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Now, once you are quiet and centered and fairly well established in the thought-free conscious experience of now, let go of the technique and begin listening inwardly. If there is a problem or situation in your life that is troubling you, disturbing your peace, or if you have a specific question or concern, voice it mentally. Silently ask for clarification and then silently listen for an answer. Desire to know whatever you need to know. If there is nothing specific that you want clarification about, then ask for revelation or insight about anything that might be relevant to you. Say, "Is there anything I need to know right now?" Then mentally listen inwardly. Listen inwardly to the stillness of your quiet mind. Be in the void and listen as though you were waiting to hear a message. Listen as though you were hearing beautiful music. Listen with the intent to hear. Do exactly what you do when you're on the phone with your best friend: Say what you want to say and then stop talking and listen. Do this mentally. Listen with the expectation of hearing. Want to hear. Want to know beyond your current level of knowing. Desire to know more, and then listen. Pay attention inwardly. Inner listening is what sets you up for intuitive revelation. It's what readies your mind for the reception of spiritual insight. Listen inwardly with the intent to hear. Ironically, this may at first feel very similar to what you've always done in the way of mentally talking to yourself. This is because, in the deepest sense, you are. You are talking with the rest of who you are, the ocean part, the God part, the part of yourself you had temporarily forgotten about. It will also feel very different, however, because it is very different. It will feel potent and profound, and you'll know you're on the trail of something you were not previously aware of, something magnificent. When you become distracted for one reason or another and notice that your mind has drifted away from listening, gently bring yourself back to the task at hand. Come back to listening. You're only going to be here for a few minutes. It's not interminable. Therefore, for the few minutes that you're here, be as involved as you can. Discipline yourself a little. Gently bring your attention back each time it wanders, and involve yourself again with listening. If you find this difficult, or if your mind is simply too active or restless to engage itself in listening, then go back to part one: Consciously reground yourself and feel supported by the floor; elongate your core by allowing the crown of your head to float straight upward; relax and expand; be still; breathe; and feel. Reimmerse yourself in the energetic feeling-tone of who you are. Practice feeling. Practice being. Practice being present with what you're actually experiencing right now. Resume the technique and become centered again in your now-experience. Or start up one of the other techniques we've done; - Counting Backward, for example. Once you're in there again, let go of the technique and once more say, "Is there anything You would have me know?" Then, as much as you effortlessly can, listen deeply and abide unthinkingly in the experience of what you are experiencing. Allow what's there - Consciousness! God! - to reveal itself. Immerse yourself in stillness and pay attention. Allow yourself to be taught. Mentally speak into your quiet mind and ask for clarification Ask for help, for understanding, for wisdom. And then simply listen. Be open to revelation and receptive to the influx of spontaneous knowledge. Allow insights and ideas and thoughts to bubble into your mind in response to your need. And let them bubble into your conscious awareness. Don't make your mind so still that you do not allow any activity. In other words, revelation will be felt as activity in your mind. There will be something happening as you receive clarification. Therefore, let the words bubble up. Allow clarity to form in your mind. And yet, if you find that you are distracted, or lost, or enmeshed in some extraneous mental tangent, and that you're not really listening, come back to the technique of riding the breath and feeling the energy. Deliberately bring yourself back into the thought-free now and then, again, resume listening. From this point on, the meditation itself will guide you in how to proceed. You'll be taught from within. But in order for this to happen, you must be in touch with the "within." You must become inwardly quiet and pay attention. You must take the steps necessary to go within. You must practice stillness and be willing to let go of everything you think you know in order to have a clear enough mind to be taught anew. Let this happen. Be courageous enough to go into the not-knowing place all by yourself, even if you're slightly fearful. It's difficult not to be afraid at this point. Therefore, as in asana practice, relax with the intensity. Relax your body and relax your mind. Relax more as you ease your way into the unknown. Don't contract or become defensive. Stay defenseless, undefended. Allow yourself to not-know so you can be taught. Value the not-knowing place. In doing this you will come upon a whole new experience and, therefore, new understanding of what's always been. You are allowing clarity to emerge about issues you may have thought were beyond your comprehension, in areas you may have thought you already understood, as well as in the activities of your everyday life. But, again, in order for this to happen, your mind must be pliable, swift, unknowing, and receptive. Therefore, as much as you are able, immerse yourself in your now-experience of being conscious. Be there in your silence not knowing what you are supposed to do, and simply be attentive to whatever transpires. Don't be so sure you know what's supposed to happen when you meditate. Instead, allow yourself to be taught. Be still and pay attention. Be receptive. Learn. At first you may not hear anything, or you may not feel much, or it may not feel very good, or your body may begin to ache, or you'll find yourself becoming bored or sleepy ... or one thing or another. This is largely because we are not used to being this relaxed, especially mentally, while awake. Normally we're only this relaxed when we're asleep. As you approach this similar level of relaxation in your meditation practice, the tendency is to become sleepy. This is a good sign at first because it means you are relaxing, but you'll know you are progressing when instead of becoming drowsy you become more alert. Simply persist with the practice day after day. When you notice yourself nodding off or losing interest, gently bring yourself back; and when it gets too much, stop for the day and try again tomorrow. More and more you'll be able to sit erect and still and relaxed with no holding anywhere, mentally immersed in the soothing experience of stillness, experiencing the tranquility and deep sense of well-being within you - communing with the Infinite. For these few minutes, suspend your usual concerns and focus instead on experiencing your peace and listening. Feel the energy you are made of and mentally listen inwardly. Make this your concern for these few minutes. You'll be better able to resolve your other concerns once you deal with this one, of that you can be certain. Give yourself the daily luxury of suspending your usual anxieties and concerns in order to have a few uncluttered minutes. Give a few minutes of your time daily to this other more important concern - that of experiencing the truth of who you are, of becoming receptive to intuitive revelation and universal guidance, and of experiencing God, Guru, and Self - all - within yourself. You will feel relieved, not only because you are experiencing the God within you and are therefore spontaneously feeling good about yourself, but because you'll realize that you are in a world of other God-sourced entities. You are not in an inherently alien or hostile environment. You are safe. You are with family. You are with others like you. Therefore, you can dare to relax even more. You can release every hint of aggressive defensiveness and instead relax, be unafraid, and enjoy the movement of life.
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