Enlightenment

4 Hacks to Increase the Depth of Meditation and get the Results

Published on Feb 17, 2021 by Tony Kane

Introduction

Those of us that have started a practice of meditation have probably experienced this: we earnestly restart a meditation practice when we perceive we begin to suffer whilst going through some sort of turmoil. We fall back into a trusted experience – hopefully! Eventually we breathe a sigh of relief when we move through that which is bothering us and – forget to practice because life begins to beckon us back to a run of thoughts again! We know – don’t we – we’ve lost our focus! We all have these times.

Years ago, when I first started meditation, I found it the hardest thing to do – to stop thought. But then I realized that none of us can stop it; the brain is there to process thoughts and there’s no way you can stop it from doing its job. I soon learned from my teacher that all we can do is learn to ‘observe’ them without any emotion or judgment attached. You see, I learned that the mind is NOT the brain – but is has a symbiotic relationship with it.

If you take the time to think about it, the mind isn’t physical; it is intangible or can’t be seen. But here’s the interesting point, the you that you are is the mind. When you are looking through your eyes – it is you – the mind – making use of the physical function of sight.

The fact is, just like learning to play an instrument, it takes practice. During the beginning stages of a meditation practice, you will without doubt find it hard – but anything worth experiencing is worth putting the work in to make it happen; in this case it’s a no brainer! Here’s a little hint: practice meditation until you can break the 30 minute barrier. And by this I mean that you should work toward being the observer for as long as you can until you break 30 minutes. Remember: the observer doesn’t think! It just observes! Once you’ve broken the 30 minute barrier, watch what happens when you break through an hour. If you don’t think you have the time then ask yourself this question: “Do I want a day that’s going to be relatively easy or do I want my day to be shambolic?”

IF you are using meditation as a tool to feel good – you’ve missed the point of it and you will just come back to the default setting before you started. You must learn to be the observer first up.

4 tips to help you shift into a higher gear of meditation:

1) Use a Journal

This may sound a bit crazy, but yes, you can step out of a meditation to write down an idea you have received. Again, if you think about it, it’s just like observing a thought and deciding whether to entertain it or not, putting it aside to go back into practice being the observer within the meditation. Or you can write down your experience after.

The reason I say keep a meditation journal is really quite simple.

If you have difficulty meditating, you can use the journal to remind you of the previous experience. Use it as a motivational tool.
You may want to continue meditating and enlarging the idea you received in a previous meditation. This may be to aide you in business decisions or for whatever you are going through in your day to day life experience.
You can use the journal to write down questions you wish to ask your ‘self’. This is an interesting part of meditation. If you are ever stuck in an experience during the normal run of the day, you can receive the answer. And you will know it is the correct answer by the way your physical self feels; there will be no question about it, in which case you need to action it as quickly and as practically as possible. If you feel fear at any stage, go back to the mind in meditation and sort it out. Ask questions.

These are the three main reasons but there are probably more you can think of. It’s up to you as an individual to use your journal for whatever you wish. I can’t impress it strongly enough, though, to have a journal and use it often.

2) Break through the timer

Whether you’re in the habit of using a timer or not, each time you meditate, try to extend it in length of time; the benefits are enormous. If you’re new to meditation you may have difficulty maintaining focus over a long period but this is what meditation is all about; you are flexing and strengthening the mind muscle which will have greater results for you in life the more often you practice. Start with 5 minutes then reach to 10 and keep adding another 5 minutes each time you meditate; the task is then simple.

3) Feel free to experiment and ask your ‘self’ questions

One of the greatest things about meditation is that it is ‘open-minded’; this means that you can quite literally go anywhere and do anything within it, which makes it interesting and fun. You have your own ‘gps’ or guidance system; as you meditate and find yourself in that relaxed state, ask yourself a question (it could be anything – from a simple task to a challenge you are attempting to complete), and then let it go. ‘Put it out there’ in other words. There is no doubt the answer will come to you and in most cases when you’re least expecting it. Again, you will know it’s the answer because it will hit you fairly quickly and it will just come out of nowhere without any emotion attached. Either as a fun experiment or in a moment of seriousness – just do it!

4) Small meditation breaks

During the course of the day whether busy or not, I pull myself aside and meditate for 5 to 10 minutes (but often that 5 to ten minutes may get extended to 30 minutes). Essentially, you are giving your brain a break and reconnecting with your ‘self’ (the mind). Just as food is for the body, meditation is another way of recharging your system. You could even just do a breathing meditation for as long as it takes to make and have a coffee.

