06 Meditation

In Zahn’s Heir To The Empire, the fragile remnants of the Imperial Starfleet float on the outskirts of the Obroa-skai system. On the secondary bridge of the Chimera, Captain Pellaeon finds Grand Admiral Thrawn seated on his meditation chair, and makes the following observation: “He sat motionlessly , his shimmery blue-black hair glinting in the dim light, his pale blue skin looking cool and subdued and very alien on his otherwise human frame. His eyes were nearly closed as he leaned back against the headrest, only a glint of red showing between the lids.” Seated here was a Chiss of unparalleled military genius who would turn out to be the greatest threat to the New Republic.

But more on that later. Let us first consider another Republic. In Plato’s Republic we are presented with the Guardian, Auxiliary and Producer classes. The Farmers, Merchants, etc. that form the Producers have an appetite for money, capital, wealth, pleasure and temporal comforts. Most people in society are Producers. The Auxiliaries, or Military Class, are motivated by the search for honor, rank and praise-worthiness. Fewer people in society have the temperament of Auxiliaries. Auxiliaries are required to draw on their courage to protect society from outside dangers. The Guardians are distinguished from the other classes by the value they place on reason and wisdom. Their insight is not tarnished by any clinging to wealth or honor. For them the search for reason is above all else. The Guardians form the smallest class in numbers. They are the leaders of society that use their sound minds and intellect to make the right decision for society. Plato argues that Justice can only be achieved when the classes are harmonious and each are correctly performing their duty without attempting to interfere or infringe on the duties of other classes. Justice is thus defined when the Producers are obedient to the laws and jurisdictions that are enforced by the Auxiliaries, but also when the Auxiliaries wholeheartedly cooperate with the rule of the Guardians. There exists a isomorphism between the city and parts of the soul. They both have three parts with correspond to each other. The logos, or logistikon, which resides in head, is the part of the soul that is related to reason, and regulates the other parts. The thymos, or thumoeides, which resides in the heart, is related to courage and spirit. The eros, or epithumetikon, which resides in the stomach, is related to apatite and desire. For justice to be established in the soul, the eros must be controlled by the thymos. In other words we must not let our base desires dictate us or have unrestrictive power. We must maintain a sizeable reserve or garrison of honor and self-discipline to keep them always checked. But above this, we must strive to uphold a Guardian class to ensure that our notions of honor and self-discipline are governed correctly by wisdom. We must ensure that the Guardian elements of our soul are in the best position to make decisions in the best interest of all the classes; to appease, but not overindulge the needs of the Producers by ensuring that we seek adequate and timely objects of nourishment, whether this be food, music, drink, shelter, sleep, etc. Likewise, the Guardians should not negate the interests of the Auxiliaries. But could we apply this isomorphism to say a naval ship, instead of a city? Consider the bridge of the Imperial Stardestroyer Chimaera. Thrawn, as the Grand Admiral is in command of the fleet. Pellaeon, as a Captain, converts this command to issues of orders to the personnel of a ship within this fleet. At the end of the chain, an Ensign is assigned to carry out the orders that were issued. Using imagination, the three tiers of ranks can correspond to the three classes. Thrawn is effectively a Guardian. Pellaeon is effectively a Auxiliary. The Ensign, is effectively a Faculty. Notice that I didn’t use the term Producer. When a wave of four New Republic Assault Frigates attack the Chimaera, a veteran Pellaeon is dispirited and sees a jump into lightspeed as the only solution, but Thrawn belays that order, and using his understanding of art to analyze the movement of the enemy ships he is able to conclude that their commander was an Elom, a race vulnerable to a classic Marg Sabl closure maneuver. The battle is won in a hour. When the auxiliary like courage of Pellaeon falters, it is the guardian like rationale and wisdom of Thrawn that determines the best course of action for the Chimaera.

But you must be asking what any of this has to do with meditation. For me the purpose of meditation gained real substance via an understanding of the Four Noble Truths that were observed by Shakyamuni Buddha in his investigation of existence. If you are unfamiliar with them I will briefly gloss over them here. The First Noble Truth is that there is a underlying feeling or experience of emptiness and unsatisfactoriness called Dukkha. The Second Noble Truth is that there is an arising or cause of Dukkha through thirst and craving for sensual pleasures. The Third Noble Truth is that there is a full emancipation and liberation from Dukkha achievable through the attainment of Enlightenment, or Nirvana. The Fourth Noble Truth is that there is path leading to the attainment of Nirvana. The path is referred to as the Noble Eightfold Path. It is composed of eight categories:

Right UNDERSTANDING
Right THOUGHT
Right SPEECH
Right ACTION
Right LIVELIHOOD
Right EFFORT
Right MINDFULNESS
Right CONCENTRATION

