Reflections on Mu part II

During exhalations, as recommended, one may say mu, as one exhales to stop thoughts. 

You may reach a point where you can stay long time, 20 to 50 seconds,

for instance, without desire to exhale.

If so, you are now standing at a crossroad:  you may continue to say mu as you exhale. If so, you are heading towards absolute samadhi. If, however, you stop, saying mu, you may be head towards shekantaza, that is mere sitting, nothing else. 

Shekantaza is stable state analogous to what Sufis call stable self, or stable ego, whereas absolute samadhi is more like absolute fana, in the Sufi lexicon, that is absolutely gone.

To me the terms make no sense at times, shikantaza or samadhi. What makes sense to me is what allows me to start fresh again and again and so on, refreshment, new beginning. 

Gaarista maqaamka waxba ma jiraan, aan Ilaahay ahayn Iyo ka hadalkiisa.

Qofka markow  u fadhiisto una neefsado siyaabihii la soo magacdhabay, waxaa dhacaysa inuu dareemayaashiisa ay uga imaan wax akhbaar ah, maadaama ay  jirin wax dhaqdhaqaaq ah ama fikir ah.

Waxaa ku saaran. 

Waxba kuma saarna, laakiin waxaa la mid tahay qof jooga meel shib laga wadayahay, bacdina maqlay nin kale oo calooshiisa ay u  budbudayso.

Meeshow  qofka diiradda saaro, meeshaas ay naftiisa tagtaa. Nafta waxaa la dhahaa waa culaab, culaabtana caloosha hoose markii la saaro waxay u qaaraantaa dhalashada nafta dagan.

Jirka qaybtiisa kore marka la saarana waxay u qaaraantaa daganaansho la'aan.

Sidaas darteed aa waxaa la dhahaa diiradda saar meel ka hoosaysa 2-3 suul xudunta.

Si taxadarka la iskugu geeyo caloosha isku qabo indhahaaga, bacdina meeshaas saar diiradda, waa xudunta hoosteeda, waxaad iska dhigi kartaa inaad gadaal uga imaanaysid darbiga caloosha, bacdina meeshaas joog.

Waa maxay Mu

Muxuu Yahay Mu

Waa maxay Mu, mu waa eray Jabaanays ah macnihiisana yahay waxba ma jiraan. Ardaydaa aa la dhahaa muxuu yahay mu? Jawaabta ma aha sharaxaad ee waa dareen ama fikir xididaystay, si kale haddaan u dhigno, waa waayo aragnimo. Macalinka Jawaabta waa inaad dareensiisaa ama waa inuu kaa akhristaa in waxaan aad iska ogsoontahay, waxaa taas ka horaysa inaad dareentid ama ay ku dhacdo.

Adoo aamusan, oo carabka ku dhaganyahay dhabxanagga dheh mu, waxaan waa ka fiicanyihiin waxaan  in la cuno waraabe, diintana kama hor imaanaayaan. Mu waa nafyi, diidmo, marka dhanka Diinta laga fiiriyo dhahaysa waxba ma jiraan marka laga reebo, aan ku daraynaa haddaan Muslimiin nahay Eebe ma ahane, inta kale asaga ay ka imaanaayaan, oo asal u ah, asaga ayna u dhammaanaayaan. Eebe kaliya aa jira, waxa kale oo jira ma jiraan, waayo jiritaankooda kuwa jira wuxuu ku xiranyahay kan Eebe, ee ma aha wax oo isjiraysiin kara, Eebe la’aantiis. Waa sidaas marka ay aayadda Quraanka u leedahay “geddi waa fool, asagaa muwaalinaaya”. Marka wax jira ma jiraan aan ka ahayn Ilaahay.

Markaad dhahdid mu culaab aa fuulaysa caloosha hoose. Tan waxay kuu sahlaysaa saan marar badan soo sheegnay inaad culaysyada ku soo koraaya iska dajisid, bacdina xurowdid, xor noqotid. Bacdina magaalada aa marba dhinac iska maraysaa.

Neefsiga

Saan soo sheegnay, markaad neefa saaraysid, murqaha caloosha ka riix meel xudunta u jirta, dhankeeda hoose, labo ilaa saddex suul adoo u riixaayaa gadaal dhanka dhabarka. Intaadan riixitaanka bilaabin, saan soo sheegnay, dhexda horay u soo fooci, si culayska jirka ow u fuulo caloosha hoose, haddii kale waxow fuulaa jirka qaybtiisa sare, tan waxay abuuraysaa dhibaatooyin tiro badan, sida daganaansho la’aan xagga jirka iyo madaxa ah. Waxaa fiican inaad riixitaankaan u qaybisid afar qaybood, afar riix, waxoogaa u dhaxeeyaan, waa adoo u nasanaaya oo kale: riix, naso, riix, naso ilaa afar mar.

