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| Keynes wrote:
> On 10 Oct 2006 11:45:56 -0700, "Dave K" <dkotschess@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> Good advice, Dave.
>
> "There is a difference between being aware of a thought and thinking a thought.
> That difference is very subtle. It is primarily a matter of feeling or texture.
> A thought you are simply aware of with bare attention feels light in texture;
> there is a sense of distance between that thought and the awareness viewing it.
> It arises lightly like a bubble, and it passes away without necessarily giving
> rise to the next thought in that chain. Normal conscious thought is much heavier
> in texture. It is ponderous, commanding, and compulsive. It sucks you in and
> grabs control of consciousness. By its very nature it is obsessional, and it
> leads straight to the next thought in the chain, apparently with no gap between
> them. "
> (CHAPTER 7 What To Do With Your Mind)
>
> Mindfulness in Plain English By the Venerable Henepola Gunaratana
Yes,,, Gunaratana goes on....
''''' Meditation is a lot like cultivating a new land. To make a field
out of a forest, fist you have to clear the trees and pull out the
stumps. Then you till the soil and you fertilize it. Then you sow your
seed and you harvest your crops. To cultivate your mind, first you have
to clear out the various irritants that are in the way, pull them right
out by the root so that they won't grow back. Then you fertilize. You
pump energy and discipline in the mental soil. Then you sow the seed
and you harvest your crops of faith, morality , mindfulness and wisdom.
Faith and morality, by the way, have a special meaning in this context.
Buddhism does not advocate faith in the sense of believing something
because it is written in a book or attributed to a prophet or taught to
you by some authority figure. The meaning here is closer to confidence.
It is knowing that something is true because you have seen it work,
because you have observed that very thing within yourself. In the same
way, morality is not a ritualistic obedience to some exterior, imposed
code of behavior.
The purpose of meditation is personal transformation. The you that goes
in one side of the meditation experience is not the same you that comes
out the other side. It changes your character by a process of
sensitization, by making you deeply aware of your own thoughts, word,
and deeds. Your arrogance evaporated and your antagonism dries up. Your
mind becomes still and calm. And your life smoothes out. Thus
meditation properly performed prepares you to meet the ups and down of
existence. It reduces your tension, your fear, and your worry.
Restlessness recedes and passion moderates. Things begin to fall into
place and your life becomes a glide instead of a struggle. All of this
happens through understanding.
Meditation sharpens your concentration and your thinking power. Then,
piece by piece, your own subconscious motives and mechanics become
clear to you. Your intuition sharpens. The precision of your thought
increases and gradually you come to a direct knowledge of things as
they really are, without prejudice and without illusion. So is this
reason enough to bother? Scarcely. These are just promises on paper.
There is only one way you will ever know if meditation is worth the
effort. Learn to do it right, and do it. See for yourself. '''''
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