How quickly will I see results?

This is completely dependent upon how often you meditate; realistically you would not want to take any days off, remember you are attempting to create another positive habit here.

In most cases the most profound changes don’t take place during meditation at all; you will notice the changes in your experience of everyday life. Outside of meditation, you will need to be more ‘mindful’ which means that you are focused on what you are doing ‘within the present moment’; this is a natural state of mind gained from meditation. Mindfulness is really a meditation while you are doing your everyday stuff, with your eyes open. The practice of meditation, then, ekes into your life consequently becoming a quality of your new life-style.

The results of meditation will come through as ideas, pictures in the imagination, physical balance and grounding (you will physically and emotionally feel balanced). These are only some of the ways in which you see the results. Another is the feeling of inspiration; you will be and feel inspired to complete something or start something new; it could be anything but when this happens, don’t question it just do it. If it is good and wholesome for yourself and others and there is no way you can get it out of your head…make preparations and do it. Again, if there are more questions you need to ask before the ‘doing’ go inside first or you may want to discuss it with others who have a solid meditation practice.

Whether you are new or an old hand at meditation, never give up the time and opportunity for even a 10 minute meditation break. You will feel and experience the results as long as you commit and put your time and effort into a consistent meditation practice.

The Nature of Life and Meditation

Published on May 18, 2019 by Tony Kane

1556552759618

“Life is when we exist to observe and enjoy the beauties of nature; meditation is when we observe the beauties of the observer”

If we are at all serious about the wholeness of life, and by that I mean by not reducing it with philosophy, a religion or by being stuck within the knowledge of what we think we know – and by knowledge I mean everything that appears to be ‘logical’ or brain centered – if we are at all serious about living life observing and enjoying the beauty of nature and ourselves, entering within it, understanding it without drawing a conclusion upon any part of it including the color of skin, race or creed, monetary status, etc, – for nature and life itself doesn’t make a distinction between any of this – if we are at all serious about the life we desire to live, and the wholeness it provides outside of all the fads, being tossed from pillar to post trying to look as good as anyone else, or trying to live within a mask of happiness and contentment – and by that I mean when we present ourselves as one thing in society but are another in the privacy of our homes – if we are at all serious about living our own lives in all truth, honesty and integrity, we’d be more concerned with our own actions, our own ways of thinking and our own ways of living the life we are gifted with.

To understand life one must, at the very least, attempt to understand self or the one living it; to observe our own actions, our own ways of thinking, our own feelings, and emotions which will eventually bring us to ask more questions of ourselves; to ask those questions within ourselves and – listen very carefully. This, of course, is the meditation that will enhance our lives; to become self-aware and conscious of what makes us tick. But that’s just the beginning because when we observe the self we currently are, we may begin to either like or dislike what we see. We can then become trapped within our own judgments upon ourselves either good or bad, but it makes no difference; none of what we observe is the silence, the enlightenment, the intelligence and motivation of what we really are; what we are observing is the subject and not the observer. And this is the nature of meditation; to live and experience being the observer of life; emotions, thoughts, and actions – to enter into a higher understanding and the higher intelligence of mind and heart.

My recent experiences within the meditations of my ‘self’ have led me to a query of the observer and the self being observed. I became aware of a quote I had read a few years ago as it came back to my memory as if to be a reminder and a pointer directing me to another depth, stripping away another layer of belief and fantasy.

“The observer is observed” – Krishnamurti

Again, being an avid participant of meditation and using it to open up the mind within which there is a type of intelligence all of its own (unique, knowing and understanding itself) – and to be honest a type of madness to those who have not experienced it – the above quote made a lot of sense. To try to understand it with intellect alone is quite difficult – everyone knows that the observer and the observed need to be separate otherwise it cannot work. It works hand in hand with another quote, which comes to mind while I write, “An eye is not an eye because you see it; it is an eye because it sees you”. A beautiful understanding of meditation if there ever was; as you enter into the experience of meditation and observe yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally, you soon become aware of something else looking back at you. This takes a bit of focus but that is what meditation is all about; to learn to focus an otherwise unruly mind, wasting itself upon the past and future that don’t exist and bringing it into the present moment, which is the only point in time that does exist. In the initial stages of learning to meditate, you are, or become aware, or have the perception, that you (in your physical-ness) are observing yourself, and you become comfortable with that. As you progress, you will become aware that not only are you observing yourself but that you are actually ‘the observer’; there is a definite distinction between the two in which the observer cannot be ‘the observed’ – you have rediscovered a hidden part of you that holds a lot of motivation and profound wisdom but, also, it is quiet but powerful in its silence; you experience a higher intelligence coming from your depth.

