Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00879)

Hi

Here is an interesting post. Rohit Mehta referred here was the National
Secretary (President) of Indian Section of TS (Adyar) several decades
ago.

	.....doss


> Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 14:19:11 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Dairenn Lombard <piero@ab.com>
> Subject: The Practical Necessity of Meditation


Krishnamurti/Rohit Mehta Quote on Meditation

     Rohit raises the common misunderstanding that the average truth-
seeker has about meditation is expecting to experience paranormal-like
phenomenon of some kind.  And when such a spectacle does not happen,
the meditator feels deeply disappointed, inadequate and craves even more
so to find what his/her preconceived concept of meditation.

     But Rohit and K. cautions us against engaging in the delusional
maze of trying to recognize "meditation".  It is a positive action to
seek a result of any kind.  He points out that Positive Thinking is
no different that drugging oneself or self-hypnosis, because one is
chasing ones own tail by setting goals, fabricated out of thought.
Subsequently, one visualizes an idea of what meditaion should be, then
becomes entangled in the illusion of having escaped from the immoral
nature of thought.  Hence, there is a tendency to become addicted
to looking to the process of visual-fabrication for salvation from
suffering.  Rohit referred to this process as a search for "silence"
of the mind, which is thought's primary psychological goal.  Rohit had
quoted K. from his book THE ONLY REVOLUTION:

     "It is not silence which the observer can experience.  If he
     does experience it, it is no longer silence.  The silence
     of the meditative mind is not within the borders of,
     recognition, for the silence has no frontier.  There is
     only silence -- in which the space of division ceases."

     If true silence/meditation only operates upon the cessation of the
space created by thought's divisive actions, then the key to
understanding what meditation is, is to first clarify what is
preventing it, right?

     Taking a "negative" approach to come upon a positive truth is the
only way one has of uncovering the mystery surrounding "meditation."  What
is implied by "negative" is to see what a thing is not.  So that all
that remains is the truth of the matter.  Our job is to only be
concerned with understanding and detecting the emergence of Positive
Thinking and the psychological implications of division in
consciousness.  I will elaborate why that is the case.

     Positive Thinking about goal-setting and goal-achieving, which by
the way works beautifully in non-psychological spheres of life.  After
all, our very civilization was physically built through Positive
Thinking.  So it has a valid place in life.  However, on the other
hand, Positive Thinking is responsible for conflict, oppression and
all types of disharmony in human relationships.  Our main difficulty
lies in clearly seeing that Positive Thinking is dangerous in the
psychological realm.  It is so arduous to objectively realize this
because humanity has come to completely and habitually depend upon this
process whenever faced with any inward quagmire.

     With that in mind, let's proceed hesitantly into looking at the
movement of Positive Thinking.  Let's start at the public level and
later on look at the effects of this process on a personal basis.
There is a multifarious assortment of idealistically goal-based systems
like organized religions, psychoanalysis, political parties, cults,
etc.  What they all have in common is the Positive Thinking process.
Let me just warn against the misunderstanding that the word "positive"
always implies goodness.  I am using "positive" in the following
context:  [Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition]

     "Directed or moving toward a source of stimulation."

     Every ideology focuses on the goal of aspiring to an "ideal".
The "ideal" can be noble or ignoble.  Therefore, the source of
stimulation is in reaching the "ideal".  Rules are followed in an
effort to move towards the "ideal".  This is the fundamental schema
of Positive Thinking.  Division comes about in the very moment you seek
some other state than you are in.  The "ideal" is designed to lure your
attention away from understanding the "fact" of insecurity towards the
"fictitious" altered state of consciousness.  Then the group promoters
encourages the conformists to mislabel the artificial state as being
real and the original "fact" as an illusion of pain that has been cast
out and replaced by the "ideal" state.  Now, there exists a gulf
between the "inherent value" of being my natural self and the "imposed
value" of being a superior member of some psychological group.  Also,
there is a division created between one ideological group and another.
And where there is division, psychologically, there must inevitably
follow the fear and confusion of "choosing" among them.

     To "choose" any psychological concoction is to become perpetually
conflict, opposition between organizations of this nature.  They use
a variety of scare-tactic propaganda to command respect and strengthen
their fabrications.  This breeds antagonism and social unrest.  But
nevertheless, the very nature of "idealism" is rooted in psychological
insecurity which must tirelessly prove to itself and others that it is
real, powerful and vital to the business of living.  "Choosing" to
validate such a process is a "positive" action towards the source of
a stimulant -- the stimulant being the achievement of absolute
psychological security by conforming to a fabrication of a "better"
state.

