Seven Minute Thought Watching
An interesting and insightful article by a newpaper editor named Rama Ramanan on her experience in meditation or thought watching...
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I've never practiced thought watching per se, but in all the techniques I have practiced and currently practice it's more or less a secondary "noticing". That is whether focused (breathe, sound, smell, bodily sensation) or open (resting in awareness) thoughts get noticed as they arise, sooner (with enough practice) or later (when a novice).
With enough practice the mind does settle down and to an amazing degree. It all depends on the amount of lifetime practice. The results begin to become noticeable after roughly two weeks of 30 minutes a day and eventually carry over outside of formal sitting with enough practice. This is a great analogy for clarity of mind, and best I can describe it is serenity or even bliss. https://youtu.be/5TeWvf-nfpA?list=PL...PNokg&t=155 6 The only thing I would debate is resting in awareness is not a basic technique (that would be the focused techniques, the most basic being breathe) but an advanced technique. It's pretty much a prerequisite to have gained a certain amount of single-pointed focus and concentration via basic techniques, otherwise open meditation can be very challenging (read frustrating!) with a wholly untrained monkey mind. |
What happens when it gets subtle, but is still there?
JL |
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If you mean when thoughts get subtle here's my experience. Subtle thoughts always exist. They precede the less subtle, more "noisy" variety. It's my experience the subtle thoughts are the first to be "spawned" in response to a given stimulus, and then they build and build until they are noisy and noticeable, potentially leading to an undesirable emotional reaction. When awareness is constantly exercised through meditation it becomes easier to be aware of the very subtle thoughts as they first arise. This presents an opportunity to exercise free will before they build into a runaway thought train and emotional response. I outlined my hypothesis based on experience here: https://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/s...&postcount=280 |
Thanks, JASG. My theory is that thoughts separate from the one thought. Thank you on your synopsis and sharings; they are always much appreciated - enjoyable and accurate to boot
jl |
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From as far back as I can remember I always had an obsession with infinity, starting with what's beyond the edge of the universe. Trying in vain to visualize it in my mind. LOL! Eventually I came to the other side of infinity, and that's what was there before the Big Bang. Another head-scratcher of monumental proportions. Doh! Even from a purely material reductive perspective it's mind-blowing that I'm sitting here as a unique and individual embodied being, typing this post. All the improbables that had to fall exactly in place in the exact sequence they did to make this moment possible. Unimaginable intelligence and creativity. Ineffable. Wonderment to the power of infinity! Absolutely beyond human comprehension, but still we try because it's something deep in the core of our being. |
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How was it for you? |
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"With enough practice the mind does settle down and to an amazing degree." Quieting the mind is achievable. Nice to achieve but not a place most people want to stay at. |
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Oh, I was speaking from a purely intellectual analysis of infinity, not experiential. Trying to wrap my mind around it, which of course is impossible, at least for me. We all hear tell of out of body and otherworldly mystical experiences, and especially from the Yogic tradition. The only OBE I had was at a very young age and outside of being disembodied it was quite normal, if one can call an OBE normal. As for the experience of Oneness I had last year I was fully embodied and yet I wasn't. I was within and without if that makes sense, but my sensory perspective was still embodied but I could "feel" Consciousness everywhere. |
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I suppose mind might not want to stay there but Consciousness seems to like it. :wink: From my perspective it's all about balance and voluntary thinking vs. involuntary thinking. I'm not even saying involuntary thinking isn't happening, however with a sufficiently trained mind its more harmful patterns of thought can be derailed as they arise. Not allowed to grow into a negative emotional reaction. For me that's the ultimate aspect of free will. |
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