And yet again, as your experience in meditation increases and your mind becomes more focused, another progression is realized; within that progression, you become conscious and very aware that your mind is not what you initially understood it to be – the progressions of meditation and the will to focus begins to present to you that you really are your mind (the observer) unfettered by the demands (the perceived needs and wants) of the body. You begin to initiate an understanding that you are now experiencing yourself as you once were before the influx of error-ridden education and misunderstanding of the life experiences you have survived up until now. All the trauma and negative experiences make sense with the mind intelligently making use of that knowledge – this is but an initial rebirthing of your ‘self’; in a sense, it is an experience of a new ‘you’, but in reality, it is the return home – to the real you, the unconditioned mind.

As if that wasn’t enough already, there is yet another progression. Which brings me back to the quote at the top of the page “Life is when we exist to observe and enjoy the beauties of nature; meditation is when we observe the beauties of the observer”. This progression is sometimes seen as the final one, whilst still living in your body – the one in which you receive an understanding that even though you are the observer but you, as the observer, are also being observed. Life becomes the meditation and meditation ceases to exist; it is superfluous and unnecessary.

Within this progression, the mind you are experiencing dissolves into nothingness; you become life and life lives through you, unhindered and unfettered by the desire to reason with it; you trust it profoundly because you are the trust of yourself. You cease to want and try to explain your experience of it; you are it and that’s all that matters because nothing matters. The experience of love, for example, is unspeakable and a return to the ‘old ways’ is not on the table for negotiation – you attract that which you now are and settle for nothing less. Silence becomes the teacher, as the teacher becomes silent. The experience of being the creation and the creator itself; you are one with it all.

There is a scripture from the bible which is a favorite of mine that makes so much sense of this phase or progression, please read it and understand the profound truth hidden within it.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,

I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy,

And understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

And though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains,

But have not love,

I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,

And though I give my body to be burned,

But have not love

It profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind;

Love does not envy;

Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own,

Is not provoked, thinks no evil;

Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth;

Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Try as hard as you might, the explanation of it all becomes an arduous task; it seems the language you speak is not intelligent to those who want to understand it or want to understand you. The language you speak is of your heart and soul and understood by, maybe, the few who have taken the time to understand their selves, but know this well, you will be misunderstood by many. It is within these times you know there will be a time for silence and a time for speech but you will be measured upon your action; your life will be the explanation and only the fewest of words necessary if any at all. You, the love you are, will never fail you even as it recognizes itself in another. Resilience is one thing, but endurance – yes, endurance – is your best ally whilst experiencing this phase of the meditation of life. It becomes you – and it becomes easier.

Visit Unconditioned Mind Masterclass contact Tony now for more information on meditation and mindfulness

If you desire to know more of the processes of Mindfulness please contact Tony through the email form below. Or for Mindfulness Workshops please follow this link: Mindfulness Workshops

Mindfulness – The Placebo that Isn’t

Published on May 2, 2019 by Tony Kane

1556552759618

I was recently involved in a discussion that took a turn into something in which I was being judged for what I know within myself to be a ‘truth’ about life and, in fact, about my existence and purpose for being here. A fair bit of my life has been in the search for something that religion had taught me was only for a select few, and couldn’t really believe in. During this search, I have discovered many things but the most beneficial has been the processes and practice of mindfulness and meditation and the benefits of them psychologically, spiritually and physically. The unfortunate transition that has taken place in the western world is that Mindfulness has been used as a placebo in the treatment for a lot of mental and physical issues, and although I believe this is a great thing because all scientific evidence is proving beyond any doubt that it works, it still remains a placebo.

When I come back to the discussion that took place, I felt as if I was being harshly judged for even trying to discover ‘truth’ in whatever form it may take and had to prove and disclose a valid reason for doing so, but there’s an upside to this; after sitting down and replaying the discussion, I realized the proof and valid reason was myself and there was no point in even trying to supply what the other person was asking for or even remain connected to the sense of doubt that the discussion provided, even for a very short period of time. Which brings me to another point: the doubt provided me with the knowledge that I knew my ‘self’ well with the proof and validity not being necessary – and there was and is no doubt about that!

