The mind appears to consist of many layers of thought surrounding a central core. That central core may be referred to as self.
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THEORY
The nature of the mind is to assess and determine what is there. This may be called thinking or considering. The outcome of this action may be called a thought or consideration. When mind assesses the sensory input the outcome appears as perception. Therefore, perception may be looked upon as a primitive thought. For more on perception, please see Perception.
Similarly, one may say that when mind assesses perception the outcome is experience, and when the mind assesses experience the outcome is information. The results of this successive assessment may be listed as follows.
- Sensory input
- Perception
- Experience
- Information
- Hypothesis
- Theory
- Principles
- Axioms
- Self
There may be more layers in between. Each layer seems to underlie the previous layer and adds more depth to it. Finally, the layer at the bottom seems to provide uniqueness, or individuality, to the whole system. We may call this layer the ‘self‘. This system of layers represent a ‘universe.’
The “thoughts” near the top seem to be quite raw and automatic. It appears to be consistent from person to person. Each one of us perceives the physical universe quite the same way. This is documented by astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, etc. If the sensory input reaching our minds is the same, then we must regard the assessment of it as perception to be the same also. That assessment would be a programming that is shared by humans at a deep, unconscious level.
The thought near the bottom appears to be ‘self-controlled.’ It may be called ‘free will’ at the level of self. It is quite individualistic from person to person. This ‘free will’, however, is likely to be constrained by the layers above it.
From ‘sensory input’ to ‘self’ we seem to have a spectrum of thinking that varies from rigid programming to free will.
Cognitive functions could be the more flexible programming closer to the level of self. Extreme flexibility of programming may appear as free will. The function of free will seems to be visualization as “learned” from the layers of thought above it.
Close your eyes. Think of a cat, or your favorite small pet animal. Have that pet come to you and jump in your lap. Pick it up and caress it. Feel its weight and the texture of its fur. Now let that pet jump and run away from you. Open your eyes and look in the direction in which your pet ran away.
One may visualize what one wills as learned from perceptions.
These are visualizations created out of knowledge from the various layers of thought above self. One can visualize raw perceptions of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling, etc. Dreams may be the function of visualization that is unwinding in some way.
Thus, there seem to be completely programmed perceptions at the top, and free willed visualizations at the bottom, with gradations in between.
The usual thinking is a combination of programmed perceptions, and free willed visualizations.
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APPLICATION
In the absence of a guide these exercises may be done by oneself. The guide may help the student as follows.
(A) Go over the theory section with the student.
- Answer any questions from the student as best as you can.
- Discuss the theory materials until no questions remain.
- Make sure the student understand the main points highlighted in bold in theory section.
(B) Have the student do the exercises in sequence.
- Guide the student through the exercises.
- Maintain an open and friendly communication about student’s experience on the exercise
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EXERCISE
THE PURPOSE OF THESE EXERCISES IS TO PRACTICE LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE MIND.
Preliminary steps:
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Find a place where you can sit comfortably for a while without being disturbed or distracted.
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Simply observe with your eyes open. If you find your mind adding to what is plainly visible, simply notice that fact and continue.
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Once you can comfortably notice what is there, you may close your eyes.
Exercise 1
Pay close attention to the sensory input. If you just see blackness, then observe that blackness. If you see a play of light and darkness, then observe that play of light and darkness. Observe the various sound and smells as they offer themselves to you. Do not strain to perceive them.
Observe what your senses present to you, such as, the temperature in the room, the pull of gravity, or the taste in your mouth. Do not look for anything in particular. Just look non-judgmentally at whatever comes up. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 2
Pay close attention to impressions that are made up of raw perceptions and which may simply be floating around. Just look non-judgmentally at whatever comes up. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 3
Pay close attention to any experience that is uppermost in the mind. Just look at it non-judgmentally. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 4
Pay close attention to any information that is uppermost in the mind. Just look at it non-judgmentally. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 5
Pay close attention to any hypothesis that is uppermost in the mind. Just look at it non-judgmentally. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 6
Pay close attention to any theory that is uppermost in the mind. Just look at it non-judgmentally. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 7
Pay close attention to any principle that is uppermost in the mind. Just look at it non-judgmentally. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 8
Pay close attention to any axiom that is uppermost in the mind. Just look at it non-judgmentally. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
Exercise 9
Pay close attention to any concept of self that is uppermost in the mind. Just look at it non-judgmentally. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
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Glossary
Thought
Thought is the assessment of sensory input leading to perceptions, experience, information, hypothesis, theory, principles, axioms and self. From ‘sensory input’ to ‘self’ we seem to have a spectrum of thinking that varies from rigid programming to free will.
