Roy Eugene Davis used to teach a traditional Tantric practice of "listening to sounds" that tracks very closely what both Sri Aurobindo and Abhinavagupta wrote about.
You begin by noticing what are most likely sounds of the nervous system - a high pitched sound in the ears.
As the mind calms, you keep listening to "subtler" sounds "behind" (within, beneath - whatever word evokes the experience)
This will continue for some months. the mind and body will be calmer and quieter, and the focus on inner sounds, which are spontaneous, involving no effort, will become easier and easier, and attention will be more fully absorbed.
The sense of there being a solid body in a solid physical world lessens considerably, and even emotions, intense sensations and thoughts are increasingly experienced as an interpenetrating field of vibrations.
At some point, a continuous low pitched sound is heard, and all objective phenomena are absorbed into this sound - it feels very much like a chorus intoning AUM.
When attention is effortlessly absorbed in this sound, the attention is turned around to see what is it that is awake and aware.
As attention continues in this way, that which is awake and aware is realized as infinite boundless Consciousness.
not only well written but evocative of that supramental word. Beautifully done.
Roy Eugene Davis used to teach a traditional Tantric practice of "listening to sounds" that tracks very closely what both Sri Aurobindo and Abhinavagupta wrote about.
You begin by noticing what are most likely sounds of the nervous system - a high pitched sound in the ears.
As the mind calms, you keep listening to "subtler" sounds "behind" (within, beneath - whatever word evokes the experience)
This will continue for some months. the mind and body will be calmer and quieter, and the focus on inner sounds, which are spontaneous, involving no effort, will become easier and easier, and attention will be more fully absorbed.
The sense of there being a solid body in a solid physical world lessens considerably, and even emotions, intense sensations and thoughts are increasingly experienced as an interpenetrating field of vibrations.
At some point, a continuous low pitched sound is heard, and all objective phenomena are absorbed into this sound - it feels very much like a chorus intoning AUM.
When attention is effortlessly absorbed in this sound, the attention is turned around to see what is it that is awake and aware.
As attention continues in this way, that which is awake and aware is realized as infinite boundless Consciousness.
One day we will have to unite our points of view. You with your psychological practical approach, I with the theoretical scientific view. :)