Autogenic Training, Meditation, Prayer, Spiritual Practice

Source: Live conversation with Igor Mikhaylovich Danilov Consciousness and Personality. From the inevitably dead to the eternally Alive – pages 120-131: https://allatra-book.org/category/conversation-consciousness-and-personality Several tools are being given, which will help at initial stages of self-exploration and restoration of one’s spiritual personality through good thoughts, words, and deeds.

1. Autogenic training is self-awareness and shifting of one’s self from secondary to primary consciousness. Auto-training means working with primary consciousness at the level of primary consciousness. In auto-training we as if switch off secondary consciousness, pay no attention to it, and work by means of primary consciousness with our body, i.e. this is a clear process, simple and easy.

2. Meditation is also a work by means of primary consciousness, but on observation of secondary consciousness. Meditation is a more complicated practice. Here, by means of primary consciousness we work with secondary consciousness, studying the system. That is, practically residing within the system and coming out of it only slightly, we go deeper and start exploring it, but with no harm to ourselves. At that, meditation as such, no matter which it is specifically, remains mere meditation. It means working at the level of primary consciousness, just to make it clear. As they say, you cannot gain salvation with it, but you do can attain peace.

3. Is it possible to attain fusion of Personality with the Soul by means of prayer? Certainly, it is. There is the most complicated and simplest prayer – Jesus’ Prayer. Just like in spiritual practices, there is the same principle. There is a repeated reiteration of Jesus’ Prayer, aspiration and Love for Him, and such a [feeling] arises that… Once again, what do we come to? We come to Love. The real, genuine, sincere Love is one’s Love for God. Naturally, if you start doing your best in order to, as they said in olden times, “love God with all your heart”… Whereas, Jesus’ Prayer precisely leads to revival of the internal perception of God’s World through feelings, which is Love and Gratitude for Him. There is nothing but Love and Gratitude. Everything else is an illusion relative to the Spiritual World. Hence, when this feeling arises, this is exactly the fusion. Is it difficult? No, it is not difficult. In the same way, are spiritual practices difficult? No, they are not.

4. Spiritual practice is performed already at the level of Personality. This is exactly what ensures Personality’s evolution. A person observes both primary and secondary consciousnesses with all their combinations and manifestations. It’s Personality’s self-awareness as of a part of the Spiritual World. It is perception of the Spiritual World. Well, and as an ultimate goal it is fusion with the Spiritual World and becoming its part. This is Personality’s maturing. Everything is simple. Personality does not contemplate the Spiritual World, but it lives in it. It perceives through the entire range of what neither consciousness nor human body possess. Well, it is rather difficult to explain this to people. It’s better for everyone to experience it themselves. They say, “What does a person feel when happiness comes?” — “Happiness, what else? — “Yet, what is happiness?” — “You know, better experience it yourself.”

Т: This is true. At initial stages of mastering spiritual practice there are even minutes when you feel yourself so wonderful, and at the same time you as if have ceased to exist, as if have vanished, as if there is void. Yet, you still feel yourself so wonderful, you feel deep inside that you are in contact with something new, joyful, and native.

IM: Yet, question: have you ceased to exist, or rather has consciousness fallen away? Do you understand? Naturally, once your actors have become silent, the theatre has vanished, and Life has started. However, it’s not you who have ceased to exist, but the actors or one of your earthly selves. This may be called differently, but these are mere words... One can reach God only through Love, there is no other way. Only through the Truth, through knowledge, while knowledge comes through Love only.

Prepared by Adel (Russia)