Exercise 6: Un-stacking the Chaos

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

Let the mind un-stack itself naturally through patient contemplation on whatever comes up. Observe the issue uppermost in the mind, and then the next, and the next. Let the mind deal with issues in the order it wants to. There should be no effort to recall, to dig for answers, or to interfere with the mind in any way.  Simply look at what is right there in front of the mind’s eye at any moment. The mind will never present anything overwhelming when allowed to un-stack itself.

Purpose:

To discern how the mental chaos may best be unstacked.

Pre-requisites:

Complete Exercise 5: Mind as a Sense Organ.

Instructions:

In this exercise you become aware of how the mind un-stacks the chaos it faces. 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 physical and mental environment in a causal, easygoing manner. Look at the physical and mental objects present. You may find the physical objects to be relatively stable, but mental objects to be in a chaotic state. Use physical objects to stabilize your attention, and let the mental objects settle down by not interfering with them. Identify the topmost issue that needs to be resolved in the mind.

Notice if the mind is trying to avoid, resist, suppress or deny something on this issue; or if it is trying to justify something. Simply become aware of all the inconsistencies as much as possible without interfering with the mind. The issue will start to clear up on its own accord, and another issue will become more dominant.

All these issues are entwined with each other. Always work to reduce the most dominant issue as much as you can. Then take up the next issue, which has become dominant. Thus, un-stack the chaos, by reducing the dominant issues one after another.

Expand your span of attention to as wide a context as possible, 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 how the mental chaos may be un-stacked, then this exercise is passed.

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August 24, 2019 – 9:51 PM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment

Exercise 5: Mind as a Sense Organ

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

We associate the idea of sense organs with eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. We use them to observe physical objects, such as, chair, car, house, etc. However, the mind is also a sense organ, which senses ideas, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. These are mental objects. When being mindful, recognize both physical and mental objects for what they are.

Purpose:

To discern that mind is an organ that senses mental objects.

Pre-requisites:

Complete Exercise 4: Something incomprehensible.

Instructions:

In this exercise you become aware of mind as a sense organ. 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 things like the wetness of water, the sight of the trees, the sound of birds chirping, the smell of flowers, and the taste of coffee. These are perceptions of physical objects by the physical sense. Notice also a memory, a visualization, a thought, a conclusion, an emotion, an impulse to do something. These are perceptions of mental objects by the mind.

Recall a memory from your childhood. Notice that it is a mental object that is made up of physical perceptions in the past. Visualize your favorite activity. Notice that this visualization is a mental object made up of the rearrangement of perceptions received. Think of a mathematical equation. Notice that this thought is a mental object. Look at what you decided to eat for dinner. Such a decision is a mental object. Think of something that makes you angry. Notice that this feeling of anger is a mental object because you can look at it. Feel some impulses that move the body. Notice that these impulses are mental objects too.

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 recognize the mental objects as different from the physical objects, and that they are sensed by the mind, then this exercise is passed.

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August 24, 2019 – 8:41 PM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment

Exercise 4: Something incomprehensible

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

If something does not make sense, then recognize that it does not make sense. Do not try to justify it. Justification simply puts the blame somewhere without resolving the inconsistency. When you are faced with an inconsistency, and you feel an impulse to explain it away, then be alert to what you might be taking for granted. At times it may take some out-of-the-box thinking to realize what is going on.

Purpose:

To discern that something incomprehensible could actually be incomprehensible.

Pre-requisites:

Complete Exercise 3: Something Missing.

Instructions:

In this exercise you simply become aware of something that is incomprehensible and do not try to explain it away. 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 something that does not make sense. For example, Kantian philosophy says that pure knowledge cannot be sensed because knowledge becomes impure the moment it is sensed. Recognize this as Kant’s idea that does not explain how Kant “sensed” it. Do not pretend to understand. Simply become aware of the incomprehensibility of it.

Look more closely and isolate exactly what it is that you do not understand. If this area can be researched using a dictionary, encyclopedia, or Internet then do so. If it is some contradiction or inconsistency, then check your assumptions. Be alert to what you might be taking for granted. Verify any assumptions.

If it is a failure in life that is incomprehensible, then check if there is blame being placed somewhere. Blame pretends to be an answer, but it does not provide solution. Ignore all attempts at blame. If it is an unwanted condition, then check for explanations that are being used. Ignore all explanations that have not led to resolution in the past.

Expand your span of attention and let the physical and mental perceptions pour in. Let the realizations present themselves to you. Do not justify what is incomprehensible.

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 that something incomprehensible can really be incomprehensible and it does not have to be justified, then this exercise is passed.

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August 24, 2019 – 8:03 PM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment

Exercise 3: Something Missing

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.

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August 24, 2019 – 4:42 PM Categories: Self-Improvement | Post a comment

Exercise 2: Assumptions

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.

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August 24, 2019 – 4:09 PM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment