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The gap between our thoughts

DairwolfDairwolf
edited October 2011 in Meditation
A lot of you probably know the exercise where one shall look for the gap between one´s thoughts. I came across it for the first time when I read Eckhart Tolle´s the Power of Now and also later when I read a book by Frank Kinslow. I know both of them aren´t buddhists, but since it kinda deals with meditation, I thought it would be ok to post this here.

When I first tried the exercise it actually worked and I could fell the short moments of silence between my thoughts, but the more I did it the lesser the effect got and now I can´t find it anymore at all! Do you have any idea how to get it back again? Did my mind get used to and bored by the exercise? I have a really tough time getting a hold of my thoughts in the first place. Before I could see them more distinctly, separated from my awareness. Now they always manage to sneak in and before I can see it I am caught up in thought. Do you have any remedy for this?

Thank you.

Comments

  • Tikal2012Tikal2012
    The part of your mind that won't let you see it is "avijja," or ignorance. If you meditate correctly, you will see that this ignorance gradually dissipates, and you will be able to abide in that "silence" with very profound awareness.
  • ajnast4rajnast4r Veteran
    edited October 2011
    >>> Before I could see them more distinctly, separated from my awareness.


    strong mindfulness


    >>> Now they always manage to sneak in and before I can see it I am caught up in thought.

    weak mindfulness



    >>> Do you have any remedy for this?


    regular meditation to develop concentration & mindfulness.

    http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    The gap between your thoughts is your true beingness.
  • taiyakitaiyaki Veteran
    Don't do, just be.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    do be do be do!

    (Wasn't that a song?) :)
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    I think maybe at first you could notice the difference from your normal mind state then it became less noticable as you acclimated to the experience. Kind of like stepping into a hot shower, burning at first but then your body acclimates and it seems fine, idk.
  • ManiMani Veteran
    Hmmm...I wonder though...If we did notice the gaps in between our thoughts, then wouldn't this too involve thinking? Hmmm...

    :)
  • taiyakitaiyaki Veteran
    Before calling silence silence is it silence? Just a mirror looking at a mirror.
  • aMattaMatt Veteran
    edited October 2011
    What you're experiencing seems like a good progression to me. When we first start becoming mindful, we often think we get to no-mind easily. However, this is really only a pause of our neurosis, like stepping out of a rock concert on to a noisy street. There is relief and a sense of silence, but as we acclimate to the new surroundings, we find it is quite noisy, just less so than before.

    I think it was Sakyong Mipham who said in one of his books that students often remark that until they started meditating, their mind wasn't so busy! It really was, but they just didn't realize just how chaotic their untrained mind was until they dug into the practice.

    In the mind, there are layers of thoughts that take practice to sit with. Keep meditating, and the layers peel away. Eventually, the mind becomes actually restful.
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    edited October 2011
    I found early on that in meditation, in between breaths one can hold that moment and I personally have total clarity and no thought arises. I do not know if this is relevant to this thread or you, but this moment in between breaths I see as a glimpse at empniness, be it brief, or very brief at that.
    But I like to create long exteneded breaths in, hold it there and there is then nothing, no thought arises, I let it out slowly and hold my mind centred, that is harder than after breathing in but i can come to a similar outcome. I also try to mix up the lengths of breaths in and out, short long, long short, short short etc

    -AND LOL @mountains
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