A KHTK guide may be necessary to guide one through these exercises. In the absence of a guide these exercises may be done by oneself as long as one understands and can adhere strictly to KHTK principles.
More exercises may be added from time to time. These exercises may be revised and rearranged as more feedback is received.
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NOTES
Quite often you would encounter feelings of guilt and remorse. Treat such feelings non-judgmentally without resorting to any shame, blame or regret. If it is your action that you are ashamed of, then simply acknowledge to yourself that you did it without adding further significance or putting resistance to it. If it is somebody else’s action that affected you then acknowledge that also for what it is without adding further significance or putting resistance to it.
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EXERCISES
THE FOLLOWING EXERCISES MAY BE DONE IN ANY ORDER.
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU COMPLETE AN EXERCISE BEFORE STARTING ANOTHER ONE.
AN EXERCISE IS COMPLETE WHEN THE STUDENT IS SATISFIED THAT HE OR SHE HAS DONE ALL THE STEPS OF THAT EXERCISE.
ANY EXERCISE MAY BE REPEATED AS MANY TIMES AS ONE WISHES.
Exercise 1
Look at an instance when you lost somebody you loved. As feelings and emotions come up, experience them fully without avoiding, resisting or suppressing them. Take as much time as you need to stay with the feelings and emotions until they start to discharge.
Exercise 2
Look at some traumatic experience you went through. The details may come up slowly but stay with it. Let the mind un-stack naturally. Look non-judgmentally and without resisting. It may take several sittings but continue until all details come to view and the trauma starts to discharge.
Exercise 3
YOU MAY DO THIS EXERCISE AS OFTEN AS YOU WANT, AND AS PART OF YOUR DAILY ROUTINE FOR ANY PERIOD FROM 15 MINUTES TO 2 HOURS OR MORE.
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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.
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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.
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Observe the various sound and smells as they offer themselves to you. Do not strain to perceive them.
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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 at whatever comes up. Do not fix your attention on any one thing.
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The mind may present memories of current and past events, some flattering and some not so flattering. Simply look at them non-judgmentally without resisting. The scene may shift around continually.
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The mind may present emotions, such as, embarrassment, guilt, anxiety, anger, etc. Look at them non-judgmentally and recognize them for what they are.
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The mind may present hot and cold sensations, twitches in muscles, pain, etc. Do not avoid, resist or suppress them back. Look and experience them as they appear.
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There may be tendency to squirm, move or change position as discomfort presents itself. You may readjust your body to a more comfortable position as necessary, while experiencing the discomfort.
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If you find yourself getting involved in thoughts, or mentally doing something else, then simply recognize this fact, and continue. Do not suppress anything. Do not add anything.
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Let these feelings, emotions and sensations play themselves out. Do not speculate on reasons and possibilities. As you persevere in your looking, the uncomfortable feelings and sensations will clear out.
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Though it may not always be possible, try ending this exercise at a point when some persistent emotion, sensation or thoughts have just left.
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Comments
DO NOT WANT!
“In the absence of a guide these exercises may be done by oneself as long as one understands and can adhere strictly to KHTK principles.”
UGH. THAT IS SO NOT WANT!
Why do I have to “adhere strictly to KHTC principles?” That is religious sounding and the the root of the word “religion” is to “bind together.”
Practices produce results. These exercises don’t really need principles. They are fine just as they are. If you have good practices, the truth reveals herself as she wants to be discovered.
One doesn’t need Buddhism to practice Tonglen, and that practice is KICKING NEUROSCIENCE BUTT.
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These exercises have been tested with KHTK principles only. The KHTK principles do produce results. It is perfectly OK to improve upon KHTK principles (or theories). There is no restriction here.
This is what science stands for. In a scientific experiment you follow the procedures exactly to verify the result. If you deviate from the procedures then the expected result may not be there.
Sometimes, the results may not be there even if you follow the procedures. At least you know that you have followed the procedures and the results are not there. This gives you an opportunity to improve upon the procedures.
So, if you can come up with better procedures, go right ahead. We may then examine and test those procedures for better workability and incorporate them in KHTK.
That is how science works. That is the whole intention underlying KHTK.
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V. Your procedures and practices are FINE. I guess the point I am making is that the world is FULL of religions, philosophies and methodologies that have mental practices.
But in “Knowing how to Know Science” wouldn’t it be better to teach someone to use the richness of the Scientific Method instead of teaching them the latest version of string theory? String theory may or may not be true, but the Scientific Method (How to look) remains unchanged.
I’m just saying you can unbundle the methods from the theory if you want.
BUT THIS IS THE WORK OF YOUR HEART NOT MINE. I just know when I do creative work in instructional design that I want people to kick my ass on what is working for them and what is not. And that is what I’m providing for you.
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As I wrote in another response to you, the intention here is,
(1) To encourage people to Look.
(2) To encourage greater clarity in understanding.
(3) State the results of looking in terms of essays and invite feedback.
(4) Update these essays continually based on feedback.
Yes, the world is full of religions, philosophies and methodologies that have mental practices. So we look at them and sort them out for greater clarity in understanding.
What makes a religion is its insistence on status quo. That is not science. What makes science is the eagerness to know, which is always looking, questioning, and updating for greater clarity in understanding.
Knowledge is not owned by anybody. The biggest red herring is the idea of ‘source’ or ‘self.’
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Okay. Well, I have enjoyed them. I haven’t read the rewrites. I only plowed through the lessons and commented on what I saw as I went along.
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Imagine looking at the Bible, extracting its essence, and rewriting it after taking the ‘self’ and ‘source’ out of it completely… just pure knowledge… ha!
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good posts…
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