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While I was researching the internet for quotations taken from Jiddu Krishnamurti to add to the Wisdom Quotes section of yoga-mind-control.com, I came across a beautiful quote:

“If you set out to meditate it will not be meditation. If you set out to be good, goodness will never flower. If you cultivate humility, it ceases to be. Meditation is like the breeze that comes in when you leave the window open; but if you deliberately keep it open, deliberately invite it to come, it will never appear.”

This quote touched me because it perfectly sealed a period of realizations for me. As you can read in one of my earlier entries: Meditation equals life, I experienced a short period of doubt and rejection towards the external sources. I felt that true meditation is no practice, it cannot be practiced, it can only be lived. I felt rejection to the external sources because none of them teachers and sources seemed to agree with what I felt, hence, my mind ocasionally started to doubt this inner feeling. As a reaction to that, I rejected the sources for awhile. Now that feeling is gone as my mind realizes that my inner source has always been right for me and every external source is merely a contribution, an extra perspective which I can use or not.

Krishnamurti sais:

“Mere self-control, discipline, self-punishment, or renunciation, cannot liberate thought; but constant awareness and pliability give clarity and strength. Only in becoming aware of the cause of ignorance, in understanding the process of craving and its dual opposing values, is there freedom from suffering. This discerning awareness must begin in our life of relationship with things, people, and ideas, with our own hidden thoughts and daily action.”

Like I said in the post on meditation equals life, I do no longer believe in all the concentration meditations for myself. It may be helpful to others to get to a certain point of concentration or understanding, but for me personally, it is mostly useless. Krishnamurti states:

“Look, Sirs, because the mind is quiet, the body becomes still, not the other way round. You force your body to sit still. You do all kinds of things to come upon this strange beauty of silence. Do not do it, just observe. Look, Sirs, you know in all this are various powers of clairvoyance, reading somebody’s thought. There are various powers, you know what I am talking about, don’t you? You call them siddhis, don’t you? Do you know all these things are like candles – candlelight in the sun? When there is no sun, there is darkness, and then the light of the candle is very important; but when there is the sun, the light, the beauty, the clarity, then all these powers, these siddhis, are like candlelight. They have no value at all. And when you have the light, there is nothing else – developing various centres, the charkas, kundalinis, you know all that business. You need a sane, logical, reasoning mind, not a stupid mind. A mind that is dull can sit for centuries breathing, concentrating on various charkas, and you know all that playing with kundalinis, - it can never come upon that which is timeless, that which is real beauty, truth and love.

So put aside the candlelight which all the gurus and the books offer you. And do not repeat a word that you yourself have not seen the truth of, which you yourself have not tested.”

His explanations are very much in line with my perspective on meditation. He is confirming what I feel and know intuitively, not that I need confirmation now after my period of realizations ;), but it is still good to see that there are more people that realize this. His quotes are one of the better quotes I have come across in some time now. Probably because it resonates with my personal development at this time.

Bentinho Massaro –>

Washington, June 26:

Researchers examined how meditation enhances the three subcomponents of attention which are: 1: The ability to manage and prioritise tasks and goals; 2: The ability to focus on specific information, and; 3: The ability to remain focussed on the environment.

If you think you need to enhance your concentration and performance, then boffins at the University of Pennsylvania recommend that you go for meditation on a daily basis, even if the moments of meditation are short.

Their study showed that meditation does improve focus and performance and that this effortful process actually changes the way the brains function.

As a part of the study, the researchers split subjects into two categories - those new to meditation, or “mindfulness training,” took part in an eight-week course that included up to 30 minutes of daily meditation. The other group, who were more experienced with meditation, attended an intensive full-time, one-month retreat.

Computer tasks were executed by the participants and response time and accuracy was measured. The more experienced meditators from the one-month retreat group showed better executive functioning skills, the cognitive ability to voluntarily focus, manage tasks and prioritize goals.

As the eight-week training was nearing its end, the participants new to meditation had greater improvement in their ability to quickly and accurately move and focus attention. The more experienced group from the one-month intensive retreat improved their ability to keep attention “at the ready” after the intensive retreat.

According to the results from these tests, meditation, even when practiced for a short time-span as 30 minutes a day, improves attention and focus for those with a busy schedule. While the meditation itself may not be peaceful or relaxing, the focus-enhancing exercises may ironically enough allow us to be more at peace and relaxed.

The researchers concluded that also beginning meditators benefit from meditation immediately, which shows in enhanced performance and the ability to focus attention.

For more information about meditation and the different techniques go to: Meditation

The study will be published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience.

