--- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:23 AM, authfriend wrote: > > > Vaj, Rick says explicitly in what you quote that effort > > is inappropriate even at subtle levels. > > > > I don't know what he means by either "attentiveness" > > or "laxity," and I wish he'd expand a bit. I can't > > figure out what they would have to do with TM other > > than following vs. not following instructions. > > It's just nitpicking and semantics to keep splitting hairs over > words when the meaning is clear to those who practice meditation.
Obviously they aren't clear to me, and I practice meditation. The point is, Vaj, words can mean different things to different people, especially to different people who practice different types of meditation. The only way to come to a common understanding of the terms is to nitpick and split hairs and analyze the semantics (and even then you may not succeed). You like to assume what *you* understand the words to mean is what everybody else understands and therefore they apply in the same way to every type of meditation. But that's just not the case. In any > style of meditation where you have an object of focus Which excludes TM, since TM doesn't involve focusing. --WHATEVER that > object may be, the subtle mechanics will require that you maintain > some species of global mindfulness in order to be able to meditate. > I like Asanga's definition of mindfulness which shows how > appropriate the description is in regards to manasika-japa/TM: > > "What is mindfulness? The non-forgetfulness of the mind with > respect to a familiar object, having the function of non- > distraction." As I understand this, it *would* apply to TM--except that it's a DEscription of *what happens*, not a PRE- scription for *what to do*. > In the case of manasika-japa/TM the global > conditioned 'familiarity' is with the mantra and "non-distraction" > would refer to the vyuttana or outward, distracted tendency of > the "outward stroke". Since this so precisely and accurately > applies, what else need be said? As long as you're talking about DEscription, nothing. But it doesn't have anything to do with whether effort is exerted during TM. As long as the attention is on the mantra, "mindfulness" and "nondistraction" are happening. When another thought intervenes, that's the outward stroke; the "mindfulness" and "nondistraction" have ceased. That's the effortless cycle I described earlier. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
