in a previous post, meditation was defined as,
“the intentional and sustained focusing of attention”

like any definition, this one is limited and incomplete;
it may convey something about the mechanics of
meditation, but nothing about other aspects of the
phenomenon -

aspects such as the feelings, thoughts and images
experienced during meditation

defining an experiential state, however, is not easy;
it is a task perhaps best left to poets like Walt
Whitman

the soundtrack of the video below is an excerpt
from Whitman’s To the Sun-Set Breeze

the poet’s words provide a good description of a
state often associated with meditation

the above is an excerpt from PBS’s Walt Whitman,
which can be seen in full here

To the Sun-Set Breeze

Ah, whispering, something again, unseen,

somehow I feel the globe itself
swift-swimming in space . . .

consciousness researcher John Lilly believed that we
are stuck in “blindly repeating patterns” of thinking,
feeling and acting;

and that we habitually and unconsciously repeat
these patterns again and again and again -

going ’round and ’round - but going nowhere

Lilly believed that our repetitive thinking, feeling and
acting protects us from novelty, risk and anxiety; and
that it gives us the illusion of safety and security

it also limits our experiences, stunts our growth
and keeps us from achieving our almost unlimited
potential

Dr. Lilly expressed these thoughts in the sound-
track of the video below, an excerpt from a work-
shop called Through the Center of the Mandala

in the above video, Lilly’s words are set against
excerpts of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927)

the word “empty” has a bad rap

an empty tank is not good; neither is an empty
feeling, empty room or empty promise

and there is something sad about an empty chair,
empty mailbox and empty-nester

but in the the spiritual practice of Zen, “empty”
is good thing, a very good thing

an empty cup, for example, is an often used Zen
metaphor

it represents a state of being that Zen practitioners
patiently and persistently seek

the cup represents mind; and it is empty of thoughts,
judgments, likes and dislikes -

Cast off limiting thoughts and return to true
emptiness.
- Morihei Ueshiba

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for
anything; it is open to everything. In the begin-
ner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the
expert’s mind there are few . . . thoughts limit
our vast mind.
- Shunryu Suzuki

Only throw away likes and dislikes; and every-
thing will be perfectly clear.
- Seung Sahn

and finally, consider this 13th century story, written
by Zen teacher, Muju

During the Meiji era there lived a master called Nan-in.
One day a university professor came to see him, to ask
him about Zen.

“Just like the cup, you are full of your own ideas and
speculations.” replied Nan-in. “How can I teach you
about Zen unless you are first emptied?”

alert passivity is a state of consciousness

it has been described and cultivated by a diverse set
of individuals including: mystics, philosophers, artists,
psychologists, authors, translators, martial artists,
and sports figures

descriptions of alert passivity include such words as:
stillness, openness, receptivity, waiting, clarity and
nonjudgmental

Jungian analyst, Elined Kotschnig, defined it as,

an opening of the whole being in stillness and
waiting, without pre-deciding what is to emerge

when in this state, flashes of insight, understanding
and even personal transformation may occur,

So, transformation is not the result of time: it is the
result of a quiet mind, a steady mind, a mind that is
still, tranquil, passive . . . if the mind simply has the
intention to understand what is and is therefore still,
in that stillness you will find there is an understanding
of what is, and therefore a transformation . . . it is
this stillness, this alert passivity, that brings a
transformation. - philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti

among those who have described alert passivity is
author and philosopher Aldous Huxley

in the video below below, Huxley advocates the
cultivation of this state of consciousness

in Stepping Outside of a Feeling, the post of 8-13-07,
it was contended that although we can become
swallowed up by a feeling, we can also decide to
step out of it;

we can step out by consciously adopting an
alternative perspective;

one where we see ourselves to be HERE, and the
feeling to be somewhere outside us - THERE

and, with this separation, we can dispassionately
observe rather than experience the overwhelming
feeling

it was further noted this alternative perspective has
been called such things as witness consciousness by
philosophers and the observing self by psychologists

in the soundtrack of the video below, philosopher
Ken Wilber relates this technique to psychotherapy