Gnosis in a Hundred PagesPage 72 of 100 · Part V

Part V · The one who lives in you

How to sit

Relaxation, the breath, concentration and absorption: four stages, one after the other.

Read to me

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Four stages in one sitting: relax, breathe, concentrate, rest.

This is the first of the three practices in this part. It gathers much of what you have learned so far into one sitting, in four stages.

Relaxation

First the body. Sit upright on a chair or a cushion, the back straight but not stiff. Go through the body from the feet to the head, letting each part go. Many people find this alone takes five minutes.

The breath

Then a few minutes of the breath from page 38: long in with HAM, short out with SA. It gathers the energy and quiets the mind.

A man seated upright on a chair in early morning light, eyes closed.

Concentration

Then give the mind one thing to rest on: the breath, a mantra, or the feeling in the heart. Each time it wanders, bring it back without blame.

Absorption

Finally let even that go. Stop holding the object. Rest in what is there, awake and still, without doing anything at all. This is the longest stage and the most important.

The Meditation Timer in the Observatory has these four stages ready, called Gene’s way. Its bells ring each change for you: five minutes, three, five and twelve.

Sitting · practice thirteen

  1. Sit upright and still. Relax the body slowly from the feet to the head.
  2. Practice the breath of page 38 for a few minutes: in long with HAM, out short with SA.
  3. Rest the mind on one thing, such as the breath or the heart. Return to it each time it wanders.
  4. Then let the object go. Rest awake and still, doing nothing.
  5. When you finish, sit a moment longer and notice what is left.

Words on this page

Absorption
The last stage of a sitting, when the mind rests without an object.

In the old words

“We reach these three ineffable heights by means of concentration, meditation and Samadhi.”

Igneous RoseSamael Aun Weor
On the next pageConcentration is hard because the mind is not one thing.73. Three minds