Is the tiger aware of its size and power, like we are aware of our self? It is this awareness of ourselves that makes us feel powerful or weak. Is the tiger aware of its power, or is it simply built to kill and after successive successful kills has learned that it is powerful, unfailingly so?
Tuesday, 15 November 2016
The room we are in
When we want, we are weak. Wanting is the root of fear, which i once thought to be the root of all things unpleasant. It is wanting, not fear, i realize now. But in life, as we all are animals, and so, instinctual more than just occasionally, and have people to take care of, we feel we have to want-- to get certain things to secure our lives and the present scenario, against forces yet unknown in the present and out of our hands. But wanting is not the solution. Moulding yourself to become worthy of your goal is the way to achieve it. You change yourself from within and that affects your surroundings, which change themselves, an effect of your internal change, into the kind of surrounding you want them to become. You are always at the same position in life-- you can only be you! The room you are in changes though. It keeps changing. It changes according the changes you accept within yourself.
Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Question: A stirring of ideas
Every Question is a torrent of ideas and concepts. It takes time for the contents to settle down. Then only we see something that might look like an answer. So while solving anything, patience is of utmost importance. And, second in importance is Information. Digging for information regarding the various ideas and concepts presented in the question should be taken care of as it is only reasonable to walk only on a path which is visible. That's what information does, it puts in front of you the scope of the question. Lastly, learn! Learn from the question, so that similar problems don't stall you in the future.
Conclusion: Be patient. Dig for information. Determine the scope. Learn!
Conclusion: Be patient. Dig for information. Determine the scope. Learn!
Sunday, 7 August 2016
Belly breathing for when anxiety strikes
Priming
Priming is the key to good performance.
Repeated good thoughts, good memories, good actions, good words--all lead to a calm and confident mind and when you are calm and relaxed and confident, you'll perform your best.
What to do with the bad ones?
Challenge them! Prove to yourself why they are wrong and unnecessary and why you are above them.
Repeated good thoughts, good memories, good actions, good words--all lead to a calm and confident mind and when you are calm and relaxed and confident, you'll perform your best.
What to do with the bad ones?
Challenge them! Prove to yourself why they are wrong and unnecessary and why you are above them.
Positive Self Talk
Positive self-talk is paramount.
"I am good. I am great. I have been great. I'll be great."
Use positive memories of incidents and feelings. Don't let those negative ones creep in, because your habit will surely try to make them do so.
Again, aid yourself with your imagination. Imagine yourself sitting in a calm posture. Feel serene.
"I am good. I am great. I have been great. I'll be great."
Use positive memories of incidents and feelings. Don't let those negative ones creep in, because your habit will surely try to make them do so.
Again, aid yourself with your imagination. Imagine yourself sitting in a calm posture. Feel serene.
Key
The key to good performance is:
Finding the challenge in easy things and the fun in difficult ones.
How does one do that?
It's pretty simple. You act so. You recall the memories of those feelings of fun or challenge and the will to do it-- the attitude of "heck yeah I will!" and only focus on improving through iterations. It'll come then and you'll know because it'll light you up from the inside, or so it would feel.
This needs to be done in a state of mental equanimity. Do not get too excited or pumped up. Keep those feelings under check. Don't let that "Heck yeah I will" go out of control, in other words.
Finding the challenge in easy things and the fun in difficult ones.
How does one do that?
It's pretty simple. You act so. You recall the memories of those feelings of fun or challenge and the will to do it-- the attitude of "heck yeah I will!" and only focus on improving through iterations. It'll come then and you'll know because it'll light you up from the inside, or so it would feel.
This needs to be done in a state of mental equanimity. Do not get too excited or pumped up. Keep those feelings under check. Don't let that "Heck yeah I will" go out of control, in other words.
Checklists
Checklists are wonderful! our memories can retain only so much. It's okay to use checklists as our world is fast and the time on our hands we have to train our memories is very short. Use checklists. They are very helpful.
I'd like to recommend this book named The Checklist Manifesto. It's a good read.
I'd like to recommend this book named The Checklist Manifesto. It's a good read.
Character Development
1) Man is a Social Animal.
Fragment the social and animal parts and look into how it can help yourself.
Social: The sense of community goes a long way. The more isolated we are, the worse we get. But isolation is also required, only in stints though, so that we can mull over our actions and though and recentre ourselves. We need society.