Self
Self is the central core of the mind that provides the sense of individuality.
Free will
Free Will is the flexibility of postulating and projecting to make sense of what is there.
Visualization
Origin: “to see.” To visualize is to rearrange perceptual elements into a new coherent pattern.
Thinking
Thinking is postulating and interjecting to make sense out of what is there. Thinking starts with making considerations.
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Comments
I have just revised a few points on this essay. It is interesting to note that uninspected perceptions do not reduce to memory (or knowledge), and hence one is not even aware of them. Bypassed perceptions do not reside in one’s consciousness.
The primary source of suppression could be preventing another from inspecting his/her perceptions.
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Be careful of absolute statements that are not qualified or that don’t admit openly of being incomplete.
Absolute Statement: The mind consists of perceptions, knowledge and visualizations.
Suggest: For this essay we are defining a consistency of the mind as …
Absolute Statement: “Visualizations are created out of knowledge.”
Suggest: “Visualizations are created from many things such as past memories, knowledge, creative thinking, and things we know about among many other things.”
Absolute Statement: “ALL THOUGHTS ARE BASICALLY VISUALIZATIONS.”
Suggested Correction: I often think in words without seeing the word as a visual concept. We can also think in sounds and smells and touch.
IMPORTANT: If your claims of how the mind works actually have reliable sources that backs up these claims with scientific data, please reference those sources. You may want to include article links where you found this information.
You make some sweeping statements about how the mind works in this essay. The claims have no real bearing on the exercises actually listed. I suggest you not try to explain how a “clock works” but rather focus on showing someone how to “tell time and keep a calendar.”
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Bunkai, I am going over these old essays now and updating them. This is a valid concern of yours. Hopefully, this will be addressed as I present some of the data as a MODEL being used.
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Bunkai, my approach has been to start with as broad a view as possible and then start narrowing it down. I am far from being definitive. All that I am writing is at the level of personal hypothesis. These supposed “assertions” will change as the time passes. I don’t expect anybody to take them seriously yet.
When this work does start to amount to something then I shall present it in a more formal manner. Right now it is just some stuff thrown together mostly for myself.
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What I meant by my last statement is as follows: “Don’t tell someone how to build a clock when they just need to know what time it is.”
Rather than try to discuss how the mind works, I suggest you focus on dealing with the PRODUCTS the mind produces both from stressful and less stressful situations. We all know we have scripts tied to certain emotions that occur which then turn into distorted thoughts. We all know that we have phobias for various reasons. And we all know these are attached to the mind. We know that we suppress bad memories and things we don’t like.
You can say all these things without having to create a model of mind.
Another absolute statement: PERCEPTIONS ARE IMMEDIATELY REDUCED TO MEMORY UPON INSPECTION. UNINSPECTED PERCEPTIONS DO NOT REDUCE TO MEMORY AND ONE IS NOT AWARE OF THEM.
Opinion: There are varying degrees of this and I don’t think it is this black and white. And I don’t find the bullet point helpful in regards to the exercise.
IMPORTANT:
“2. Help the student establish a routine to do this exercise daily for any period from 15 minutes to 2 hours or more.”
In the previous statement, you are asking the student to establish a sitting practice. This need a higher level of announcement. You are asking for a DAILY COMMITMENT of 15 minutes a day to two hours. So this technique is obviously very important to your method.
I suggest …
1. A name for the practice.
2. Use the name as the title to the instructions for the practice.
3. Explain that this is CORE PRACTICE of KHTK!
4. Change the title of the Essay from “Looking at the mind” to something like “KHTK Core Exercise” or something similar.
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Bunkai, I am now separating the exercises from the hypoythesis. The exercises shall appear under the “KHTK Mindfulness” page. The hypothesis shall appear un der the “KHTK Metaphysics” page.
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Doing this solo, I have no idea how long I should stay on this lesson. I suggest you mention either some indicators to go by or a minimum number of sessions. Or grant your reader power to move at a pace they feel comfortable with phrases like “Use your own judgement as to when you should go to the next lesson.”