Right Speech, Action and Livelihood can be bundled as belonging to Ethical Conduct. Right Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration can be bundled as belonging to Mental Discipline. Right Understanding and Thought can be bundled into Right Wisdom. There is a hierarchy that exists here. The tranquility of mind required to practice Mental Discipline require the foundation of Ethical Conduct; one is naturally tranquil when one abstains from lies, backbiting, slander, rudeness, maliciousness, abusiveness, gossip and babble, stealing, killing, dishonesty, fraudulence, impropriety, cheating, intoxicating and sexual indulgence. Likewise, the conditions for Wisdom requires the foundation of Mental Discipline. Right Effort is committing to meditation. It is making the time, having the willingness to put in many hours, to have the right motives, ie. not doing it because you seek psychic abilities or superpowers. It is like going to the gym, but for your mind; effort is required but it can have remarkable effects on your mental health. Right Mindfulness is being diligently aware of sensations or feelings arising in the body during meditation. One of the most effective ways of achieving this is through breathing meditation, or Anapanasati. Right Concentration is achieved through cultivating one-pointedness in the mind. It can lead to higher dhyana states based on what I have read. When one has established the conditions for Right Understanding and Thought, one is in a more optimized trajectory to contemplate the Four Noble Truths; that everything seems very much impermanent (aniccā), that there is non-self (anattā), that there is unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and that there is a cyclic nature of things. For me personally I also feel that correct wisdom requires one to assess the extent to which thoughts may be flavored on Greed, Hatred and Delusion. It is also an opportunity to contemplate the nature of the five aggregates of Form, Feeling, Perception, Mental Formations and Consciousness, that like the ship of Theseus, creates a sense of identity, when actually everything seems to be in a constant flux of change and impermanence. Meditation is what sustains the window of opportunity to break free from Samsara. So you see, practicing meditation is in many respects fundamental to going down the path. I firmly believe that Shakyamuni clearly intended people to meditate above any need to congregate at temples and provide approbation to ecclesiastics.

Vipassana is often described as a flash of insight, or as a sudden intuition of truth. In reality, what most candidates experience is a step-by-step method of progression. Vipassana means a special kind of vision: observation of reality within oneself. This is achieved by taking the object of attention as sensation in a systematic and dispassionate manner. The senses are the gates from which we experience the world. Senses are the basis for all experience. Images by eye. Sounds by ear. Smells by nose. Tastes by tongue. Touch by skin. Thoughts by mind. These are pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral sensation. The contact of an object with sense-organs produces a spark of sensation. We must strive to become aware of what we actually experience, an awareness of sensation. Mental objects are thoughts, ideas, imaginations, emotions, memories, hopes, fears. Every mental object is accompanied by a corresponding sensation in body. Whatever we encounter in the world we evoke a sensation within the body.

Sensation is the cross-roads where mind and body meet. Most sensation may remain hidden to us. From contact arises sensation. Vipassana-Bhavana is the observation of bodily sensations. The candidate moves attention systematically throughout the physical structure. The effort is to observe objectively. There are many different sensations: heat, cold, heaviness, lightness, itching, throbbing, contraction, expansion, pressure, pain, tingling, pulsation, vibration etc etc. No effort is needed to explore the cause of sensation. The reason is unimportant. The candidate attunes themselves to being able to experience sensation at a finer, subtler level. The systematic experiencing of sensation in every part of the body. The impediments are craving, aversion, lethargy, sluggishness, agitation and doubt. If we become distracted in meditative awareness, then it is a matter of reverting to the practice of concentration of breath to re-prime & re-establish the mind. The mind regains tranquility and one-pointedness. All difficulties and setbacks are actually the result of our initial success.

The boon of this analysis is the realization that our sensations are Annica (impermanence); they are in flux and are constantly changing. The next stage of contemplation turns towards Anatta (no-soul). This is the idea that there is no ‘I’ or permanent self or ego. Behind the flux of change there is nothing stable that we can clutch at or form an identity. There are only impersonal phenomena. There is the boon realization that attachment to the five aggregates is dukkha (unsatisfactoriness or suffering).

