Re: Digest Number 286

["Alan Cook" <fish_studios@...>]

Dear Geoffrey,

>> If thoughts just popping up and i am not willing or doing the 
thoughts .. they just pop up and create their story without my active 
interference..... is that EOM? or should i willingly shut them off? <<

If they are indeed thoughts, then that is not Emptiness of Mind. In 
the state of Emptiness, the mind only perceives, which is difficult 
to explain. It is "above" thought. If you haven't looked at Rawn's 
Self-Healing Archaeous, then I suggest that you do.

http://www.abardoncompanion.com/Archaeous-Links.html

It will help you to understand what state of mind you are trying to 
achieve, Lesson 3 specifically. You can always simply listen to or 
read the lesson and get a better understanding of the "hierarchy" (if 
you will) of the mind and mental body, without working through the 
first two to get to the third ;) But to *do* the third you need to 
*do* the first two.

Mundane Awareness (Earth)
Emotion and Presonal Significance (Water)
Perception of Ideas and Thoughts (Air)
Direct Perception of Essential Meaning (Fire)

The Emptiness of Mind exercise is related to the Fire region of the 
Mental body and the direct perception of essential meaning. This is 
better understood on the decent from the Fire back to the Earth and 
the integration of all four. When you really start to go deeper into 
the Vacancy of Mind exercise, the understanding of what is occuring 
during that state becomes more apparent.

>From what you said, it seems that you are more in the Air region than 
in the Fire region. The thoughts are less (what's the 
word...) "sentences" and more "words". Different from what you are 
used to, but thoughts none the less. Your mind truly has to be empty 
of thoughts for the exercise to be complete. 

If you are having trouble with this exercise, or understanding what 
you are trying to achieve, I'd suggest that you give the Archaeous a 
try. It can't hurt :)

All Will Go Well,
--Alan