful knowledge.

This is a very dangerous idea. Watching the mind simply encumbers it with a huge unnecessary burden which will prevent it from soaring or getting anywhere near the transcendental. Or even the dreamlike. These kinds of states, the most understandable to Westerners being daydreaming, are necessary for the mind to be free, for you to be yourself, to rise above the strictly logical and formulaic. We dream in sleep to free us of our own feeble logic, after all.

You remember I did TM for years before I became a Christian. TM is Hindu in origin and is actually designed to release the mind from the constraints of normal “logical” thinking. Nevertheless I had a dream shortly after inviting Christ in, in which I saw myself struggling to move about hindered by bricks tied to my feet. Later I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to pray to “repent your constant self-monitoring”.

It really is Jesus who sets us free, Indie!

Brian.

Fantastic to read your insights, reminding me of my own meditation practice. I haven’t been that driven, although for the first time in a week or so I spent some time meditating yesterday and it did me a lot of good. I’m tempted to go on a vapassana course in the uk at some point. I think i’m going to boom in august in portugal though first!

When will you be in the UK? I’d like to go for a beer.

I think Buddhism can be disingenuous when it comes across as being ‘not a religion’ when if completely is. There are rituals, hierarchies, pleas for money, dictatorships and authorities. It’s a lot like the catholic church from one perspective. On top of that, they have the same belief type axioms as in Christianity. Where Christianity believes that Jesus is god, that there is a god, and that salvation is possible through Jesus, Buddhism believes in the possibility of enlightenment, the law of karma, and reincarnation. If you took any of these beliefs away, then spending 16 years in a cave would just be stupid.

No doubt though that all religions have truth to them, not scientific in nature, but in the consequences of how it guides us as people. Buddhism may seem like it is a no nonsense form of religion, but it has a lot of nonsense in it to be honest. Christianity is no more or less nonsense. I think that the similarity in the religions is where the truth lies, all the definitions and beliefs and conceptualisations are different, but these are just external to the truth.

An interesting point is that I think Buddhism is very difficult for a large majority of people to access, because of peoples levels of intelligence or motivation. In contrast, Christianity requires a faith in God, and this faith pulls you through thick and thin, no intelligence or motivation required, only a willingness to let Him in.

Ben

Firstly it is good to have you back.

Secondly…I have read this, printed it off and read it again. recently I read that meditation can be painful and you have confirmed this. an amazing experience. I need to read this several times more.

Love
dad