So, I asked my ‘self’ “Why go to the trouble of writing this?” Because I have become aware and concerned that the term ‘Mindfulness” and the practice of meditation to discover the truth about ones ‘self’ has been subverted and downplayed by those who wish to keep the reality of mindfulness to a minimum, and make no mistake, there are those out there who see it within themselves to do just that. You see, the other person’s understanding of mindfulness was limited but only due to what has been taught by those who know nothing or extremely little about it in the first place or….have only used it as a band-aid/placebo, and I feel for this person; the point of meditation and mindfulness has been missed by a country mile.

Mindfulness and the meditations that bring about a state of peace and calm are not about the healings it can bring; the healings are a fantastic by-product but they are not, should not and, in fact, never have been the focus of meditation and mindfulness in their purity. Don’t get me wrong, if that’s all you are looking for then that’s all you will get and if that makes you happy, then knock yourself out, it’s ok; you are experiencing the effect. But mindfulness and the meditations practiced within it have the effect of taking you further into yourself so the placebo effect ceases to exist; you learn to become the thing that is doing the healing; your confidence and knowledge about your ‘self’ become true and effective; you become the cause of the effect, and so the healings are permanent.

Now, I’m wondering, isn’t that the truth of ‘self’ anyone wants to get to know and become? Yes, truth is something to search for if you know where to look and you are passionate enough about it; it exists inside you and you realize there is no other place to look.

Then, again, I wander back to the discussion that took place, and the question of ‘energy’ was raised. I know that in the greater scheme of things that this is yet another ‘truth’ of self that can be discovered using the correct teachings of mindfulness and the meditations used to bring about a state of ‘oneness’ and harmony with life. How do I know? I experience it daily…and, for the sake of those desiring it, it is proven scientifically! The question of ‘being energy’ and becoming one with it has been a point of discussion for centuries but during this discussion, I became aware of being ridiculed behind the not so hidden smirk. But like I mentioned, it wasn’t until after I replayed the discussion later that I became aware of any of this. Why was I the target of such hidden ridicule? Because I teach it, I believe it; actually, more than anything, I understand it and live it, and because I do, I don’t live life the way other’s think I should do and therefore become something and someone they don’t fully understand but that’s only because they don’t take the same amount of time I enjoy, in getting to know another person – without judgment – and they haven’t spent the time to stop and understand their selves either.

So let’s have a look at energy. Energy is in everything, of everything, and in one place and everywhere at the same time; it is everything. The earth is full of it, animals live it, it is in plants, insects, rocks, sand, water, the stars, the moon, the universe, music, the human body…you…and I could go on forever more. Where is the scientific proof of this? Quantum physics is one obvious proof, and even engineering uses it, another is David Attenborough’s many videos on the earth, evolution, and animals, etc, and yet another is Albert Einstein with his famous E=MC2, oh for goodness sake, do I really have to spell it out? Without the energy of life, nothing would or could possibly exist. The problem that exists within humanity is that it thinks it is above that which created it – the energy of life. But I can tell you it is alive and well, thank you very much, and even though it can do without us, we cannot ‘do’ without it. This would suggest that the energy is intelligent; that it can make decisions and think. And it sure does! It does it through us – its creations!

But what is my message within all this? Well, its about the use and understanding of mindfulness. Mindfulness is all about discovering the mind, the cause of your life and the ability to experience your life within your own authenticity and uniqueness without being affected by the chastisement or judgment for being your difference within a world hell-bent on making you ‘normal’ or having to fit into someone else’s perception of what you should or shouldn’t be. My annoyance at being judged so unjustly is tempered by the fact that this person is also trapped within an error-ridden concept of mindfulness. And that is sad…really sad. But here’s the thing and it’s even sadder; so many others in this world today are also trapped within this limited concept of Mindfulness and consequently trapped within the world of normality that they have forgotten what and who they really are and now can’t express themselves in all honesty for fear of breaching ‘political correctness’ and all the other rules now in place to stop the freedom of speech, or more correctly, the freedom of expression.

Yep, mindfulness gives us the ability to be mindful of our words or how we express our selves to one another, yes mindfulness allows us to be in the present moment; that in itself is a fantastic thing to experience in a world of hustle, bustle, and stress. But don’t forget that mindfulness is about discovering the truth about self; discovering the energy that creates you every day without a worry in the world; it is the vehicle assisting you to discover you. If that isn’t something worth searching for, I don’t know what is – but then again – who am I?

