Austin Eckhart Tolle Presence Meetup Group

Chapter 7 from The Power of Now
"Portals into the Unmanifested"
 preceded by a meditation.

We viewed Eckhart Tolle TV - "Portals into the Now" last week.
This chapter will expand on those teachings.

Ch. 7, p. 131 - THE SOURCE OF CHI
"The unmanifested is the source of chi. Chi is the inner energy field of the body. It is the bridge between you and the Source."

"Chi is movement; the Unmanifested is stillness. When you reach a point of absolute stillness, which is nevertheless vibrant with life, you have gone beyond the inner body and beyond chi to the Source itself: the Unmanifested. Chi is the link between the Unmanifested and the physical universe.

So if you take your attention deeply into the inner body, you may reach this point, this singularity, where the world dissolves into the Unmanifested and the Unmanifested takes on the form as the energy stream of chi, which then becomes the world. This is the point of birth and death. When your consciousness is directed outward, mind and world arise. When it is directed inward, it realizes its own Source and returns home into the Unmanifested. Then, when your consciousness comes back to the manifested world, you reassume the form identity that you temporarily relinquished."

P. 141 - "What appears to us as space in our universe perceived through the mind and the senses is the Unmanifested itself, externalized. It is the "body" of God. And the greatest miracle is this: That stillness and vastness that enables the universe to be is not just out there in space -- it is also within you."

QUESTIONS: So, what is the significance for us to cross the bridge to the Unmanifest and then reassume the form identity? What are the benefits we receive? Please share your insights.
 

Meditation:  Going Deeply into the Body　  

 

Practice "Following the Breath" before we start:

Breathing through the nose, sense the temperature and vibration of the air flow in the nose area at the intake of the breath. Follow with your awareness as the breath moves into and through the passageway. Feel the fullness of the force of air widening the nostrils and the opening at the throat area; listen to the breath as it passes. Feel the gentle expansion begin in the upper lungs and allow it to stretch to its capacity, then, at the same instant, feel the breath as it goes deeper and deeper filling up the space of the lower lungs and fully expanding the abdomen. Gently let the breath expand the abdomen to its very fullest extent and pause at this "pinnacle point" of breath awareness to encounter the fullness. The entire chest and abdomen are expanded to its capacity. Acknowledge this fullness and rest here for as long as you can, counting to 6 or so. Anticipate the out breath flow and then begin a gentle exhalation. Be aware of the vibration and temperature of the releasing breath as the chest and abdomen begin to fall back to normal positioning, but press on still further to release the breath to the extent that the space of the lungs and abdomen almost collapse, emptying every last bit of air that is there. Listen to the breath as it is totally relinquished from the body. Acknowledge this divine space and rest here for a count of 6, and then ever so gently breathe in a little to return to normal breathing.

Now, let’s begin the Inner Body Meditation: 

Sit up, let your hands relax in your lap, and don’t lean back against your chair. Keep the spine erect to stay alert. Or, you can choose your own favorite position for meditation. Make sure the body is relaxed. Close your eyes. Using the "Following the Breath" practice, let’s take a few deep breaths counting to 6 during the inhalation, 6 at the pinnacle point, 6 again during the exhalation, and finally count to 6 when all the air is extinguished from the body. 

As we breathe in, let’s follow our breath with our awareness from the tip of our nose to deep within the abdomen. Observe how it expands and contracts with each in breath and out breath. Don’t think about it – feel it. Feel the life energy inside your body. By doing this we reclaim consciousness from the mind. We are leaving behind the deadening world of mental abstractions, of time. We are getting out of the insane mind that is draining us of life energy, just as it is slowly poisoning and destroying the Earth. We are awakening out of the dream of time into the present and coming to know that we are beyond this outer form. Reclaiming consciousness from the mind is one of the most essential tasks of our spiritual journey. It is essential to bring more consciousness into our life. It generates an energy field in us and around us of a high vibrational frequency. No unconsciousness, no negativity or violence can enter this field and survive, just as darkness cannot survive in the presence of light.

When the breath is soft and full, it can attract our awareness deep inside the divine temple of our inner body, where it can help awaken our inner dimensions of spaciousness and silence. The energy of breathing, when it is experienced in the full light of our consciousness, can help animate and harmonize our Being at every level. We cannot underestimate its power.

As we begin to observe more clearly these movements of our breathing, we may start to experience a sense of energy deep in our abdomen. During the in breath, you may feel this energy filling your entire abdomen. During the out breath, you may feel the energy becoming more compact and concentrated.

Really bring our awareness to this sense of energy. Feel the energy being absorbed into the cells of our body. Feel the aliveness of the energy field in our inner body. Merge with the energy field. Become one with it, so that there is no longer a perceived duality of the observer and the observed. The distinction between inner and outer also dissolves now, so there is no inner body anymore. By going deeply into the body, we have transcended the body

Stay in this realm of pure Being for as long as feels comfortable. Now we will have a time of silence.

Become aware of our physical body again, of our breathing and physical senses, and open your eyes. Look at your surroundings for a few minutes in a meditative way – that is, without labeling them mentally, and continue to feel the inner body as you do so. We have entered a Portal into the Unmanifested.