Tools of Personal Transformation: Meditation

6 Responses to Tools of Personal Transformation: Meditation

1. 

   StuRestrup November 17, 2008 at 11:20 pm #

   Deepak,

   It is always a pleasure to hear you speak and I am especially happy to hear you speak on the " I am " meditation. I read a book that was on a suggested list at the end of one of your books. It was called " I am " and was written by a man who seemingly had an awareness beyond most. His teacher told him when he began to just meditate on " I am " . I am not sure how to spell his name , but here I will try..Sri Prammanasudh. I hope this rings a bell and jogs your memory. I believe it was an inspirational book for you as well and if memory serves me correctly you had the opportunity to meet this gentleman.

   Anyways, to make my point I will cut to the chase. I am a member of the 12 step program for drug addiction and I am a survivor of sexual abuse. Within the Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous programs we refer to our selves as addicts and alcoholics. When we introduce ourselves we say " I am an addict and my name is…" . I have had a thought since I adopted this meditation of " I am " when I introduce myself at meetings. I would like to just say " I am" , but that does not fit within the program. I feel that by saying I am an addict, it will always be so. If I say " I am " I am not being entirely truthful at meetings. How can I get around feeling like I am making my own reality by saying it over and over? Within the Big Book of AA it does say that "we can recover". Not that we are recovering for the rest of our lives. I feel my recovery is based upon my spiritual maintenance now and my higher power has removed my obsession to use. That is a gift I am most grateful for as I know that addiction leads to 3 places, death, jails and institutions. Having this death sentence removed is a miracle only God could give me. I guess my question is … " How can I carry this philosophy of " I am " with me at all times, including 12 step meetings?" I trust the Big Book of Alcoholics completely as it has been proven to work millions of times over as long as you have a connection with a power greater than yourself. Higher power, God, God consciousness or even just Mother Nature. I have seen people keep their sobriety just believing in the group. Group of Drunks, or G.O.D. , for short. It is funny but it works for some. Am I hurting my quest to pure awareness and complete consciousness by stating " an addict " after ' I am "? Is it o.k. to just practice the feeling of " I am " in meditation only and the rest of reality doesn't neccesarilly need that feeling. I am confused because Sri Prammanasudh was able to reach 'enlightenment' or a higher state of awareness than most by being " I am ", always. Please let me know how you feel as I have always been helped by your awareness and I have read much of your books. You have been a guide , in the form of an author, for me for quite some time and I owe you a debt of gratitude for the information and paths you have shared with the world. I have been able to understand intellectually and I am learning to experience everyday. It is through experience that I learn the most. You don't really know a lemon until you taste it, right?

   Hope you can answer my questions and I hope I have not been too vague.

   Peace,

   Stu Restrup
2. 

   Vivamis123 November 18, 2008 at 4:45 am #

   Dear Stu, your letter moved me and I do hope Deepak has the time to answer you and fill you in with his wisdom.

   In the mean time I hope my words give you comfort and rest:

   Is it really "wrong" to say I am so and so? Do words on their own have power?

   I believe not. I believe that words have the power WE give them. How many times have I said (and will continue) I am my name, my job, my life, my relationship? Do I know myself to be more….so much more? Sure…..but we are on this earth plane and you meet people where they are at in understanding.

   AA has a great concept that has helped millions of people to find back into a fairly normal life. I don't believe that they heal people….but offer a stepping stone to healing.

   You might be one of few that is moving beyond addiction…but this is your awareness…and your experience. If going to the meetings serves you…then go and participate in "their doing". There is no judgement upon it…but KNOW that you are just playing the game of life and that you are soo much more…..You are I am : )
3. 

   LadyLotawana November 18, 2008 at 2:52 pm #

   Hi Stu,

   Your question is one I resonate with myself. I had the great pleasure of hearing Dr. Chopra speak in Kansas City last night and he covered most of the topics in the above video. He even led us through a brief "I AM" meditation and I can tell you it was an incredibly powerful experience even in a short burst.

   Still, once my consciousness returned to the physical in full force I found myself asking the same question you've posed: how does one 'rise above' so to speak when you have issues in the physical/emotional/mental sphere you still have to contend with?

   For me, I have to claim ownership of the abuse victim/survivor labels if I am to work through those issues therapeutically and heal. I've come a long way in my healing process but I'm not sure how to let all of that go. Maybe I shouldn't at this point since I'm still working through the full impact of what that truly means in my life experiences.

