Making the Unconscious Mind Conscious: Creating the Conditions for Awakening to Arise (5 Hours of Single-Pointed Self-Inquiry)

This session is an opportunity for participants to set aside 5 hours for continuous, single-pointed self-inquiry, creating conditions of no escape for the egoic mind. In order to awaken to our true nature, to realize what is beyond the mind/body, there are certain optimal conditions for "the flip" or kensho to happen. These conditions can arise within the course of day-to-day life, as if by accident, but we can also consciously create these conditions through sadhana, making ourselves "accident prone." The knots that bind the sense of "I" to the false character can be loosened by bringing consciousness to the deep habit patterns of the mind. The mind's tendency to seek comfort and avoid pain, and the tendency to control, analyze, and evaluate are examined and brought into consciousness. Deep sadhana or continuous inquiry also serves to deepen and ground in the Self once awakening has been realized and allows for further clearing of the mind so that Samadhi becomes not just a temporary state, but a permanent stage of development.

In the first hour Daniel will start with a preliminary guided meditation to bring attention into the breath/somatic field/inner energy and to clear and settle the mind. We remain equanimous with whatever phenomena comes up, letting everything be as it is. In the second hour we will observe the hindrances that come up in the mind and penetrate into subtler and subtler movements of the mind. In this form of meditation there is no doing or adding to the mind but simply observing those patterns that are usually unconscious, just BEING. From a place of witnessing presence we will then begin our investigation into the Self (our true nature). In the third hour Daniel will offer direct pointers to our true nature. For the remaining two hours Daniel will work one on one with any participants who would like to engage in direct inquiry, one on one as the group holds space in witnessing presence.