Occupy Now

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Tommy M, modified 11 Years ago at 6/16/12 5:05 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 11/23/11 8:48 AM

Occupy Now

Posts: 1199 Join Date: 11/12/10 Recent Posts
I've been developing a technique for a few months now but haven't been confident enough in it's effectiveness, or found a good way to describe how it's done to say much about it. Over the last two weeks I've been testing this and found it to consistently bring about EE's and elongated periods of PCE-like clarity, I'm not claiming it's anything hugely original as it's basically a way of bringing together mindfulness, HAIETMOBA & attentiveness, felicity and wonder while also cultivating pure intent to direct the whole body/mind organism towards the same thing. I've vaguely mentioned this in other threads as "lining up the senses" or words to that effect, however last night I broke it down and got a better overview of the thing so I could refine it a bit more. I had originally called it "Occupy the Moment" but some bugger has done a politico-Buddhist thing already and is selling a book with the same title for the 1% who like to think they're the 99%...anyway, I digress. I'm just in it for teh lulz.

Occupy Now

1. Be mindful of where you are and your position in relation to the objects or people around you, take in the details of what's going on and be attentive to what's going on at the sense doors. You don't need to go looking for anything, just observe and be aware of your immediate environment without trying to add anything to it.

2. In your imagination, recreate the environment so that you have an internal image which is basically a reflection of where you are in time and space, it doesn't need to be 100% accurate as long as lets the mental faculties move towards what happening right now and points thought outwards. This step is all about getting the internal world to reflect the outer world, inspired by the Hermetic axiom, "As above, so below".

3. Do the same with the other five sense doors via whichever method you find most useful, i.e. HAIETMOBA or just inclining towards attentiveness so that you've effective got all the sensed lined up and experiencing the same thing at the one time. By this, I mean that the senses all all pointed in the one direction; towards actuality. I'm guessing that there's a 4th path thing about this wherein it's easier to experience the senses without a 'sensor' if you know what I mean, for me this step leads directly to EE's without difficulty.

4. Cultivate felicity and wonder by simply seeing how cool it is to have your entire experience lined up with the present moment, notice how no stress seems to arise if you stay at the senses and how easy it is to maintain it without really having to try. If something pulls you away, investigate it immediately and then repeat as required until you can get back to where you want to be.

5. This is an added step if naivetè isn't happening already via wonder and felicity. While the whole organism is pointed in the same direction, realize that "you" don't need to try to do anything and how "you" can become softer and more diffuse. Allow the attention to move down to the sweet spot, leave it there and periodically attend to sensuousness when required.

For me, the mental aspect of it was a big deal to figure out and I haven't seen a lot of people talk about this aspect of practice. By having the mind, via visualization/sensate reflection and the intent to be happy and harmless, pointed outwards and combining this with attentiveness to sensuousness with the rest of the senses it's nigh-on impossible for affect to arise and when it does it can be spotted really quickly.

I don't know how useful this will be for anyone else but I'm hoping that some people might get something from it, it's something that works for me and can be repeatedly tested which is why I'm posting it. If anything I've said requires clarification or explanation then please let me know 'cause I'm still working on refining it for maximum efficiency, if anyone finds anything to add or remove then post it and perhaps we can find something universally useful for anyone interested in ending suffering.

A'ra best,
Tommy
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Beoman Claudiu Dragon Emu Fire Golem, modified 12 Years ago at 11/23/11 11:05 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 11/23/11 11:05 AM

RE: Occupy Now

Posts: 2227 Join Date: 10/27/10 Recent Posts
Trying it briefly, I like it. It seems to do good things. It got to a point where it felt like there was no distinction between pieces of my body and the environment. kind of like it was totally transparent. seems like a good direction! and the tensions really stuck out like a sore thumb.

What might help is: close your eyes. and now, try to reconstruct the outside environment with your mind. I think this is a form of mindfulness - being mindful of your surroundings.

I would emphasize your point #5 more. There is a vast difference between not knowing where you are (ignorant) vs. being mindful of where you are (internal representation fully aligned), but also a vast difference between having this internal representation be well-aligned and being naive to where you are (not being anywhere in particular). There is only so much 'I' can do - being fully aligned is basically it. Naivete is vital at this point, cause 'I' cannot take that final step. It's just.. impossible. I guess causality simply doesn't work that way. Or, to quote tarin:

tarin:
it is entirely possible that what is keeping 'me' from the extinction precipitating an actual freedom is that 'i' am attempting to stay in the present moment, and thereby do 'i' remain grounded in the real world (however close to its precipice 'i' may stand). in the actual world, there is no present as such to stay in ... neither 'i' (the intuition of my existence) nor 'my world' (the intuition of reality) have existence here in actuality. to be actually here, and now, is to be nowhere in particular, and nowhen in particular
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Tommy M, modified 11 Years ago at 6/16/12 5:04 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 11/23/11 3:00 PM

RE: Occupy Now

Posts: 1199 Join Date: 11/12/10 Recent Posts
Trying it briefly, I like it. It seems to do good things. It got to a point where it felt like there was no distinction between pieces of my body and the environment. kind of like it was totally transparent. seems like a good direction! and the tensions really stuck out like a sore thumb.

Excellent! That's what happens for me too, when I notice that there's no longer any weight being given to any one part of the experience then it gets really interesting. Much as "I" am thinned out to the point of almost vanishing, that process of overlaying becomes really clear. I'm thinking that jhana beforehand could make it easier to see the arising and passing of it before seeing it go for the last time...only more practice will tell.

I would emphasize your point #5 more. There is a vast difference between not knowing where you are (ignorant) vs. being mindful of where you are (internal representation fully aligned), but also a vast difference between having this internal representation be well-aligned and being naive to where you are (not being anywhere in particular). There is only so much 'I' can do - being fully aligned is basically it. Naivete is vital at this point, cause 'I' cannot take that final step. It's just.. impossible. I guess causality simply doesn't work that way

You're right, I didn't emphasize it as it's not something I've really had to work at lately but you're spot on to point this out. Being naivetè means that "I" don't know what it's like to not exist and so "I" don't fear it, eventually playfully wandering off into oblivion!

Thanks for testing this out, I really appreciate your input on this and hope you get some more use out of it too!