Re: EOM and "forgetting oneself"

["dato1848" <dato1848@...>]

Dear Dan,

IMO the key to success in this exercise is "letting go" (this in 
addition to persistence and patience - give it time). Don't try to 
force anything. 
Use the tools, which you learnt in the previous exericese. First 
relax and observe your thoughts (you should by now be able to do 
it). At some point you'll notice that naturally no thoughts cross 
your mind - this is the time to make use of the second exercise: 
concentration. Only instead of conentrating on a particular train of 
thoughts, concentrate on this thoughtless state of mind that you 
have natually reached. With time you'll be able to concentrate 
on "thoughtlessness" for longer periods. Just give it time, and try 
to enjoy. 

Hope helps,
David

--- In BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel Alter" 
<daniel_b_alter@y...> wrote:
> Dear all - 
> 
> I have recently been able to achieve an EOM state (I think!) 
> although this entails me "forgetting myself". In this state no 
> thoughts pass through my mind at all. This feeling lasts for a few 
> moments (I think!) at which point I automatically "remember 
myself". 
> I then feel a jolt back to normal awareness. After the jolt, I 
> usually feel a surge of energy through me (maybe some of it 
related 
> to my excitement of having finally approached EOM :)) and it 
becomes 
> pretty difficult to calm the mind again, even to 1-pointedness. 
> 
> I would note as an aside that this jolt is a little stronger than 
> the jolts I typically experience when I have tried mental 
wandering 
> in the past and my mental body reaches its limit from the physical 
> (and then snaps back into the physical, which I feel as a jolt).
> 
> So my question is three-fold. Firstly, am I doing things right? 
> Secondly, from others' experiences, am i actually achieving EOM? 
> Thirdly, if this EOM, what can I do to extend the time in this 
state 
> (since I do not know how to control when I "remember myself").
> 
> Apologies for not writing the clearest of posts but I find it 
REALLY 
> difficult to verbalise these experiences.
> 
> Thanks and kindest regards
> 
> Dan