How to use KHTK Mindfulness

Reference: KHTK Mindfulness

The purpose of this page is to map out the most fundamental trait of human intelligence. This trait is the ability to “see things as they are”. It is called mindfulness. It was the focus of Buddha.

This page may be used as follows:

  1. The “Mindfulness” section outlines the 12 aspects of mindfulness, and provides exercises to practice them. Study and continually practice the 12 aspects of mindfulness as and when time permits.

  2. The “Mindfulness Therapy” section provides various gradients of therapeutic actions that may be applied to help sort out the difficulties a person is having in practicing mindfulness. Proper gradient of a therapeutic action may be selected as needed by a person.

  3. The “Mindful Meditations” section provides short processes that may be applied to oneself for specific benefits through directed application of mindfulness.

  4. The “Mindful Discussion” section provides the basics of how to engage in productive discussions with others, or with yourself and with authors of the books you read. Study and practice these basics.

Please note the sections on “Mindful Therapy” and “Special Processes” are currently under development. Any feedback is welcome.

August 13, 2014 – 8:23 AM Categories: Mindfulness | Post a comment

Ground State of Universe – History (old)

image

Please see Ground State of the Universe.

The following is quoted from the book The Tao of Physics.

“The term ‘physics’ is derived from this Greek word [physis] and meant…, originally, the endeavour of seeing the essential nature of all things… The Milesians… saw no distinction between animate and inanimate, spirit and matter. In fact, they did not even have a word for matter, since they saw all forms of existence as manifestations of the ‘physis’, endowed with life and spirituality…

“Heraclitus [c. 535 – c. 475] believed in a world of perpetual change, of eternal ‘Becoming’. For him, all static Being was based on deception and his universal principle was fire, a symbol for the continuous flow and change of all things. Heraclitus taught that all changes in the world arise from the dynamic and cyclic interplay of opposites and he saw any pair of opposites as a unity. This unity, which contains and transcends all opposing forces, he called the Logos.

“The split of this unity began with the Eleatic school, which assumed a Divine Principle standing above all gods and men. This principle was first identified with the unity of the universe, but was later seen as an intelligent and personal God who stands above the world and directs it. Thus began a trend of thought which led, ultimately, to the separation of spirit and matter and to a dualism which became characteristic of Western philosophy.

“A drastic step in this direction was taken by Parmenides of Elea [c. 515/540 -c. 450] who was in strong opposition to Heraclitus. He called his basic principle the Being and held that it was unique and invariable. He considered change to be impossible and regarded the changes we seem to perceive in the world as mere illusions of the senses. The concept of an indestructible substance as the subject of varying properties grew out of this philosophy and became one of the fundamental concepts of Western thought.

“In the fifth century B.C., the Greek philosophers tried to overcome the sharp contrast between the views of Parmenides and Heraclitus. In order to reconcile the idea of unchangeable Being (of Parmenides) with that of eternal Becoming (of Heraclitus), they assumed that the Being is manifest in certain invariable substances, the mixture and separation of which gives rise to the changes in the world.”

.

The unity of the universe is defined by awareness. AWARENESS may be identified as the Divine Principle. Identifying this principle further with a personal God seems to be the result of human bias. Spirit and matter are not really separate. They both are aspects of existence.

Parmenides was looking for a reference point for all change. He simply assumed it to be a Being. But, logically, if the unity of this universe is defined by awareness, then the reference point shall be “absence of awareness.” This is similar to the mathematical view that the reference point for all numbers is zero.

The red herring here is the assumption of a Being, or Cause, as the reference point. This assumption seems to satisfy a human-centric viewpoint. But it does not take into account the consideration that the Being, or Cause, itself requires a reference point.

This problem does not arise when we accept the “absence of awareness” as the reference point.

.

August 12, 2014 – 2:48 PM Categories: Uncategorized | Comments (7)

Mindfulness Therapy

scream

For improvement to occur a person needs the ability to be mindful, which means that he should be able to see things as they are. It is only when a person can see things as they are that he is able to spot the source of his unwanted condition and resolve it.

When a person is mentally distressed, or ill, his ability to “see things as they are” is compromised. All the data he needs to resolve his condition is there, but he cannot recognize it and deal with it properly. External therapy cannot be applied because he cannot deal with the data locked up within him. Only actions that can now be taken are those that help him recognize what is there.

In the beginning, you can help by minimizing distractions in the environment of the mentally distressed person. If he is sick physically, then that can be taken care of through medical treatment, nutritious diet, and physical therapy. But the treatment of the mental condition requires a calm environment that is free of stress. Please see Basic Care.

Next step would be to help restore the person’s ability to recognize things on a gentle gradient. It is much easier to recognize physical objects than the subjective thoughts and ideas. So the person should gradually be brought up to a point that he can recognize physical objects in his present environment first. Please see Recognizing Objects.

The person’s memory is very fragile so no demands should be made to recall things from the past. All conversation must be limited to simple things in the present. Only when the person is able to deal with items in the present should he be asked about items from the past. Again that should be done on a gentle gradient. Please see Being Objective.