Published on Jan 24, 2018Jan 24, 2018 by Tony Kane

The Tao te Ching says:
He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened

Everyone,on one level or another, is searching for enlightenment; the state of mind and ‘beingness’ that transcends the apparent ugliness of the world we perceive. Enlightenment has been described as a journey; a journey of self examination in which we have to change everything we know and understand about ourselves; and possibly you may think that it is reserved for a select few. You can be forgiven if it sounds like a lot of hard work!

The truth is it isn’t a lot of hard work and it is not for a select few; you don’t have to suck on yoghurt, nor do you have to become a toothless yogi and renounce all your possessions and sit in an uncomfortable position for hours on end gazing at your navel to become enlightened; but by gaining enlightenment you will certainly experience a completely new perspective of life but most importantly your self. The only things you will need to sacrifice and renounce is your current beliefs; that which you have been taught is true and correct; or that which you think is keeping you safe. None of them exist but may have been working for you up until now. Change is the only constant in this world.

Enlightenment is a state of mind in which you begin to live a life from a completely different understanding and intellect; it changes your old thoughts (those ones that tell you what you think is true and probably unconscious of) into new and self empowering thoughts. If you knew how close you are to enlightenment right now, would you jump at the chance?

I get asked the obvious question “If enlightenment was that easy why isn’t everybody enlightened? “. The truth is this: You are already enlightened but you may not be conscious or aware of it. Enlightenment is such a personal thing; all you need to do is understand your present condition; stop fighting it (yourself). If you sat still long enough to create a bit of silence within your mind you’d discover that the silence itself is enlightened.

The biggest challenge is to silence the mind. And this is the fundamental error. You don’t have to silence the mind; it is already silent. Your brain is the one that makes all the noise; your mind is the one that observes it all; your powerful mind is the one you’ve been searching for all this time and maybe didn’t know it. I’ll repeat it: enlightenment is a state of mind. Discover your mind again and you discover enlightenment; be the enlightenment (live it) and you live your life as an ‘enlightened one’.

Your brain, your heart and your body is a technology that far out-reaches anything mankind (or humans if you’re wanting to be a bit PC) could possibly create. The mind is that part within you that is unconditioned and unseen. If it is focused upon the yelling and screaming of the brain then that is all it will be able to create in your external world. If it is focused upon the heart, it then begins to create “your hearts desires”. Attitudes change and with the change of attitude comes a change of the perception of your life; your thoughts will become things that you can work with and easier to focus upon . The path to enlightenment involves understanding the technology of the heart and brain and how it can either work for you or against you. This is probably the most difficult part of the journey because we have been taught a lot of stuff about the brain and the mind that is completely error ridden. But we believe it without question; therein lies the problem. We have forgotten to question the truth of some of the education we have received; to question and investigate a belief or our education is a right we seem to have forgotten; we, for the most part, have taken someone else’s ideas as fact without the process of investigation, we’ve become lazy and solely reliant on those who think they know, when maybe they don’t! Religion is a fine example! Cross the barrier of belief and question those teachings and you find you self being branded as a sinner; an outcast at least; our right to question our education has received the same treatment; how dare we question those that know! Maybe they only know in part and its all a theory? The inherent freedom of your mind is the beginning to your own enlightenment. There’s nothing wrong with education but it is your choice to question it or not; to accept without question is also your right but maybe doing you a lot of harm in the long run. And yes I’ve just had a rant; I’m not apologising for it!

Your enlightenment depends on your own ability to question every belief you have taught yourself (via experiences in life whether good or bad) or have been taught by others. This is the only mental exercise you need to follow at this stage. It takes time but as you begin to accept that there’s a flaw within those beliefs and values you hold so dear, you begin to open up the possibility that none of them matter anyway; in essence you are beginning to give your unconditioned mind a chance to show you something incredibly different and so much more enlightening; the more often you question the quicker the expansion. The ‘light bulb’ moments become more frequent.

The mind doesn’t think; that’s the job of the brain, and it doesn’t feel; that’s the hearts job. The mind is quite steady and impersonal as it observes everything; it is the energy that creates that which it is focused upon.

And here’s the thing; I don’t want you to take my word for it; if you’ve read this with an open mind or a closed one, it doesn’t concern me at all, I’d rather you experience it for your self; become your own mental scientist; allow your own inner discoveries, it’s a lot of fun! Your ‘self ‘ (that which you are) depends upon it. Know and Enjoy yourself!

If you feel you require help with any of this please do not hesitate to call or email me.

Tony Kane 0474 570 063

Email: tonykanecounselling@gmail.com