Copyright Dailyindia.com/ANI –>

Sri Swami Shivapremananda
Sunday, June 17, 2007 21:36 IST

So what is meditation? In the countries in the west, ‘meditation’ often means a focussed state; a concentrated state of mind in serious reflection. The word meditation, is rooted in Latin as mederi; which means ‘to heal’. Meditation as a practice to heal the disturbances of the mind, the hurt ego, by trying to understand what caused the disturbance and finding a solution to dissolve that disturbance. That is done by knowing what counter-measures to take. Hence: to meditate means to deepen your state of understanding.

However, in the East, meditation does not refer to any form of thinking at all, but means aligning and fixing the mind in a spiritual ideal, to be one with it, or the thought-process dissolving in the consciousness of it. Read the rest of this entry »

As you could read in my previous post on Swami ji Umesh Yogi, I was initiated into the Teachings of Transcendental Meditation. After that day I have not had the honour of meeting him in person again untill a few weeks ago when he came back to the Netherlands to teach at the Yoga School in Laren where I am doing a teachers-course. Before that, we only had contact through the heart, mind and email conversations.

But now he is back in the Netherlands and yesterday evening we met again. I brought a female friend with me whom I feel very connected to. Intuition told me it was right to bring her so she could meet him in private too. Intuition was right… it was a lovely evening and we both had some mutual insights I believe.

As we rang the bell and the door opened, his usual awakening, joyous and blessing greeting: Hariom! reverberated through the hall as it was answered by us in a similar way. We greeted, we sat down and he was telling us very joyfull stories and I could not prevent myself from having an ear-to-ear smile on my face while he continued talking. The carefree way in which he speaks is just very very contagious. His presence alone brings happiness to those around him. Then we had a nice meditation with the three of us.

Afterwards we made a walk through the Vondelpark, Amsterdam as he showed us where he teaches in the park on some mornings. The atmosphere was very peacefull that evening. Then we started to talk about my journey to India. My female friend that was with us yesterday considers joining Dennis and me on our Journey to india.

The original plan was to have no real place to stay, and just sleep in different ashrams or hotels each night. This would cost us approximately 3-5 dollars a night a person. That would be at most 150 dollars a month for each of us. 450 dollar a month for all of us. Food, kitchen and maybe even hygiene, excluded. While I still want to make journeys there and move from one place to another, there is an alternative, or rather a complementary option that the Swami told us about. He said that if you go to India to stay for a long time (months), it is very handy to rent a house. You pay approximately 100 dollars a month, he sais, and the place is yours for the time renting it.

This would be a cheaper and more comfortable option, since it will allow us to leave our stuff at home and travell light. We can make journeys and come back whenever we want to. We would be sure to have water, electricity, kitchen, bathroom etc. Plus, it is only 30 dollar a month for each of us! This idea really appealed to me and my friend. I have yet to tell Dennis about it and see what he thinks.

Swamiji Umesh Yogi has big plans for Rishikesh, the place where we will primarily go to; birthplace of Yoga. He is a teacher of teachers there and he is busy with creating his school. He also said that he wants me to teach others, which is an honour and a great way for me to learn more. We are always welcome at his home there whenever we need a place to eat and sleep. As he always say: “My body and services are public property. My house is the house of God; it is everybodies house.” What an inspiring human being. His attitude and joyfullness should be an example for everyone.

I am looking forward to making this journey and I am starting to make the preparations now for necessary vaccination and visa. Updates and new insights on our journey to India will be posted in the section Journey to India.

I told Swami Umesh Yogi about my website about yoga and meditation and some time in the future he will write something for the website www.yoga-mind-control.com or I will interview him and post the Q&A somewhere on the website. Maybe there will be even more on him and his school, but that is still future-thought.

Stay Tuned,

Bentinho Massaro
–>

About nine months ago Elleke van Kraalingen, who is my teacher at the Teachers-school for Yoga and Meditation announced the visit of a Swami from India: Swami Umesh Yogi. He would come to the Netherlands and he would also be teaching a day or two at our school. She announced the day and time and of course I was going to be there.

Next week we sat at our meditation mats when he entered the room; a young, beautiful Indian man clothed in shining white robes with a red dot (Tilaka) on his forehead. As he sat down and got comfortable with the group he started speaking.

The first thing I noticed was the fact that this man was radiating carefree happiness. His smile and his voice are very contagious. You cannot possibly be angry or sad when in his presence.

He teached us that day and afterwards I got to talk a little with him. We both became interested in staying in touch somehow so he gave me his email adress. Two weeks later I met with him at the place of a good friend of his where he usually stays when in holland. We talked a bit and afterwards we went for a walk and meditated on a terrace next to the Canal behind Central station, Amsterdam. It was a lovely day.

Somehow we got to the subject of initiation and I recall feeling a certain spark illuminating in my heart. I felt that an initiation would not be necessary for my development per se, but I did feel a strong affection towards being initiated by this lovely Swami Umesh Yogi. So I asked him if it would be possible, or if one has to be ready or reach a certain level of consciousness before initation is possible or even allowed. He said something along the lines of: “You are always ready for initiation, everyone is ready for initiation. Everyone has a different timing but you would not be asking me for initiation if it was not your timing.”

Swami Umesh Yogi explained me a little more about the process of initiation as I asked him what exactly initiation is. He said: “Initiation is the teacher planting a seed in the student that provides the student with a more solid foundation to grow from spiritually speaking. Then gradually this seed will grow and come to blossom.”

Later that evening, I received the initiation in TM (Transcendental Meditation)and a personal mantra. The weeks and months to follow I could feel a subtle foundation building in me, like an inner aid. That was 9 months ago and I am still very gratefull for his initiation.

For more information on Mantra Meditation, see: Mantra Meditation.

Love & Light,
Bentinho Massaro –>

The idea of yoga being a tonic for the body and the mind isn’t so far-fetched anymore and has become a rather commonly accepted phenomenon.

Extra research has been done and it seems that yoga might boost a neurotransmitter associated with the process of regulating depression and anxiety disorders. This has been stated by a new report in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday (07-06-’07), I was able to launch my Forum (www.yoga-mind-control-blog.com/forum/), thanks to Nisandeh Neta. I created some sections on the forum to try out and now all it needs is more people that are willing to communicate with other people about these spiritual subjects. There are already a few discussions going on between the first few registered members. You can join the forums by registering at: register to forum.

Sharing experience and perspectives is the most valuable feature of the internet. A forum is one of the most direct methods of doing so. Questions may be asked, theories may be posted, comments may be made, advice may be given, it’s all there.

I’ll hopefully speak to you there,
Bentinho Massaro

–>

HYDERABAD: There are people that seem to live without food, sleep and even without water. Not just for a few days or even weeks, but for years and decades in a row. Some claim to do it without any external aid but their meditations, others use a technique that involves staring at the sun and absorbing the energy into the bodily cells directly. Read the rest of this entry »

As some of you might already know, I have been planning a trip to India for awhile now. Originally I was going alone, but then a good friend of mine asked me if there was room for one more soul-searcher. He is very much like myself but in a totally different way; in his own way. He is searching, he knows what to do and how to do it on his own and in his own light. He is very authentic. That’s why I accepted his request, because people like that are independent of their surroundings. That’s important on such a trip. We can journey together, we can share silence and communication, but he will never be dependent on me or on my knowledge and same goes for me towards him. We can both go our own way, together, without disturbing one another in the process. This will only add value to the journey.

We will soon book a one-way ticket to India planned on somewhere in the middle of November 2007. I will return when I want to. Might be in 2 months, might be in 2 years. That’s hard to estimate at this time. I don’t want to book a flight back yet, because then the illusion of time is still present somewhere in my mind. I will come back when it feels done for that time.

I used to be very attached to my journey to India because I thought that I really needed it to get to where I want to be, but lately things have unfold itself to me and I realize that whatever it is I am heading towards, will come to me when it comes to me. There is no rush, there is no deep desire to go to India for the purpose of enlightenment anymore. Things are coming whether I go there or I don’t.

My attitude was one of: “I can’t get it here and now because there is too much distraction for me. Too much useless stuff, too much attachments. I want to go to India and leave everything behind!” That was a very strong impulse at the time… If I had the choice and means to do so at that time, I would have go there immediately. That was when the plans for India started.

Now my attitude is more one of: “Whether I go there or not, I will reach what I mostly desire. It opens up to me more and more. Gradually I am being enlightened more and more, like a flower opening gradually and naturally.”

A flower doesn’t grow harder or taller if you pull it. It just grows, blossoms, on it’s own, naturally. I am delighted to know that I have found my flower. I can feel the flower, it is now visible, growing above the ground, all I need to do is give it the love and acceptance it needs to naturally unfold. That feeling of knowing that flower, of feeling that inner flower is what changed my attitude. There is no reason to fear or rush now, because I know it is there, no insecurity remains, it will grow, it is just a matter of acceptance. India will be a beautiful contribution, it will be a little extra water and a little extra sunlight on the flower, but not a necessity for it to blossom.

We will start our journey by taking a flight to Delhi and then move to the city where yoga originated from many thousands of years ago: Rishikesh. The beautiful Swami that initiated me lives there as well: Swamiji Umesh Yogi. From there on we (friend and I) will have no plans. We will go or stay as we please at that time. No plans, no routes, no time, no mind.

I will update this category every once in a while I have new insights about my journey to India. When in India, I will probably write down some of the experiences that I have there, in here. But I ‘don’t plan to be in the internet cafe on a daily or weekly basis. The periods that I stay in town will probably be the periods that I write.

I will also continue to update my website (www.yoga-mind-control.com) with info in the upcoming months. I want it to be a good and decent website with plenty of valuable content before I leave.

Om Tat Sat,

Bentinho Massaro –>