Saas oo kale sii daynta hawada, marba waxoogaa yar sii daa, ayadana afar u qaybi, waxoogaa yar sii day, miriro sug, intaad awoodid, 5-10 ama xitaa ilaa 20, laakiin joogtee, midkaad awoodid, waa joogtaynta waxa fududaynaaya isbadalka qotoda dheer,  bacdina sii daa, muhiimka, mar kale,  waa inaad qaab joogtayso si aad culaabaha iskaga tuurtid.

Markaan tan dhameeyso, waxaan hawo qaataa shan mar, marka hore xudunta, saan soo sheegay, aan farta saaraa, bacdina meel labo ilaa saddex suul ka hoosaysa xudunta aan far kale saaraa, bacdi neef aan qaataa caloosha hoose soo foocisa, bacdina waa soo riixaa ilaa ka soo bararto ama ka soo foocanto. Saan waxaan suubshaa shan mar.
Qoraaga wuxuu leeyahay markaad mu leedahay, u dheh sida adiga oo riixaaya albaab xiran. Raaxitaankaan wuxuu saamaynaa caloosha hoose.

 

Markaad cadaadisyada jira ay guuri rabaan, waxaan maqlaa qaylada caloosha ka yeerto oo kale, markuu qofka shubmaayo ama shubmi rabo. Inta badan baahida aan u qabo inaan neefta daayo, waa iska yaraataa bacdina waxaan awood u helaa inaan amin farobadan neef bixin. Tan waxay daliil u tahay inaad gaartay ama u dhowdahay markaan marnaanta, ama waxa Suufiyada ugu yeeraan tagitaanka.

Saying mu inwardly mu and systematic breathing

Saying mu inwardly places tension in the tanden, provided one breathes and takes the recommended posture. It takes some practice before one feels such tension as something immediate. If onefeels this   tension in the lower belly, then one will note this to be sort of things that he has not felt before.  


Some scientific research shows that lower belly houses a second brain.

When tension is located in the lower belly, the chatter box or the inner voice or thoughts or what have you that go on in the head stops. One also becomes more stable at this time.


I conjecture this, whatever it may turn out to be, and its likes, sprits or ego, or what have you, is a sort of things that place stress on different parts of the body, depending on where it stresses,different effects emerge, case in point is when it is located in the lower abdomen:it stabilizes the body and the mind.


It is probably chi or nafs, as Arabs would have it, or things of that nature.

I have extended the bamboo method, the author suggests to the contraction of abdominal muscles in view of expelling air that can be expelled from the lungs, that is in technical terms expelling expiratory reserve volume: I contract the lower belly in four phases. In this way,each time I apply fresh contraction.

I also apply the bamboo method in exhalations as suggested, by waiting between exhalations 5-20 seconds, in some cases even longer, four different phases, that is four different exhalations, spaced by 5-20 seconds, to repeat, so that the process of contraction and exhalation mirror each other.

This methodical way hastens my ability to stop thoughts,and by implications empty myself from pressures or egos.

After exhalations, I count four abdominal inspirations,inflating the lower belly first and then tensing it. Having finished this, I repeat the process. In this way all breathing activities mirror each other: four contractions of abdominal muscles, four exhalations and four inspirations.

Single-Point meditation

Dalai Lama recommends focusing the eyes in a single point to mediate. This is one of many techniques he recommends. I am not sure if it is effective method as far as emptying pressures is concerned, or thoughts, since thoughts bring or come with some pressure, a force on particular area of the body.

You may notice this, thought-pressure relations or emotion-pressure relations, during meditation.

I will experiment to see if single point meditation has the same thought-controlling power as that of contracting abdominal muscles, as the author affirms.

Counting the breath while exhaling the entire expiratory reserve volume, I noted, can extinguish all pressures, that is all thoughts.

The object of mediation to me, or at least one of them, is to empty yourself from all thoughts, and by implications all pressures.

If I manage to stop thoughts, then I stop counting the breath and focus on saying Mu inwardly, while stressing the vocal cords silently. This constitutes what the author calls a second stage, following the stage that aims to stop wandering thoughts, by implications empty pressures or egos.