   Yet in order to fully embrace "I AM" it seems to me one must let go of those labels. But my life experiences in the here-and-now are what make me a unique person and provide the building blocks of what I become and are the launching pad for what I need to accomplish while here. How can I put that foundation into perspective in order to rise to the fullest extent of "I AM" that is possible for me to achieve?

   It's a duality – do I work on the physical/mental/emotional issues or the spiritual ones or both in turn? Will those competing forces come together as I grow and heal? How do I go about unification? I need a guide with a map, a BIG torch, and red glasses that sparkle even at a distance!

   Thanks for your question, it touches a lot of us I suspect. TVR
4. 

   Adriana November 18, 2008 at 3:02 pm #

   Dear Stu, I am sure as Vivian that Deepak will answer surely with enlightenment. But I can share with you my own process through Meditation. It is a magnificent way to reach and get in the gaps between every thought. I have been practicing "The Primordial Sound Meditation" for 6 years and it is wonderful to tab in your true being. At first it was quite an experience, overcoming the fear of letting yourself go, in deep silence where a black velvet wraps you in its immensity. After a while you start to open drawers you left closed time ago and also understand the timeless of "I am". From my experience it has been one of the ways to silence all the noise and recognize little by little that we are pure being.

   When you declare "I am an addict…" you are giving substance to the thought on a daily basis, this story is constantly filling itself with content enough to belief it as long as you have it in your mind. Your true nature, in all this story is as pure as ever, it does not change but the experience does by the daily affirmation. Our consciousness is the ultimate ground of our being, creating our reality and how our awareness is programed, is how our body, life and perceptions are also. Freedom and letting go starts in the moment when you are ready to re-invent yourself, not just belief but go through the process of changing your stories, and the conversations that go in your mind, you influence all that surrounds you. You have to die in the idea of being an addict or the old paradigm and then be born in a new being that is at complete ease.

   In this material world, all of us have come to belief that we need to collect and achieve in order to have success. We even start to compare ourselves with others and this is the time when we start filling what seems to be "emptiness". Filling it with addictions, that make us feel less empty. You have gone through a strong and not desirable experience, I am sure of that but, now you are expressing them with enough strength and temperance. You are walking the path to freed yourself from these addictions. You are now able to recognize yourself and reprogram the ideas; you can change the reality which is a projection of your soul. You have come to love yourself which is so wonderful.
5. 

   LilyS November 20, 2008 at 10:58 pm #

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6. 

   dymty November 26, 2008 at 6:06 pm #

   Hi Stu,

   You will continue to say "I am an addict" until you stop. I get the sense that you still say the words "I am and addict" because of an attachment to that identity. You feel comfortable with Stu the Alcoholic, and you know what? It's okay to have him around. He'll hang around long enough to see you on your way. And then, when the time is right, Stu the Alcoholic will leave. But not too soon, so don't start bugging Stu the Alcoholic to go away before he's supposed to! He will leave when he sees that you're doing just fine without him. He will not be sorry to leave, in fact he will celebrate your independence. So when the day comes, don't be sad. Even though he has been your friend for a long time, and he's been with you through a lot of your life's events, the time will come when you and he will shake hands and say 'So long." Let him shake your hand and hear him say "Good luck in your new adventure. If you think of me from time to time, I hope you do so with a smile."

   Separation from an identity can be troubling, because without one, we're not sure how we're supposed to act. When we were 'this' or 'that', we knew to act a certain way, because that's what people expected. So people, and society, also became comfortable with our identities. People see us coming and they conform to meet, or to join with that identity. We all experience this shift in our own personality to some degree, and it depends on which identity we're joining with. And I say join, because it's like pieces of a puzzle. Sometimes we don't fit exactly right, and this can be uncomfortable. Sometimes the fit is close enough, and we alter our identities to make the fit more comfortable. And so when we meet with another, we tend to alter our identity just enough to make the joining as comfortable as possible without losing our identity completely.

   When you make the transistion from "Stu the Alcoholic" to "I am," there will be some apprehension in showing this new identity to people, because it doesn't fit quite the same, and that's fine. Those who were used to joining with Stu the Alcoholic might find it a little confusing and somewhat uncomfortable – at first. And you yourself might find it a little uncomfortable, and that's okay! Yes, you have changed, and you are changing. There's nothing wrong with that, and it's something that most of us look forward to. But for someone who has identified themselves with one form for a long time, this transition can take a while, and can be uncomfortable. It's as though the 'new you' and the 'old you' are trying to join, but the pieces don't quit fit. And that's perfectly normal. Just know that this process is very normal and it moves at its own pace. And when the time is right, Stu the Alcoholic and I Am will shake hands and go their separate ways, wishing each other well, and thanking each other for the experiences they've shared.