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 Exercise 1-6, you may have another person call out the items to you. The next exercise (see below) is much longer. You may definitely need another person to call out its items to you.

Find a partner who is also interested in doing this exercise. The two of you can then work on a turnaround basis. You do the exercises and your partner guides you in doing the exercise. The guide calls out these items one at a time. You look at the immediate mental response to each item and respond with “OK,” “I got it,” “Yep,” etc. The roles of you and the guide can then be reversed. See KHTK 4C: VIEWPOINT: THE GUIDE  for more on the role of the guide.

Suppose the guide calls out: “Look at an instance when you ate something good.”

1. You look to see if such an instance appeared in the mind.

2. If nothing comes up, you recognize this fact that nothing came up.

3. If an instance comes up then you look at it for what it is.

4. If more than one instance comes up then you simply look at those instances as they appear.

5. You then respond with “OK,” “I got it,” “Yep,” etc. You remain alert but you do not make conscious effort to think.

6. The guide observes you closely to see if you have finished looking. Then he calls out the next item.

It is easy to notice when a response is there. But it is not always easy to notice the absence of a response. The mind is good at filling the absence with invented “think.”

But when it is obvious that the mind has not offered a response, one simply recognizes this fact and moves on. One does not keep looking. This is the simplicity of it.

When you are looking at something, do not speculate upon the reasons for its existence, or upon its relation to other things. Those activities belong to thinking. You simply look and observe what is there, and that’s it.

While looking, if one finds that the mind is speculating on its own, then one simply recognizes this fact, and moves on.

Exercise 1-7

READ YOURSELF OR HAVE A GUIDE READ EACH ITEM TO YOU.  DO NOT FORMULATE QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHILE LOOKING. THAT WOULD BE THINKING.

(1)     If nothing comes up, continue with the next item on the list.

(2)     If something comes up, notice it.

(3)     Do not consciously add any thinking to what is observed.

(4)     Do not consciously make any effort to get an answer.

 Look at an instance:

1. When you were happy.
2. When you climbed a tree.
3. When you ate something good.
4. When you received a present.
5. When you enjoyed a laugh.
6. When you helped somebody.
7. When you threw a ball.
8. When something important happened to you.
9. When you played a game.
10. When you jumped down from a tree.
11. When you won a contest.
12. When you had a good laugh.
13. When you met someone you liked.
14. When you flew on a plane.
15. When you were at a beautiful place.
16. When you jumped into a pool.
17. When you enjoyed a beautiful morning.
18. When you went for a walk.
19. When somebody teased you.
20. When you sat in a coffee shop.
21. When you danced with joy.
22. When you raced with someone.
23. When you completed something important.
24. When you experienced a pleasant surprise.
25. When you met somebody after a long time.
26. When you were caught in a rain.
27. When you heard a thunder.
28. When someone smiled at you.
29. When you played with a pet.
30. When you held someone’s hand.
31. When someone picked your body up.
32. When you were spinning around.
33. When you read a good book.
34. When you felt breeze on your face.
35. When you saw a beautiful flower.
36. When you smelled a rose.
37. When somebody called you.
38. When you were in a play.
39. When you sang aloud.
40. When you watched a movie.
41. When your team won.
42. When you rode with friends.
43. When you visited a garden.
44. When you played in water.
45. When the weather was stormy.
46. When somebody gave you a hug.
47. When you liked somebody.
48. When you slid down a slide.
49. When you ran toward somebody you liked.
50. When you enjoyed a beautiful weather.

 

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August 18, 2014

This issue is now obsolete. For latest references please see: KHTK Mindfulness. The specific reference that updates this issue is The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness.

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 THINKING follows LOOKING and its accuracy depends on the accuracy of looking.

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LOOKING is to use your physical or inner eyes to observe what is there in the physical environment or in the mind.

THINKING is to associate and align data to arrive at conclusions.