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Good advice. I am updating the latest versions of exercises with “Use your own judgment as to when to end a session.”
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Thank you Gier Isene. I have been doing this for years. It is true; you just have to make it flow by itself. This happened a lot after jump reading the LRH basic books, and getting answers I was looking for. At the same time I was avoiding opinion reading. I had great experience, nice experience.
It works best for me around 5.00 am 1-2 hours before you wake up, especially when you are relaxed. If it is there it is there; if it is not there, it is not there; simle as that. My slow start to begin, my turning point was August 2006. It get better and faster with time. To admit, I got more out of this than being connected with the Church of $cientology. When I was in $cientology, I had to buy the whole library by policy. I was only ready to read the most most basic book. Since I had those books, my goal was to get out of $cientology Courses and to go home and read them, without their interaction. The Church of $cientology never permitted me to stop taking a course. They had policy against it. I was so disappointed when I had to do Prof. TR Course, even though I was messed up by not being able to connect my own languagae with the English language. That’s another story. Why have to buy those books, when not being able to read. Actually when bogged I was doing this practice too. I had to do something; I couldn’t be totally stagnant. I knew I had hard time to do that since I had so much negative things happening in my envionment. I knew something wasn’t right being in $cientology. It was stopping me to do the right spiritual directions. To the degree you can’t be the driver; to that degree you don’t enhance yourself (go up the tone scale). I know, I must be right since I get/gotten great results. To tell you something; I don’t believe you have to be in $cientology to get results. They are not the only ones who can help you; that’s a lie. Best help $cientology do best is to take your money; and give harassment treatment.
I can help myself; I am I. Besides Scientology got their books from other sources. How much auditing did Ron Hubbard get? He is no more than anybody. I will continue as long as a get results. When it stops then I will look around and look for that answer. Thanks to Arnie, who has pinpointed some areas of $cientology brainwashing; I only knew some of them; since I sensed few of them. It is enjoyable the way I do it. I feel the higher ARC.
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Thank you for your comment, Sparkling Gold. It is amusing for me to notice that you find it difficult to differentiate between Geir and Vinaire. Well, at times, I find that to be difficult too. So, you are not alone. 🙂
Yes, the most powerful stuff is in the basics. It is that basic application that is being compiled in these KHTK essays. Language is not a barrier when one learns through application. Not too many words are required to explain the basics.
What we are dealing with in these basics is KNOWLEDGE. Scientology has been an interesting step toward knowledge. It is the knowledge that you grasp and simplify for yourself that is important. What is out there is not important in itself. It is only as important as it helps you understand yourself.
Knowledge must always be free. This data in these KHTK essays is free for anyone to use. I call it free spirtware. 😀
Good luck to you.
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This post has been totally rewritten along with the exercises in an effort to address the comments.
~Vinaire
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Awesome improvements IMHO.
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Thank you for your prompting. Already this review has opened up a lot of new doors for me.
~Vinaire
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This essay has been revised to streamline it further. The data on memory is being moved from this essay to the next essay.
~Vinaire
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Great work, I like the improvements very much, fits very well with the workings in my mind, I´ll have to make time to do those exercises and comment back to you.
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Your comment is quite encouraging to me. I just hope more people will comment. Whether they comment for or against, it doesn’t matter. I shall learn more in either case.
Probably my language is too terse and difficult to understand. I am sure there are better writers out there who can expand upon these materials.
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Do you have reason to think there is any separation between mind, brain, self? if so, What is it?
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Mind, brain, self are basically considerations. The strucrure of these considerations may be different for different people.
I look at them as concepts that may help explain more about reality, which is an ongoing effort. I may even trash these concepts in favor of better ones as occasion arises.
So, I cannot make any absolute statements about Mind, brain, and self. I have lot of opinions that are spread through this blog. My primary effort is to look for inconsistencies among various concepts, and use them to discover better understanding.
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Chris, finally I think I can give you a better answer.
(1) Brain is the form of the mind, and mind is the essence of the brain. They are one and the same thing.
(2) Self is the most condensed form of the mind.
Please see
https://vinaire.me/2014/08/30/a-model-of-mind/
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ooh! That’s good. That is good language.
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