Vinaire's Blog

Reference: Course on Subject Clearing

Once you have selected the subject to work on, the next action is to prepare a key word list. 

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Key Word List

You start the key list with the title of the subject. When your subject is Mathematics, start the key word list with the word MATHEMATICS. When your subject is some personal trauma, start the key word list with the word TRAUMA. When your subject is a personal confusion, start the key word list with the word CONFUSION.

If you are familiar with the subject you may already know some key words, and the sequence in which the underlying concepts developed in the subject. For example, you may arrange the key words of ‘Mathematics’ as follows.

Mathematics, counting, number, digit, place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and so on. 

If you are not familiar enough with the subject, or if the subject is too broad, you may make a list of about ten key words, in the order they come to your mind. For example, you may start with key words for ‘Human Condition’ as follows.

Human, condition, human condition, dukkha, misery, shame, blame, regret, greed, self-absorbed

As a person works with such a list, he would simply know what word he wants to look up next. If that word is not on the list, he adds it in the sequence he is actually looking up the words. This way the Key Word list builds up.

I refer to those working on Subject Clearing as Self Learners (SL). Right now I have three SLs, whose Key Word Lists currently appear as follows:

SL #1:  

HUMAN, CONDITION, HUMAN CONDITION, PARENTHOOD, FATHER, EGO, SELF, DUKKHA, GREED, attachment, misery, shame, blame, regret, longing, self-absorbed, love, forgiveness

As you can see the list has changed from what it was originally. The words highlighted on this list have been looked up. They are arranged in the sequence that they were looked up.

SL#2:

HUMAN, CONDITION, HUMAN CONDITION, BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, DEATH, BELONGING, MINDFULNESS, SUPPRESSION, emotion, aberration, health, sex, money, possessions, entertainment, activity, hobbies, food, drink, friends, neighbors, relationships, nationalities, religions, pets, animals, insects, creatures, life, planets, solar system, universe, big bang, family, group, school, village, town, city, country, team (sport), company, organization, church, religion

Some of these words may qualify as new subjects to be handled separately, but they may be left on the list when it is sufficient to know the overall purpose of the subject represented by that word.

SL#3:

TRAUMA, MINDSET, THINKING, CIRCUIT, THOUGHT, DESIRE, mindfulness, material, spiritual, expectancy, hope, happiness, conditioning, beingness, affinity, suppression, guidance

So, in case of a broad subject like ‘Human Condition’, or for ‘personal trauma’ and ‘personal confusion’, the key word list may develop differently for different people. That is just fine. The whole idea is to address the word or concept where the attention sticks. You may start with about 10 words. More words shall get added or dropped as you continue.

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The Next Word

After you have meditated over about 10 words or so, look them over as a group and see if they can be rearranged in some sequence that makes more sense. Some pattern may emerge and that may guide you to the next word that you should take up. Repeat this action whenever you are not sure what word you want to take up next.

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Discovery

Once in a while after you have meditated over a large number of words, you might want to review the whole list and see which concepts are more basic than others. Then rearrange the words according to the sequence in which these concepts seem to have developed. When you do this, you might become aware of concepts missing in that sequence. This might lead to some discovery.

Keep in mind that the more fundamental are the concepts you are looking up, the more fundamental are the discoveries possible.

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Building up the Key Word List

Part of subject clearing is reading about the subject in the Wikipedia, or studying a book related to that subject, or discussing it with a close friend. The whole idea is to gain proper understanding of what is involved in that subject. This may lead to adding new Key Words to the list.

Ultimately, there is going to be a nice long Key Word List on the subject. You may rearrange it in the sequence that the concepts seem to have evolved. You may then store it for future research. You may also share it with a friend who is clearing that subject.

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Also see Key Word Clearing.

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