Transcendence; literature

L,

It is interesting that you state as a fact that you have had no transcendence, but give no reasons or evidence.

This "fact" may actually not be the case. If stresses prevent our maintaining consciousness while transcending, it is possible even in the first NSR sessions for the nervous system to be in a state of transcendence for several seconds or minutes without our even noticing! The only evidence might be a "gap" of experience, or a period of time that seems "lost" (we don't know what happened, only that we realized that we were not thinking the syllable and that we had no thoughts or other usual experiences).

If you have such gaps or lost time, then you may very well have reached the state of transcendence. It is not very far away, and is so natural, that we frequently do not notice it for the first few months that we experience it.

Concerning books on meditation, unfortunately there is a long history of misunderstanding about the nature and technique of meditation. Most meditation books talk about the "stages" of meditation, or the "stages" of yoga, as though one had to go through these stages in some sort of order.

Meditation experiences are as highly individual as life experiences in general. What one person considers 'the right way' would not be appropriate for another person. Furthermore, the descriptions of life from the point of view of an enlightened person are almost useless for beginners, since they are based on a very different state of consciousness (one free from the blocks we call stresses). It is, for example, extraordinarily unhelpful to read that "to reach bliss, no method is needed. Bliss is the natural state of Man."

This does not mean that enlightened people are ignorant in any way, just that they speak from a different level of consciousness.

For these and other historical reasons, most books (and teachers) on meditation are not relevant to NSR Meditation, and can even result in confusion and misunderstanding. We are propagating a new understanding of meditation in which transcending and its technique are seen to be easy and effortless. It is an understanding that threatens those teachers who advocate discipline, focus, and a detailed intellectual understanding of the philosophy of consciousness.

In NSR Meditation, we advocate experience, not reading. We encourage being, not intellect. Instead of strengthening the ego through prideful study of a 'special' knowledge, we let the ego go and discover the delights that lie beneath the ego.

Then, we advocate using the freedom of life gained through the release of stress toward whatever life-supporting activity we find ourselves drawn. One person may focus on improved relationships with family and friends. Another may transform their business activities into something truly useful to society. Yet another may wish to develop themselves through dropping harmful habits, or developing their own innner strength and joy.

What all these approaches have in common is the challenge they set to the new-found experience of pure consciousness. Instead of making a big deal about it, these people simply meditate innocently then dive into daily activity. Experiencing these two states, rest and activity, is all that is needed to grow into a fulfilled and enlighted life.

David Spector
NSR Meditation/USA