OK, I said I wouldn't deal with Barry's questions until he's dealt with mine, but I've changed my mind, because this is just too much fun to hold off on.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: <snip> > The quote I posted from the Checking Notes: "It is > an important principle to note, that at any time > that the mind is capable of thinking any thought > it is capable of thinking the mantra," was, as I > remember it, in the context of whether one could > think the mantra while experiencing pain during > meditation. No, you've gotten the context thoroughly confused. The context of the quote is when a thought is so overpowering that one can't pick up the mantra without straining. In that situation the instruction is to not to try to think the mantra, but rather to let the attention be drawn to sensation in the body and rest there until the sensation diminishes *and thoughts start to come again*. The idea is that one doesn't just sit there "feeling the body" once one has begun to have thoughts again, because "at any time that the mind is capable of thinking any thought, it is capable of thinking the mantra." Remember now? The instruction for when one is feeling pain-- a separate point--is that if the pain begins to *dominate*, so that one cannot think the mantra without strain, one is to *stop thinking the mantra* and just sit and do nothing until the pain diminishes and no longer dominates. In other words, you have it exactly backwards. In both cases the instruction is *not to strain* to think the mantra when there is some powerful distraction, either an overpowering thought or significant pain. The rest of your post collapses into utter nonsense in light of the actual instructions in the checking notes. And as I noted to start with, the quote has nothing to do with being lost in thought. The answer to be given during checking > was the above, that "at any time the mind is capable > of thinking any thought it is capable of thinking > the mantra. > > Now my questions: > > Pain is a pretty big deal to a lot of people. > One could even say that experiencing it would > constitute an "overpowering" set of thoughts and > experiences, something that could leave you "lost" > in the experience. > > And yet Maharishi's advice is that *at any time*, > even while experiencing PAIN, if one is able to > think *any* thought, one is able to think the > mantra. Right? > > So here's the issue. You have been trying to make > the case that you CAN'T think the mantra sometimes. > You have stated very clearly that when you are > "lost in thought" that it is not *possible* for > you to even realize that you are not thinking the > mantra, and thus it is not *possible* for you to > think the mantra. I did get that right, yes? > > So what is it that YOU are experiencing that makes > your everyday daydreams in meditation so powerful > and overwhelming that they are worse than being > in PAIN? > > What *IS* it about "being lost in thought" for you > that makes it *impossible* for YOU to do what > Maharishi said was possible for someone who is > in severe pain? > > Please deal with the question, if you have the balls. > > I'm suggesting that you are not "lost in thought" at > all, only pretending to be because you're LAZY and > prefer a LAZY form of meditation. But if you think > you can make a case for WHY these thoughts of yours > are more overwhelming than PAIN, and thus why you > are *unable* to think the mantra the way Maharishi > said *you should be able to*, please present that > case. > > We'll wait...
