Reference: Course on Human Nature
Mindfulness provides the discipline for looking and contemplation. The core of mindfulness may be described as follows:
1. Observe without getting influenced by your expectations and desires.
Desires make one want certain outcomes. This leads to speculations that have no basis other than one’s expectations. But it is only when you know what is there can you predict future in a reasonable and consistent manner.
2. Observe things as they are, without assuming anything.
Familiarity makes one assume certain things to be there. The visualization is already there in the mind, and it gets superimposed over what is actually there. However familiar something may be, it is never permanent, and it may not actually be there.
3. If something is missing do not imagine something else in its place.
If something is missing, then recognize that it is missing. Do not imagine something in its place. If someone asks you a question and no answer come up in your mind, then do not feel obliged to make up an answer. Accept that you do not have an answer.
4. If something does not make sense, then do not explain it away.
If something does not make sense, then recognize that it does not make sense. Do not try to justify it. Justification simply puts the blame somewhere without resolving the inconsistency. When you are faced with an inconsistency, and you feel an impulse to explain it away, then be alert to what you might be taking for granted. At times it may take some out-of-the-box thinking to realize what is going on.
5. Use physical senses as well as the mental sense to observe.
We associate the idea of sense organs with eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. We use them to observe physical objects, such as, chair, car, house, etc. However, the mind is also a sense organ, which senses ideas, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. These are mental objects. When being mindful, recognize both physical and mental objects for what they are.
6. Let the mind un-stack itself.
Let the mind un-stack itself naturally through patient contemplation on whatever comes up. Observe the issue uppermost in the mind, and then the next, and the next. Let the mind deal with issues in the order it wants to. There should be no effort to recall, to dig for answers, or to interfere with the mind in any way. Simply look at what is right there in front of the mind’s eye at any moment. The mind will never present anything overwhelming when allowed to un-stack itself.
7. Experience fully what is there.
Experiencing is the deepest form of mindfulness. A person is deeply mindful of his feelings, emotions and impulses when he is experiencing them. So, dive into the very heart of whatever arises in the mind without resisting. If the mind is racing, then experience it racing without contributing to it.
8. Do not suppress anything from yourself.
Not suppressing anything from yourself is being totally honest with yourself. Follow your attention wherever it goes and do not suppress. Do not avoid something just because it seems shameful or painful. It is the suppression of perceptions, memories, knowledge, visualizations, thinking, etc., that causes all difficulties in life. By not suppressing you establish complete integrity of your perceptions.
9. Associate data freely.
In order to practice mindfulness, you will have to let your mind associate data freely. Mindfulness is being comfortable with the very activity of thinking itself. So, let the mind associate data freely on its own.
10. Do not get hung up on name and form.
Name acts as a broad reference point to something. Form is one of the many ways that a thing may be represented. The perception of a thing goes beyond its name and form. Fixation on name and form may act as built-in judgment of what is there. To know something, one must go beyond name and form and look at it more closely including all its associations.
11. Contemplate thoughtfully.
When mindfulness is practiced, thinking becomes contemplation. Problems are solved by looking at them non-judgmentally and recognizing the relationships. One looks around to get the missing information instead of trying to “figure it out”.
12. Let it all be effortless.
When you let it be, it becomes effortless. Effort comes into play only when there is resistance to letting it be. It is completely safe when you let the body and mind unwind gradually on their own. Trouble occurs only when you become anxious and start to dig for answers.
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Mindfulness seems to be fundamental to all scientific observation, meditation, prayer, and other forms of spiritual practice. Incorporate mindfulness in your life as much as possible.
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Comments
This is very very good. It is my hope that people will notice the usefulness of this.
It is my hope too. It has paid dividends to me since I have started to practice it.
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Mindfulness is a discipline in which,
1. There is a careful recognition of what is there.
2. There is nothing added to this recognition.
3. There is no judgment added.
4. There is no resistance added.
5. If judgment or resistance gets added, then there is simply a careful recognition of that.
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The purpose of mindfulness seems to be
TO RECOGNIZE AN INCONSISTENCY* IF THERE, AND TO LOOK AT THAT INCONSISTENCY MORE CLOSELY.
