First, as a basic point, recently, meditative states have spread quite a bit into daily life, and even when simply living, I have often been in a state that seems quite free of thoughts. At work, I normally think about these things, but on the other hand, I have been relatively peaceful lately, whether or not I am thinking about something in particular. There are times when I think, and times when I don't, and when silence comes, I find peace in that silence in my daily life.

At that time, I suddenly sat down for meditation and entered an even deeper state of silence. The first thing that appeared was a space that felt like a room with a visible horizon. You might wonder why there is a horizon in a room with walls, but I can indeed recognize that there are walls and some objects, but at the same time, I feel a horizon that extends beyond them. Although it is called a horizon, in reality, the part that is closer to me is more strongly perceived, and I can recognize that perceiving that nearby part is part of the awareness that extends to the horizon.

At this state, thinking has already almost stopped, and I am perceiving everything with the awareness of the Atman or higher self, in a state of "observation." As I continue meditating for a while, what started as just observation gradually becomes an awareness of the "action" of the higher self.

In reality, I have been able to enter a state where thinking (the mind) stops and only the Atman or higher self is observing, but until now, even when I entered that state, after a while, thinking (the mind) would somewhat interfere, so I could generally enter a state of silence and observation of the Atman, but sometimes, thinking (the mind) would disrupt that observation.

Now, although there is still some interference, I have become almost able to eliminate its influence, and basically, the observation of the Atman becomes dominant, and I think that this probably means that I have achieved a certain level of "cessation of the mind" as mentioned in the Yoga Sutras. Although "cessation" means simply "stopping thought" here, there is a history of the original Sanskrit word "nirodha" being translated in this way.

There are types of meditation that "require effort" (i.e., require effort to maintain the meditative state) and those that "do not require effort" (i.e., maintain the meditative state without effort), and here, I am in the latter state. Although I am doing the act of sitting meditation, which involves some effort, there is no need for any special effort during meditation, so I think it can be said to be within the latter category.

This is a state that is difficult to express in words, and the very act of putting it into words seems to stir up the imagination, which may hinder someone from reaching a higher state. Nevertheless, I would like to leave a record of it in words.

■Meditation where consciousness transcends to the void

I believe that consciousness has two levels: the so-called ordinary consciousness of thinking in the lower vibrational levels, and a relatively higher level of consciousness. In reality, it may not be a two-way split, but perhaps a three-way split or more, but in spiritual traditions, it seems to be traditionally divided into two. In the case of the relatively ordinary consciousness, its activity almost stops, or it moves to a different level, and the consciousness of the higher self begins to move.

Until now, even when the consciousness of the higher self moved, the ordinary conscious mind would quickly regain dominance, and the movement of the higher self's consciousness was hindered by the ordinary consciousness of the conscious mind. It was a state where if you stopped one, the other would appear. As meditation is repeated, the higher self gradually became dominant, but it had not yet reached the point where the consciousness of the higher self was completely free.

However, this time, during meditation, the consciousness of the higher self continued to move even when the consciousness of the lower self was active, and they no longer interfered with each other. This can be metaphorically described as consciousness "transcending to the void." Other schools of thought may use similar expressions, but I don't know if they are the same. I don't know about other schools of thought, but this is just a verbal expression.

In this state, the ordinary conscious mind is basically stopped, and even if the mind moves a little, it is like fish swimming "under the surface," and the higher self, which is "on the surface," doesn't really notice it. The mind is below the surface, and the higher self is above the surface.

Until now, both were in the same place, not separated at a "surface." They were in the same space, and when the mind was dominant, only the mind appeared in consciousness, and when the mind stopped, the higher self appeared. Now, (although it can only be recognized during meditation), there seems to be a "surface" between them.

■A Famous Analogy of the Mind and the Water Surface in Spirituality

In Indian philosophy, Vedanta, and spirituality, the analogy of the mind and the water surface has been used for a long time. However, I now think that it is possible to create a water surface analogy that is different from the so-called general understanding.

