Saturday, April 16, 2011
Welcome to the 4-Week Focused in Awareness Course
As we begin this new 4-week Course session, I want to point out that I have kept the archived postings from previous sessions on the blog site. These postings will give you access to the material covered in past sessions, before the Course was shortened to four weeks.
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Testing...testing....
ReplyDeleteplease bear with me, everyone, while we get this comment-entering task cleared up. here's what you need to do in order to leave a comment:
ReplyDelete1. go the blog site
2. look at the latest posting and click "Post a Comment"
3. enter your comment and click "Post Comment"
4. the screen will change to a blogger sign-in screen. enter your google account name and password.
5. the blog screen will return with your comment posted.
you can sign in right away if you want, and then post a comment.
I think the blog is an excellent idea. I have been focusing on my breath in the morning and the evenings. I also tried today at work during a meeting. I was immediately calmer, although I can't say that I was able to completely clear my mind. I'll keep trying.
ReplyDeleteyou don't have to clear your mind. you don't have to keep trying. the perspective of awareness from which you see the trying, see the contrast, experience the calmness, or stillness, or spaciousness is enough. it is enough to sense the underlying equanimity of awareness that permeates all that is your experience right now. it is enough to know, not through your thoughts, but through some other sense of knowing that you are enough right now, no matter what is happening. it is enough to rest content in that knowing that is not the knowing of 'mind.'
ReplyDeleteI have resisted doing this exercise. Not sure why.I really enjoyed the first class.
ReplyDeletewhat exactly is being resisted?
ReplyDeleteI did experimented during the violin practice and supper time today.I have found that it was difficult to feel the sensation during the playing and eating,so I paused and did it for a second or so.the effect I have noticed was that my muscle tension was much less during practice.and probably less thought during the meal.Ralph, is it Ok to feel abdominal movement with breathing instead of movement of nostril?
ReplyDeletethis is testing. I did not have to login and was able to make a comment.
ReplyDeleteDuring the violin practice and meal, i have to pause several times to feel the sensation.
it seems that staying focused on the sensation of breath - or any body sensation for that matter - would be more difficult while eating. the onrush of taste sensation and the sensation of movement in the body from chewing and swallowing - they would seem to complete with the sensation of breath. since the practice was defined as getting still, quiet and focused, it seems that the capacity to focus on just sensation of breath would be easier if the body was completely still and quiet... at least to begin with.
ReplyDeletethe point of the practice is to experience awareness with equanimity, and getting still and quiet helps. however, once awareness is recognized and realized to be always present, you can focus in awareness even in the midst of activity - like playing the violin or eating. then, the activity occurs within/rises out of that focus, and occurs without tension.
yes, you can focus on the sensation of the abdomen rising and falling with breathing. or you can focus on the sensation of inner body energy in the hands. what matters is to build the capacity to focus on sensation with equanimity.
if you close the blog page without logging out, then you probably won't have to log in again the next time you open the page.
ReplyDelete