Meditating for a specific insight?

[Korpo]

Quite some time ago I talked to a friend that told that when he actually wanted to understand something in Bardon's IIH where the sentence seemed to make no sense, he would "meditate on it". He would make it center of his meditation and gain additional understanding.

I have no idea how to accomplish this, but I know people have meditated on phrases from the Tao Te Ching or the I Ging, Buddha's writings or Bible scripture, and so on. It seems to me they touch onto the energy behind the actual words which connects back to the set of ideas these words derived from. Instead of taking the expression of the idea they go back to the idea in the abstract and can then form a different expression from it they can understand.

I know how such a process works for emotion. I have touched upon emotional energy and every time I touch the energy I get a new interpretation, a new way to express it, a way to say what the emotion means, to describe it, understand it. But how do I obtain a similar grasp on a concept, a sentence?

I have a specific problem with the sentence "holding it in your mind" often used in this context. Does that mean repeating the sentence? How can I focus on a line in a book and make it a focus? Continuously contemplating the concept in thought? Visualise something your mind associates with the object and try to keep the picture?

I'm looking for a way to meditate on a thought, concept, sentence, something abstract or mental. A way that works for me, which is maybe the problem in this. ;)

So, what do you gals and guys do when you crack such a mental nut in meditation?

On a sidenote, as I think it is related: How do Zen scholars meditate on a koan? Do they just repeat it?

Thank you all,
Oliver

[Louise43]

I know The Golden Dawn would meditate on symbols to understand the meaning contained in them, such as the tree of life or images from the Tarot. I also know of people who take a sentance and make it into a sigil. One way is to take the first letter of each word and then combine them altogther make a picture from them or you could think of your own system. That way your subconscious is still aware of the sentence it represents but you only have an image to hold onto rather than a actual sequence of words. As the subconscious works with symbols it can then bypass directly to it, rather than getting caught up with the language creating conscious mind.

I found this on Sigils which might help explain it better than I have:
http://www.boudicca.de/max9-e.htm

Lou

[Korpo]

Lou,

I understand you well. Thank you.

I have problems with visualisations, though...

Oliver

[ButterflyWoman]

Okay, I'll try to explain how I do this. I do it with specific sentences or sometimes just a word that represents something specific.

I use it as a mantra while I slip into the trance state (for me, that's usually pretty quick). Then once I'm "there" (you know, that little "click" sensation?) I repeat the word or phrase once with the strong intention of "fixing" it in my mind. Then I let it resonate there. It's a bit like uhm.... To me it's like having a piece of chocolate in your mouth and letting it melt slowly. You just hold it there, maybe move it around a little as necessary, but it's just there, and you're just letting it be there, until it dissolves and you get the essence of it. (Which, with chocolate, is usually, "Yum" ;))

Sometimes the word(s) will kind of echo or ricochet around inside my consciousness. Occasionally I have to repeat the word or phrase just to get a greater sense of it, but mostly I can just "fix" it and let it dissolve.

If it's not an abstract concept, I generally visualise what it is. A koan, for example, can be visualised. The one about the frog jumping into the pond can be visualised over and over, from different angles, etc. The same is true of parables, although some of the longer ones are difficult to maintain, so you have to focus on a smaller part of it (depends on the story as to which part you want to keep in focus, although you can do the parts sequentially if you want to).

I find the easiest is to use a word that I've intended to mean something specific. And example might be "money". I can keep that word fixed in my mind and let my mind show me what "money" is all about, how I feel about it, what it looks like energetically, all sorts of stuff. In that case, I'm not really meditating on the word but on the underlying concept.

I hope some of that made sense. I've never really tried to describe it before. It's really quite difficult to do!

[Korpo]

Thanks, I appreciate it. :D

My trances don't "click"... ;)

Intent and resonance - yeah, that sounds good to me.

Thank you,
Oliver

[ButterflyWoman]

Well, it's not really a click. It's just that point where you go, "Ah. I'm there." At least, I do. :)

[Korpo]

Ah, now I get you. Yes. I suddenly find myself in a "different space". A wider mind. An expanded blackness.

Oliver

[star]

Thats a bit how information is recieved energeticly. Most of the time it doesn't work for me. Its easier for me to get feelings and images. The above practice sounds good, I'd let it 'reset' in my mind by clearing my mind, and only holding that one thing i needed to understand in my mind for a few breaths.

[Tom]

By repeating the sentence over and over and over you will find that you generate a feeling related to that sentence. When you have that, switch to focussing on the feeling until it fades. Then go back to repeating the sentence.

[Korpo]

That's a good idea. :D

Oliver

[ButterflyWoman]

By repeating the sentence over and over and over you will find that you generate a feeling related to that sentence. When you have that, switch to focussing on the feeling until it fades. Then go back to repeating the sentence.

I love how succinct you are. It's a quality I very much admire. :)