Animal: We need to bark our thoughts out. Speech is a relaxing exercise if you think it to be so. Like i have said before, imagination is a tool and like any tool it can either benefit or hurt you depending upon how you use it. Imagine yourself, when you speak, as barking your negative thoughts out. It will give you relief. It did to me. Thoughts are creatures that want to get out and some of them do more damage inside if kept there. But yes, obviously, you can't let every thought out. Some have to be kept in, so that we can function socially. Balance is a must.
2) The Imitation Game:
2) The Imitation Game:
We learn by Imitation. We always have. Take the useful parts of everybody's personality who are around you and make them yours. Know what are considered bad traits and steer away from those. This is pretty basic, i know. You are but the average of the five people you spend your days with.
Mentors were for the same reason valued highly in the past. A good mentor can bring the good in you, and he can be anyone-- from your parent to your friend-- even your enemy, though do not consider anyone an enemy, These are bad thoughts that'll do you harm.
Maneuver through life, taking in what is useful and discarding what is a hindrance.
Maneuver through life, taking in what is useful and discarding what is a hindrance.
The Iceman's Techniques for mental calmness
Vim Hoff is The Iceman!
He's able to maintain a core body temperature even in sub-zero conditions such as on a snowy peak or a frigid lake, or even below ice sheet, suspended in water in that icy dark calmness.
He says all such capabilities of his is just because he discovered a few breathing techniques that enable his mind to focus and function better, after all, yeah, oxygen IS life!
His technique:
1) 30 powerful breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
He's able to maintain a core body temperature even in sub-zero conditions such as on a snowy peak or a frigid lake, or even below ice sheet, suspended in water in that icy dark calmness.
He says all such capabilities of his is just because he discovered a few breathing techniques that enable his mind to focus and function better, after all, yeah, oxygen IS life!
His technique:
1) 30 powerful breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
2) One long and deep breath.
3) Exhale and hold your breath until gag reflex kicks in.
4) 3 rounds of deep inhaling, holding your breath for 10 seconds and deep exhaling (from your belly).
All the while hold your mind and senses as while practicing trataka.
All the while hold your mind and senses as while practicing trataka.
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
An Exercise for Focus and Anxiety
Sharpening focus can go a long way in soothing anxiety.
This is what I personally practice to better my concentration, and this technique is called trataka :
1) Look at a light source, preferably the flame of a candle, until your eyes start to water a little.
2) Close your eyes and try to focus on the afterimage you see in darkness, without letting it move.
3) After the afterimage fades away, repeat.
The key to achieving what i ask of you in this exercise is to understand that at times you cannot focus completely on the image without letting go of clarity. You might be able to keep the image fixed in position but clarity would be an issue then. And that's completely ok. Keeping it stationary is our goal here.
How does this help with anxiety?
This exercise taught me the value of letting go and being still. These are two lessons one can apply in any field, be it in studies or soothing your anxiety. It works every time.
In conjunction with the feeling of stillness, if one also practices breathing techniques and achieves adeptness at them, the power of these two things combined does wonders for the mind.
This is what I personally practice to better my concentration, and this technique is called trataka :
1) Look at a light source, preferably the flame of a candle, until your eyes start to water a little.
2) Close your eyes and try to focus on the afterimage you see in darkness, without letting it move.
3) After the afterimage fades away, repeat.
The key to achieving what i ask of you in this exercise is to understand that at times you cannot focus completely on the image without letting go of clarity. You might be able to keep the image fixed in position but clarity would be an issue then. And that's completely ok. Keeping it stationary is our goal here.
How does this help with anxiety?
This exercise taught me the value of letting go and being still. These are two lessons one can apply in any field, be it in studies or soothing your anxiety. It works every time.
In conjunction with the feeling of stillness, if one also practices breathing techniques and achieves adeptness at them, the power of these two things combined does wonders for the mind.
Monday, 1 August 2016
Senses
Use your senses like a baby from time to time, i.e. take joy in using them, for listening to the rustling of leaves and murmuring of the brooks to seeing and feeling different textures that exist and breathing completely,i.e.,breathing into your belly. Your mind's health begins from your body's. What you take in through your senses will determine the health of your mind. Like simple, nutritious food keeps your gut fit, simple sensory stimulations do good to your mind.
