The Serenity Solution: How to Use Quiet Contemplation to Solve Life's Problems (19 page)

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As mentioned earlier, though, our job is not done even after our prayer or meditative sessions. We still need to be observant of daily opportunities that may arise as a result of our sessions. Our natural inclination will be to return to our habitual ways. We may get caught up again in familiar concerns, become distracted, dwell on doubt and negativity, and ignore inner wisdom or outer opportunities. By staying observant, we’ll avoid such pitfalls and keep sight on our desired objective as well as any insight or opportunities associated with it.

The biggest help will be staying in touch with our broader, inner

mind. It will guide us along the way. We do this by holding out faith, staying receptive to subtle inner information, and avoiding the urge to forge ahead only with the limited conscious mind. The ego or focal mind will want to maintain its illusory control and focus narrowly on only obvious external data. We need to be aware of this so we do not get cut off from our larger awareness, lose our intuitive bearings, and allow fear and doubt of what is out of sight to overcome us. In doing so, we will be in a better position to attain our desired outcome. (For more information on Meditation and Prayer see the side box: Accessing Broader Mind through Meditation and Prayer.)

Accessing Broader Mind

Through Meditation and Prayer

Several verses in the New Testament support the notion that sustained focus (faith) leads to desired outcomes. Relevant verses are:

•
“
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and

tossed by the wind
.”
(James 1:6, NIV)

•
“
Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but

believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for

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them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
”
(Mark 11:23-24, NIV)

• “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks

receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks,

the door will be opened
.”
(Matthew 7:7-8, NIV)

Collectively, what these passages tell us is that the key to a successful outcome is a single-minded and sustained focus on that outcome in the absence of doubt. If we seek but deep down doubt, we’re focused on doubt and not the outcome we seek. By removing all doubt and focusing repeatedly on an imagined or prayed-for outcome, we are more likely to realize this outcome.

The notion that there is connection to a larger intelligence within is not new. For thousands of years, mystics, sages, and ordinary folk alike have talked about connecting with an inner intelligence in two of the most common forms of calm focus: meditation and prayer.

Many accounts speak of thoughtful seekers retreating to simple environments, such as caves, deserts, and forests to engage in quiet communication with this larger intelligence: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”(Luke 5:16, NIV)

Eastern Meditation

In Eastern meditation, according to the ancient Hindu philosophy of Vendanta, one attains communion with a larger intelligence by quieting everyday thoughts that sully the mind and observing deeper areas of mind. The process is likened to a settling stream. Just as the bottom of a stream can be clearly seen when mud settles, deeper areas of mind are revealed when one settles surface thoughts.

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In this deep state of “pure awareness” one gets past the illusion of the physical self (called the illusion of Maya) and “awakens” to the realization that everything in the universe is a manifestation of one consciousness called Brahman. More importantly, one realizes that each individual consciousness, Atman, is but a small distillation of this source consciousness.

At the point of this realization one is said to be “one with Brahman”

or “one with all of existence” and have the awareness of the universe itself; and according to the 400 B.C.E., Hindu sage, Patanjali, develops a “purity” and “luminosity” of thought and an ability to see the “true nature”

of things.

This realization that we are one with universal consciousness is encap-sulated in the verse of the Katha Upanishad (a sacred Hindu text): “Tat tvam Asi” or “You are that,” meaning “You are Brahman” and the later writings of the seventh-century philosopher and teacher Adi Shankara, primarily in his work, The Crest Jewel of Wisdom:
“As being essentially
pure consciousness, the oneness between the Real and the Self is known by the
awakened.”

Western Prayer

In Western prayer, particularly according to the Gnostic gospels, one finds the truth of God by quieting the mind and going within. This is alluded to in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas, verse 49: “
Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the
solitary and elect, for you will find the Kingdom. For you are from it, and to it
you will return.’
”

Other, more well-known, biblical verses that allude to finding God through quiet perception include Luke 17:20-21, NIV:
“ … the kingdom
of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or

‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst,
” as well as Psalm 46:10, NIV: “
Be still, and know that I am God
.” Likewise, in 1 Kings 19:11

of the Old Testament, Elijah, one of the early prophets of Judaism, found
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God’s words not forcefully in a strong wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a still small voice—a voice that could only be heard in a quiet state of mind.

The need for a quiet, thoughtful mind when addressing God is also

implied in Matthew 6:6, NIV. Here, Jesus urged his followers to pray mindfully in seclusion when he said:
“But when you pray, go into your room,
close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you
.
”

Broadening Awareness in Meditation

In meditation, broadening awareness is called
mindfulness meditation
, which just as we saw in the calm open focus exercise earlier involves attending to all stimuli in one’s awareness at once.

Mindfulness meditation teaches one to become detached in one’s ob-

servations; and this detachment not only leads to an opening of thoughts previously blocked by narrower focus, it also leads to greater insight.

One of the greatest benefits of meditating is that it teaches us to simply sit and observe our thoughts and emotions without getting caught up in them.

A person may, for example, observe his or her thoughts as clouds floating by. In doing so, one may be able to be more objective about oneself and how he or she reacts in certain circumstances, thereby allowing the person to begin to change his or her problematic reactions. Since this type of meditation leads to personal insight, it is often called
insight meditation
.

