Motionless Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation
#1

Greetings fellow Yogic Meditators,

The following Motionless Meditation is for those who would like to gain more control over their minds. It is a somewhat advanced meditation since it may not be very comfortable or relaxing in the beginning. Also the time we spend in meditation is over average. I can write a very long in depth post about this meditation, but I don’t think that would be the right thing to do now, so if you have further questions of the mechanism behind it or want some more in-depth information or tips, ask, or visit my website(s) (see signature).

[U]Motionless meditation[/U]

The idea behind this meditation is to gain mastery over the mind. As you know the mind always leads you to places and make you do things by creating a desire. The mind is most of the time not content and not in peace with the here and now, therfore it creates a desire, for example; “I should get something to eat now.” Offcourse your body is not actually hungry, most of the time the mind just wants to flee from it’s current situation. It is not purified enough to make it tranquil and at peace with the present moment. Unfortunately, we have identified ourselfs so much with the mind, that we are now fully dependent on it, and we believe that every thought, and every desire, belongs to who we are. Instead, it is just the impure mind. If you can recognize this, then you already have much more control over your mind. But still… these desires are so strong that we can hardly say no to them. This meditation aims at giving you stronger will power to be in control of the mind. We are taming it. So what to do:

[B]+Go and sit in a comfortable posture. It must be a posture that you can hold for a long time without any movement. Perhaps you would like some stretching before you begin. Whatever feels good. [/B]

[B]+Set a time limit between 1 hour and…as long as you wish. But decide a time before you start, and then set your stopwatch or timer on that time. [/B]

[B]+Don’t move, don’t scratch, don’t even wink nor move your tiny toe.[/B]

What’s the point in that? Well a Tantric Yogi Master once said:

[I]“Just sit quietly for three hours in a row without moving, without even winking, then everything will be accomplished easily.”[/I]

Now why would that be? Because if you sit quietly for that long, and you stay focussed and conscious while meditating, you will automatically become aware of the demands of the mind. The desires it throws at you. It will recieve outside stimulus, it will react to that by creating a desire, so that you complete the demanded reaction. For example the mind will percieve a tingling sensation in your feet, accordingly it will try to make you move the feet. Or it will smell some nice food and create a feeling of hunger and it will demand you with its desire to get some food. But remember, the mind can never complete this process without the expression of the body. It needs the body to go and do something somewhere. So if you control your body by not moving for a long period of time, eventually the mind will just have to obey you. It will become quiet and you will be master again.

It is a very nice experience and to me this is a short-cut to mastery over the mind. It is very effective. Just sit down, don’t move, and let your attention become aware of all the thoughts and desires your mind throws at you. The moment you feel you are getting a desire, try to realise what outside stimulus created that feeling, and what your mind tries to make you do. If you watch this process, you are not your mind anymore and the identification with it will gradually dissolve. And you will immediately experience more control over your mind, its desires and the things you do. Afterwards you will feel stability in a flexible way.

ps. Remember the mind will also trick you in stopping before the end of the time, which you decided earlier. [B]Don’t give in[/B], because then the mind is your master, instead of you being his master. Don’t move, stay motionless in posture. And sit out the time you have decided. What you’ve decided, you must finish, That’s the most crucial element of this meditation.

Love & Light,

Bentinho Massaro

1 Like
#2

Certainly very informative and useful. I would try it out. Thanks for sharing it with us. It would be really helpful for me.

#3

I think what Bentinho says is to jump right into the fitfth anga (limb) of Patanjali’s asthanga (eight limbed) yoga.
These are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, or in english, restraints, commitments, postures, control of vital energy, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation, and supreconscious state. (not accurate but close translation)

He is right in that this is where “real yoga” begins and the phases before are preparatory. But their importance should not be neglected.