Also, your awareness of your body-- its pains and pleasures-- is another ability everybody possesses. If used correctly in conjunction of the power of your imagination, it can do wonders. For those who feel butterflies in your stomach or anxiety in some other part of your body, imagine breathing in completely into that body part. Imagine the breath going there and massaging it gently and then carrying the panic and anxiety out of you when you exhale. It feels good. It did to me whenever i got those nasty panic attacks.
Remember, your body is nature's machine. It needs to be treated like one. It needs to be exposed to good and beneficial things and treated well. It can take in and do only so much and what it does determines how it's condition will turn out to be. So be judicious of what you choose to follow and do-- words and actions do matter. It's all a feedback loop. What you say and do makes who you are. Be wise about it and enjoy the simple things.
But all of this starts with you appreciating what you have and being grateful to life for it.
Also, your awareness of your body-- its pains and pleasures-- is another ability everybody possesses. If used correctly in conjunction of the power of your imagination, it can do wonders. For those who feel butterflies in your stomach or anxiety in some other part of your body, imagine breathing in completely into that body part. Imagine the breath going there and massaging it gently and then carrying the panic and anxiety out of you when you exhale. It feels good. It did to me whenever i got those nasty panic attacks.
Remember, your body is nature's machine. It needs to be treated like one. It needs to be exposed to good and beneficial things and treated well. It can take in and do only so much and what it does determines how it's condition will turn out to be. So be judicious of what you choose to follow and do-- words and actions do matter. It's all a feedback loop. What you say and do makes who you are. Be wise about it and enjoy the simple things.
But all of this starts with you appreciating what you have and being grateful to life for it.
Hurt
When somebody I like says something that hurts me...well, wait! Why do words and nonviolent actions even hurt me?
I start liking someone. Think of them as cool. Think they'll be safe to be around and we might in the future have a gala time and everything will be happy and rainbows and sunshine, and if not too exuberant, then at least okay.
But then someday, they say something that we couldn't even imagine because we didn't EXPECT it and our bubble of safety bursts and it hurts and our expectations were not met.
See, you are the one at fault here. Because you EXPECTED. Your friends aren't your helpers, juniors, subordinates, servants, and if it is one of your principles to be a good friend and meet your friends' expectations, then know it is yours and not theirs. So, don't expect things out of them. And they shouldn't expect greatness from you either. Sure, friends help each other. Doesn't mean you can't pursue your own happiness and comfort.
You are a lone adventurer. Learn to be responsible and to rely on yourself for the stuff you need or want. Be proud of your own being and enjoy your own company in solitude. It helps.
I start liking someone. Think of them as cool. Think they'll be safe to be around and we might in the future have a gala time and everything will be happy and rainbows and sunshine, and if not too exuberant, then at least okay.
But then someday, they say something that we couldn't even imagine because we didn't EXPECT it and our bubble of safety bursts and it hurts and our expectations were not met.
See, you are the one at fault here. Because you EXPECTED. Your friends aren't your helpers, juniors, subordinates, servants, and if it is one of your principles to be a good friend and meet your friends' expectations, then know it is yours and not theirs. So, don't expect things out of them. And they shouldn't expect greatness from you either. Sure, friends help each other. Doesn't mean you can't pursue your own happiness and comfort.
You are a lone adventurer. Learn to be responsible and to rely on yourself for the stuff you need or want. Be proud of your own being and enjoy your own company in solitude. It helps.
Our Primal Preferences
We begin as babies. Obviously! In this phase, we don't have language to express ourselves. We do it through our body. This is, from there on, subconsciously, always our preferred form of expression. Studying someone's Body language is and always will be the best way to know someone, given one knows how to do it. We talk and intellectualise subjects, pretending we know everything, and if not that, then a lot of it, and mostly most of what we know doesn't help when we are helpless. We are, even after we become adults, but babies. Many things we do doesn't even makes sense. Mostly, We do what we do because it feels good. We equate the feeling of goodness, that pleasure, with security and thus we prefer it. We, even after becoming adults, are but primal animals, just like babies, relying on our primal instincts, our subconscious. Only our jungles have changed. They are of concrete now. That's all the difference there is to it. If we just get off of our high horses and stop thinking of ourselves as god's most beautiful and magnificent creation , and instead treat ourselves as the animals we are, maybe we can help ourselves then. Aristotles said," Man is a Social Animal." Well, that's true! Absolutely! But so are ants, hyenas, elephants, Lions etc. So? But we have our intelligence, right? We are the most intelligent animal,right? Sure we are. But we still are animals. Our intelligence doesn't change that. That remains a fact. Our intelligence is a heightened pattern recognition and association tool. We should exercise it, strengthen it, sharpen it. We should use it not to hurt our own selves by encaging ourselves in the trauma of yesterday. But, use them, in this jungle of concrete, as an adept hunter to meet your dreams and aspirations, but most importantly, to survive!