Broadening Awareness in Prayer

In prayer, broadening awareness is called
contemplative prayer.
This type of prayer is an undirected form of prayer. When one prays contemplatively, one does not seek a specific outcome from God, but is instead receptive to what God has to say.

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To do this type of prayer, one simply poses a question to God and

then waits openly for an answer. Questions are typically aimed at understanding a problem and one’s options with it. Example: “God, what is needed most in this situation?”

For a contemplative prayer to be effective one has to put away preconceived notions of what he or she thinks the answer should be and have faith in God’s answer. This answer may come in a variety of subtle forms as we saw earlier in the open questions section and one has to be patient in receiving it. Again, receiving requires an open, receptive mode.

Concentrating Awareness in Meditation

In meditation, concentrating awareness is called
single-point meditation
.

This type of meditation involves immersing in the details of a single target such as a candle flame, the breath, or a word, phrase, or image; and as a result of this immersion one “becomes one with the target.”

As we saw earlier, immersing into body imagery can have profound

self-regulatory effects. The Buddhist monks in Tibet discussed in the concentrating awareness chapter are a perfect example. Simply by meditating in detail on heat imagery, these amazing monks were able to sustain deadly freezing temperatures.

Concentrating Awareness in Prayer

In prayer, concentrating awareness is associated with the
petition
or
asking
prayer
. Unlike contemplative prayer, this type of prayer is directive. One is not openly receptive to God’s input at this time but rather focused on petitioning God for the manifestation of one outcome. Example: “God, help me to stand strong in the face of this difficulty.”

In petitioning God, one might visualize oneself engaged in a specific outcome and ask God to co-create it; this way, one is very clear about what they are asking for.

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Thought Research

So, is there any direct experimental evidence for our ability to remotely receive information or influence outcomes as we do in prayer or meditation?

The answer is yes. Since the discovery of quantum physics over 80 years ago there have been hundreds of studies conducted at major universities and labs around the world supporting the notion that a calmly focused mind can both remotely receive and transmit information in small but statistically significant ways.

While sitting in controlled settings, subjects have been able to receive information about distant people and places they have never visited as well as influence living and nonliving things, both simple and complex, including random number generators, water molecules, microbes, cells, organ tissues, body processes, and even mental and emotional states.

Apparently, the more influential subjects have been able to receive or transmit information statistically more often than chance by tuning into the target and “becoming one” with it; this has appeared to occur regardless of time and distance, presumably as a result of the nonlocal quantum entanglement between the receiver/sender and the target. For more information about this research, check out the recommended reading section at the end of this book.

Harvesting Broader Mind Exercises

In the following three exercises, we will learn how to access this broader mind using a calm inner focus. We start by first getting acquainted with it, and then, we learn to receive and transmit information between it. In doing so, we hope to stimulate greater insight and influence over problem solutions.

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Exercise 10.1: Tuning into the Broader Mind

Contact with this larger intelligence brings not only wisdom but a feeling of great comfort and connectedness. Though in our everyday, limited conscious mind we may at times feel alone and separate, we find in deep connection with this universal mind that we are never alone. It is as if we always have an unseen partner who’s there to help. In times of confusion and chaos, we can go to this deeper intelligence for safe haven and guidance. Here, fear subsides, the body heals, and we find “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.”

The connection is there inside us, since this larger intelligence per-vades all things, including our minds and bodies. We can sense it more directly when we relax and free our minds of thought. By doing so, we begin to dissolve the boundary between it and our minds and bodies. We become open to its boundless, formless state.

In this exercise, we’re going to learn how to relax and sit quietly and immerse ourselves in this deeper intelligence. To begin, enter into calm focus and simply observe the rhythm of your breathing. Do not alter it or get caught up in your thinking. Just focus completely on how your chest rises and falls with each breath. Imagine your breathing as waves rolling gently on and off shore. Follow the rhythm of these waves. Immerse yourself in them. Focus on this and nothing else.

As you immerse yourself in these waves, imagine you are simply a

mind without a body floating in these waves of rhythm. Stay in the heart of this rhythm and imagine you are making contact with all of nature around you. Sense the intelligence of this nature. Imagine the presence of this intelligence as a peaceful calm enveloping you. Feel the unconditional love it has for you. Feel it embrace you. Sit quietly and immerse yourself in this calm loving presence. When you are done, thank the peaceful presence for being there and return your focus to the room.

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This exercise is a favorite of many of my clients. It not only provides a welcome break when things become a little too hectic, but it also renews the spirit.

If the experience seems vague or subtle at first keep practicing. As you learn to quiet your thoughts and let go, you will begin to experience it more and more. Eventually, as your eyes become open, you will notice this intelligence everywhere around you: in the beauty of nature, the harmony of your life, in the goodness of others, and in you, flowing through and inspiring your very thoughts and actions. Recall the words of Jesus:

“ … behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Exercise 10.2: Dialoguing with the Broader Mind

In the following exercise, we will be imagining we are having a dialogue with an imaginary representative of this larger intelligence and this should enhance our ability to get spontaneous responses from it. For instance, we may use an image of a wise sage to represent our subconscious connection to this larger intelligence.