If you do not follow the restrains, and commitments, you can do any asana, and sit for unlimited amount of time to meditate and you will not accomplish anything. If you are a vile or ignorant man, without the control of animal instinct, no tehnique will grant you the superconscious state.
Yoga is not just a tehnique. It does not work the way, I do this and I get that. The whole being must be adressed.
So even if you jump to withdrawal of senses, concentration and meditation, but you have no control of your everyday life in terms of restrains and commitments, these still will be the first things to take care of. Your mind will have erroneus thoughts, false beliefs, doubt, and your heart will nurture dark feelings like jealousy, hatred, anger. This will be the first line of fire in this war against the mind. So isn’t it more appropriate to focus on these first ? Life is not just meditation. We must live. How we live affects a lot our meditation. That’s why tradition teaches how to deal with our everyday thoughts, behaviour and emotions first, so later on we arrive with less luggage to the plane of meditation.
There is no conflict in what Bentinho and Patanjali says. Only that Patanjali’s way is accessible to many, and Bentinhos to only few. (Maybe more than in Patanjali’s time, but far from being accesible to all, not even the majority)
Also, patience is a basic quality of the practicioner. Without it, one cannot be succesful. Hurrying things has the opposite effects.
I find the commitment to study to be of great importance, for example. Bentinho will disagree here. But the mind is not just an enemy. It is also a friend. Good thoughts, based on the work of those who went before us are helpful and avoid us to think the bad ones. (Yes, I hear him say that the only good thought is the dead thought :slight_smile: - and he’s right … still it is a tool as the body is. It can and should be used.)Without this, an ignorant person will not accept the necessity of meditation, and without this, the avarege will is not enough to sustain such a hard practice.

#4

Haha I enjoyed your response Hubert, however, there are some missassumptions in it about me and what I believe, but that’s ok.:stuck_out_tongue:

Firstly, I do not see the mind as the enemy, nor do I picture this path as a ‘war against the mind’ because of one simple reason: My way is to focus beyond the mind, war means that there is duality, there must be 2 sides to have a war. One thing must battle another. If we are fighting the mind, we are not getting anywhere. If we let go of it and transcend it, that’s when things get interesting. And that’s when all the yamas and niyamas are absorbed in our character automatically.

Yoga is not just a tehnique. It does not work the way, I do this and I get that. The whole being must be adressed.
So even if you jump to withdrawal of senses, concentration and meditation, but you have no control of your everyday life in terms of restrains and commitments, these still will be the first things to take care of. Your mind will have erroneus thoughts, false beliefs, doubt, and your heart will nurture dark feelings like jealousy, hatred, anger. This will be the first line of fire in this war against the mind. So isn’t it more appropriate to focus on these first ? Life is not just meditation. We must live. How we live affects a lot our meditation. That’s why tradition teaches how to deal with our everyday thoughts, behaviour and emotions first, so later on we arrive with less luggage to the plane of meditation.

First of all, I see no seperation, no difference in life and meditation. Living life = meditation. Thinking = not living life/no meditation.

Yes you can work on all these things, in fact, that’s what I do as well, just slightly different. But you should not underestimate what you are already capable of. Who knows how many lifes you have been thinking that you had to prepare this or that? Maybe your insecurity is making you ignorant in regard to what’s possible in your personal evolution… That’s what I see all around, and that’s what I pity at times. I am free of suffering with them, but I see what’s possible and I see how their minds are fooling them with insecurity, making them believe they need a long, hard road, while happiness is right here, right now. Even my teachers lack that insight, that’s why after decades of practice, they are still not enlightened. Just that one piece of disbelief, of lack of insight, lack of courage to see beyond the mind, beyond yoga, beyond the systems.

All you need to do is truly recognize that voice in your head saying you need alot of practice and that ‘Bentinho’s way’ as you called it is inaccessible to most… its just a voice saying that, can you see? Just a voice. Its simple! Probably when reading this it sais:“Yeah he has easy talking, things ain’t that easy.” again… its just a voice, just a vibration, a thought-wave saying this. What’s real in that? What has ever been real in that and what will ever be real in that? Nothing right? its just a voice… then why do you believe in it’s beliefs so firmly? Why do you allow something unreal to make you insecure?

The only thing that makes those beliefs in those voices real, is [B]you[/B] [I]because you believe in them[/I]. Once you stop believing what your mind throws at you, truth will remain. Those that find my immediate method inaccesible or: “for more advanced people with alot of practice” will find my method hard indeed, simply because they are consumed by the voice saying that… but it’s just a voice. My tip: Stop believing yourself, stop believing every voice you hear, and suddenly you will see them for what they are: just voices. Again, it’s simple, you just need to be courageous enough to radically change your consicousness by recognizing the things I said above.

[I]Accept the fact that your mind is a total fake, and all insight will come.[/I]

It takes courage to defy the ego, the mind like this. The long way around is for the cowards among us, the hypocrites. But that’s my opinion. The mind doesn’t want you to not believe in its voices, so it will throw at you even more voices when you try this, voices that have a history, a past, that are charged with insecurity. They will trial you, and you will fall for them, untill you stop believing them! Then the mind will throw even more intelligent thoughts at you, because the mind knows what triggers you, the mind knows where your greatest attachments lie, and it will use it against you, simply because without your attachment to the mind, it has no individual existence. It depends on you. Stop believing anything it sais, even the response that your mind will try to make up here in this thread. Please do make it, but don’t believe it and recognize the voices, the insecurities :slight_smile: . It’s simple.

Things aren’t as difficult as they seem, you only have to [B]make the choice[/B] to change these aspects, have the will to put aside yourself, your mind that is. Of course the mind is a wonderful tool, but a tool it is, it is not you, as you know obviously. I am not against the mind, I do not suggest annihilation, I only suggest not believing it. Let it talk, let it discuss, but be seperate from that. Observe it and don’t believe it.

That’s my way. Often for beginners even more accessible that for the advanced practitioner, becaus the advanced spiritual pursuiter, often believes him or herself to be highly spiritual and advanced. Their egoes are bigger than those new in the field. Some of the ‘advanced’ yogis don’t want to face the fact they have been hypocrites their entire lifes. How painful! haha. Don’t get lost in spirituality, in Yoga. Use it as a tool, but be very wary of it all, be aware of your mind, or it will just turn spirituality into a new sense of self, ego. Don’t ever become a yogi, always remain you and stop believing everything you hear. Silence and truth will arise.

Bentinho

#5

You make me insecure and not my beliefs. Those give a certain security, but you want to take that away in the name of the ultimate security, one what is unaccesible for me, at least yet. If it would be, I’d achieve it. But I can’t not because I believe I can’t and this stops me, but because I try and I fail.
Now, perhaps there are brave souls who keep hitting their heads against the brick wall until they break trough. But my head hurts so I rather slowly demolish the wall with one brick at the time.

You do the same but you play the master here with me, God only knows why ?

#6

I don’t do the same, I jump over the brick wall when I want to, yet it is not permanent at this time. Permanence of that state is a choice coming from deep within, but just the ability to see beyond the wall gives so much peace and security unlike any other false security. And looking past the wall is not that difficult, that’s what I am trying to say.

If I sounded like tutoring you, then I am sorry. I was sharing my experience not in general, but more specifically aimed at you.

You said:

But I can’t not because I believe I can’t and this stops me, but because I try and I fail.

My whole point is: stop trying. The false security I am trying to break down, is the very source for your trying. Have you ever tried to grab a pen when its down? Try it. If you grab it, you did it. If you try it, you cannot grab it, cause as soon as you grab it, you are not trying it anymore. Yoga is a wonderful system of trying. It slowly brings us to the point of doing.

In my belief, if we stop trying, if all securities are down, if we are completely alone, without any securities to hang on to, what remains is truth. Becoming conscious of that truth that arises in between one false security and the next, is what I am talking about.

Lets not be afraid and be blinded by these false securities, let’s not stick to them because we are afraid of hurting our heads, instead; let’s be courageous and explore the gaps in between these securities, in between the thoughts. That’s all we need.

#7

Have you ever tried to grab a pen when its down? Try it. If you grab it, you did it. If you try it, you cannot grab it, cause as soon as you grab it, you are not trying it anymore.

This is just a play with the words, and perhaps not a good example.

  1. When the pen is within reach, the action of trying and grabbing the pen are not two, but one. In this case it is called grabbing. (There’s no trying in this. You assume that until we did not reach it, we are trying to reach it, what is just a perception. I just as well can say that we do not try, we are in the middle of process of grabbing, which is just another name and another perception)
  2. When the pen is in a position where it is not easily reachable, even though it seems possible with a little effort, than we try, and based on our skill and the distance, we succed or fail.
  3. When the pen is completely out of reach, we do not even try, we just realize it is not reachable by hand, and we find other means to help ourselves like getting closer to it, using a prop or smthg else.

Applying this example, what you say: don’t try, grab it - means: it is not out of your reach, it is already there. In this, you are like one, who says, hey, don’t you see , it’s there ! And I, while I hear you, I don’t see it reachable. Of course this makes me frustrated, because I feel I am doing my best.

Now, here I have two choices: I believe you or I don’t. If I beleive you, while I do not see how it is true, I still have to find a way to grab it. If I do not believe you I have to do just the same, if I want to grab the pencil.

In my belief, if we stop trying, if all securities are down, if we are completely alone, without any securities to hang on to, what remains is truth. Becoming conscious of that truth that arises in between one false security and the next, is what I am talking about.

So this is just a belief. A belief I share by the way. I am simply not in position to apply it yet. Perhaps later I will realize this was the obstacle, but right now, even if I agree it might be true, I can’t change it. (attachments, to lots of thoughts)

#8

Okay, I see.

I respect your path and understand your situation. Though that very situation is merely a thought, it is not truly your situation as I see it.

The very thing I am trying to oppose is this, you say:

So this is just a belief. A belief I share by the way. I am simply not in position to apply it yet.

Think about what your mind is saying here… it somewhere beliefs it to be true, beliefs it to be relatively simple like I said, but it immediately backs off saying: you are not yet in a position to do this.

Who the hell does this guy, this mind, thinks he is to decide such a thing for us?

Wel… He thinks he is you. That’s the tricky part.

Lucky us, we can decide that we stop believing ourselves to be him. If we do that, the mind can keep on believing he is you however much he likes, but you won’t fall for its jokes and eventually its attempts will fail. Ultimately, you are in control, all we need to to, is [I]make the decision.[/I] Why won’t you see the difference between what your mind is opposing about my ideas on one hand, and yourself on the other? All you need to do is watch the mind as it says these horrible things that make you insecure and you will see the distinction between yourself and him. I bet you know all this. Then why don’t you? Can you do that? Dare you do that?

All we need: understanding and courage. You got the understanding I am 100% sure, all you need now is courage.

The mind will oppose this possibility, and again, we have to be courageous and watch these thoughts without believing what they say. Positive of negative thoughts don’t make any difference, as long as we witness and stop believing in them, it’s all good.

You also said:

Perhaps later I will realize this was the obstacle, but right now, even if I agree it might be true, I can’t change it. (attachments, to lots of thoughts)

IMO opinion this very sentence indicates the very source of all your suffering and insecurities in regard to the spiritual path. Because, if you realize this is your obstacle… (the attachments to thoughts) then why continue doing it?

I think that YOU realize that YOU are attached to the MIND, and then instead of taking control over the process, your mind drives you with those exact same thoughts to continue the way you do.

So the Irony here is that YOU realize your bondage to the mind, yet the mind overrules this realization with thoughts like you are attached to. Why do you listen to it? Why do you believe it? I wonder.

B.

#9

Because I like it. :slight_smile:

#10

Ok, I find that hard to believe.

Even if you do like it, somewhere inside you must value happiness over superficial liking.

But if you can accept things the way they are and truly like it, then there is happiness in that acceptance as well.

Any way, I wish you all the best. May your path be graceful.

Bentinho Massaro

#11

I did not say this as an argument, but as fact.
It is easy to do what we like. The problem is that this usually leads us to things we do not like.
I must say I enjoyed this conversation. What you talk about has the simplicity and radical approach of advaita schools.
My recent knowledge of the lives of avatars and gurus like Nityananda, Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Shirdi Sai Baba is perfectly in accordance with what you say.
You know what ? I am applying what you say. It requieres keen awarness.
You are right. I was satisfied with my practice, and I did settle for less, postponing this important aspect.

#12

Great to hear.

Now that’s courage :slight_smile:

My experience is that once we start taking action and being courageous, the universe starts working for us at a much faster pace, much more powerful also. May you be blessed.

