So one can sit and repeat one “single thought”
(expressed in few or so many words) for 48
minutes or so, combined with in-breath, and hold, then out-breath, and hold,
and remain quite aware of this for all this time. No other so-called “thinking”
interrupts. But that is not all there is in the mind…
One part
is kept busy with the “single thought”. Awareness is present and oversees both the
single thought and the breathing. But there is another part that wants to join
the show. That is imagination, or imaging or picturing. This process is not
verbal thinking, or something expressed in words – that section is busy with
the words chosen for the “single thought”. This other part is like a series of
mental pictures (not visible to the eyes, open or closed): either a review of
situations already experienced (going somewhere, doing something, being in a
particular situation, etc.) or an invention of possible future situations that
may be experienced. These images pop up automatically, and as soon as they are
noticed (by Awareness), they are simply put away again, thanks to a renewed
concentration on Awareness of breathing, or the continuation of the single
thought, or simply of one’s present sitting or standing. For our purposes, this
imaging is superfluous, un-called for, unconscious, and so beside the point.
We can
call this imaging “fantasising”, as it only corresponds to a projection of
pictures into the imagined future, or a series of memories of what might have
happened or could have happened in the past, based on memories, or a
combination of the two. But whatever the case, the seeing of it does help one to
identify the sections of the mental processes: a) Memories and Fantasy; b) Thinking
with Words; c) Awareness of experiencing the Thought (which may produce a
certain amount of Emotion); and a general Awareness of being present in breath,
body and overseeing the mental processes. And behind this, unseen and only
inferred, there must be D) a Determination, Decision or Will to perform this
activity, without which, one would soon allow one’s wandering thoughts to stop
the process as being ridiculous and absurd, using conflictive words to ask oneself
“what is the point of doing this practise when I could be relaxing and allowing
the mind to go about its normal business of burning up energy in useless
thoughts and feelings?” Um, that’s a joke, alright?
Also
coming and going are other visible picturings. With eyes closed, there are
shapes and colours floating around. And I have also noticed that with eyes open
the same or similar shapes and colours may also appear before the eyes when
they are held fixed on a single point to assist in maintaining the “single thought”.
These are just tricks of the eye, also known as phosphenes, from biophotons, neuroscientists
tell us. Why do they come and go at certain times and have their specific shapes,
colours and recurring patterns, and then sometimes give way to total blackness
and calm? It doesn’t matter; they are also superfluous for our purposes. We are
not interested in picture-shows. We are bent on discovering how the mind works,
who we really are – the thoughts? the memories? the pictures? the emotions? the
Decision? the Awareness? something more?... and how the mind can be better
organised to function in tune with Reality or Truth. That is the question, and
this is the purpose of this exercise.
Imagine you
have never been to a maths class in your life, and you see someone sitting at a
desk and chewing on a pencil. As an idle and ignorant observer you would think
the purpose of sitting is… chewing, and that maybe some nourishment is being
derived from the pencil tip or the eraser. Of course you would be wrong, wouldn’t
you? The person chewing on the pencil is really mulling over numbers in his mind,
and solving a complex equation.
This is
unfortunately what some people think when they see people just sitting or
standing and gazing at a wall. There are hundreds of explanations as to what is
going on, starting with “he must be nuts” and ending with all sorts of
scholarly stories and fantasies. But it is only the student of the mind who knows
what is happening, if at all! And perhaps the person who suggested the exercise
in the first place.
And quietly, we just take the single thought
and proceed with the game of inspecting this mind we have been given.
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