Pain
See, the way I see it:
1) You can run away from pain, or
2)You can run towards it or keep being with it, or
3) In the words of Alan Watts, You can Waltz in the moment not giving a damn about anything.
Doing the first is natural for many.
The second is naturally unnatural, but if you stay for an extended period of time submerged in pain, it becomes natural.
The third feels nice upon reading. Poetic, don't you think so?
But does the third work? No...and yes!
Huh? How both?
Well you see, we humans are great at pattern recognition. We are natural problem solvers. After all, It's for our brains that we are what we are among the living beings. If something causes You pain, solve it. A "friend" whom you don't like much and they keep pestering you, Perhaps it's because you haven't told them not to or hinted at it. If they still do after you have informed them, move away from them. The best solution always is to avoid conflict. Creating and partaking in conflict doesn't make you macho, like a lot would prefer to believe. But if you can't avoid conflict, defending yourself is the right thing to do.
But it's not always that one can defend themselves. So what do you do then? Especially if it is from your own self. From your own imagining of your past mistakes and failures-- from you yourself shaming yourself and throwing yourself down the spiral anxiety? You stop! How? Listen, all your imaginings of your regrets and mistakes are mere images in your head based off of assumptions you have made yourself, of which you have no empirical proof of, YOU choose to believe them. YOU have the only power to NOT believe them. And start slowly and in small amounts. You learn how to wave off those negative images. You give up on those principles causing you harm no matter how noble you might think they are. Your only principle in such a time should be: I am going to take care of myself. I am responsible for myself. I understand whatever I do has consequences. So, I will at once pull myself up and start understanding my consequences. The urge to understand is what will get you through-- the urge to understand and apply no matter how many repetitions it takes. "just keep swimming," as dory, the forgetful fish, from Finding Nemo, a movie, would've said.
But hey, does dance really help? Well yeah! Your mind's tensions become your body's. You relax your muscles by dancing or some other form of exercise, and relief will come to your mind too. It's sort of like a feedback loop. What goes inside affects the outside and what affects the outside affects the inside, no matter how much control you might have on your mind. The right thing to do when the outside becomes heavily influencing on your mind is to observe and realize how it affects your mind, and then guide your mind in the direction you wish for it to go into through the power of your memory and your imagination.
1) You can run away from pain, or
2)You can run towards it or keep being with it, or
3) In the words of Alan Watts, You can Waltz in the moment not giving a damn about anything.
Doing the first is natural for many.
The second is naturally unnatural, but if you stay for an extended period of time submerged in pain, it becomes natural.
The third feels nice upon reading. Poetic, don't you think so?
But does the third work? No...and yes!
Huh? How both?
Well you see, we humans are great at pattern recognition. We are natural problem solvers. After all, It's for our brains that we are what we are among the living beings. If something causes You pain, solve it. A "friend" whom you don't like much and they keep pestering you, Perhaps it's because you haven't told them not to or hinted at it. If they still do after you have informed them, move away from them. The best solution always is to avoid conflict. Creating and partaking in conflict doesn't make you macho, like a lot would prefer to believe. But if you can't avoid conflict, defending yourself is the right thing to do.
But it's not always that one can defend themselves. So what do you do then? Especially if it is from your own self. From your own imagining of your past mistakes and failures-- from you yourself shaming yourself and throwing yourself down the spiral anxiety? You stop! How? Listen, all your imaginings of your regrets and mistakes are mere images in your head based off of assumptions you have made yourself, of which you have no empirical proof of, YOU choose to believe them. YOU have the only power to NOT believe them. And start slowly and in small amounts. You learn how to wave off those negative images. You give up on those principles causing you harm no matter how noble you might think they are. Your only principle in such a time should be: I am going to take care of myself. I am responsible for myself. I understand whatever I do has consequences. So, I will at once pull myself up and start understanding my consequences. The urge to understand is what will get you through-- the urge to understand and apply no matter how many repetitions it takes. "just keep swimming," as dory, the forgetful fish, from Finding Nemo, a movie, would've said.