Gradually, the person should be brought up to a point that he can visualize subjective ideas and recall things from his past. His ability to recall cannot be trusted at first. His ability to be mindful would have to be built up slowly and carefully. This in itself may prove to be a wonderful therapy. Please see Memory Recall.

The next step would be to get him started on the mindfulness exercises. Please see The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness.

He will naturally start looking at his unwanted condition. Please see Handling Unwanted condition.

It may be difficult for him to deal with his emotions at first. Externally applied therapy would be needed to help discharge traumatic emotions suppressed within him. Please see Cleaning up Trauma.

Such therapy should also help strengthen his ability to be mindful. Please see the links provided above.

With these steps, the mental distress of a person can be brought down to a manageable level.  Soon the person should be able to apply mindfulness under supervision. He is now on his way to full recovery.

.

August 11, 2014 – 5:39 PM Categories: Mindfulness | Comments (6)

Let it be effortless

looking5

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

Mindfulness provides the discipline for looking and contemplation.

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.

When you let it be, it becomes effortless. Effort comes into play only when there is resistance to letting it be. It is completely safe when one lets the body and mind unwind without interfering with it. Trouble comes only when one does not let oneself follow the natural actions. This happens when one short-circuits the mind by anxiously digging for answer.

Mindfulness seems to be fundamental to all scientific observation, meditation, prayer, and other forms of spiritual practice. Incorporate mindfulness in your life as much as possible.

.

MINDFULNESS 12: Let it all be effortless.

  1. Observe as usual. Notice the environment and other people.

  2. Apply the aspects of mindfulness that you have learned so far.

  3. Become aware of the body and stay aware of it without interfering with its natural movements, such as, that of breathing, or  responding to natural impulses.

  4. Become aware of the mind and stay aware of it without interfering with its natural thought processes. Let your attention roam freely.

  5. Observe what your physical and mental senses present to you. Let various perceptions of forms, sounds, smells, taste, touch, thoughts, emotions, impulses etc. come to you. Do not strain to perceive them.

  6. Let the mind contemplate on inconsistencies as they present themselves and follow the trails of what does not make sense. Do not try to control the mental processes.

  7. Let the body move in response to the natural impulses from the mind. Do not try to control the body movements.

  8. Simply observe the physical and mental objects necessary to follow the trail of interest. Let your eyes be open, half-closed, or closed naturally and not be controlled.

  9. Let physical reactions, such as, twitches in muscles, minor pains and aches, sleepiness, etc., come and go. Experience the body as a whole without resisting it.

  10. Let mental reactions, such as, “pictures” of the current and past events, flattering or not so flattering, come and go. Experience the mind as a whole without resisting it.

  11. The mind may present emotions, such as, embarrassment, guilt, anxiety, anger, fear, grief, and even apathy. Simply experience them thoroughly without trying to judge or justify them.

  12. If you find yourself getting involved in thoughts, or mentally doing something else, then simply recognize this fact, and let the mind continue to unwind. Do not suppress anything.

  13. Let the feelings, emotions and sensations play themselves out. Do not speculate anything.

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

  15. Let the realizations present themselves to you without you making effort.

  16. Use your own judgment as to when to end a session.

.

Develop this exercise to a point where you may execute it even while interacting socially with others. Patiently let the mind and body to operate as a smooth system as much as possible. Many things may come up naturally to be scrutinized. Simply observe them and become aware of them without effort.

.

August 11, 2014 – 1:38 PM Categories: Mindfulness | Post a comment

Contemplate thoughtfully

contemplation4

Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

Mindfulness provides the discipline for looking and contemplation.

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.

When mindfulness is practiced, thinking becomes contemplation. Problems are solved by looking at them closely and recognizing the relationships among what is there. Nothing needs to be figured out. Let non-judgmental observation provide accurate input. Let free association provide the uninhibited awareness of existing relationships.

.

MINDFULNESS 11: Contemplate thoughtfully.

  1. Observe as usual. Notice the environment and other people.

  2. Apply the aspects of mindfulness that you have learned so far.

  3. Observe physical and mental objects, while sitting or walking, with eyes open or closed.

  4. When you perceive something amiss become very alert. This may be the case despite the explanations provided. Something may still appear to be inconsistent and incoherent. See Inconsistency in KHTK.

  5. Look more closely around the area that seems out of place.

  6. Look at the relationships among what is there.

  7. Follow the trail of what continues to be puzzling.

  8. Exhaust all such trails until the missing piece is observed.

  9. The trail may take you to some childhood question that never got answered, or to some confusion in school that never got resolved.

  10. The trail may also take you to some traumatic incident that you feel emotional about.

  11. Look at those questions, confusions and emotions while applying all aspects of mindfulness.

  12. Consult references from books and Internet, which are applicable to those areas as necessary.

  13. Follow through to the end of trails of what does not make sense.

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

  15. Let the realizations present themselves to you without you making effort.

  16. Use your own judgment as to when to end a session.

.

Develop this exercise to a point where you may execute it even while interacting socially with others. Keep following  patiently the trail of what does not make sense. Many things may come up naturally to be scrutinized. Simply observe them and become aware of them without effort.

.

August 11, 2014 – 12:06 PM Categories: Uncategorized | Comments (8)