Mid-morning. Chores, breakfast and the paper. You woke up spending part of the night wondering about a transition (which you did not have before) from chapter section to chapter section. You came to the conclusion that Merlyn's spirit that is his heartansoulanmind should do the talking rather than me, the Amorella.
I thought it would add to the humanity focus, that you are between the lines anyway as well as in selections of characters, etc. I think it is a good idea the only problems are: one, how heartansoulanmind show as a single unit. 'Spirit' seems too broad it conjures up visions of that Christmas story which I cannot remember the title of though I think Dickens wrote it. Two, what is the setting of this character? I thought I could use the model setting I built and used to have on the desktop, the sanctuary with the fireplace, bookshelves with no books and the crack leading to the Dead in the back corner to the viewer's left of the fireplace. I need a transition space -- always the same format -- (1000) something similar to a mediation moment.
As one of your former student's, Cathy from Brazil days, yesterday on FB suggested that you were moving from right brain to left with this overhaul. The time additions must be a part of this. - Amorella
I hadn't thought about it, but this sounds reasonable. If so my left brain was kicking in earlier this summer and I didn't realize it. Interesting observation.
When you are better suited we can go over this transition. In the meantime look up meditation techniques of Buddhist monks for some ideas. Do your exercises while Carol is out. Post. - Amorella
Exercises are completed and Carol has returned, a little before noon and you are in the shade at the north end of Pine Hill Lakes Park waiting on Carol to make her round of a mile and a half to two miles walking.
1152 hours. I copied ten pages of Buddhist meditation from Wiki Offline.
As usual I'll help edited for our purposes. - Amorella
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Buddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of meditation techniques that aim to develop mindfulness, concentration, supramundane powers, tranquility, and insight. Given the large number and diversity of traditional Buddhist meditation practices, this article primarily identifies authoritative contextual frameworks — both contemporary and canonical — for the variety of practices. For those seeking school-specific meditation information, it may be more appropriate to simply view the articles listed in the "See also" section below.
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Four foundations for mindfulness
In the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha identifies four foundations for mindfulness: the body, feelings, mind states and mental objects. He further enumerates the following objects as bases for the meditative development of mindfulness:
Body (kāyā): Breathing (see Anapanasati Sutta), Postures, Clear Comprehending, Reflections on Repulsiveness of the Body, Reflections on Material Elements, Cemetery Contemplations
Feelings (vedanā), whether pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral
Mind (cittā)
Mental Contents (dhammā): Hindrances, Aggregates, Sense-Bases, Factors of Enlightenment, and the Four Noble Truths
Meditation on these subjects develops insight.
Serenity and insight
The Buddha is said to have identified two paramount mental qualities that arise from wholesome meditative practice:
• "serenity" or "tranquillity" (Pali: samatha) which steadies, composes, unifies and concentrates the mind;
• "insight" (Pali: vipassana) which enables one to see, explore and discern "formations" (conditioned phenomena based on the five aggregates)
Through the meditative development of serenity, one is able to suppress obscuring hindrances; and, with the suppression of the hindrances, it is through the meditative development of insight that one gains liberating wisdom. Moreover, the Buddha is said to have extolled serenity and insight as conduits for attaining Nibbana (Pali; Skt.: Nirvana), the unconditioned state as in the "Kimsuka Tree Sutta" (SN 35.245), where the Buddha provides an elaborate metaphor in which serenity and insight are "the swift pair of messengers" who deliver the message of Nibbana via the Noble Eightfold Path.
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The Arahantship Sutta
In the "Four Ways to Arahantship Sutta" (AN 4.170), Ven. Ananda reports that people attain arahantship using serenity and insight in one of three ways:
1. they develop serenity and then insight
2. they develop insight and then serenity
3. they develop serenity and insight in tandem
In the Pali canon, the Buddha never mentions independent samatha and vipassana meditation practices; instead, samatha and vipassana are two qualities of mind to be developed through meditation.
***
The accounts of meditative states in the Buddhist texts are in some regards free of dogma, so much so that the Buddhist scheme has been adopted by Western psychologists attempting to describe the phenomenon of meditation in general. However, it is exceedingly common to encounter the Buddha describing meditative states involving the attainment of such magical powers (P. iddhi) as the ability to multiply one's body into many and into one again, appear and vanish at will, pass through solid objects as if space, rise and sink in the ground as if in water, walking on water as if land, fly through the skies, touching anything at any distance (even the moon or sun), and travel to other worlds (like the world of Brahma) with or without the body, among other things, and for this reason the whole of the Buddhist tradition may not be adaptable to a secular context, unless these magical powers are seen as metaphorical representations of powerful internal states that conceptual descriptions could not do justice to.
A Mantra: Dattatreya
Dattatreya (, Dattātreya) or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" (meaning given) and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.
Various Hindu sects worship him differently. In the Nath tradition, Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of Shiva and as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Nathas. Although Dattatreya was at first a "Lord of Yoga" exhibiting distinctly Tantric traits, he was adapted and assimilated into the more devotional (Sanskrit: bhakti) Vaishnavite cults; while still worshiped by millions of Hindus, he is approached more as a benevolent god than as a teacher of the highest essence of Indian thought. Dattatreya is credited as the author of the Tripura Rahasya given to Parasurama, a treatise on Advaita Vedanta.
Selected and edited from Wiki Offline
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This appears too religious or spiritual, Amorella (1222)
It is just background from which we can create a mental tension, not relief or meditation for the reader
I found a couple more insights for me to think on:
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How Mantra Meditation Works
The mantra you use is meant to represent the quality you wish to infuse into your consciousness. For example, many people say or think to themselves, “I am not very beautiful; nobody loves me.” And so, this is their mantra, which they repeat to themselves every day and wonder why their life is miserable. But if they changed their mantra to say, “I am beautiful; I love myself,” then perhaps they would notice a change. This is an example of an uplifting mantra, which can be used for the betterment of their life.
Examples of Mantra Meditation
Any phrase may be used for mantra meditation. Usually, a mantra is used for some specific effect, to either create a positive quality, or free yourself from a negative one. For example:
* I am present now
* I love myself
* I am free from anger
* I am free from sadness
* Love is my experience
These are just a few. If you wish to utilize a name of God for Mantra meditation, you may choose one from whatever religious tradition best fits your beliefs.
Mantra Repetition for Developing Virtues
There are so many great virtues: patience, compassion, kindness, humility, fearlessness. Whatever virtue you wish to embibe, use a mantra to invoke it’s power in your life. It may sound like this:
“I am filled with compassion for others,” or…
“I experience patience when working with others,”
Or, you might just repeat the word to yourself over and over: Kindness… kindness… kindness…
Whatever you’re developing, mantra gives you something tangible to hold on to when you find yourself in a trying situation or an unknown place. If you find yourself forgetting to be kind, repeating the word reminds you to be kind. If you want more humility, repeating a mantra reminds you to be humble throughout your day.
Mantra Repetition for Developing Virtues
There are so many great virtues: patience, compassion, kindness, humility, fearlessness. Whatever virtue you wish to embibe, use a mantra to invoke it’s power in your life. It may sound like this:
“I am filled with compassion for others,” or…
“I experience patience when working with others,”
Or, you might just repeat the word to yourself over and over: Kindness… kindness… kindness…
Whatever you’re developing, mantra gives you something tangible to hold on to when you find yourself in a trying situation or an unknown place. If you find yourself forgetting to be kind, repeating the word reminds you to be kind. If you want more humility, repeating a mantra reminds you to be humble throughout your day.
Mantra - a tangible method for imbibing divine qualities, changing habitual patterns and knowing God in a deeper way.
As you develop your relationship with a mantra, you will experience how it naturally pulls you into meditation, quieting your mind and shutting off the constant chatter (and sometimes negativity) we all have a tendency to experience. It also provides a way for us to remember what’s important to us during trying moments in our life. If we can just remember our mantra when we’re in that moment of anger, sadness or fear…the experience of these emotions often dissipates, and their power over us is replace by a power of our choosing–like happiness, patience or compassion.
May you experience the power of mantra in your life. And until next time, may all be happy, may all be well.
