On the topic of becoming more conscious
Jeroen
Not all those who wander are lostNetherlands Veteran
I came across a piece of writing which said something along the lines of, “if someone does not wish to meditate, he is likely reacting against some association with Eastern religion and instead you should encourage him by using other words, such as awareness, alertness, consciousness.”
This made me think, if awareness and alertness are key components of meditation, what happens when you focus? Is that also a meditative experience? For example, when you watch a really good movie, or when you are in a life-threatening situation climbing a mountain, or in an accident? You will likely be familiar with one or more of these.
Knowing that my consciousness could change, I decided to do a little experiment. I sat facing a wall, and just tried to sharpen my consciousness. I sat looking at the wall, but quickly found myself devolving into staring in an effort to “push” consciousness along. That led to less awareness, not more. So I decided to focus on my hearing, but I found I became less conscious of sight if I did that, and again became less aware, and rather sleepy. After a little more experimentation I found that in avoiding staring and in avoiding the dulling of the senses some good things happen.
Are these kind of techniques — of manipulating awareness and alertness — actually useful?
Comments
My view is that they are like tools. They have different purposes and uses. Also, having difficulty or lack of a good experience the first time trying it out isn't a very good metric of somethings validity, perhaps you weren't really doing it properly. Nearly all of these techniques take practice and familiarity.
I think its fair to take the testimony of generations of life long practitioners of these techniques as being useful as a good metric.
To the point about comparing meditation, or certain aspects of meditation, to life events. I think that makes sense and have heard similar things said, like with the concept of flow. But a meditation practice has the intention of taking these things and familiarizing our minds with them so they become more naturally occurring.
I have come across these things before, but this is the first time I tried to put words to the experience. That made me wonder whether attention might not be limited, and shiftable from sense to sense…
I'm reminded of this:
Or even catching a ball or painting a picture. Athletes and artists call it being in the zone. We aren't fantasizing about the future or lamenting the past, we are exactly what we are doing right now.
I recognized a different kind of thought while I was washing the dishes the other day. It was present moment thought. Washing dishes mind. It wasn't about what I will have or what I did have for dinner, it was simply "Chunk needs scrubbing". I had to stop what I was doing for a moment and appreciate the fleeting feeling that arose at the recognition. If, at that moment, someone had asked me "What is the Buddha?" I would have said "Chunk needs scrubbing".
We call it meditation practice for a reason, but what are we practicing for? Meditation practice could also be called life practice for those looking to live a meditative life. Whatever we are doing right now, if we find ourselves thinking about anything other than what we are doing right now, we just bring ourselves back to the present moment. Just like when we do sitting meditation and bring ourself back to the breath.
I guess it would depend on the person. For myself, when I am not trying a new experiment like yours, I sit with my eyes open just enough that my eye lashes aren't triggering any muscle twitches around the eyes and look down at a 45° angle bout two feet in front of me. Then I focus on nothing in particular. When I focus on nothing in particular, I find I am more aware of everything.
@QuangKsanti do you think awareness or consciousness can increase? My experience is that my awareness of the physical world just is there immediately after waking, at full clarity, and that it doesn’t increase or decrease. My ability to apprehend it varies with how I focus my attention, which is the capacity to shift my focus from one sense to another.
When I have my attention in my muscles, as in when I am doing something strenuous, I am less aware of my surroundings, and that is why staring or straining to hear something also decreases my awareness. It leads to a certain sharpening of one sense, but less of a situational awareness.
As a programmer I was quite aware of flow states in problem solving, but I’m not sure if I would call those moments of greater awareness, more of a different kind of awareness.
I’ve found something new in meditation, I no longer get so impatient or am so aware of time passing. It used to be so that ten minutes was a long time, that I was sharply aware of every instant passing, but I seem to have found ways to be more flexible there.
I still catch myself chasing thoughts that take me away from the present moment and have to bring myself back. But as I think the Buddha said somewhere - if we catch ourself drifting away 10 000 times, we bring ourself back 10 000 times.
Yes, I can see how that could happen. It's like trying to catch a ball but focusing on how my arm is extending instead of just catching the ball. I don't think I switch it up like that unless I'm doing a body scan during sitting meditation practice.
Say, I am hitting a nail with a hammer. If I pay too much attention to either one, I take attention away from the other but if I just pay attention to the task at hand, I just hammer the nail. Paying attention to nothing in particular helps me pay attention to everything. Then I can act from mindfulness and not be taken away from what I am doing right now.
Well, that's good but that also comes from a steady practice.
Concentration is a type of stiff awareness. Being in the zone. Sport Samadhi, that sort of thing is a type of over-flow.
Meditation is, as has been mentioned, an acquired practice or skill. Or better yet a relaxed acceptance of the 'mind'. It is not for everyone. But for those dedicated to its arising, the benefits are 'infinite'.
The thing that comes to my mind is types of meditation. Specifically in this case something like open awareness vs concentration style meditation practices.
I like to think my present-moment awareness is quite strong, but when I’m waking up in the early mornings I become aware of a warm and kind presence which explains things — last night it was about how things which we love are recreated in the spiritual world to give us a familiar home — which I am unable to contact when fully awake.
Awareness in the morning seems to be quite different from awareness in the afternoon. I think it’s the difference between being fresh and relaxed, and tired and over-focussed. I can see why mornings are often recommended for spiritual practice.
Do you think meditation has something to do with loosening the bounds of perception which are usually limited to the waking world?
That makes sense. A loosely-held attention, rather than a focussed attention. I will try and achieve that, although I notice my inner nature is often that of a charging and wayward bull. Thank you for the tip.
While there are different methods of meditation, the term "Monkey Mind" arises.
That is the random thoughts that seem to be constantly flitting through our consciousness. Regardless of type or method, for some, slipping into the meditative state seems like stepping into another room or sliding into a pool - effortless.
For others, that pesky monkey "Just won't stop jumping andchattering away". Clearing one's mind does not necessarily shutting up the monkey. The more we try, the more the active monkey. Instead, we simply allow the monkey to be a monkey. But, we remove the focus on the monkey. Of course, methods vary. Foe example, some use various mudras (movements) in preperation, other sit and mentally brush away the mental cobwebs. The point is to change the focus from the monkey mind (the lesser mind) to the deeper mind, the greater mind. Once the monkey ceases to have our attention, it fades into the background. As this happens, we find, we have slipped into the pool, we have walked through the doorway into the next room.
I personally have my Mandala which acts as my "Object of veneration for the contemplation of the Mind" or, more simply, the mirror allowing me to focus my mind, enter, and deepen my meditative state. I use a mantra, which enables the purpose of my meditation. The monkey mind, though still frenetically jumping and chattering, fades into the background and ceases to affect my meditation.Thus I am able to draw out the Buddha Nature draw from the Ninth Consciousness, awaken the the Buddha, the Bodhisattva that is within myself.
Peace to all
Thank you for sharing this @Shoshin1. It was a very helpful pebble in my shoe.
Many years ago, I became aware of attention. It's like it took it becoming an observable, dare I say not-self, being slightly behind it, to even notice it exists.
But I couldn't tell you what awareness was, at least not within normal non-woo-woo conciousness.
Today, lazing in my recliner, and watching my troublesome anxiety, remembering this video, it clicked.
Attention remains the thingy that focuses on something, as opposed to everything else.
Awareness is the thingy that registers everything. It has no likes and dislikes and does not exclude anything. If it has any charactersistics, it's a sense of ease and spaciousness.
Yes, I agree, a very helpful video about the nitty-gritty.