fear of death , page-63

whereu

This is likely to become a long discussion. Happy to oblige.

..."What does withdrawing from senses mean and how do you achieve this? The more I try to ignore my senses the less I'm able to do so. I start itching in places, I can't reach and so on...:)"


I will use the yoga formula for explaining the stages of meditation [because I consider that the best ... others who might like to contribute to this might choose another]

Yoga delineates 3 stages. Withdrawing the senses, one pointedness and finally 'samadhi' [absorption, mind without an object ... basically a trance state]

Withdrawing of the senses is something which is the natural effect of a genuine meditation technique. Although I favour Yoga philosophy the very best technique I know about is the Theravadin practice of Anapana Sati.

Withdrawing the senses:-

It begins by deciding to ignore the usual things which occupy your attention. This 'decision' is more important than it might at first seem because you create a psychological tenor for the practise you are engaging in. The first thing that you deal with when attempting meditation is your daily concerns and worries will still be uppermost on your mind when first you start a practise.

Ananpana is an extremely simple technique and also one of the most difficult. All it is .... sit comfortably and with closed eyes bring your attention to the in/out passing of the air as you breath through your nose. The technique calls for you to feel the sensation of touch that the passing of the air makes as it enters and leaves the nostrils.

It is a good technique because it does not encourage imagination and it is a real time event.

Basically all that it is doing is it forcing you to raise your level of alertness by a small margin. That sensation of touch is there all of one's life but it remains below the conscious level simply because there is no reason to observe it. However, in order to hold it consciously in one's attention requires that the usual things which do otherwise occupy one's attention have to be put to one side. In this way the process of 'withdrawing from the senses' is sort of a natural outcome of attempting to focus the attention on what is always a subliminal event.

Those itching sensations you mention are actually signs that what you have tried in the past was starting to get a result. We itch and ache in diverse places all the time and these also are subliminal experiences. They become more noticeable when we succeed in putting aside the normal hubbub and chatter in our minds.

Have to go for the moment but can continue this later if you like