Selected and edited from: http://mayallbehappy.org
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And here is one more set of mantra examples less spiritual:
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A mantra is far more useful in creating meaning than the verbosity of a mission statement. Here are a some mantra ideas for some well-known brands:
Federal Express = peace of mind
Target = good design for everybody
Nike = authentic athletic performance
Patagonia = eco-friendly weather proof fashion
You get the idea. Nothing complex, romantic, or clever about a mantra – but it is a far more compelling and memorable way to define the meaning of who you are and why you matter to people. A good mantra can even become a customer facing tag line. “We Try Harder” is a classic mantra example from Avis.
from: http://www.pullinc.com/forget-your-mission-statement-create-a-mantra
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You are sitting under the shade of a tree at 7211 Barret Road in the West Chester Township Keehner Park near the two centuries old log "Cabin in the Clearing". What you have added shows your mind is working below the spiritual level of the mantra for ideas. Keep it. This is not a spiritual story as such; it is a story of human consciousness and imagination tempered by reason that is exactly what you want it to be. - Amorella
1452 hours. I received an email from Alta, one of my first readers of the Merlyn trilogy and she says that my concept is a good one, better than the original. This is good news as she was one of my most responsive readers of the complete drafting of the Merlyn's Mind trilogy.
Late afternoon. Move material I suggest over to your work draft for 'transition sanctuary. We can work from that as time permits. Post. - Amorella
1739 hours. Here are the edited helps from the sources above to focus on the development of a transition piece between sections within the chapters:
Transition Sanctuary - Wkg:
Focus for Development in story:
Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of meditation techniques that aim to develop mindfulness, concentration, supramundane powers, tranquility, and insight.
**
In the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha identifies four foundations for mindfulness: the body, feelings, mind states and mental objects. He further enumerates the following objects as bases for the meditative development of mindfulness:
** **
Serenity and insight
The Buddha is said to have identified two paramount mental qualities that arise from wholesome meditative practice:
• "serenity" or "tranquillity" which steadies, composes, unifies and concentrates the mind;
"insight" which enables one to see, explore and discern "formations"
** **
The Arahantship Sutta
1. develop serenity and then insight
2. develop insight and then serenity
3. develop serenity and insight in tandem
** **
The accounts of meditative states in the Buddhist texts are in some regards free of dogma, so much so that the Buddhist scheme has been adopted by Western psychologists attempting to describe the phenomenon of meditation in general. . . . the whole of the Buddhist tradition may not be adaptable to a secular context, unless these magical powers are seen as metaphorical representations of powerful internal states that conceptual descriptions could not do justice to.
** **
Federal Express = peace of mind
Target = good design for everybody
Nike = authentic athletic performance
Patagonia = eco-friendly weather proof fashion
You get the idea. Nothing complex, romantic, or clever about a mantra – but it is a far more compelling and memorable way to define the meaning of who you are and why you matter to people. A good mantra can even become a customer facing tag line. “We Try Harder” is a classic mantra example from Avis.
**
Mantra Repetition for Developing Virtues
There are so many great virtues: patience, compassion, kindness, humility, fearlessness. Whatever virtue you wish to imbibe, use a mantra to invoke it’s power in your life. It may sound like this:
“I am filled with compassion for others,” or…
“I experience patience when working with others,”
Or, you might just repeat the word to yourself over and over: Kindness… kindness… kindness…
. . . a power of our choosing–like happiness, patience or compassion.
*** *** ***
Now, what will Merlyn do with this?
It is what I am going to do with it, boy. - Amorella
2151 hours. I have no idea how to set this up.
Each section is taking place at the same time because Merlyn understands his spirit, his heartansoulanmind. The section just read, "The Dead" is a reverberation from his soul, "The Brothers" is from Richard's heart as their souls touch; Grandma's Story" is a reverberation from Richard's soul after Merlyn's heart responds to Richard's "The Brothers". Merlyn's mind projects "Diplomat's Pouch" which is received by Richard's mind. A game of high-spirited story billiards working their way from unconsciousness to consciousness. The Dead and the Living both dream and this dual dreaming by Merlyn and Richard is literary letters wrapped on a two dimensional white sheet of paper or however it is received by the reader. - Amorella
I will have to think this out. I will probably have to make a three dimensional model to make it real in my head. The billiard table is the pages laid out flat. Not pages, a large white flat service strewn with black letter shapes. Two-dimensional. This isn't quite right. The 'picture' is not realistic in my head.
Think the concept through. Remember Merlyn is confined in six walls, each one a chessboard. Black and white. Six dimensions. You will need to model this with the billiard table and balls of thought, this and a mix of entanglement. Simplified, of course. - Think on how it can be done. Include the heartansoulanmind intertwine Merlyn's and Richard's, after all Merlyn can consciously be any place at once or several places at once but the more he is spiritually stretched the broader his conscious walls are stretched . And, most important, the broader the reader's conscious mind is stretched by the storytelling. All for tonight. Post. - Amorella
It's all from your head, boy. Let it float to the top. - Amorella
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