ENLIGHTENMENT TESTS
From STRAIGHT LINE MEDITATION
STRAIGHT LINE MEDITATION tests all facets of enlightenment:
* Depth of relaxation.
* Depth of awareness.
* Power of attention.
* Power of love.
Try some here.
How deep is your relaxation?
The Paper Test:
How steady is your hand? Perhaps not as steady as you think...
Extend an arm, palm down, fingers apart. Place a sheet of paper on the back of your hand,
extending beyond your fingertips.
Are there vibrations at the edges of the sheet? These indicate a tremor too fine to see without this test.
If you find a tremor, test again after your practice session. Odds are it will be gone.
How powerful is your concentration?
The Clock Test
Look at the face of a clock. All three hands (second; minute and hour hands) are moving. Can you see the movement of the second hand? The minute hand? The hour hand?
Everyone sees the fast movement of a second hand because this requires little awareness. Seeing the slower hands move takes deeper awareness, and this we lack.
More powerful concentration brings deeper awareness. In time you'll see the minute hand's movement. With full awareness (that is, perfect contact with reality - full enlightenment), you'll see the hour hand move too.
How deep is your awareness? How much pleasure are you missing?
Zen Master Toni Packer asked a man what led him to meditate. He said the highlight of his week had always been Sunday breakfast: his perfect cup of coffee; egg and toast done just so. Then one Sunday “his breakfast was gone!” Are you missing everyday pleasure?
You may not know you lack awareness, but you can tell by lack of pleasure in your life. Do you crave 3D and surround sound at the movies? Do you sense you are missing these in real life?
Suppose you walked blindfolded past a row of maples. Is your experience of the beauty of those trees about the same as if you actually saw them? Not seeing beauty doesn't mean its not there. The lower your awareness, the lower your capacity for pleasure.
Did you wake up aware? Did you wake up this morning to 3D and surround sound? Were there thousands of tiny tingling pelts of droplets in your shower? Stepping outside, did you sense the change in light and air? Was a sparrow as beautiful as a peacock; a dewdrop magnificent as the sea? The greater your awareness, the higher your capacity for pleasure. Did you wake up aware? |
Have you grown in love?
Is Your Smile Genuine?
Imagine passing someone on the street. They smile at you. Return their smile...
Did your smile start with your mouth?
If a smile starts with your mouth it does not come from your heart. It is a "put on" smile. A genuine smile starts with your eyes. It feels quite different. It feels like love.
Try again.
How Many Hearts? It is said that everyone has three hearts. One is shown to the world. The second is for close friends and family. The third is private. It is your heart of hearts, known only to yourself.
At the advanced level, this no longer holds.
How many hearts do you have?
When you've arrived it will be only one. It will be the third, your heart of hearts, and it will be for everyone.
Advanced Self-test: True Liberation? Say to yourself "Mary had a little lamb," but stop short before "lamb." For beginners "lamb" comes loud and clear, like it or not. At the intermediate level you can stop a thought mid-sentence. At the highest practice level you can stop a word mid-syllable. When you can say: "Mary had a little lamb," without the "lamb," your 'noisy tenant' is thoroughly subdued. You have reclaimed your mansion of awareness - your birthright - your enlightenment. |
STRAIGHT LINE MEDITATION [PRESS RELEASE] is the only available source of enlightenment tests.
Nearly 200 are offered, graded in difficulty to the highest level.
Watch yourself grow.
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