August 27, 2014
This issue is now obsolete. For latest references please see: KHTK Mindfulness. The specific reference that updates this issue is Guide in KHTK.
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 of a Guide who assists with the application of KHTK.
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Here is an example how one may go about doing these exercises.
Suppose you chose “bodies” as the subject. You settle down to looking. You are not thinking. But then you might become aware of opinions or computations going in your mind, such as, “Fat bodies are ugly,” “Fat is not good for health,” “If you are fat you die early,” etc. You simply recognize the presence of this thinking and continue looking. You might get a mental picture of a fat body. It might not be somebody familiar, but it may soon change to a long forgotten incident. Intense feelings or emotions may come up. You experience these flows without resisting; and as you continue looking and experiencing, you may become aware of ideas and opinions about bodies that you acquired from others. And so on until you uncover some basic considerations.
Your attention may jump back and forth among the various components of the filter. You may get involved into speculating into reasons and answers. Or, you may encounter something disturbing and avoid looking in that direction. These are the moments where a guide is of immense help.
The guide was introduced in KHTK Essay #1. He is simply a partner or a friend who is also interested in doing the exercise. You do the exercises and your partner guides you in doing the exercise. Your roles are reversed when one of you completes the exercise.
The guide simply ensures that you are applying the KHTK principles as laid out in this series of essays. The guide does not challenge in any way what you are doing; but he gently guides you back if you stray away from applying the KHTK principles. For example:
Student: I see what happened here. These are the problems that have always plagued me. Now I must make a decision about …
Guide: Please take a closer look at what is there without thinking.
The guide does not have any opinion about what you may be looking at. He does not analyze or give advice. You needn’t give him any details of what you encountered during your looking. The guide is not interested in the details. If you tell him something he would make sure that he understands it. He would then focus on any concerns about looking and experiencing if they exist.
If the guide finds that your attention is getting dispersed then he may help you look for resistance that might be throwing you off. He may do so by asking you questions that get you to look at the various components of the filter.
Student: This is the same problem that keeps on coming up. I don’t know where to go from here.
Guide: OK. Take a look if there are any considerations relating to this problem area.
Or,
Guide: Are there some considerations preventing you from looking closely at this area?
Guide: Are there other experiences connected with this area?
Guide: Is there something that you have picked up from others about this area?
Guide: Look at the thinking going on in this area.
Guide: See where your attention is at the moment.
In short, the guide may encourage you to look at the subject matter in different ways always framing the question broadly. You are free to discuss with the guide the difficulty you may be encountering. The guide may listen carefully and help you look at your considerations at that moment. This may help you come up with creative ways to look at the area of interest.
The whole idea of the guide is to help you look and experience whatever is there without thinking and resisting. Now and then the guide may check the state of your attention. If the attention is optimum, you are done with the exercise. If the attention is non-optimum then the exercise may be continued in the direction indicated by the non-optimum attention.
You may continue to add more subject areas to Exercise 1. The possibilities of subject areas are endless. You may study about a subject, and then look at that subject through these exercises. As you continue with these exercises you may find that your attention is staying at optimum for longer and longer periods of time.
Exercise 4-3
Go through Exercises 1 & 2 many times with different subject areas. Always choose a subject that you have the most attention on. You may do this with the help of a guide as necessary.
DO NOT COMPUTE UPON WHAT COMES UP. DO NOT RESIST ANY RESPONSE. END OFF WHEN THE ATTENTION IS OPTIMUM.
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