Awareness of Awareness:

Further Explorations into Settling the Body and Mind in Their Natural States

Led by Nur Gale

During the next two Thursday Message classes – February 18th and 25th — we will continue with our exploring teachings and practices to settle the mind in its natural state and to sustain meditative stability, quiescence, luminosity and tranquility, better known as mushahada in Sufism and shamatha in Buddhism. Unlike mujahada practices, which rely upon “props” (eg, visualization, reciting wazifa, etc), mushahada is receptive. It is meditation without a support and associated with the non-conceptual direct experience of presence and self-.  We become passive witnesses.

By taking awareness itself as the object of meditative attention, mental events simply arise and dissolve and we settle in the what Pir Vilayat called the ‘”subtle mind.” We are not purifying the ego; rather the ego and sense of I-ness like a bear goes into hibernation.  Developing the Samadhi of awareness of awareness is one of the simplest practices, yet its objective is elusive and indescribable.

During the class on the 25th, we will look at the practice of mushahada may be applied at bedtime before going to sleep to better induce lucidity during REM and to hold conscious awareness during deep sleep.

All are welcome to join in the class!

Weekly Message Classes are free and open to all; held via Zoom on Thursdays with password: 119393