*something that does not make sense.
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Here is how THINKING appears in KHTK when the mindfulness is practiced:
1. Observe mindfully (see the 12 aspects of mindfulness).
2. Survey the scene for things that are omitted and/or puzzling.
3. Look at the most puzzling factor (inconsistency) more closely.
4. Again, survey this closer view for things that are omitted and/or puzzling.
5. Again look at the most puzzling factor (inconsistency) more closely.
6. Continue looking closer guided by obvious inconsistencies that stand out.
7. As you continue with this process clarity will start manifesting itself.
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Contemplation
When mindfulness is practiced, thinking becomes contemplation. Problems are solved by looking at them closely and obtaining the relevant data. There is no random figuring out.
1. Become aware of inconsistencies.
Inconsistencies are things that seem out of place and do not make sense. We naturally question such things. But often, as children, we are told to shut up because we are too young to understand. Our questions tend to get suppressed.
A child who has been discouraged from asking questions, and punished in his attempts to find answers, may grow doubting his opinions and judgments. He may think that he is not a good student. He may be afraid of speaking in front of people. He may suffer from a sense of inadequacy.
The remedy is to practice mindfulness and become aware of those questions that never got answered, and the inconsistencies, which surround one even now.
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Yes, it seems that “figuring” amounts to a fixation upon a point of confusion. Mindfulness acknowledges the point of confusion and then continues to look and gather relevant data. This is how I “troubleshoot.”
Mindfulness is natural actually. 🙂
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haha – I have gone soft in the head and you have me letting you off the hook soo easily! Is there or what would be an example of an un-natural activity? In every direction I see tautology with no end in sight!
Natural course of events takes place when there is no resistance or interference. .
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Mindfulness tells me that all resistance and interference is natural. Man is natural and what man does is natural, is this not so? I am looking at models and modelling.
What I stated applies to the observer.
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2. Inconsistency comes about when missing understanding is filled in by assumption.
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This is good.
Yes and I have to watch to fill vacuums caused by from removing false data/solutions/ideas with true date and not more assumption because by golly that vacuum will fill!
Thank you for you data ~ it’s helpful. All I can do right now pretty new out of Scientology is go for walks. I love my nearby river bed that has less things in it.
I will work on your exercises when I go.
🙂
Cece
Cece,
Welcome on your graduation from Scientology. Mindfulness is the road beyond OT levels. Hope you’ll enjoy walking on this road.
Vinaire
Yes, Thank you Vinaire. I’m trying to print a copy to carry for now. Yes, enjoy! Well actually after the hurt of betrayal has mostly wore off I now have no regrets and there was some amount of good all the time and most of it I did enjoy even if blind at the time. But I think I am still pretty blind mainly from lack of education. It very much helps to have inspiration as yours. 🙂
Thank you, Cece
Cece, what helped me most was looking at my experiences in Scientology mindfully. I simply looked at what I was assuming and got rid of those assumptions. There is no use getting into shame, blame and regret. Just focus on assumptions. Regards, Vinaire
2. Inconsistency comes about when missing understanding is filled by assumptions.
When we observe an inconsistency, the complete understanding is not there. Either some relevant information is missing, or false data is being added. There are assumptions in play. Any explanation provided needs to be examined closely. When one becomes aware of an inconsistency, it is better to acknowledge it and pause, rather than to try to explain it away.
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3. Always look at the area of inconsistency more closely.
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I’ve never seen nor read something so simply profound as this mindfulness, I mean it just registered for me for some reason and I felt engrossed as I sat and contemplated it. Thank you for bringing it here to the blog. Bill Dupree
Thanks Bill. My life has changed for the better since I have been practicing mindfulness. This whole blog is now built around mindfulness.
Super! 🙂
I am now revising point #1 as follows:
From:
Observe without expecting anything, or attempting to get an answer.
To:
Observe without getting influenced by your expectations and desire for answers.
*improved*
I have now revised this key essay on my blog with better description of the 12 aspects along with easy-to-do exercises.
Reblogged this on notestoseekers.