By George A. Boyd ©2001
Many aspirants experience difficulty concentrating their attention and
keeping it fixated on one point. Their minds tend to readily wander away
from a focal point even in bands of the Conscious and Subconscious mind
close to the surface of waking awareness. Going to profound states of
absorption in the Superconscious mind is extremely difficult for these
beginning meditators.
Spiritual teachers use seven primary methods for helping focus the attention
of meditation students on the key inner centers of the ensouling entity,
the spirit and the attentional principle. In some cases these methods
may actively lock the attention of the meditator in an altered state of
consciousness for long periods of time. These are:
Breathing Absorption – called remembering the Holy Name, Ajapa
Japa, or Pranava Laya in various traditions, the attention is kept
focused on subtle aspects of breathing. The attention may be variously
abstracted through these methods into union with the attentional principle
(mindfulness), with the Self in the Metaconscious mind (centering),
with the ensouling entity (Atma Samadhi), or with Satchitananda (Brahma
Vidya). A spiritual teacher's insistence upon continual use of this
method may condition a student's attention into habitually remaining
in a specific altered state of consciousness and identifying with
it.
Remembrance – also called simran, zhikir, or mantra japa,
the attention is focused upon the spirit by a contemplative mantra.
The mantra is repeated by the attention or "tongue of thought," as
opposed to speaking it aloud, whispering it, or breathing it. Different
contemplative mantras may be used to focus the attention on varying
octaves of the spiritual path. The more advanced and powerful method
is when the spirit uses this mantra to keep the attention fixed at
its feet. Teachers who require that aspirants continually repeat this
mantra during every waking moment and as they fall off to sleep may
habituate these students into perpetual union with their spirit. Teachers
in the Transcendental Sphere commonly train their students in this
method.
Guru Mantra – chanted aloud or silently within the mind, this
transformation or bija mantra can become an unbroken focus for the
attention, resulting in full identification with an altered state
of awareness. Teachers from lineages anchored in the Supracosmic Sphere
often use this method of control of the attention
Horn of the Prophet – Cosmic Masters utilize a method to lock
the attention into union with the Astral Soul. Once the attention
has been brought into union with the Astral Soul through Light Immersion
or Absorption in the Kundalini (see below), one of 12 secret mantras
is used to permanently fixate the mind in the presence of the Astral
Soul. This method has been poetically referred to in esoteric teachings
as the horn of the prophet or the Beloved's locket.
Absorption in the Kundalini – by rousing the Kundalini through
various means, the attention becomes passively absorbed in the inner
vehicles, one of the nuclei of identity, or in one of the ensouling
entities. Masters of Kundalini Yoga gain the ability to determine
the depth to which the Kundalini Shakti is raised in their students.
The upward force of this current keeps the attention temporarily from
returning to normal waking awareness. When the kundalini comes back
down to the ground state, typically the attention is brought back
with it.
Prayer Without Ceasing – this method is used in the Christian
faith to hold the mind in union with the Moon Soul, the nucleus of identification
for the First Planetary Initiation. One form of this method is to
repeat a ritual prayer such as The Lord's Prayer or Hail Mary continuously.
Another variation, called glossolalia or speaking in an unknown tongue,
encourages the ongoing repetition of mantramic syllables that arise
from the unconscious mind to raise the attention into union with the
Moon Soul.
Light Immersion – this method temporarily guides the attention
to inner centers within the vehicles, or into union with the attentional
principle, the spirit or the ensouling entity by holding it in a ray
or beam of Light. It is the primary method used in the Subtle and
Planetary Bands.
Teachers of the Mudrashram® lineage primarily use the
Light Immersion method to temporarily lead the meditation student's attention
onto the inner Planes, but then return it to the ground state of awareness.
They also teach contemplative mantra to focus the attention upon the spirit,
but similarly advocate the return of attention to normal waking awareness.
Some spiritual teachers do not favor the grounding of attention after
the meditation experience, but have the meditator remain absorbed in the
focal point for extended periods of time. Use of the methods of Breath
Absorption, Guru Mantra, Horns of the Prophet, and Remembrance (particularly
the advanced form where the spirit repeats the mantra) keep the attention
in an altered state of consciousness indefinitely. This leads to a state
of detachment from normal personality functioning, a witnessing of the
activity of the mind from a higher vantagepoint, and often, identification
with the focal point of the method used to control the attention.
These methods of sustained absorption facilitate the shunting or sublimating
of energy from the personality and channels of the unconscious mind. While
this may permit better control of passions and behavior from a deeper
stratum of the mind, it may also produce certain symptoms that alarm researchers
who study cultic groups and psychotherapists who must deal with the disturbed
individuals who emerge from them. These symptoms include:
Automatism – robot-like behavior, acting like a machine carrying
out inner "instructions" or "revelations," or obeying "directives"
or "commandments" of the teacher. The admonition is blindly followed
without critical thinking or contemplation of the consequences of
the action. Individuals may be led to devote 12 to 16 hour days in
"service" or proselytizing activities without any consideration for
their legitimate personal needs.
Psychic Numbing – deadening of feelings leading to an inability
to recognize emotional reactions. This is commonly coupled with the
assumption of a false, spiritual persona, which is always cheerful
and happy.
Suspension of Critical Thinking – the faculty of reasoning
is turned off. This results in failure to examine statements for veracity
and reality. This produces a condition of extreme suggestibility and
gullibility. Doubt and criticism are suspended; complete "faith" and
"trust" take their place. Unscrupulous teachers readily exploit seekers
in this vulnerable state of mind.
Preconscious Blocking – this is a shutting down of the impressions
that well up from the Subconscious mind, which leads to mental blanking,
or periods when the mind is completely still. While this state is
restful, remaining in this state for long periods of time can slow
mental response to environmental stimuli. This produces a kind of
torpor, a zombie-like "sleepwalking through life."
Depersonalization – disidentification from the ego and its
life history mediated by memory leads to a state where the experience
of the ego seems unreal or dreamlike. Individuals experiencing this
state may feel like they are out of their body, or that they are watching
their activities from a detached viewpoint.
Loss of Ability to Make Decisions – sublimation of the volition
by absorption in higher centers can lead to the suppression of the
ability to make independent decisions. This can produce confusion,
inability to make commitments, and dependence on the teacher to give
guidance for all matters of life.
Samadhic Trance – activation of the Kundalini Shakti without
its subsequent return to its ground state can produce samadhic trance.
This is a catatonic state in which an individual is unable to move,
speak or think.
This catatonic suspension effectively paralyzes all
activities of the personality. Individuals who remain in samadhic
trance for more than a few hours may need ongoing care by others.
Legends say that yogis in samadhic trance remain in yoga postures
until birds built their nest in their hair. Fakirs are alleged to
maintain such a profound state of suspended animation that they can
be buried alive for days or weeks.
Perceptual Illusions – attempting to function with the sensory
faculties of the higher mind activated for long periods of time may
wreak havoc with normal perception, giving rise to perceptual illusions
and multi-sensory hallucinations. Failure to terminate meditative
absorption at this point can lead to persecutory hallucinations, or
even a psychotic breakdown.
Controlling the attention is primary to developing spiritually and making
progress on the inner path. We caution the aspirant and disciple, however,
that injudicious suspension of normal personality functioning by remaining
in altered states of consciousness for extended periods of time can lead
to frightening symptoms that disrupt behavior, perception, cognition and
volition. We suggest that the Higher Planes are a nice place to visit,
but you may not want to stay there until you have made the natural transition
to these states during death. In other words, visit Heaven, but please
come back: you are also needed here.