We do not perceive what is actually “out there.” Nobody knows for certain what is truly out there. We only perceive what our mind presents to us.
Theory
Perception follows a simple chain of steps:
- A sensory organ (eye, ear, skin, etc.) receives a physical stimulus — light, sound, pressure.
- The organ converts that stimulus into nerve signals.
- The nerve signals travel to the brain.
- The brain organizes and interprets those signals.
- This produces awareness of the environment.
So the brain processes patterns of nerve impulses, and the mind reads these as sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell.
Because people largely agree on what they perceive, some basic mental interpretations appear to be built in — perhaps genetically. However, the same sensory input can produce different perceptions depending on a person’s culture, past experience, memory, and expectations.
Perceptions are shaped by built-in mental frameworks that may be further modified by culture and learning.
The mind constantly tries to make sense of incoming sensory data, filling in gaps and maintaining a stable picture of the world. This happens below the level of conscious awareness.
The mind works to interpret and complete sensory input automatically, without our noticing it.
Whether qualities like color, sound, or smell exist “out there” or only in the mind remains an open question. Rather than getting stuck on that, it is more useful to notice how stable or unstable a perception is, and whether it can be changed.
No perception is absolute — not even our perception of the physical world.
Perceptions are interconnected and influence each other. What matters most is not any single perception taken in isolation, but whether our perceptions are consistent or inconsistent with one another.
Look for consistency and inconsistency among what you perceive — that is more revealing than the perceptions themselves.
Application
These exercises can be done alone or with a guide. If working with a guide:
- Review the theory together and address any questions until the student is clear on the main points.
- Then lead the student through the exercises in order.
- Keep communication open and friendly throughout.
Exercises
The goal of these exercises is to practice noticing consistency and inconsistency among what you perceive.
Exercise 1 — Touch
During your daily activities, pay close attention to the sense of touch. Feel the fabric of your clothes, the weight of what you carry, the texture of a door handle, the ground under your feet. Notice any consistency or inconsistency as it arises.
Exercise 2 — Sight
Pay close attention to what you see. Notice colors, brightness, contrast, shapes, sizes, and patterns. Notice any consistency or inconsistency as it arises.
Exercise 3 — Smell
Pay close attention to smells throughout your day — the air outside, food, different environments. Notice any consistency or inconsistency as it arises.
Exercise 4 — Hearing
Pay close attention to sounds — their tone, volume, and quality. Listen to spoken words without trying to extract meaning. Notice any consistency or inconsistency as it arises.
Exercise 5 — Taste
During meals, pay close attention to taste. Notice the taste of water, the different flavors in food. Notice any consistency or inconsistency as it arises.
Exercise 6 — Body Awareness
Pay close attention to your body’s position and movement as you go through the day. Notice any consistency or inconsistency as it arises.
Exercise 7 — Looking at Looking
Look at something. Then, instead of just taking in the whole, notice the individual perceptions that make it up. Notice any consistency or inconsistency as it arises.
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Comments
This is a complete rewrite of this KHTK essay, now posted on 1/29/11. The 3 votes above adding up to “average” apply to the previous version. Hope this version is more helpful.
~Vinaire
In looking, one is bringing into view existing considerations and looking at them.
In thinking, one is simply perceiving through one’s considerations, and, thus, coloring what one is looking at through judging, evaluating, labeling, etc. Here the via, or filter, is one’s consideration, which itself is not perceived.
It is only when one looks AT the consideration that one is able to recognize it as a consideration that one is holding on to.
~Vinaire
In perceiving, as one starts to look at that perception more closely, one starts to become aware of how it is being “colored”, and in doing so one starts to become aware of the consideration one is looking through.
Therein lies the secret of LOOKING.
~Vinaire
When there is sensory or mental input, the mind immediately puts up considerations that match that input. A thinking mind looks through those considerations, without being aware of them. However, a looking mind becomes aware of the considerations that are brought up and recognizes them for what they are.
When the input is so unique that no matching considerations can be found, the thinking mind feels strained and ends up generating new considerations. This may be called dub-in. But, a looking mind simply recognizes the fact that no matching considerations exist.
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K. Went through it.
Did each exercise one at a time and didn’t read ahead on the exercises. The phrase at the end: “In each of the above exercises, contrast your perceptions from your visualizations.”
Just told me I did all the other exercises WRONG for the last week.
Oh well, you get one try from me V. Onto the next lesson…
Bunkai, I know I have to do more work on this essay and the exercises that follow. I have been meditating more on the difference between LOOKING and THINKING. I am realizing more as I have noted in my recent essay Essay 14: THE MATHEMATICS OF UNKNOWABLE.
This essay looks at LOOKING vs. THINKING in terms of PERCEPTION vs VISUALIZATION, which I think is pretty accurate. I want to add more to LOOKING in terms of stepping back from “looking through considerations” to “looking at the considerations.” I haven’t yet worked out an exercise for that yet.
Your feedback is very important in terms of putting all the instructions prior to the exercises. But it seems that you followed that instruction anyway if you understood the difference between looking and thinking.
~Vinaire
Other suggestions:
1. You may want to add the instruction to have people use reminders throughout the day to reconnect to the instruction: cell phone timers, post it notes, friends, etc.
2. You may want to include brief five minute dedicate periods to each exercise. Three dedicated 5-30 minute stints may make it easier to sustain the practice in a busy day.
So far, it’s enjoyable. Still can’t levitate though. Maybe next lesson?
🙂
Those are good suggestions. I don’t want anyone to feel pressured through these excercises. If one is aware of the data and have understood it thoroughly then one would be doing these exercises naturally even without thinking.
Anyway, I’ll consider adding your suggestions to the rewrite. And I assure you that you are getting closer to levitating as you move through these exercises, even if you never be able to levitate. 🙂
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And X-Ray eyes man. I want me some X-ray eyes! 🙂
You may find that you already have the X-Ray eyes. Just wait till the realization comes to you.
🙂
Bunkai, I have rewritten the theory section of this essay. Most of those ideas I had already expressed through my comments here. If you have clearly experienced the difference between LOOKING and THINKING, then you do not have to re-do these exercises after studying the revision.
~Vinaire
Bunkai, I have now added one more exercise (Exercise 2-7) at the end of KHTK #2 to help experience the difference between looking and thinking. I am sure there are better exercises out there, but this may do for now. It nicely wraps up the earlier six exercises.
~Vinaire
I have rewritten this essay once again, this time focusing on the process of perception.
The exercises are modified slightly to focus on consistency and inconsistency among what we perceive.
Hope this provides better results as were originally intended.
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This revision consists of some cosmetic changes only.
~Vinaire
Do you have any reason to think the mind and brain are separate?
I’ll take the Buddhistic view. Brain is part of the body. It is manifested on the physical level.
Mind is a sense organ. It perceives through consistency of thought with physical manifestations. An example would be perception through mathematical modeling, as in case of the structure of atom.
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It appears as if certain inconsistencies are hard-wired into the perceptual system, if with education, certain perceptions can be modified.
Mathematical modeling may provide new perceptions from the same input to the mind. Mathematics, when properly applied, is an excellent way of bringing about consistency in perception.
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Mathematics is a useful language for describing our perceptions.
I contend that education is a slippery slope for it can corrupt looking.