Serious Resistance Against Consciousness Work

[JKG]

I don't know if such a topic already exists, but I'll post this anyway.

Once in a while I reach a point in my spiritual practice where I don't want to continue anymore and just take a break. Then I want to do something normal which involves no emotional labor at all, like watching a documentary or a movie, eating chocolate, wasting my time... Stuff that I normally don't do.

This often occurs when I am doing more meditation and self-inquiry than usual - when I meditate for about two hours or more. I reach a point at my self-inquiry where everything is just confusing. I just want to shut of and get out of the way of these questions. I want this certainty back that I know how the world works, that I exist, that everything is like it seems, that I know what I should do...

I ask myself why I am doing all this shit and why I cannot be just a ordinary human being who doesn't has to deal with all this resistance.

Today I sat there in self-inquiry and when I noticed this resistance against self-inquiry occurring, the monkey mind came up with all sorts of good excuses why I just should end this meditation session now. "I should take a break from this now, so that this feeling goes away. This is too painful. In a few days I will continue with this serious investigation..." Well, the monkey mind won today.

Its like a tone of energy is released in my head. And now this energy is flowing around through my body and is driving me crazy, insane. Does it has something to do with charkas??

I already had these periods, in which the feeling got too painful and meditation too. Then I slowed down my practice for some days, until the feeling was away again.

But it feels like this point where I reach this feeling is the point where the most growth can happen. When I just work through it, and just continue meditating...

 

So, what should I do? Where does this feeling of resistance come from? Is there a term for that?

Should I just try to continue my meditation sessions, no matter what, until a breakthrough happens?

Have you experienced similar things, and what have you done?

[Martin123]

@JKG self-torture is the opposite of self love and stops you from integration

[Christian]

Accept it and move on. Keep meditating. Keep going . That resistance is not going anywhere unless you face it head on.

[PureExp]

On 1/3/2017 at 0:42 AM, JKG said:

I already had these periods, in which the feeling got too painful and meditation too. Then I slowed down my practice for some days, until the feeling was away again.

Resistance and purification are irritating but are also a sign of progress. You've reached far enough that old is breaking away, and sometimes shows up as strange symptoms.

What you did is best actually, it makes sense to not force the practice. It will be faster if you force, but more painful, and you will need to do a lot of damage control. Too slow, and your ego and old impressions will be back, perhaps with a vengeance.

So the middle way - practice till you can handle, then stop or reduce time, pick up again when symptoms go away. This will be over sooner or later when most of the purification is complete. Its better to finish it rather than "treat" it or suppress it.

[Leo Gura]

@JKG Ah yessss... the good old familiar ego backlash, AKA temptations of the devil, AKA homeostasis, AKA backsliding.

It's the only thing that's really standing between you and full consciousness.

You can't go to the gym without expecting some resistance.

It will get a lot worse before it gets better. The ego will fight enlightenment to its very last breath, with every trick imaginable. You will get fooled into quitting, over and over and over again.

Which is why a strong blast of psychedelics can be a good re-energizer. This path is very difficult if you aren't getting any tastes of the absolute for years. It's just too likely that you'll fall back asleep unless you're serious as hell about this. You're gonna have to sacrifice a lot.

That's the cost of becoming God. Now you know why so few people do it.

On the upside, you will become fucking GOD! So it's really a bargain

[strwbrycough]

@JKG Leo is right but at the same time don't take on these limiting beliefs it takes years, this simple truth is you already are. If you need some guidance in times of doubt read moojis vaster than sky greater than space. Do some satsungs, direct expeirence in normal states of mind and if you do them on psychedelics you will see the truth. It's caring for you growing you within, with every experience.

[askdfjnak]

On 01/03/2017 at 5:12 AM, JKG said:

So, what should I do? Where does this feeling of resistance come from? Is there a term for that?

Should I just try to continue my meditation sessions, no matter what, until a breakthrough happens?

Have you experienced similar things, and what have you done?

Resistance comes from the ego, facing the resistance is called purification.

You will come to realize that all of this confusion and uncertainty is also part of the resistance, embrace it.

 

Remember the importance of balance and following your intuition. You need to strike a balance between pushing yourself and accepting what is, use your intuition to guide you through that.

Keep meditating, even after you have a breakthrough.

I have experienced plenty of this, even after massive breakthroughs. I continue to work now.

It sounds like you're getting deeper, good luck. 

 

[WelcometoReality]

@JKG Here's what I would do.

Create a schedule of your spiritual practices. Then let that schedule be your master. No matter what excuses your mind comes up with follow that schedule.

Resistance comes up for everyone. That is just thoughts popping up and they are not a problem. It's the identification with those thoughts that are. Also notice that you don't only have resistance, but also resistance to resistance. That comes from the value that it is bad, you think that it is bad therefore you resist it. Ask yourself is it really bad? Why? Is there anything that is good/bad in the world?