There is a deeper isomorphism between the Noble Eightfold Path and the crew of an Imperial Stardestroyer like the Chimaera. Ethical Conduct is the foundation to Noble Eightfold Path. An Ensign is a foundation to the crew. It is the conduct of the Ensign that keeps the ship operational. Ethical Conduct lays the ground for Mental Discipline. Likewise, it is the conduct of the Ensign that enables the Captain to lay down discipline in the form of orders. A naval Captain shows effort, mindfulness and concentration in his duty to protect the vessel. And just as Mental Discipline is required to establish Wisdom, a Captain with a disciplined crew is what is required for the presence of an Admiral. An Admiral, through his wisdom, has right thought and understanding with regards to the enemy. The part of your being that is the Ensign should be concerned with conduct. The part of your being that is the Captain should be concerned with discipline. The part of your being that is the Admiral should be concerned with wisdom. When you meditate the ship which is your vessel of experience should have all the crew present and performing their respective duties in synch. All parts should ideally be present. If there were no Ensign the Imperial Stardestroyer would be unmanned and virtually a floating piece of metal. If there were no Captain the crew would lack discipline to put into motion the designs of the Admiral. If there were no Admiral the fleet would lack cohesive command. And the Admiral must be protected by the Noghri bodyguards of the mind. The Admiral of your fleet must at times show great flair and creativity in dealing with enemy ships that pop up in the mind. Thrawn had art. I had CBT. It was a form of art. I feel that everyone has a unique Wisdom stage, but for me attaining a tranquil mind was exactly what I needed to use CBT. CBT for me provided the tools and courage to combat the host of very negative thoughts within me. I’ve seen my fair share of psychologists, but to be honest the best CBT resources for low self-esteem were found for free on the internet. I downloaded all nine CBT modules from the CCI website. I did learn a lot about myself; I could see how some of my negative life experiences were providing the structure to many negative core beliefs, and that I was dealing with these through some very unhelpful rules and assumptions. CBT is a lot more complex than what I intend to cover here, but I felt it equipped me with an ability to question my thoughts, especially the abrupt and automatic negative ones. With CBT I was freeing up a capacity to step aside impartially and say things like, ‘Hold on, I’m not sure that assessment is particularly accurate',’ or ‘The evidence I am using for that conclusion is flawed.’ I broke free of many of the cognitive distortions that had tied me down for a long time to a sense of awkwardness and anxiety. I also was able to accept myself a lot more. I was able to acknowledge many of my positive qualities. You observe things, like a scientist, or as an impartial spectator. And when I meditate with CBT and experience a negative thought that colors my mind, I am getting better at labelling the emotions, which in itself is enough to create a platform to detach oneself. Even now my mind frequently throws up all sorts of junk but I am not so caught up in the wake as when I first started meditating. I spend less time distracted, and have more time cultivating my mind for wisdom. I have identified that my negative thoughts are particularly vulnerable to CBT. In this regard CBT has been my Marg Sabl maneuver.

Meditation can be a fun and rewarding exercise. It also has scientific backing. fMRI scans of people that meditate frequently have also gotten most of the scientific community on board with the benefits. Approach it with zeal and vigor, as a wholesome means to self-mastery, self-discipline and transformation. Do not meditate if you are bound to consider it a chore. You won’t get very far, I certainly don’t think so. It is important to have a safe, secluded and quiet spot to call your meditation space. It doesn’t have to be completely remote, just a place where you are not likely to be disturbed. Location is a matter of preference. Some people enjoy meditating outdoors but if I am to be honest my default spot is sitting on my gaming chair in front of my desktop computer. A bit of experimentation is required to derive personal preferences, but I like to light a fragrant, soy aromatherapy candle, along with some incense. I would jokingly at one point profess to be a candle connoisseur. There was this specialist candle shop in Sassafras in the Dandenong Ranges that I would fancy going to on account of expensive candles, but in the end I felt more inclined to go with the much cheaper ones on the shelves at my local supermarket. I personally like having some meditation music playing in the background. In the below notes I have provided a link to a YouTube playlist of meditation music that I have created. It is also a good idea to set a timer on your phone or computer. For me, 40 minutes is currently the perfect amount of time to allocate, and I break this up into two 20 minute chunks. Also, I think it is very important to bear in mind that meaningful results take time, and by this I tend to mean years, so if you launch upon this. My advice, is don’t fixate on the results, but enjoy and embrace each opportunity to work towards harnessing wisdom and cultivating a tranquil mind. And don’t overdue it. Rest from meditation is just as crucial. I find overdoing it just provides diminutive returns. Stop, recharge and return the next day instead of trying to fit hours and hours of meditation all in one day. Not that I have achieved unparalleled happiness, but that which I have found has been acknowledging it as an investment. Investments take time. This is not unfortunate. Or at least stem away from thinking so. You have to plant the seeds of happiness. It is only years later that, after the tree of happiness has grown that one is able to pick the fruit. The fruit is the boon of knowledge that enables one to assert and affirm, ‘Hold on, I notice that the way that my mind thinks now is totally different and much healthier than years ago when I started. I am… happy.’ It is only after we reach the peak of the mountain that we look back from our vantage point and reflect on the many moments of happiness that has led us here. So take command. Jump in that Admiral’s chair. Turn those glaring red eyes upon the enemy. Captain your mind. Ensign those orders. The starfleet of your mind is at your disposal. The fate of the Galaxy awaits.

NOTES

IMPERIAL STARFLEET DEPLOYED/CITY IN THE CLOUDS [00]

MEDIATION MUSIC PLAYLIST [01]

I have made the following course on Meditation Course on Udemy:

UDEMY COURSE - LEARNING MEDITATION FOR THE 2022 NEO-CITIZEN [03]