Reference: Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness is “seeing things as they are.”
It is difficult to see things as they are when there is suppression. Suppression occurs when one is not allowed to be one’s natural self. The natural self is logical and sensible. An illogical person has been suppressed to become that way.
Suppression may come about when a person is too young to understand the situation and he is badly controlled; or when the person finds that there is no recourse available to some obvious and continuing injustice. There can be suppression also when one is continually being harassed and attacked overtly or covertly.
Suppression may get absorbed into one’s thinking. This is the case when one finds one can’t think without interfering with it, or when there is too much resistance involved in one’s thinking.
When one starts to contemplate on suppression in one’s life and in the society around one, the suppression seems to come off in layers. As these layers come off, there comes about increasing understanding and feelings of peace within oneself.
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MINDFULNESS # 03: Observe suppression, interference and resistance.
Establish the students in mindfulness meditation by calling out the instructions of Mindfulness 0: See Things as They are. Then call out the following instructions.
Give out the instructions “one per minute” slowly and clearly. This will give the student some time to settle down with it.
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Become aware of any feeling of suppression that might be there.
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Observe nonjudgmentally. It is neither good nor bad. It is what it is.
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Do not resist anything. Do not suppress anything. Do not interfere with what is there.
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Simply become aware of the feeling of suppression and move on.
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When it is difficult to move on, simply observe that feeling of suppression more closely. Let further details appear as they may.
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Let the realizations come as they may, and move on.
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Become aware of any feeling of interference that might be there. Trace it back to underlying suppression. Simply become aware and move on.
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Become aware of any feeling of resistance that might be there. Trace it back to underlying suppression. Simply become aware and move on.
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Expand your span of attention to your whole life as far back as possible. Let the perceptions pour in.
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Become aware of the feelings of suppression, interference and resistance present during various stage of your life.
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Expand your span of attention to other people whom you have come across in your life. Let the perceptions pour in.
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Become aware of the suppression, interference and resistance that you saw happening with others.
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Observe nonjudgmentally. It is neither good nor bad. It is what it is.
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Do not resist anything. Do not suppress anything. Do not interfere with what is there.
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Simply become aware of the underlying suppression and move on.
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When it is difficult to move on, simply observe the suppression more closely. Let further details appear as they may.
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Let the realizations come as they may, and move on.
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Continue contemplating on suppression, interference and resistance till the end of the meditation session.
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