LEVELS OF MEDITATIVE EXPERIENCE

ABSTRACT

This essay explores the pilgrimage from the "I" of ego-attachment to the "I" of the soul, and investigates the drives and patterns of ego-attachment . The first level of meditative experience is learning how to Stop. The next level is that of self-healing - the other side of the meditation coin. We store our traumas and psychological life histories deep in our unconscious where they form blockages. These blockages have to be surfaced and cleared if we wish to journey further on our pilgrimage. The deep rest of meditation helps to unravel the knots of suffering, and supports self-healing. The many levels of healing prepare us for a major encounter with the ego - the third level to consider. The ego was there in the distractions of the initial level of learning to stop. It was also there in our self-healing, hanging on grimly to every drama of our life history. Yet, these prior levels of experience have empowered us to become stronger, to be more spiritually mature, and capable of transcending and transforming ego-attachments.