Vinaire's Blog

August 18, 2014

This issue is now obsolete. For latest references please see: KHTK Mindfulness. The specific reference that updates this issue is Memory Recall.

This was part of a basic series of essays, which started this blog. These essays were later revised and the original versions were deleted. However, these essays were then added back to maintain a complete record.

The basic idea introduced in this essay was that useful recall appears without thinking.

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In the previous section, we practiced the skill of looking at the physical environment. In this section and the next we shall practice the skill of looking at the mind.

To get an idea of what mind is, close your eyes and 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 point to the direction in which your pet ran away.

Your eyes were closed so you were not looking at the physical environment. What you were looking at were the activities of your mind.

Mind deals with pictures, thoughts and ideas. These pictures are made up of perceptions similar to the perceptions of sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, etc., in the physical environment.

When a question is asked by another, data pops up right away to help the mind answer the question. However, no data may pop up if the question asked is not relevant to what needs to be resolved.

Anything required to be viewed usually becomes available as soon as a question is asked by another.

CAUTION: DO NOT FORMULATE QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHILE LOOKING. THAT WOULD BE THINKING.

The immediate mental response might appear as a fleeting feeling, or a pull on one’s attention, and may need to be differentiated from automatic thinking.

It is important to realize that an immediate response may not always be there. The question may have been answered already, or it may not be relevant. In such a case, simply notice the absence of an immediate response.

The mind usually strains to get an answer. But when there is no answer, one should recognize that fact.

Exercise 1-6     

READ EACH OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. PAUSE BRIEFLY TO NOTICE IF THERE IS A RESPONSE IN THE MIND. NOTICE THE PRESENCE, AS WELL AS THE ABSENCE, OF AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.

 Look in your mind at an instance:

1. When you felt lucky.
2. When you switched on a light.
3. When enjoyed a good meal.
4. When you ran fast.
5. When you enjoyed a good company.

You may repeat this exercise. This exercise is completed when you feel that

(1) You can notice an immediate response.
(2) You can notice the absence of an immediate response.
(3) You can differentiate the response from other mental phenomena.

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