(Includes revised "I Am Awareness Exercises", Part 4)
Reflection: When do the stones of the pyramid become sacred,
Or your lips the very lips of God?
When does silence become wisdom,
Or waiting become prayer?
Mix darkness with silence,
Surrender with desire.
Then return to the moment,
just before awareness gives birth to thought.
There, find yourself waiting -
Your original face, your open heart.
Revised "I Am Awareness Exercises", Part 4
Intention I will gain insight and experience into the nature and identity of myself as silent awareness in the eternity of the present moment.
Meditation: In this meditation we will turn our attention to the area of your brain behind the center of your high forehead, the prefrontal cortex. As in the previous meditation, first become conscious of the location of yourself behind your eyes looking out at the world around you. Stay focused on being inside your head behind your eyes. Next turn you attention to yourself as a point of silent awareness in the middle of your head. Maintain this focus for a few moments.
Next, shift your attention to the area of your brain behind the center of your high forehead. Gently focus on this area. Continue breathing in and out smoothly and slowly while you focus your attention here. Stay conscious of being a point a silent awareness in the center of your head. Gently focus on the area of your brain just behind the center of your high forehead. Relax the muscles around your eyes and forehead.
Now imagine yourself moving from the middle of your brain into the area of your brain directly behind the center of your high forehead -- the prefrontal cortex, the seat of the mystical third eye. Allow yourself to reside here as awareness. Continue breathing in and out smoothly and gently. Stay conscious of being a point of silent awareness in this area of your brain. If you find yourself distracted return to this area by gently repeating, "I am silent awareness."
Inquiry: You have done several meditations now focusing on consciously being a point of awareness. Is it beginning to become a part of your reality now? Is self-awareness starting to become the experience you refer to in your mind when you say "I"?
Of course when you complete the sentence, "I want this . . ." or "I am that. . ." etc. then our desires and attributes come into focus, but keep some distance from them. Allow your identity to remain grounded in awareness. Whose desires are they? They are yours as a point of awareness. And whose attributes (big, small, good, bad, etc.) are they? They are yours as a point of awareness.
By maintaining your sense of being a point of silent awareness first and foremost, you will find a new strength and resiliency. You won't dig your heels in as deeply when your ego is being challenged to change and grow. You'll be more able to change your self-image if it doesn't reflect accurately the beauty you are as compassionate awareness. You'll be less susceptible to the emotional and mental manipulations and abuses of others. This is because you know you are not the idea or image in your head susceptible to criticisms and complaints.
Active Meditation: In our meditation we focused on locating our self as a point of awareness in the area of the prefrontal cortex, the mystical third eye, the very same point some neuroscientists suggest is the seat of self awareness. Let's extend our meditation and its effects into our daily life by practicing this same meditation while listening to others with focused attention. Placing our attention in this area increases our availability to our sensory inputs, particular vision and hearing.
Many times we are distracted and scattered as we listen. Our minds are hoping from thought to thought, formulating answers and opinions before others have finished speaking. Settle down your thoughts by placing your attention in the area of your mystical third eye. It is an anchor to settle down your mind, allowing you to listen with more attention and and wtch with more focus. You will be more aware of what you are seeing and hearing. Try it out. Look and listen to the person as they speak to you while staying anchored in your mystical third eye, the area of self-awareness. When you feel yourself distracted simply return your attention to this area once again, re-opening your attention to what you are hearing and seeing.
Silence Exercise:
Let's practice being silent awareness in the present moment. Sit quietly and be aware of your breathing. As thoughts come, simply let them go.
If you are distracted simply remind yourself, waiting is prayer, silence is wisdom, and return to watching your breathing. Avoid excessive strain or effort. You are not creating, but discovering your original perfection as a point of silent awareness.
Service: Extend compassion and forgiveness to everyone. Recall your experiences of being a point of awareness. From this point of stability and strength, see the negative actions of others only as the fruit of their ignorance of who they really are. Unaware of their perfection, their negative actions come out of need and want, insecurity and fear. The more we are personally grounded in being a point of awareness, perfect in our simplicity, experiencing greater and greater levels of peace and happiness, the less likely we are to be triggered emotionally by other people's negativity. We have the emotional distance and freedom to do the most loving thing for all concerned, including ourselves, becoming clearer and clearer expressions of compassion and forgiveness.
Intention Renewal:
Allow the intention of this meditation to continue. I will gain insight and experience into the nature and identity of myself as silent awareness in the eternity of the present moment.