Is the feeling of emptiness a thought or a feeling?
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If the irritating feeling of emptiness is a thought, than I see 3 possible aproaches to remedy it:
(1) Accept and observe this feeling/thought.
(2) stop the thinking process towards this specific thought, in other words, not to let this thought emerge.
(3) Try to eliminate the reasons of this feeling / though, if it is possible (e.g. emotional blocking, closed chakras, etc.)
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A good question
It is the typical scenario: it is a thought and it triggers a feeling. We call it a feeling but the central part that starts the whole thing is a thought.
Therefore, all 3 options are valid. no. 2 is the most powerful.
From here...
... the feeling of emptiness is the presence of emptiness (sense of lack), not the absence of fullness. This is an important point, as our natural state is ordinarily contented and fulfilled.
I'd go with 'accept and observe', for whatever it's worth. But: Do you really have a choice?
http://www.omkaradatta.info
you are right
Tnx omkaradatta :) you are right, no choice...
Our feeling of emptiness is not emptiness, there is a feeling there so how can there be emptiness, it is yet another clever trick of the mind to put content to escape emptiness.
More mind tricks
Yes, I went through an experience of the void (a hellish mind state created by fear) followed by a period of emptiness. The emptiness was mind/ego screaming that it wasn't being fed properly and ego social services would have to be called in if I didn't get my act together and start filling it with something interesting. I put cotton in my ears and ignored the screams, and they eventually died down.
You're right, it's not the fullness of emptiness, just a lack of ego drama. 'Something' else will come in to fill the vaccuum, and it will be quite welcome.
Phil
Vacuum?
I admit to having lost touch with why a lack of ego drama would be troubling and considered a 'vacuum'. Since when is "peace of mind" unpleasant, and why would mental disturbance be welcome?
http://www.omkaradatta.info
Itis obvious
It's the very basic nature of the mind to be restless as mind is a bundle of thoughts. Complete peace of mind means no mind and mind as every "thing" in existence, especially things that do not exist, has a basic instinct to survive and defend itself from extinction.
Not so obvious
"complete peace of mind means no mind"
I don't get it. If there's no mind then how could there be peace of mind?
Sundara, I see over and over
Sundara, I see over and over that you stick to certain meanings of words and phrasings instead of following them as general signposts to the meanings that cannot be conveyed in words.
"If there's no mind then how could there be peace of mind?" - ponder about it as a koan.
Alternatively, ponder about what was exactly meant by "there isn't" - it does not mean that there is no manifestation but means that it is not an independant one solid atomic indecomposable entity.
It is like I will name a group of arbitrary people in the street by the name "Zind" and then with time start regard Zind as a consistent one indecomposable entity.
oh I see
Well, thanks for elaborating on what you meant.
I'm not feeling any need to ponder koans or follow signposts. I don't feel lost.
Perhaps you can ponder why you feel the need to make such suggestions?
Another suggestion
Here is another suggestion, seriously: count to 10 before you reply.
Wait this time not only for the sake of cooling down and not for blocking your aggressions but for the sake of being able to look at them during this time and feel them completely and then to act instead of react. When you automatically react on them, you actually haven't done anything consciously and they stay and even get stronger.
With these automatic reactions you first of all pollute your inner psyche and you know it very well by yourself.
What value is there to big spiritual theories and knowledge if we do not practice them in real time?
And as to your question: What value is there to big spiritual theories and knowledge if we do not share them in real time to assist others in familiar situations?
You appear to be projecting
You appear to be projecting a lot of anger onto my words.
I have a suggestion for you. In real time, before reacting, take a good look at your own defensiveness. Take a step back from your assumptions.
Attend to your own inner psyche.
sorry
ok dear, sorry if I was projecting things you had not meant.
:-)
Love.
Apology Accepted
I forgive you my child.
bystanding
Reading this, I'm not sure at all he was projecting. I think he had a valuable point in his words that you failed to recognize and use.
Vacuum reply
Well, there's no need to concern yourself with it. Having lost touch with it, it won't be possible for you to assist others in seeing their way through it anyway.
It was an old message...
... and maybe I'm 'in touch' with it again, nyet? Here is a prime example of the illusory nature of the world. How can there be a fixed world if things are in constant flux, chaos? Even responding to a message five minutes later, the OP may not be in the same 'space' as before. None of our fixed notions have any validity at all.
http://www.omkaradatta.info
what are you two talking about?
what are you two talking about? you sometimes have these endless dialogs in someone else's blog deviating in the dialog at some point from the theme of the blog... :-)
He was referring...
... to my previous message (follow the chain up until you reach the right 'level' based on indentations). I was replying to his post. For whatever reason, the post he was replying to is pretty old (8/22).
http://www.omkaradatta.info
Maybe there's a full moon?
It seems we've forgotten how to be kind and understading with each other here, and I'm certainly one of the offenders. I'd rather forgo making my oh-so-important points rather than see this forum go in that direction. Lets see if I can get together a little self discipline.(It's a control thang)
"If the irritating feeling
"If the irritating feeling of emptiness is a thought, than I see 3 possible approaches to remedy it:"
I arrived late in the conversation, but I would have to agree with much of what is said.
Just answering it if I saw the first question and didn’t read more…
Why escape the feeling of emptiness? Dive into it…that is a potential doorway to realization. Don’t run from it, try to escape from it, try to fix it, deal with it, etc, etc…just delve into it and surrender to it completely.
Namaste,
~ Eric Putkonen
http://www.awaken2life.org
Empty
When I have felt empty I just feel like I am a body with no soul, just black and empty inside. A feeling of hollowness and sorta zomby like. A great freedom accompanies this feeling though, little attatchments and free.
my emptiness
My emptiness does not feel as freedom at all, it is a horrible black hole, the closest thing to depression, I feel lost and compelled to fill the empty space with something, not important what, just something.
Plateform
This is the platform from where you can jump from this world to THAT world.
Be careful,observe it carefully and do not let it loose as at this point both is possible and mostly the seeker fear of this emptiness and do come back but one should not dishearten with it and help it to jump from it in THAT world.
OM
A distraction
My meditation teacher would have said it's a distraction. Keep meditating.
I quit that class.
patience is a virtue dude.
patience is a virtue dude.
How's that patience thinking working for you, Dude?
From one ego to another:
Are you enlightened already?
i'm still being patient
i'm still being patient about patience lol, get it?
Thoughts and feelings come
Thoughts and feelings come to us as a chain. The emptiness is also a kind of feeling in that chain. The emptiness gives you happiness if the previous feeling was happy. The emptiness gives you sadness if the previous feeling was sad.
Don't do anything. Just wait till the next feeling comes!
feeling of emptiness
Thanks for your kind feeling of emptiness thoughts