Lenten study on meditation

Lenten study week 4
Meditation: Zoning out or zoning in.
What do you think about when some one says the word "meditation"?
Most Western people think of meditation in terms of a posture, exercise, and discipline. Most people in the West think of meditation as zoning out to find a blissful tranquil state with no thought and little awareness of self, the world, or any transcendent reality.
Meditation is none of these things.
Meditation is zoning in not zoning out.
Meditation may or may not involve a posture, exercise or discipline.
Meditation is simply making a conscious choice to pay attention to what is.
Stages of Meditation
1. Attention
First Exercise: sit quietly for one minute and observe your thoughts. Try not to force your thoughts in any one direction. But, if you find yourself in a forcing current simply observe that.
Report: what did you experience?
Second exercise: sit quietly for one minute and observe your body. What do you feel? Aches, pains, numbness, pleasure? What is there?
Report: what did you feel?
Third exercise: sit quietly for one minute and pay attention to the room around you. What do you see, hear, feel, smell, touch, taste?
Report: what did you experience with your five primary senses?
2. Question
Are you the thoughts, feelings, sensations? Is that you?
Or, are you the one who chose to observe those thoughts, feelings and sensations?
Where is the real you?
3. Observation
As you experience emotional reactions to people and events try to remember to ask your self: where is the real me?
Is the real me the anger, frustration, anxiety, fear, demand, pride?
Or, is the real me that Observer who notices all of these things?
　
4. Cultivation
If you have come to the conclusion that the real you is the observer continue to pursue meditation by making a conscious choice to invite the Observer to be present in your daily activities.
If you have not come to the conclusion that the real you is the Observer that’s OK. That is where you are. Observe your resistance to the process. Ask yourself: who is observing the resistance? Is the resistance the real me or is the one who observes the resistance the real me?
Either way, set the intention to approach life from the question: what is the truth?
What is the truth of my present experience?
If you are in physical pain ask: what is the truth of this pain? Am I the pain or some one who is experiencing the pain?
As I sit (stand, recline, kneel) and pay attention to my life as it is what do I observe?
Is the observer the same as the pain?
In the act of observation how does your perception and experience of the pain change (or not).
5. Lucid
Now that you have done some of the "spade work" of meditation it is time to seed the grounds of awareness with Divine Truth.
There are any number of techniques or methods. All have some value. Their value is only instrumental. They are a means to an end not the end goal itself. The end goal is simply Presence.
Presence to who you really are.
Presence to other people as they are.
Presence to the world as it is.
Presence to God as God is.
Lucid techniques:
Experiencing the story
1. Select a story from the Bible. Let’s try Genesis 1:26- 2:3
2. Read the passage out loud.
3. Observe how you think, feel, react to the story as it unfolds.
3. Make a conscious choice to exercise your imagination.
4. Place your self in the story as though you were there observing what was happening as it happened.
5.Shift your awareness into the present.
6. Experience the story as though it is happening here and now.
7. Observe the events as present events.
8. Observe your own thoughts, feelings, reactions as you experience the story as a present reality.
9. Ask God: how are you Present here and now in this exercise?
10. Sit in silent awareness of what is here and now.
Memorizing the scripture
Psalm 119: 9-11
Luke 2:51
Memorizing scripture with conscious intent and awareness can open our souls to the Divine Presence.
Memorization is best when regular.
It does not have to be frequent, just regular.
As you memorize ponder the words.
Ask God the questions: how is this true?
How can I apply this truth?
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Some points to consider
You, the real you, are not your thoughts.
The sin nature manufactures a false you.
The Holy Spirit calls you into an awareness of the real you.
The real you is a particular and unique manifestation of the Infinite and Eternal love of God.
You are more fully you when you are in an active, conscious, self responsible relationship with Jesus Christ
Meditation is a means by which we respond to the Holy Spirit’s invitation to wake up, pay attention and be present to the fullness of life.
The false you reacts from the place of fear, self will and pride.
The real you responds from the place of divine love and compassion in Jesus Christ.