(This is Part 3 of a series. Go back to Part 2.)
The shift from identifying with our thought-stream to observing it is both easy and difficult. It's easy because there's nothing to do, nothing to change. The mind-stream stays the same, it's just that we're watching it instead of assuming that it's reality.
On the other hand, the shift is difficult because we're so unused to it. We're so used to identifying with the mind-stream instead. And it can be difficult because even when we're observing the mind-stream we can be caught up in it again in the next second. In fact, that will happen quite often, until we realise that we've gotten caught again and allow our awareness to once again simply be a witness to the mind-stream.
The simplest way to begin observation of our mind is to sit down in silence. We can sit in the classic yoga or zen posture, or sit straight in a chair, whatever. What matters is that we can sit still for awhile.
And then we just close our eyes and watch. That's it. Or we can half close our eyes, it doesn't matter. What matters is that our attention is directed inward. No, that's not quite accurate either. It's primarily directed inward but is still perfectly aware of anything external, such as the sound of a car or the wind blowing.
We're not doing any afffirmations, visualizations, mantras or anything else at this point because that would still be a
doing. Now we're just doing nothing at all, just watching. Just watching.
We become aware of sensations in the body, especially our breathing. Nothing is done to control the breathing. We let it go on however it wants to, and meanwhile we just watch it along with anything else that is there in consciousness. We're no longer trying to do or control anything. We're just watching whatever is happening.
And soon enough we notice that our thoughts are happening, our feelings are happening, our internal state is happening. Each thought rises into consciousness and then falls away, to be replaced by the next one. And at a slower pace, emotions are doing the same thing. And we just keep witnessing all this.
This can be called shikantaza or vipassana or prayer of silence or many other names. What matters is that we're sitting down in silence, doing nothing and simply watching what happens.
It's more difficult to observe our mind-stream when we're out in the day-to-day world, because there's so much external stimulation of our senses going on. And it can be even more difficult to watch our mind when we're out in the world and in the throes of heavy emotion—heavy anger, fear, depression, etc.—because the thoughts and feelings in the mind at such a moment are intense and thus more captivating.
At the moments of heavy emotion we tend to be really bought-in, completely identified with the thoughts and feelings as reality. That's why, if a shift to awareness occurs at such a moment it seems so large, so revelatory, so shocking even.
(This is the end of Part 3. Go to Part 4.)
—jim sloman, 12.29.05
|
