SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS --14

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF STILLNESS

In meditation and contemplative prayer, the purely receptive approach is to do nothing, or more accurately, to not do anything. We just sit. We do not try to shape our inner experience in any way. We notice any impulse to go with a thought, to pay particular attention to something, or to change our inner state. But we let those impulses fade without acting on them. We just sit and wait and allow everything to be as it is. This silence of our will attunes us to the deepest silence, to the realm beyond space and time. In this practice of non-doing, we make ourselves available to the Sacred depths. It is not our part to make something happen, much less make any demands. We just sit and be. Gradually our thoughts subside on their own. If and when and to what degree the Sacred touches us, we will know. But that only happens in its own time and only if we are available.  -- Joseph Naft

This quote is found in a series of posts at Inner Frontier > Mind and Thought: Part 5

For many of us, the practice of stillness is based primarily on the practice of sitting still but there are other ways.  Walking mindfully works for some.  Yoga works for some.  Tai Chi or Chi Gong works for some.  Dance works for some.  Music works for some.  Many ways.

But the power of stillness is only achieved when the “monkey mind” is prevented from dominating our consciousness.  That’s what this practice is all about.  Slowly but surely we are led to a heavenly realm of existence which allows us to let go of so much of the clutter which blocks our enthusiasm and effectiveness.    

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html