Breathing is also done at this time in the nose rather than in the mouth. I also press the tongue on the roof of the mouth, as the author and others recommend. Doing so makes me more stable and comfortable. It also reminds me of my childhood days, placing a finger between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. Some say doing this, pressing or linking the tongue and the roof of the mouth closes a cycle of energy that promotes human health and longevity. I agree with them based on my own experiences on the matter during my childhood era.

Waa tagayda geddiga ah, al-fana al-mutlaq

Tagitaanka furan, ama fanaaga mudlaqqa ah, waa jaarjarka ama kaarikeeyaha xuriyada, xor laga noqonaayo cadaadisyada jirka soo culaabinaaya, khaasatan kuwaaan fiicnayn ee kugu riixaaya waxa la iska inkiro, oo la yiraahdo waxaan ma naqaan.


Waxaa jira labo digtoonaan ama dhiifoonaan. Mid waxaad u diiradaysan tahay, sida qofka baabuurka wada oo hortiisa fiirinaaya oo kaliya, midna waa mid baahsan, oo waxaad la mid tahay qofka baabuurka wada, oo fiirinaaya gadaal, horayda fog iyo geesaha asagoo isticmaalaaya haadka. Labadaan digtoonaan isku mid ma aha. Walaw la dhihi karo mid markaad diiradda saartid, midda kalena waa saarantahay, bacdi haddii baabuur xowli ku socda kaa soo galo dhanka bidix, haadda aad ka arkaysaa. 

Qofk markuu neeftiisa tirinaayo, waa inuu neefta ilaaliyaa iyo tirada; digtoonaanta noocaan ah waxay la mid tahay labada digtoonaan oo horay loo soo magacdhabay.

Qofka markuu ku guulaysto inuu tiriyo neeftiisa, wuxuu yeelanayaa labada digtoonaan, inuu ka war haayo neef walba, tirsigana ow iloobin.

Taas waxaa la mid ah shaqada; inaad shaqada si digtoonaan ku jirto u qabsatid, yoolkana aad iloobin.

Sida caadiga ah markaan sidaan soo xusnay u neefsado, bacdina aan si fiican u tiriyo waxaa I gasha kalsooni ah inaan isxurayn karo.

Absolute samadhi or fana is Charger of Freedom: Reflections on samadhi. and Labor

Samadhi is a state in which one is still, serene, awake but not aware of space, time or causation.

If people around him are speaking, he does not hear them, except now and then, but they may make fun of him or enjoy watching him for reasons that are not clear: apparently a combination of genuine interest and ridicule. This is noted when one meditates in public places.

If you have long remained in absolute samadhi, then you have charged yourself to be free from preoccupations that occur one after the other, punctuated by wakefulness, what am I doing? and then back again and so on.

To be free from these preoccupations, in all of their variations, be it thought, emotions, imaginary persons, objects and so on, is true emancipation indeed.

The suggestion here is that without a absolute samadhi, or its equivalent, real emancipation shall remain elusive.


In counting the breath, two forms of attention is practiced. One is paying attention to the order, from one to ten and the the other is paying attention to individual breaths, order and instances.

From me doing this kind of breath work allows me to develop two forms of attention, that of choosing what to do and that of keeping the end in mind, so that I do only what is necessary to attain the end in mind and nothing else. I tend to be, in this state, more detail oriented and yet keep an end in mind.

But then I am lost now and then either on minor details or on longer term issues, so that I am not present as the time passes. This happens again and again. To maintain both forms of attention one would need, it appears to me, an eternal vigilance, even so one will find herself with this or that, now and then. Awareness of such things is sufficient.

To overcome recurring preoccupations of some sort or another, one may work on mu, leading possibly to absolute samadhi, and thus gain freedom from preoccupations.

It is possible to deeply exhale all the expiratory reserve volume and expire slowly and thus acquire that brilliant condition of the consciousness that the author notes.


It is difficult to enter into samadhi or enjoy a better consciousness, if one were to be moderately exhaling: because different kinds of thoughts shall arise to preoccupy the person, such thoughts are enumerated by the author at the end of the chapter on Counting and Following the Breath.

Exhaling slowly, but breathing as urgently as needed, and spacing 20 seconds between exhalations or so, generally allows me to empty myself from pressures that hang on different places on my body such as at the back of the head and on my shoulders. This is probably what the author means by methodical regulation of exhalation, a method the author believes to be effective in getting us into samadhi.