“The human world is a disastrous and cruel mess and always has been. I have been far better lately by refusing to contemplate the world at all,” Anthony Garner, Zenothestoic.com, a follower of this web page.
The human world is not worth contemplation on spiritual matters. The very idea is counter indicative to the whole point of contemplation, which is listening until even listening drops away as the Silence envelops.
One of the ways a Master introduced his answer to this problem was meditation. My meditations sometimes went on for three hours at one time. They never delivered anything so far as I am aware, certainly not even a hint of my experiences of Reality.
However, he said in effect the never ending stream of the mind’s thoughts and distractions cannot be stopped, only replaced. This is achieved by powerful and powerfully practiced meditation.
Later on he scandalised an older lady follower of his by telling us he used this mantra/meditation to silenc the ever persistent streaming mind to calm himself after his car’s narrow escape from a train at a crossing. He even used to get himself to sleep by this process he’d been taught and taught us. Was this misuse of a divine practice, the lady follower wondered?
I didn’t think so. I still use his simple but completely (deliberately?) incomprehensible (Sanscrit?) words of worldly avoidance, ie., meditation/mantra, to centre myself, even for getting to sleep.
Constantly entering into simple meditation as mindless as the day you were born can help cleanse the truly called of lust, anger, greed, attachments and ego. Mind, in spiritual progress, is a distraction. Some traditions of Reality revelation call the human mind, “the negative principle” ie: the Devil!
This Master’s particular school called for meditation two and a half hours every day, but not neccessarily all at once. “Can’t you afford 10 per cent of your (human) life a day?” the Master used to say.
All Is Well.
Mystical Experiences of Reality 
Wonderful post. I too use meditation to induce sleep. The human world is not, as you so rightly say, worth contemplation. “Even listening drops away as the Silence envelops” – how very true. I have found, over the last few months at least, that my formerly ever present black humors have almost disappeared. I very much hope they remain absent. I think in part it is because of this emptying process, which, after many years of attempting, I have perhaps almost mastered.
“Can help cleanse the truly called of lust, anger, greed, attachments and ego”. Yes, that is Truth with a capital T. I would not say that I am “called” with any sense of pride or smugness. Nor would I say that I am particularly good (and certainly not “holy” – god forbid). Nevertheless “called” I certainly am. “Called” to see through the vanity of the world and to gently chuckle at the absurd foolishness and freneticism all around me. Trumps, Putins, G7s – a laughable waste of time and self important energy.
I have not abandoned “mind” but perhaps I have mastered how to use it in a constructive and non damaging way. I am using mind to write this reply. I am using mind to code and explore the most exciting algorithm I have come across for 20 years. But somehow I am no longer attached to any of it. Passing amusements rather than damaging obsession.
Keep writing Keith!
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