Chapter 7: Techniques to Put You at Ease
But to us weightlessness will be a problem. The technique of siddhasana, the way Buddha sits, is the best way to be weightless. Sit on the earth - not on any chair or anything, but just on the floor. And it is good if the floor is not of cement or anything artificial. Just sit on the ground so that you are the nearest to nature. It is good if you can sit naked. Just sit naked on the ground in the Buddha posture, siddhasana - because siddhasana is the best posture in which to be weightless. Why? Because you feel more weight if your body is leaning this way or that way. Then your body has more area to be affected by gravity. If I am sitting on this chair then a greater area of my body is affected by gravity.
While you are standing less area is affected, but you cannot stand for too long. Mahavira always meditated standing - always, because then one covers the least area. Just your feet are touching the ground. When you are standing on your feet, straight, the least amount of gravity works on you - and gravity is weight.
Sitting in a Buddha posture, locked - your legs are locked, your hands are locked - also helps, because then your inner electricity becomes a circuit. Let your spine be straight.
Now you can understand why so much emphasis has been given to a straight spine, because with a straight spine less and less area is covered, so gravity affects you less. With closed eyes, balance yourself completely, center yourself. Lean to the right and feel the gravity; lean to the left and feel the gravity; lean forward and feel the gravity; lean backward and feel the gravity. Then find the center where the least pull of gravity is felt, the least weight is felt, and remain there. Then forget the body and feel that you are not weight - you are weightless. Then go on feeling this weightlessness. Suddenly you become weightless; suddenly you are not the body; suddenly you are in a different world of bodilessness.
Weightlessness is bodilessness. Then you transcend mind also. Mind is also part of the body, part of matter. Matter has weight; you do not have any weight. This is the basis of this technique.
Try any technique, but stick to it for a few days so that you can feel whether it is working or not.
Enough for today.