     So far I've discussed "choice," which is "positive" movement on an
outward or public basis.  Now let's examine the personal level.
Basically, when you are faced with the challenge of feeling inadequate,
you long to be free from it, right?  This longing creates the desire
for an "ideal" or a "better" state.  It wants to superimpose that false
state over the original disturbed state in an effort to eradicate it.
This Positive Thinking dictates the conjuring of a "better" feeling or
thought, and then visualizes that it is moving towards that image.  The
premise is that once you convince yourself that the imagine state is
real and that you have succeeded in escaping from feelings of
insecurity, then supposedly "silence" or "peace of mind" will be
attained.

     However, the contrary occurs instead.  The moment you "choose" to
desert your inward condition in order to look for or contrive a
"better" state, you have then separated yourself in a dualistic state.
On the one hand, you are suppressing the original psychological state
[confined the original disturbance into the subconscious]; on the
other hand, you're visualizing a more pleasant feeling from your memory
and then self-hypnotizing yourself into thinking that you are free from
the original unwanted condition.

     So a "spontaneous" state arises "choicelessly" and a "fabricated"
state emerging because of "choice".  "Choice" equates to division between
the "real" and the "imagined".  The "choiceless" understanding of the
movement of "choice" equates to wholeness, silence or non-movement
towards any "ideal" -- "meditation".  Meditation is the Negative Approach
of understanding hidden dangers of Positive Thinking.

     So when I find myself faced with the feelings of hating carrying
out various duties and responsibilities of parenthood, adulthood or
just being alive, then my conditioned automatic response of Positive
Thinking kicks in and encourages me to feel guilt, shame for not trying
to make myself feel or think in a more wholesome manner.  Right then
and there, division is born in my consciousness.  It will stick around
until I realize that any effort to replace my thoughts/feelings will
only exasperate my plight in the long run.  Once I detect the truth of
this matter, my conduct won't be directed by this hoax while I am
observing its presence.

     When I engage in self-hypnosis in an effort to think my way out
of myself [so to speak], I notice that sooner or later that my ignoble
feelings start to express themselves more and more on a physical level.
Whereas, in the awareness of what it means to pursue Positive Thinking,
my physical actions are not dictated by those dangerous feelings -- my
conduct is then constructive toward survival.  Hence, no division
intrudes between "what I feel/think" and "what I wish to feel/think".
Remember the Rohit's quotation of Krishnamurti:

     ..."There is only silence -- in which the space of division
         ceases."

     Therefore, when you understand the subtle implications of which
is Positive Thinking, you are meditating and there is silence, moving
toward a stimulus devised by the "positive" thought process.  You
only move toward psychological goals when you don't understand that
it is a destructive trick.  Negative Thinking or Meditation is the
seeing of what creates division so that you won't increase problems in
your life, as well as others.

     Also, there is no stress, strain or effort to try and stop
yourself from feeling anything that arises inwardly.  So you don't
have to fear your thought and feelings, for they are there to be
observed until they wither away in their own natural time and emerge
in their own time.  Even though there is a habitual tendency to react
with Positive Thinking to run from a particular feeling/thought and
chase after a "better" one, you simply watch this process unfold to its
fruition.  Let it fully tell its story until it has nothing else, so
that you can learn firsthand the truth about its nature and be free of
its trickery.  The very revelation is what frees your behavior from
your dangerous thoughts and feelings.

     It doesn't really matter what you think or feel; what matters
is the "approach" -- is it "positive" or "negative"?  That is the
question.  The "approach" determines whether the outcome will be
constructive or destructive.  It is the innate responsibility of each
individual to figure all of this out for and by oneself.

     So we have found Positive Thinking to be a bogus attempt to find
happiness or psychological security or power or inward control which
inevitably leads to division which leads to opposition which leads to
warfare, sooner or later.  Also, we've discovered that the clear
understanding of whatever is taking place inwardly without "choice"
is real "meditation" or Negative Meditation. [I am using "negative" in
the context of non-movement, simply being aware of 'what is' occurring
within.]

     Meditation is a vital and practical necessity in meeting daily
challenges in consciousness, within ourselves and interacting with one
another.  Without [negative] meditation, Positive Thinking governs our
lives, which is detrimental to peace.  The gradual disintegration of
society prevails in the absence of the Negative Approach to Positive
Thinking.  And psychological integration/wholeness is a necessity
that is demanded by our biological survival instincts, since Positive
Thinking is a natural threat to it.  Negative Meditation is the only
antidote to Positive Thinking and its destructive impacts. That is why
it is so practical to understand what 'meditation" is not -- which is
the Negative Approach.

     "Meditation is the understanding of this centre and so
      going beyond it."
                               by:  J. Krishnamurti


Valerie
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