But hey, does dance really help? Well yeah! Your mind's tensions become your body's. You relax your muscles by dancing or some other form of exercise, and relief will come to your mind too. It's sort of like a feedback loop. What goes inside affects the outside and what affects the outside affects the inside, no matter how much control you might have on your mind. The right thing to do when the outside becomes heavily influencing on your mind is to observe and realize how it affects your mind, and then guide your mind in the direction you wish for it to go into through the power of your memory and your imagination.
Understanding the Unconscious: Creating the environment to study it
The unconscious, or our Back-End Processes, are quite adept at learning new skills. Choose a skill and observe what the unconscious does with it, however it tries to acquaint itself with it. Let go yourself, your mind-- the conscious self. I understand it is easier said than done. But recall all those joyous moments when you might have been have dancing by swaying your body from left to right in joy upon hearing some good news such as great exam results or your friends throwing you a surprise birthday party. The thing is to let your inhibitions dissolve. The continual whispers of "I shouldn't do this" or "I can't do this" are self-created. These are perceptible in your head in the form of voiceless voices but actually their true form is formless. Their true form is that a pervasive fear that can be sensed throughtout your body if you meditate, with eyes closed, upon each and every part of it. It's mostly noticeable in the form of stiff, unrelaxed muscles, mostly in and around the neck,shoulder and upper back region. That's why physical health is as important as mental. You don't need to exert yourself much to remain healthy physically. Just repetitions is what it requires. A healthy mind is the flower of which a healthy body is the root. I only propose this because to create an ideal environment to study yourself-- or anything for that matter-- fear needs to be get rid of. You, your mind, needs to understand through and through that there is no cause to panic or be in the mode of alarm and that being composed wouldn't cause you to miss out on anything. you need to realized that time passes and it's okay and losing time is not a matter and even if it is, then not a life-threatening one, at least not in the comfort of your home or the peacefulness of your own solitude. This I advocate for those suffering from pangs of anxiety and panic attacks frequently.
Fear is good because it helps you be cautious and it was what was required of our ancestors back when our species was mostly dependent on mostly foraging and hunting, You need to remember that our bodies and our beings are but nature's machines and nature keeps changing us through the process of evolution but some old behavorial patterns as of now still remain. This sounds pseudo-scientific, i know, But the point i am trying to drive home is that once you start treating your body and mind objectively, once you get passionate enough to change yourself, you'll mostly stop worrying about the quantity of personal progresss you can make and start focussing on getting it right, no matter how many times you might have to try, i.e. the quality.
Imagination is nothing but a tool, an ability we naturally possess. You can use it to relive your past mistakes and regrets and failures, and you can also use it to relive your past achievements, no matter how meagre, according to you, they might have been. so why choose the former rather than the latter?
Be proud of yourself! your pride is your lance and your humbleness is your shield. I am not telling you to become an arrogant, self centred egomaniac. No! Be humble. Sure! But do set up your own boundaries. Know when to put your foot down. And when you do, just do it, You certainly can explain it to others if they ask for it, but no need to go into the details of why you did so, unless you really do feel that you can to that person. And yes, not everybody, or not a lot are going to be "that person". Learn to balance your "yes"s and "no"s. With that as your aim, you'll keep on the path of setting up boudaries for yourself. Afterall, all experiments and studies require control boundaries.
Fear is good because it helps you be cautious and it was what was required of our ancestors back when our species was mostly dependent on mostly foraging and hunting, You need to remember that our bodies and our beings are but nature's machines and nature keeps changing us through the process of evolution but some old behavorial patterns as of now still remain. This sounds pseudo-scientific, i know, But the point i am trying to drive home is that once you start treating your body and mind objectively, once you get passionate enough to change yourself, you'll mostly stop worrying about the quantity of personal progresss you can make and start focussing on getting it right, no matter how many times you might have to try, i.e. the quality.
Imagination is nothing but a tool, an ability we naturally possess. You can use it to relive your past mistakes and regrets and failures, and you can also use it to relive your past achievements, no matter how meagre, according to you, they might have been. so why choose the former rather than the latter?
Be proud of yourself! your pride is your lance and your humbleness is your shield. I am not telling you to become an arrogant, self centred egomaniac. No! Be humble. Sure! But do set up your own boundaries. Know when to put your foot down. And when you do, just do it, You certainly can explain it to others if they ask for it, but no need to go into the details of why you did so, unless you really do feel that you can to that person. And yes, not everybody, or not a lot are going to be "that person". Learn to balance your "yes"s and "no"s. With that as your aim, you'll keep on the path of setting up boudaries for yourself. Afterall, all experiments and studies require control boundaries.
