Guest guest Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 Nisargadatta , " skywhilds " <skywords wrote: > > Nisargadatta , " pliantheart " <pliantheart@> > wrote: > > > > > Buddhist meditation takes everyday mind > > > as its natural starting point, and it > > > requires the development of one > > > particular attentional posture -- of > > > naked, or bare, attention. > > > > > > Defined as: > > > " the clear and single-minded awareness of > > > what actually happens to us and in us at the > > > successive moments of perception, " bare > > > attention takes this unexamined mind and opens > > > it up, not by trying to change anything but by > > > observing the mind, emotions, and body the > > > way they are. > > > > > > It is 'the' fundamental tenet > > > of Buddhist psychology that this kind of > > > attention is, in itself, healing: that by > > > constant application of this attentional > > > strategy, all of the Buddha's insights can > > > be realized for oneself. > > > > > > > > > As mysterious as the literature on meditation > > > can seem, as elusive as the koans of the > > > Zen master sometimes sound, there is but one > > > underlying instruction that is critical to > > > Buddhist thought. > > > > > > > > > Common to all schools of > > > thought, from Sri Lanka to Tibet, the unifying > > > theme of the Buddhist approach is this > > > remarkable imperative: " Pay precise attention, > > > moment by moment, to exactly what you are > > > experiencing, right now, separating out your > > > reactions from the raw sensory events. " This > > > is what is meant by bare attention: just the > > > 'bare' facts, an 'exact' registering, allowing > > > things to speak for themselves as if seen for > > > the first time, distinguishing any reactions > > > from the core event. > > > > > > > > > > > > DIMINISHING REACTIVITY > > > > > > In this attentional strategy that is followed > > > throughout the meditative path. It is both the > > > beginning practice and the culminating one: > > > only the objects of awareness change. > > > Beginning with the in and out breath, proceeding > > > to bodily sensations, feelings, thoughts, > > > consciousness, and finally the felt sense of I, > > > meditation requires the application of bare > > > attention to increasingly subtle phenomena. > > > Culminating in a state of 'choiceless awareness' > > > in which the categories of " observer " and that > > > which is observed " are no longer operational, > > > bare attention eventually obviates self-consciousness > > > and permits thekind of spontaneity that has long > > > intrigued the psychologically minded observers of > > > Eastern practices. This is the spontaneity that > > > Western psychologists confuse with a true self idea. > > > From the Buddhist perspective, such authentic actions > > > leap forth from the clear perception of bare attention; > > > there is no need to posit an intermediate agent who > > > performs them. > > > > > > The key to the transformational potential of bare > > > attention lies in the deceptively simple injunction > > > to separate out one's reactions from the core events > > > themselves. Much of the time, it turns out, our > > > everyday minds are in a state of reactivity. We > > > take this for granted, we do not question our automatic > > > identifications with our reactions, and we experience > > > ourselves at the mercy of an often hostile or > > > frustrating outer world or an overwhelming or > > > frightening inner one. > > > > > > With bare attention, we move from this automatic > > > identification our fear or frustration to a vantage > > > point form which the fear or frustration is attended > > > to with same dispassionate interest as anything else. > > > > > > There is enormous freedom to be gained from such > > > a shift. Instead of running from difficult > > > emotions (or hanging on to enticing ones), the > > > practitioner of bare attention becomes able to > > > 'contain' any reaction; making space for it, but > > > not completely identifying with it because of the > > > concomitant presence of nonjudgmental awareness. > > > > > > ........... > > > > > > One famous Japanese haiku illustrates this state. > > > It is one that Joseph Goldstein has long used to > > > describe the unique attentional posture of bare > > > attention: > > > > > > > > > The old pond. > > > A frog jumps in. > > > Plop! > > > > > > > > > Like so much else in Japanese art, the poem > > > expresses the Buddhist emphasis on naked attention > > > to the often overlooked details of everyday life. > > > Yet, there is another level at which the poem > > > may be read. Just as in the parable of the raft, > > > the waters of the pond can represent the mind and > > > the emotions. The frog jumping in becomes a thought > > > or feeling arising in the mind or body, while > > > " Plop! " represents the reverberations of that > > > thought or feeling, unelaborated by the forces of > > > reactivity. The entire poem comes to evoke the > > > state of bare attention in its utter simplicity. > > > > > > from the book " Thoughts without a Thinker " > > > by Mark Epstein, M.D. > > > > > > > Wow... > > my philosophy in a nutshell. > > So clean and simply stated. > > > > Bill > > > > > Your? > > Hi Bill, I'm sure you know that; Buddhist meditation Buddhist psychology Buddhist insights Buddhist thought Buddhist perspective Buddhist emphasis usually exists outsite Buddhist Monasteries. > > > > > > > > > > ... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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