Author Archives: vinaire

I am originally from India. I am settled in United States since 1969. I love mathematics, philosophy and clarity in thinking.

Exercise 3: Something Missing

August 24, 2019 – 4:42 PM

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

If something is missing, then recognize that it is missing. Do not imagine something in its place. If someone asks you a question and no answer come up in your mind, then do not feel obliged to make up an answer. Accept that you do not have an answer.

Purpose:

To discern the influence of something missing on the perception of what there is.

Pre-requisites:

Complete Exercise 2: Assumptions.

Instructions:

In this exercise you simply become aware of something missing that could influence your observation. You may do this exercise while sipping coffee in a café or strolling along a river. You may even find a place where you can sit comfortably for a while without being disturbed. Then patiently observe the world go by.

Notice something that is puzzling, and about which full understanding is missing. Do not feel obliged to accept the explanations given; as the explanation could be wrong. For example, you see an empty lion’s cage in the zoo. Explanation given is that lion is out to lunch. The explanation is still more puzzling.

Carefully consider the broad context of the scene, and the purpose of the activity that you are observing. Narrow down to something specific that does not make sense. Examine it closely including your viewpoint with respect to it. Observe your mind imagining reasons to fill the uncomfortable gap in understanding. Notice the impulse to come up with an answer. If there is no answer, then acknowledge the fact. Do not make up an answer. Simply become aware that the right answer is missing and move on to the next observation.

Expand your span of attention and let the physical and mental perceptions pour in.

Continue this exercise for at least 20 minutes. You may repeat this exercise as many times as you wish.

End of Exercise:

When you can discern the influence of something missing on your perceptions, then this exercise is passed.

.

Posted in Self-Improvement | Comments (0)

Exercise 2: Assumptions

August 24, 2019 – 4:09 PM

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

Familiarity makes one assume certain things to be there. The visualization is already there in the mind, and it gets superimposed over what is there. However familiar something is, it is never permanent and it may not actually be there.

Purpose:

To discern the influence of assumptions on the perception of what there is.

Pre-requisites:

Complete Exercise 1: Desires and Expectations.

Instructions:

In this exercise you simply become aware of the assumptions that are accompanying your observations. You may do this exercise while sipping coffee in a café or strolling along a river. You may even find a place where you can sit comfortably for a while without being disturbed. Then patiently observe the world go by.

Notice the environment and the people in a causal, easygoing manner. See if your mental visualization match what you are observing. For example, you may implicitly assume that an ostrich should be able to fly since it is a bird. The fact is that an ostrich is a specie of flightless birds. Isolate the assumption if any.

As you observe, see if you are being judgmental about some situation. For Example: You may look at a person of certain sex, color, profession or cultural background. This may bring up certain preconceived ideas. Separate the actual perception from the assumptions in the mind. You do not have to do anything more than becoming aware of your assumptions. This reduces their impact on your viewpoint.

As you observe, notice if there is something that does not make sense. Underlying that there might be an assumption, or simply missing information.

Expand your span of attention and let the physical and mental perceptions pour in.

Continue this exercise for at least 20 minutes. You may repeat this exercise as many times as you wish.

End of Exercise:

When you can discern the influence of assumptions on your perceptions, then this exercise is passed.

.

Posted in Meditation | Comments (0)

Exercise 1: Desires and Expectations

August 24, 2019 – 3:19 PM

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

Desires make one want certain outcomes. This leads to speculations that have no basis other than the expectations. The fact is that it is only when you know what is there without desires and expectations, can you predict future in a reasonable and consistent manner.

Purpose:

To discern the influence of desires and expectations on the perception of what is there.

Pre-requisites:

None

Instructions:

In this exercise you simply become aware of the desires and expectations that are accompanying your observations. You may do this exercise while sipping coffee in a café or strolling along a river. You may even find a place where you can sit comfortably for a while without being disturbed. Then patiently observe the world go by.

Notice the environment and the people in a causal, easygoing manner. See if there is a desire or expectation underlying your observation. For example, when you see a person in priestly robes, there may be a desire present to trust him implicitly along with the expectation that he be a man of God.

You do not have to do anything more than becoming aware of your desires and expectations. The awareness reduces their impact on observations. If there are extraneous thoughts arising in your mind see if there is an effort to predict something.

Expand your span of attention and let the physical and mental perceptions pour in.

Continue this exercise for at least 20 minutes. You may repeat this exercise as many times as you wish.

End of Exercise:

When you can discern the influence of desires and expectations on your perceptions, then this exercise is passed.

.

Posted in Meditation | Comments (0)

The Law of Non-Interference

August 24, 2019 – 10:47 AM

Please refer to The Discipline of Subject Clearing.

When contemplating deeply and meditating, one does not avoid, resist, suppress or deny any thoughts, emotions, and sensations. In short, one does not interfere with the activities of the mind.

Letting the mind unwind without interference or interruption keeps the mind safe during deep thinking, prayer and meditation. Here is a caution one must pay heed to.

Things may go dangerously awry when one anxiously digs into the mind for answers.

Note added March 29, 2022

Things may go dangerously awry when one anxiously digs into the mind for answers because one does not see the contents of the mind as they are. In short, he ceases to be mindful in perceiving the contents of his mind. Wrong interpretations then lead to wrong conclusions that can often destroy the reasoning ability of the mind.

The discipline for looking at the contents of the mind, which makes it safe, is provided at the following link along with the exercises.

The Discipline of Subject Clearing

.

Posted in Education, Meditation | Comments (2)

Assumption and Inconsistencies

August 24, 2019 – 7:21 AM

Please refer to Resolving Anomalies.

Suppose a person believes that all men have two ears. When he comes across a person with only one ear, he faces an inconsistency. His assumption then adversely influences his viewpoint and actions.

.

Assumption

Prejudice, bias, and beliefs are the result of inherent assumptions that people have. They think and act only in ways that agrees with their assumptions. Thus, assumptions act as constraints on their viewpoint. Their viewpoint is narrow.

From a narrow viewpoint, a person is unable to perceive the whole situation. Therefore, he misjudges and cannot resolve many situations in his life. He gets stuck with unwanted conditions.  He is not able to make progress.

An assumption narrows one’s viewpoint and leads to unwanted conditions.

.

Inconsistencies

When a person is running into problems with relationships, finances, or in living, he has a gut feeling that something is not right somewhere, but he can’t put his finger on it. Similar feelings had haunted him in school when he could not understand a subject, such as mathematics. He is faced with unwanted conditions that are filled with inconsistencies.

His doubts, confusions and perplexities corrupt his attention. It either becomes unfixed and sweeping at random or becomes too fixed without sweeping. This corrupted attention is a powerful indicator where he should be looking in meditation.

When he looks more closely at the area that is corrupting his attention he becomes aware of many inconsistencies. As he looks closer at the inconsistencies he finally discovers the underlying assumption that is causing him trouble.

Mindfulness exercises help one look at one’s unwanted conditions more closely and discover the underlying assumptions that he needs to get rid of.

.

Posted in Meditation | Comments (0)