Friday, 29 April 2016
What is Man?
According to Mark Twain's "What is Man?" short story, man is nothing but a mechanism incapable of creating original thoughts, and whatever thoughts he ever has he has because of getting influenced by the outside, from agents like people, or some event, or the feelings of others towards him. Nothing in him is original. Everybody is born with their own mechanism-- their own temperament!
What a man seeks all his life is spiritual contentment. This is his passion greatest!
The want of self-approval is the drive behind the search for spiritual contentment. Self-Approval is his Master.
Experiment, so, with your mechanism. To gain more control over it, try and be one with it: Practice it, not merely attempt to understand it.
What a man seeks all his life is spiritual contentment. This is his passion greatest!
The want of self-approval is the drive behind the search for spiritual contentment. Self-Approval is his Master.
Experiment, so, with your mechanism. To gain more control over it, try and be one with it: Practice it, not merely attempt to understand it.
The Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes
I discussed in my first post about the subconscious and the conscious mind. Here is a theory on their function,which was quite popular back in the 70s, and a lot of its propositions were considered refreshing and thought-provoking and right and some still are considered so.
Here goes the theory of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes:
The bicameral mentality would be non-conscious in its inability to reason and articulate about mental contents through meta-reflection, reacting without explicitly realizing and without the meta-reflective ability to give an account of why one did so. The bicameral mind would thus lack metaconsciousness, autobiographical memory and the capacity for executive "ego functions" such as deliberate mind-wandering and conscious introspection of mental content. When Bicamerality as a method of social control was no longer adaptive in complex civilizations, this mental model was replaced by the conscious mode of thought which, Jaynes argued, is grounded in the acquisition of metaphorical language learned by exposure to narrative practice.
Now this is only a small excerpt from the whole theory,but I only wanted to talk about what the function of the subconscious and the conscious mind might be and how they are related.
Also, there arises a question in my mind:
So, according to Julian Jaynes, because of the increasing complexity of new burgeoning civilisations, the Bicameral model was replaced with the Conscious model, and this model is grounded in the acquisition of metaphorical language learned by exposure to narrative practice. Thus, does it mean that those not good enough at the expression of metaphorical language retain the Bicameral model to some extent, and that is the, maybe, primary model of thinking for them?
Here goes the theory of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes:
The bicameral mentality would be non-conscious in its inability to reason and articulate about mental contents through meta-reflection, reacting without explicitly realizing and without the meta-reflective ability to give an account of why one did so. The bicameral mind would thus lack metaconsciousness, autobiographical memory and the capacity for executive "ego functions" such as deliberate mind-wandering and conscious introspection of mental content. When Bicamerality as a method of social control was no longer adaptive in complex civilizations, this mental model was replaced by the conscious mode of thought which, Jaynes argued, is grounded in the acquisition of metaphorical language learned by exposure to narrative practice.
Now this is only a small excerpt from the whole theory,but I only wanted to talk about what the function of the subconscious and the conscious mind might be and how they are related.
Also, there arises a question in my mind:
So, according to Julian Jaynes, because of the increasing complexity of new burgeoning civilisations, the Bicameral model was replaced with the Conscious model, and this model is grounded in the acquisition of metaphorical language learned by exposure to narrative practice. Thus, does it mean that those not good enough at the expression of metaphorical language retain the Bicameral model to some extent, and that is the, maybe, primary model of thinking for them?
The first Lesson is to sit, and let the mind run on.
At the end of the previous article, I told you that I'd discuss with you the method to achieve a state of mind where the number of processes running in it become less. This is that method, and given in the words of Swami Vivekananda:
After you have practised Pratyahara for a time, take the next step, the Dhâranâ, holding the mind to certain points. What is meant by holding the mind to certain points? Forcing the mind to feel certain parts of the body to the exclusion of others. For instance, try to feel only the hand, to the exclusion of other parts of the body. When the Chitta, or mind-stuff, is confined and limited to a certain place it is Dharana. This Dharana is of various sorts, and along with it, it is better to have a little play of the imagination. For instance, the mind should be made to think of one point in the heart. That is very difficult; an easier way is to imagine a lotus there. That lotus is full of light, effulgent light. Put the mind there. Or think of the lotus in the brain as full of light, or of the different centres in the Sushumna mentioned before.