Goodluck!

#13

i completely agree with what what you say/ is it a truth that once you do this kind of meditation you lose all your senses and you do not get an arousal at all ,i.e. you become impotent ? is that true.

let me tell you my story.

about a year back. i had practiced the same path that you have described for 2 months and had achived at it , but unfortunately i did not have the grace of a guru to guide me i was left alone like an orphan. i came to the conclusion that i will become impotent if i continue my practice, hence i stopped my practice and right now im feeling sorry for that .
please guide me on what i can do about this now. i dont think that i can reach the same level as im working and i do not get time to do meditation as i work in shifts.

#14

Note: With Impotent, do you mean unable to get an erection, or do you mean being powerless; unable to control?

i completely agree with what what you say/ is it a truth that once you do this kind of meditation you lose all your senses and you do not get an arousal at all ,i.e. you become impotent ? is that true?

I have not heard any stories of people becoming impotent of meditation or from this kind of meditation in specific. For the moment, yes, your body can cease all activity. When you reach deep enough in Samadhi, your breath will stop and in some cases even your heart may stop. So you will not get an erection in this state no ;). Also, you will always be the one to decide how much to control and how much to let go. But in order to achieve a higher balance, we need part Willpower (control) and part letting go. In Yogic terms: Part Shakti energy and part Shiva energy. in the end we are always in control.

But when you decide to get out of meditation/samadhi, your body works properly again and is under your full control. The body might feel a bit dead as if it is a block of wood, but after some minutes everything is running again. the time of regeneration depend sof the time spent motionless in meditation.

about a year back. i had practiced the same path that you have described for 2 months and had achived at it , but unfortunately i did not have the grace of a guru to guide me i was left alone like an orphan.

You don’t need a guru. Explore on your own. I never had a guru. I know a few teachers and I have had initiation from a Swami, but before that time I was doing just as good. It’s a traditional believe that we need guru’s. Its not a necessity. Be courageous, explore on your own and ask for guidance where necessary.

I came to the conclusion that i will become impotent if i continue my practice, hence i stopped my practice and right now im feeling sorry for that .
please guide me on what i can do about this now. i dont think that i can reach the same level as im working and i do not get time to do meditation as i work in shifts.

Again: What do you mean by impotent?

Tip: try meditatin in between work, or while doing teh things you do at work. You can move your hand or write a piece for work automatically, or you can put all your awareness into every movement. As is done in Mindfulness Meditation (Mindfulness Meditation).

#15

Yes this is what i mean . when i practised yoga , i felt that my body is a peice of wood, food was no longer tasty to me, and when i was masturbating i no longer could enjoy it , but my semens did come out ,so i felt that i will never enjoy the pleasure of the senses . so even if i have sex i will not enjoy it .that is where my fear lies.

so my question is ,if i get asana siddhi ,will i enjoy sex or will i not.:eek: ?

#16

The mind is sometimes our enemy. I suffered from it, in fact i do right now.
Feelings area creations of our mind. What if you believe that you can control the way you feel? Does it work?
And Bentinho, i sent you a private message beacause i really need your guidance.
Keep going, you are in the right way and you are inspiring me.

#17

You know what. I did it.
When things get really bad i start to see my life from the outside as a witness, from the air. Life as an illusion, we dont even know how all started, who rules if anyone rules, we dont understand why we live, we dont crontrol any factor that makes us who we are, and who we are is what matters when decisions are made in the everyday life.
So why should we bother?
Imagine a computer game. You create a person, and you decide how he is. Then because he is as you decided he makes decisions according do that. In adition, you put some bad luck in is way and he starts suffering very hard.
This person can be you.
Does this make any sense? Should you bother. Should you care?
Well, life is all we have. Sometimes we care (when we are happy) but when it gets bad, we shouldnt care. Became a spectator in a movie.

Do you relate to any of this?
Does this have to do with mind control?

What do you think?

