“The non-existent was not; the existent was not at that time. The atmosphere was not nor the heavens which are beyond. What was concealed? Where? In whose protection? Was it water? An unfathomable abyss?” -from the Rig Veda

Level I -- Transcendence: 1st Month, Day 2
Prelude:
On this, the second session of entrainment, I'm making some adjustments to the way that I arrange my environment because I want to be comfortable for the next 30 minutes. I've already done some stretching to ease the ache in my shoulders. Now I'm hoping that I can lay flat on my back and experience the floating sensations, in the most natural position that I'm able to assume. I'm even making sure to keep my arms at my sides so it'll be easy to stay relaxed throughout this morning's meditation.
Yesterday's session, introduced me to the tranquil burbling and splashing of the Level I soundscape environment, with it's richly orchestrated splashing noises. I was easily able to close my eyes and imagine that I was floating in a pool fed by many small waterfalls. In fact the sounds were amazingly complex and yet I could pick out individual "voices" that related to the tone and characteristics of each cascade. In my mind's eye, I was picturing this as a tiered, multi-step plunging series of waterfalls, flowing one after another in a descending series of plunges, each cataract into it's own pool.

Once again, my state of relaxation was quite profound. I felt buoyant, uplifted and cool all over, and at the same time, there was a sense of direction to the movement, almost as if my toes were pointing downstream, and I was moving in the direction that most of the water was going in...and I let myself sink into it.
I still had my eyes open, so at this point I closed them. But within moments, having my eyes closed was somehow allowing me to become aware of where I was in a different way. I was simultaneously aware of the flowing movement and of where I was positioned relative to the room I was in, and the room's position in this building. And once this started happening, it included all the levels above that too...
...and I was rising above my neighborhood, floating out over the city and with my new awareness, I watched the horizon expand into a curved sphere that floated below my own position. Now I was losing track of time too, and everything kept receding further and further from my mind...

Abstract:
Meditation is often associated with the ways in which the mind can apply its focus to breathing, sounds, chanting, and visualizations.
An alternate view of meditation can be construed as a form of mental un-training. No mantras or focusing on an object, so the mind can achieve a relaxed and restful state.

Tibetan meditation teacher Paltrul Rinpoche describes it this way:

All you practitioners, male and female, who wish to realize the faultless and correct point of view, should let your mind rest fully awake in a state of unfabricated emptiness. When your mind is quiet, then rest in that quietness without trying to fabricate anything. When it doesn't think, then rest in that non-thinking. In short, no matter what takes place, let your mind rest without fabricating anything.

Don't try to correct, suppress or cultivate anything.

Don't try to place your mind inwardly. Don't search for an object to meditate upon outwardly. Rest in the meditator, mind itself, without fabricating anything.

One doesn't find one's mind by searching for it. The mind itself is empty from the beginning. You don't need to search for it. It is the searcher himself. Rest undistractedly in the searcher himself.

"Have I now grasped that which should be observed?" "Is this the right way or not?" "Is this it or not?" No matter what takes place rest in the thinker himself without fabricating anything.

No matter what kind of thoughts occur, excellent or terrible, good or bad, joyful or sorrowful, don't accept or reject, but rest in the thinker himself without fabricating anything.

Postlude:
Leaving behind all of the thoughts and moving into stillness, allows me to notice where I am. With the combination of water sounds and mental stillness, I'm even starting to notice where I'm going too, just like moving in a direction that will also allow me to know why I'm going there at all. This might lead to further clues about who it is that's doing all of this. I can already tell that I'm going to like the destination when I get there.

“Turn off your mind. Relax, and float downstream. It is not dying.” -The Beatles

Level I -- Transcendence: 1st Month, Day 1
Prelude:
As I unroll the yoga mat and prepare to assume a comfortable position, I'm feeling excited about what I am taking on for the next 6 months. The preparation and steps leading up to what I'm about to do, have taken the same amount of time as the number of weeks that will be recorded here as part of the process. Thus begins my audio brainwave entrainment for thirty minute sessions each day, for six days a week and with one day a week off, for the next thirty days.

For this first session, I'm going to be in my (home) office, with the phone silenced, so that there are no interruptions. I've got an overhead fan blowing directly down on me, and there's a few wisps of meditation incense drifting towards the open window. I push the start button, and the room starts to fill with the sound of running water.

So to begin with, I close my eyes and try to stop. Stop what? The interior monologue that starts babbling. Thoughts which do not need to be accounted for, but which may slow me down and delay me from achieving my goals. The goals I intend to reach in order to grow.

Lesson #1: I must learn about myself to grow. I must listen to myself to learn. I must learn a very difficult thing in order to listen, and that is to stop the incessant voice in my head. Stop thinking completely.

Relax, and float downstream. It is not easy...

I tried to stop doing anything. I tried to stop thinking, and I became aware that I was starting to relax. Good. Now it was time to start breathing exercises. Inhale...count to five...then hold my breath for a count of five...then exhale for five...then hold for five more. In, hold, out, hold. Repeat.

OK, now I was starting to get somewhere. The cycles of breathing were taking on a rhythm. And all of the sudden I was floating, and it was quite pleasant...

I relaxed further and completely let go, and the sounds of water continued to flow under me, around me and over me, and finally after a while...the water flowed right through me.

Abstract:
Dr. Ainslie Meares was a psychiatrist and scholar of hypnotism. He was also a prolific author of books like "Where Magic Lies", "Strange Places and Simple Truths", "My Soul and I", and "Life Without Stress: the Self Management of Stress". Meares believed that meditation is most effective when simplified to it's most essential --nothing more than simple stillness-- rather than using mantras, or as a technique involving mechanics such as focused attention on objects.
His approach was all about stillness and relaxation, and emptying the mind of all thoughts. The major difference between classic approaches to meditation and Meares' approach, was apparently based on his emphasis on mental stillness and relaxation, as opposed to only physical relaxation. He was even known for demanding that those learning his techniques would sit in uncomfortable positions, and in addition, allow the noise of the city to come in through open windows. His teaching process showed that he wanted his students' progress to be gained from internal stillness, in spite of external influences that could create stress.

For Meares, "The key to our management of stress lies in those moments when our brain runs quietly in a way that restores harmony of function..." (Life Without Stress).

Meares describes it further in Life Without Stress, "In the meditation that I would advise you to practise there is no striving, no activity of brain function, just quietness, a stillness of effortless tranquility."
His viewpoint shows that brain functions would still be engaged even when using such classical ways of focusing attention as counting, breathing, or visualization.
For him, brain function meant the brain was engaged even when using classical ways of attention to the breath, visualization or counting.

Postlude:
Based on this approach, it would seem that the most important immediate step would be to completely let go. This would mean letting go of any expectations, and letting go of any thoughts that might arise as this progressed. I could tell that the stillness would come in little bits, and then increase to longer amounts, and continue until the stillness took the place of any need to assess anything about myself or about the process. In Meares' words "just being" rather than being about the experience or otherwise engaging the mind. Instead, what was most important was to relax the brain, in order to relax the mind itself.

I had just experienced the kind of meditation that entirely stilled my mind for at least twenty minutes. By this first step I had already found a benefit from feeling rested in several areas of my body, and my mind was certainly functioning with great clarity and precision. I was impressed. This was inspiring, and I had to write down a few things right away, but I was ready to go back to the outer world. And more importantly, I was entirely free of stress and ready for great things to happen.