The first lesson, then, is to sit for some time and let the mind run on. The mind is bubbling up all the time. It is like that monkey jumping about. Let the monkey jump as much as he can; you simply wait and watch. Knowledge is power, says the proverb, and that is true. Until you know what the mind is doing you cannot control it. Give it the rein; many hideous thoughts may come into it; you will be astonished that it was possible for you to think such thoughts. But you will find that each day the mind's vagaries are becoming less and less violent, that each day it is becoming calmer. In the first few months you will find that the mind will have a great many thoughts, later you will find that they have somewhat decreased, and in a few more months they will be fewer and fewer, until at last the mind will be under perfect control; but we must patiently practice every day. As soon as the steam is turned on, the engine must run; as soon as things are before us we must perceive; so a man, to prove that he is not a machine, must demonstrate that he is under the control of nothing. This controlling of the mind, and not allowing it to join itself to the centres, is Pratyahara. How is this practised? It is a tremendous work, not to be done in a day. Only after a patient, continuous struggle for years can we succeed.
After you have practised Pratyahara for a time, take the next step, the Dhâranâ, holding the mind to certain points. What is meant by holding the mind to certain points? Forcing the mind to feel certain parts of the body to the exclusion of others. For instance, try to feel only the hand, to the exclusion of other parts of the body. When the Chitta, or mind-stuff, is confined and limited to a certain place it is Dharana. This Dharana is of various sorts, and along with it, it is better to have a little play of the imagination. For instance, the mind should be made to think of one point in the heart. That is very difficult; an easier way is to imagine a lotus there. That lotus is full of light, effulgent light. Put the mind there. Or think of the lotus in the brain as full of light, or of the different centres in the Sushumna mentioned before.
The Workings
On the deepest level of my mind, on its most visceral level, I fear Pain-- a lot!
Do I wish for something inspiring and creatively beautiful?
No.
Then?
I just want to avoid pain.
My mind soaks things up. It soaks up personalities, tics, habitual and verbal,both, thinking patterns etc. all to make living in this sea of entities with each a different feel to them,with each having different essences regarding the idea of convenience.
Why does my mind do that,soak things up? To avoid pain.
Fundamentally,Some run towards something,some away,some both; I away.
But then, Should I be necessarily be running towards something to be happy? I think not. Balance is what I should strive for. For what? To be Happy? No. To know the self, and everything else. To know!
My mind is aware of the, and I can only talk about my mind, subconscious processes in a very limited way. When calm, in a quiet place usually, it becomes more encompassing, so as to say, more aware of the subconscious processes. It feels, in such states, my conscious mind gets melded, somewhat, with these subconscious processes. The division vanishes, if just for a split second only. It happens then when I allow my mind to soak up what these subconscious processes feels like. This I have observed cannot be done when I am tired after jogging or playing any sport because of the presence of unnecessary thoughts.
The mind focuses better on the workings of the subconscious and the creation of perception when the number of processes running in it is less, and for this one needs to exhaust it out. But how does one do that? In the next article, I'll discuss a method given by swami Vivekananda to achieve this.
Do I wish for something inspiring and creatively beautiful?
No.
Then?
I just want to avoid pain.
My mind soaks things up. It soaks up personalities, tics, habitual and verbal,both, thinking patterns etc. all to make living in this sea of entities with each a different feel to them,with each having different essences regarding the idea of convenience.
Why does my mind do that,soak things up? To avoid pain.
Fundamentally,Some run towards something,some away,some both; I away.
But then, Should I be necessarily be running towards something to be happy? I think not. Balance is what I should strive for. For what? To be Happy? No. To know the self, and everything else. To know!
My mind is aware of the, and I can only talk about my mind, subconscious processes in a very limited way. When calm, in a quiet place usually, it becomes more encompassing, so as to say, more aware of the subconscious processes. It feels, in such states, my conscious mind gets melded, somewhat, with these subconscious processes. The division vanishes, if just for a split second only. It happens then when I allow my mind to soak up what these subconscious processes feels like. This I have observed cannot be done when I am tired after jogging or playing any sport because of the presence of unnecessary thoughts.
The mind focuses better on the workings of the subconscious and the creation of perception when the number of processes running in it is less, and for this one needs to exhaust it out. But how does one do that? In the next article, I'll discuss a method given by swami Vivekananda to achieve this.
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