Traditionally, it is often said that "the mind is like a water surface. When the mind (water surface) is calm, the true self (Atman, the real self) that lies beneath can be seen. When the mind (Chitta) is filled with many thoughts (Vrittis, fluctuations), the self beneath cannot be seen. Meditation is the practice of calming the mind, and it is a fundamental aspect of spirituality." I used to interpret this literally and normally. While this general understanding may be correct, I feel that a slightly different expression might be more understandable.

Let's temporarily forget the traditional understanding and try a unique interpretation of the water surface. It seems that "when the mind becomes calm and free from thoughts, and the higher self's consciousness emerges and rises towards the heavens, the mind becomes like a water surface. The higher self is on the surface of the water, and the mind is beneath the surface, making it difficult for them to influence each other." On the other hand, "when the mind is fluctuating and filled with many thoughts, there is no water surface at all; only the manifest consciousness of the mind exists."

Alternatively, this expression may be misleading, and it might be more accurate to say, "the higher self's consciousness is simply not emerging, and that has always been the case." Or, it might be said, "because the higher self's consciousness is not being recognized, only the consciousness of the ordinary thinking mind is manifesting."

I feel that I have always understood the water surface analogy in accordance with the traditional understanding, but I have not clearly recognized the state of the mind to this extent.

In summary,
- When there are many thoughts, only the ordinary mind (thinking) of the manifest consciousness exists (basically). The consciousness of the higher self does not usually appear, but it may appear occasionally. In terms of the water surface analogy, this is a state of living only in the "underneath" of the water surface.
- When the mind becomes free from thoughts and calm, the consciousness of the higher self appears. The ordinary manifest consciousness of the mind (thinking) is "beneath" the surface, and because the surface is calm (free from thoughts and calm), the consciousness of the higher self, which is above the surface, coexists with it.

I think it would be more understandable if interpreted in this way.

The original explanation is a good story, but personally, I prefer this expression. This may be a matter of personal preference.

Perhaps, when the awareness of the higher self is not yet strong, and the ordinary conscious mind is dominant, it is correct to say that the mind is looking at the surface of the lake from the shore of the lake, with the higher self being below the surface. However, when the awareness of the higher self becomes dominant, the situation is reversed, and the higher self's awareness looks down from the shore of the lake. Then, the higher self's awareness looks at the surface of the lake from the shore, and the ordinary conscious mind (thoughts) is below the lake. Since the area below the lake is underwater, it is blurry even when snorkeling, so this metaphor may be more appropriate. Also, the idea that the higher self is above and the lower self (ordinary mind) is below is consistent with my feeling. The original metaphor has the positions reversed (higher self below, lower self above), which doesn't match the sense of distance. This feeling is personal and may vary from person to person.

■ Consciousness breaks through the Sahasrara chakra and goes much higher.

At that time, the higher self is observing the surroundings. The observation is just a vague recognition of the features in various parts of the room, but it also recognizes the sounds. The higher self's influence on the surroundings is not only passive, but also active. It is still a short sound, like the mantra "Om" or "Ah," but I feel that it is trying to actively influence the surroundings. However, the conscious awareness, even though it is observing, seems to be still very limited, and the awareness of influence seems to be almost dormant.

When I continue meditating in a relatively thoughtless state, the consciousness not only becomes free, but the aura also extends much higher from the Sahasrara chakra, and I feel that the consciousness is about to take off.

Perhaps, this is the entrance to something.

I have been able to extend my consciousness upwards from the Sahasrara chakra to some extent, but I haven't experienced it extending "this much" before. Even though I say "much," it may not be that much in reality, but at least, it is extending higher from the Sahasrara chakra than before.

Although I feel that there is still more to be achieved in terms of my spiritual development, I believe that I have, for the time being, overcome a significant obstacle, and my consciousness seems to have, to some extent, transcended to a higher plane. Even though my consciousness has transcended to a higher plane, it still feels like I have only just begun, and the "grounding" is not yet strong. If my consciousness were to truly transcend completely, it would connect to more dimensions, so I think that simply transcending to a higher plane is still not enough. However, I feel that I may have, for the time being, overcome a significant obstacle.