#18

I am indeed greatful for the insight that you have provided me , but if i think of life as a movie i am just a speactator ,then i do not have any ambitions left for me , because a specatator does not have any ambitions, if the story is a sad one you will not watch the movie, so its better that i die than life a normal life, but i am bond by the comitments that i have towards my family.

my question still lies : will asana siddhi make me impotent , will i enjoy sex or will i not ?

#19

Yes this is what i mean . when i practised yoga , i felt that my body is a peice of wood, food was no longer tasty to me, and when i was masturbating i no longer could enjoy it , but my semens did come out ,so i felt that i will never enjoy the pleasure of the senses . so even if i have sex i will not enjoy it .that is where my fear lies.

so my question is ,if i get asana siddhi ,will i enjoy sex or will i not.:eek: ?

There are two options here:

1: The ceasing of your enjoyment in sex is a mind-game
2: The ceasing of your enjoyment in sex is because you transcended sex in total

Option 2 is not likely to be the case, because if that would be so, you would not regret it nor suffer form it. Being free form sex will establish a most satisfying contentment within yourself and since you are not content with your situation, I must conclude your mind is playing tricks on you.

Whatever you want to believe about your sex-life, is what you will think, believe and experience when having sex.

[B]If you think you do no longer enjoy it because of meditation, you will think, believe and experience that.[/B] If you think that meditation provides you with even more self-control and hence your sex-life will only improve, than that is what you wil think, belief and experience.

Don’t doubt.

Let it go.

Enjoy the moment of having sex and try to ad no mental concepts, no doubts, no beliefs, just be in the moment.

And most importantly: When you think you can no longer enjoy sex, [B]Do not believe yourself![/B]

[U]JoseJose:[/U]

Does this make any sense? Should you bother. Should you care?
Well, life is all we have. Sometimes we care (when we are happy) but when it gets bad, we shouldnt care. Became a spectator in a movie.

Do you relate to any of this?
Does this have to do with mind control?

[U][B]While I understand your thoughts on this Jose, I must say:[/B][/U] If your purpose is to get close to inner freedom and truth, caring for the happy moments and rejecting the bad moments/situations, or not caring for the bad, but caring only for the happy, will not get you anywhere but deeper into illusion.

[B][U]If you care for the happy moments, you automatically care for the bad ones;[/U][/B] because what is a happy situation? What is a happy moment? It is a [I]non-bad[/I] moment. You are happy in such a situation, because [I]no bad[/I] things are happening. Do you see the intrinsic connection between good and bad? The kind of happiness you are referring to, is completely dependent on the absence of bad moments. It is depending on the illusion of duality.

[I]If your purpose is to gain more inner freedom and truth, you should not care for the good nor for the bad.[/I] If you stop caring about whether or not good things or bad things happen to you, you gain freedom, because [I]you[/I], your state of being, is no longer depending on anything but yourself.

If I would only care for my happy situations while trying hard not to care about sadness, I would be wasting time because it is not possible. Both good and bad are one and the same. If this would be my spiritual occupation, my state of being would still depend on what’s going on [I]out there[/I], instead of what I choose to experience [I]in here.[/I]

[U][B]I think that it is good what you are doing with putting yourself outside the situation as an observer.[/B][/U] Keep doing this more and more, also when your mind is happy because somethign good happened. You should practice non-attachment to the happy as well as to the sadness.

[B][U]My suggestion:[/U][/B] Let go of this caring for good and not-caring for bad concept, because good thought and situations are just as much, if not more, of a bondage and illusion than the bad ones. Exchanging the bad thoughts for good thoughts, is like changing the rusty, iron chains around your neck for golden, shiny, yet more powerful chains around your neck; they are harder to break open. You may like these chains more because they look good, but you are still just as much of a prisoner. No inner freedom, no truth is gained by doing so. You merely changed one illusion for another. ’

Don’t let Maya fool you.

Bentinho Massaro

Ps. I am not from Portugal JoseJose, so I can not read your private message. Please re-write in English or Dutch if you want ;).

#20

You Bentinho are a true master mind, and this is not a cheap compliment.

Good and bad? Happiness? Sadness? The thing is, you feel bad and then you are able to know what it is to feel good. One without the other cant live. So kill both, dont live better or worst, just live, life is an experience, just do it, dont feel it.
Is this what you mean?