One of the challenges for those who left a meditation / yoga / religious group disillusioned after revelations of abuse by our teachers was knowing what to discard and what to retain from the teachings and practice. Assuming that we gained some benefit from meditation, then the question is how does one meditate without religion, without all the cultural, cultish, and religious baggage?
I find imagining beautiful gods and goddesses very inspiring. That’s what drew me to the visualisation practices in Tibetan Buddhism. And I’ve come up with an alternative way to use that faculty to inspire a meditative state – animated AI generated images set to music. I can watch these on my phone (they’re designed for mobile devices), rest my mind lightly on the image as I would on any object of meditation, and chill out (and more). I find it an entertaining and inspiring way to meditate without any of the overtones that can come with sitting formally.
My webook Psychemagination is full of them. I’ve created the videos and my husband Kris has created the beautiful music. Pop over there and try them out. I hope you’ll take the Psychemagination journey while you’re there.
Noble Beings
Instead of the word ‘deity’ I think of the imaginative beings I create as noble beings. You could create in your mind your very own personal deities to express whatever aspect of your wisdom mind you want. Deities are a reflection of our own wisdom and compassion, so how you see them in your mind is entirely up to what you find most inspiring.
Listen to these noble beings explaining their purpose
Click here to see my Meditation Beyond the Temple videos on You Tube