Reference: Course on Subject Clearing
[NOTE: These are ancient ideas from the East, which were organized in the West by L. Ron Hubbard. I thank Hubbard for his ingenious contribution to knowledge.]
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THE FUNDAMENTALS
In Subject Clearing you observe, contemplate and even meditate. The common ground of all these activities is to BE THERE AND CONFRONT.
It means focusing the thoughts on a subject from every point of view without flinching or avoiding.
It involves viewing something thoroughly. The idea is to understand all possible angles and relationships.
The end product of subject clearing is to perceive something for what it truly is.
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LOOKING
Subject clearing is the process of looking, not thinking. Thinking is often used to avoid looking at things to such a degree that it degenerates into a never-ending “figure-figure.” In subject clearing one simply looks. If there is any thinking at all, it is to find out where to look.
The only thing that can be said about looking is that to look one must be willing to be there and face things without flinching or avoiding. If you cannot be there, then you cannot look and experience. Thus, whether one’s eyes are open or closed, one simply decides to be there and looks at the picture in front of one, whether real or imagined, without interfering with it.
Simply look without trying to figure things out.
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BEING THERE
You do not have to assume a lotus position, as in meditation, to be there. Any posture is fine as long as you keep your body relaxed and spine straight. You may sit in a straight-backed chair if that is more comfortable. When sitting still in a chair for some time, you may keep feet flat on the floor, and hands in your lap. When contemplating or meditating, just be there without moving or doing anything.
Even when you close your eyes, simply observe what is there. At first, you may perceive only blackness. But soon you may become aware of light and darkness, various sounds and smells, the temperature in the room, the pull of gravity, the taste in your mouth, and scores of other such perceptions from the body. The mind may present pictures of current or past situations, thoughts, emotions and conclusions.
It is important to understand who is observing. The body’s eyes may be closed so you cannot be the body. You are observing the mind so you cannot be the mind. Who are you then? In subject clearing you simply are an observer (the awareness). And as you contemplate and meditate, you will discover many things about yourself and your perception of the world.
As you sit contemplating, all kind of things will come up, some flattering and some not so flattering. Do not get into any justification or “figure-figure.” Just be there and face them. Your sense of perception may heighten as a result.
Simply be there so you can look at what is there.
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CONFRONTING
The essential part of being there is to face without flinching or avoiding. This is called confronting. As you contemplate, pictures may come up that remind you of something embarrassing or painful. The normal reaction would be to flinch and look away. But in subject clearing you must continue to be there and confront them, no matter how painful and embarrassing that may be. As you persevere, understanding will dawn, and the painful pictures will disappear.
As you sit in a comfortable posture, there may be a tendency to squirm, twitch, move or change position, when uncomfortable pictures come up. Just be there without moving or doing anything else, and the pain and discomfort will go away. You only have to make sure that your sitting posture is such that it can keep you comfortable for some time.
As you contemplate or meditate, certain physical reactions may occur, such as, stabs of pain, drowsiness, dullness of senses, twitches in muscles, and so on. Do not do anything. Do not resist or try to suppress such reactions. Just be there and confront. These physical reactions will disappear after some time.
There is a safety factor built into the mind. That is, the mind would never present something so embarrassing, discomforting, or painful that it is overwhelming. Just be there with whatever comes up.
It is important that you let the mind present things to you. If you find yourself getting involved in thoughts or doing something else mentally then simply realize this fact. Put your attention on breathing, or at the bottom of your spine, and do nothing else. This will get you back to just being there.
As you confront the material presented by the mind, new realizations will occur. Your ability to confront will come up, and as this happens, the mind finds it safe to present more material that you were not aware of before. And so, it continues.
Try ending each session of subject clearing at a point when some persisting reaction or thought has just gone away leaving you with a sense of relief. Do not end a session while you are in the middle of such a reaction. The end result of a subject clearing session is not necessarily more information, but it is a heightened awareness of your environment and an increased confidence in your being.
Simply face what is there without flinching or avoiding.
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EXERCISE
Here are the exercises to practice the above.
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SUMMARY
To be there and confront is an adventure. You embark on it to become more aware. It helps you discover the causes of conditions and gain control over them. And the results are beyond any expectations.
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