APPENDIX: NIGHT EXERCISE
A night meditation is a unique practice - it requires sacrifice and dedication, but the rewards are far reaching and include special sleep following the meditation. When you wake, you will feel very close to what you are seeking.
Wake around 3 a.m. to begin the meditation. The exercise is for the night time specifically, but if this is too difficult, do it at dawn or slightly after. It is better to sleep afterwards. Start by drawing attention to the special point below the solar plexus, about one and a half inches below the navel. Breathe in very slowly, and hold breath, but with no strain. Try again, hold breath comfortably, again, no strain. Resume normal breathing for a while. During this phase eyes should be lightly closed or slightly open with hazy effect, eyes turned downward.
Let nothing unpleasant come from holding of breath. While you hold the breath, mind must be one pointed and centered on thought of Overself or highest form you can think of. Must keep your mind centered on a point while you hold breath. After a while, move the focus up to the heart region and breathe very slowly (no longer holding breath) with mind centered on the heart region.
Let your mind stop on thought of Overself, either thinking that you are actually in the Overself, or thinking of your thought as being projected out by Mind, and that very Mind being in the projected thought. The feeling that you are in the thought of the Overself is really the same as: "Your thought of the Overself is really a feeling." Think very strongly on the thought of the Overself then let it go. From this point you have to be carried to the next stage by yourself. Continue with this feeling. Eventually you may be able to stay there in the Overself - let yourself do this for an hour or two.
After the meditation sleep 1-2 hours. It will be a great sleep. When you wake you will feel very close to what you are seeking. Act very deliberately and slowly when you dress, etc. Very important - everything is there then.
Class
Sunday, February 13th, 1983
Edited transcript or student notes of a class/seminarClick the series name to view more
WISDOM'S GOLDENROD, ALAN BERKOWITZ CLASS NOTES
(TYPED)
FEBRUARY 13, 1983
MEDITATION; PB NIGHT EXERCISE
with Appendix: PB Night Exercise as given to Tim and Devon Smith.
TOPIC: Meditation
SUBJECT: PB Night Exercise
SUBSUBJECT: Short Path
TYPED AND REFORMATTED by IT 2022
NOTES:
RETYPED HANDWRITTEN NOTES (V13). From Classnotes AB 1983 0206 to 1983 0228.PDF.
PB Night Exercise as given to Tim and Devon Smith is appended here for completeness. See also WG Class 1984 0323 V14.1a. PB Paras; Mind, World-Mind, Overself, Section 88, pp. 236-241 for more discussion on meditation and the Night Exercise (appended to that transcript as well).
All spelling, capitalization, punctuation corrected, all abbreviations and some numbers spelled out. The material has been slightly rearranged to follow the numbering.
1983 02/13 at Wisdom's Goldenrod
Meditation; PB Night Exercise
[Classnotes AB 1983 0213 Begin]
2/13/83 Meditation
Night Exercise is an advanced exercise.
A few months is the minimum time to try an exercise.
A meditation exercise has to fit the person.
Get up at around 3 [a.m.] and meditate an hour or two -- after, sleep is special.
Begin:
1) Draw your attention down to the point 1½ inches behind the solar plexus (1½ inches below the navel). (Later, at a certain point you bring it up to the heart where you finish.)
[2) Two] Retentions [Note: "2) Two" is an educated guess, some words and numbers got cut off during scanning.]
While you're working on the solar plexus you have to use the breath -- breathe in and hold the breath without any tension or strain.
Try again -- hold the breath comfortably about 3 seconds (not more than 5 or 6 seconds).
You can imagine the breath coming in and down to the solar plexus. If there is any strain from retention, stop. Do it sitting up.
Go by whatever feels relaxed -- two retentions is arbitrary. A few minutes in the beginning is enough for the whole exercise. (You could also concentrate on the interval between two heart beats.)
3) Expel, resume normal breathing for a while.
[some words cut off during scanning] the breath, mind must be one-pointed.
It must be one-pointed and centered on the thought of the Overself (or the highest thing you can think of) and continue focused on the solar plexus.
4) When you feel ready, move to the heart. Stop retention, and move your attention to the heart. Breathe very slowly and keep your mind focused on the heart region. Now you should be in the thought of the Overself, and continue in the feeling of being in the Overself. Stay there as long as you wish. Your thought of the Overself is a feeling.
5) From this point you have to be carried by yourself to the next stage -- into the Overself. If you feel it, stay with it as long as you can. You get the thought of the Overself, you drop it gently. You can have the eyes closed or open. If open -- turned down, not up, with a hazy shadowy effect. The best is half open, half shut. Not tightly shut. Don't let them roll up.
6) Finish with 1-2 hours of sleep.
7) When you awake, you feel very close to what you are seeking. Upon awake -- move very slowly and deliberately -- not abruptly. The benefit comes in the morning as you wake up.
If you can't do it at night, dawn or after dawn is ok. Meditate alone when and wherever possible.
[Classnotes AB 1983 0213 End]
1983 02/13 V13: NOTES: Meditation; PB Night Exercise. Copyright 2022 Wisdom's Goldenrod p. i