When data obtained from looking is corrupted then conclusions obtained from thinking will be faulty.

Can we improve thinking? Yes, by practicing looking. Can we improve looking? Yes, by not adding thoughts as labels, judgments, justifications and opinions to what is there.

Rational thinking is based on looking. Looking is an activity by itself. Looking should not be corrupted by adding thoughts or interpretations to it.

As we treat looking as an activity by itself, thinking also improves, and one is gradually able to resolve the difficulties in life much faster and more often.

The focus in this issue is to practice looking without thinking. Through this practice one becomes aware of “automatic thinking.”

The basic idea is to observe something as it is, without adding anything to it.

This is the secret underlying the “2500 years old” Vipassana meditation of Buddha and of all other self-development procedures since.

Exercise 1-5

YOU MAY DO THIS EXERCISE AS LONG AS YOU WANT WHILE DOING YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES. 

1.    Observe the things in your environment. Be alert and aware without thinking or expecting anything.

2.    Look and observe something with full attention. Then look and observe something else with full attention. Continue this way.

3.    If thoughts arise in your mind then simply observe them as “thoughts arising in the mind.” Don’t suppress them. Just continue.

4.    If you notice the mind is adding to what is there, differentiate between what the mind is adding and what you observe to be there. Continue.

5.    Do this until you can comfortably observe what is there, differentiating it from thoughts in the mind, or what the mind may be adding to the observation.

6.    Do not suppress any activity of the mind. You simply observe what your attention is on, without thinking or expecting anything.

Do this exercise as often as you can while following your usual routine. Soon it will become a second nature to do so with no effort

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Please see Grassroots Scientology

These are directed processes, in the sense that one may look as directed by these questions.

Contemplate upon these questions per the The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness.

• Look attentively at what is right there in front of you.

• Observe things as they really are, not as they seem to be.

• If something is missing do not imagine something else in its place. 

• If something does not make sense then do not explain it away.

• Use physical senses as well as mental sense to observe.

• Let the mind un-stack itself. 

• Experience fully what is there. 

• Do not suppress anything.

• Associate data freely.

• Do not get hung up on name and form.

• Contemplate thoughtfully.

• Let it all be effortless.

One may develop the discipline of mindfulness by doing the exercises provided here:

Training in Mindfulness

Please keep in mind that when these questions are approached with mindfulness they may go to conclusion quite fast. These questions may be contemplated upon again as you wish.

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Exercise 1

Look at an instance when you lost somebody you loved. As feelings and emotions come up, experience them fully without avoiding, resisting or suppressing them. Take as much time as you need to stay with the feelings and emotions until they start to discharge.

 

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Exercise 2

 

Look at some traumatic experience you went through. The details may come up slowly but stay with it. Look without thinking and experience without resisting. It may take several sittings but continue until all details come to view and the trauma starts to discharge.

 

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Exercise 3

 

Contempate upon the following question mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Look around in your mind and spot something that is trying to grab your attention.”

 

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Exercise 4

 

Contempate upon the following question mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Look around in your mind and spot something there.”

 

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Exercise 5

 

Contempate upon the following question mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Look around in your mind and spot unfinished communication that is hanging around.”

 

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Exercise 6

 

Contempate upon the following questions one by one mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Spot something that another may not want to look at.”

“Spot something that others may not want to look at.”

“Spot something that you may rather not look at.”

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Exercise 7

 

Contempate upon the following question mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Spot something in your mind that is exhausting to look at.”

 

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Exercise 8

 

Contempate upon the following questions one by one mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Spot something in your mind that you are willing to re-experience.”

 

“Spot a postulate you made for future that you would be willing to experience.”

 

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Exercise 9

 

Contempate upon the following question mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Spot something that you or somebody wouldn’t mind forgetting.”

 

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Exercise 10

 

Contempate upon the following question mindfully until no more response appears.

 

“Spot something that you or somebody would permit to have happen again.”

 

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