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'Soft Eyes'
JetsFan366
Explorer
I learned the technique of 'Soft Eyes' when I was taking horsemanship in college. It's useful in many disciplines (skiing moguls is one, too), and most of them probably have their own version. It's when you lift your focus slightly higher than usual but don't necessarily focus on anything. Then practice taking the full range of your vision.
In horsemanship this is useful because you need to be aware of everything to give your horse time enough to turn & transition. But I also find, when I use this when I am taking a walk and keep my eyes looking far ahead but still taking in what's passing around me, it is a great way to cultivate mindfulness. There's so much to take in, that you don't really have to think about it - it can all be just watched and appreciated. It can be done when you're walking at a normal pace in a busy area; in those situations I have a difficult time focusing on my breath or the sensations of walking.
Not sure if this works with anyone else, but I thought I'd share.
In horsemanship this is useful because you need to be aware of everything to give your horse time enough to turn & transition. But I also find, when I use this when I am taking a walk and keep my eyes looking far ahead but still taking in what's passing around me, it is a great way to cultivate mindfulness. There's so much to take in, that you don't really have to think about it - it can all be just watched and appreciated. It can be done when you're walking at a normal pace in a busy area; in those situations I have a difficult time focusing on my breath or the sensations of walking.
Not sure if this works with anyone else, but I thought I'd share.
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By the same token here is a tip that might work for you as well when doing sitting meditation...
As for sitting meditation I started with open eyes and now close them. My best friend told me to try to look at the inside of my eyelids and think of the moment right before a movie is about to begin in a dark theater. And doing this has allowed me to focus more on my inner world when I meditate.
Thanks again!
ivan
Viewing an object using central vision during daylight poses no limitation, but this technique is ineffective at night. This is because the eye has a night blind spot that exists during low light. To compensate for this limitation, individuals use what is called “off-center vision”. This technique requires looking approximately 10 degrees above, below, or to either side of an object rather than directly at it. This allows the peripheral vision of the eye to remain in contact with an object.
It must be noted that even when off-center viewing is practiced, the image of an object viewed longer than two to three seconds tends to bleach out and become one solid tone. As a result, the object is no longer visible and can produce a potentially unsafe operating condition. To overcome this condition, the individual must be aware of this phenomenon and avoid looking at an object longer than two to three seconds. By shifting their eyes from one off-center point to another, individuals can continue to pick up the object in his peripheral field of vision.
The eye's "night blind spot" exists because of the rods and cones in your eye. The human eye's retina contains about 4.5 million cone cells and about 90 million rod cells. The cones are primarily located in the center of your retina, are less sensitive to light than the rods, and are responsible for daylight viewing and for the perception of color. The rods are much more sensitive than the cones (makes them useful for capturing the extremely low light levels at night), and are mostly located outside the very center of the retina, which is why the practice of "off-center viewing" works!
Another interesting thing to note is that when you let your eyes "adjust" to the night, what actually happens is as the cones begin to detect less light, the body senses that they are no longer needed and sends out a chemical enzyme that essentially puts the cones into hibernate mode and activates the rods. This process of adjusting can take about 30 minutes. However, someone shines a flashlight in your eye, and the cones re-activate almost immediately, and it'll take you another 20-30 minutes before you're completely adjusted again.
JK - thanks for the cool info
i like this. i'm going to try it next zazen, thaks