...we are changing the way the brain is used. We are focusing upon the actual rather than staying lost in imagination. There is really no difference between focusing upon the witness, focusing upon the breath, shifting attention away from thoughts to what can be seen or heard, or even focusing upon thoughts. That which sees and hears is detaching from the usual roofbrain chatter. It is like staying in the train station and watching thought trains go by without jumping on board. The more often this is done the easier it becomes to stay in the station.
When you become aware of what is happening, you might begin to reflect upon it and imagination and internal speech might get revved up again. Yes, you can sometimes make certain experiences come back, but don't try to do that! The very effort to get anything back will keep you from being present, and put you back in the mind. As soon as you realize that reflectivity has returned, put your attention back upon the actual. IOW, don't check on "your" progress because that reinforces the illusion that there is a "you" making progress. There isn't.
In essence, the path of non-duality is a path of leaving selfhood behind by becoming so involved in life that selfhood gets lost. Eventually, the structures of mind that support the illusion of selfhood simply collapse from disuse (the illusion is seen for what it is).
Nisargadatta discovered the truth because he trusted his guru totally, and he single-mindedly did what his guru told him to do. His guru told him to focus on the I am every minute of the day. If his guru had told him to put his attention upon what he could see or hear every minute of the day, he would have been just as successful because the same process would have unfolded.
As we shift our attention to the actual more and more often, an incredible variety of strange things can happen. This is because attentiveness (or noticing) puts pressure on the conventional structure of reality conceived by the mind. The psychological paradigm literally begins to crumble under the onslaught of the actual. If we stay with the actual, belief in the imaginary world of the mind must eventually disintegrate.
Go watch young children at play. If you follow the path of non-duality, that is where you are going. You will return to a child-like state of mind while retaining the full functionality of the intellect. The intellect will then be a servant rather than a master.
The danger that all serious seekers confront is getting attached to the extraordinary experiences that often occur as the meta-reality of the consensus trance starts to collapse. The best advice is to watch, but don't touch! The seeker is going somewhere that has no boundaries, so don't give up an old set of boundaries for a new set. Stay with not-knowing, and the marvelous truth will naturally unfold. It is alive, intimate, poignant, profound, wonderfully ordinary, and bursting with love. It is curious, playful, compassionate, thankful, and intuitive. The truth never knows what its doing, but it has a joyous time exploring the collosal wonder of its infinite being. To be awake is to be everlastingly amazed.
One last warning: don't forget that the ordinary is just as extraordinary as the extraordinary. When you're walking around during the day, bring the same attentiveness to everything you see that you brought to focusing on the witness. As young Frankenstein said, "It's alive, Igor. It's alive!" LOL
When you become aware of what is happening, you might begin to reflect upon it and imagination and internal speech might get revved up again. Yes, you can sometimes make certain experiences come back, but don't try to do that! The very effort to get anything back will keep you from being present, and put you back in the mind. As soon as you realize that reflectivity has returned, put your attention back upon the actual. IOW, don't check on "your" progress because that reinforces the illusion that there is a "you" making progress. There isn't.
In essence, the path of non-duality is a path of leaving selfhood behind by becoming so involved in life that selfhood gets lost. Eventually, the structures of mind that support the illusion of selfhood simply collapse from disuse (the illusion is seen for what it is).
Nisargadatta discovered the truth because he trusted his guru totally, and he single-mindedly did what his guru told him to do. His guru told him to focus on the I am every minute of the day. If his guru had told him to put his attention upon what he could see or hear every minute of the day, he would have been just as successful because the same process would have unfolded.
As we shift our attention to the actual more and more often, an incredible variety of strange things can happen. This is because attentiveness (or noticing) puts pressure on the conventional structure of reality conceived by the mind. The psychological paradigm literally begins to crumble under the onslaught of the actual. If we stay with the actual, belief in the imaginary world of the mind must eventually disintegrate.
Go watch young children at play. If you follow the path of non-duality, that is where you are going. You will return to a child-like state of mind while retaining the full functionality of the intellect. The intellect will then be a servant rather than a master.
The danger that all serious seekers confront is getting attached to the extraordinary experiences that often occur as the meta-reality of the consensus trance starts to collapse. The best advice is to watch, but don't touch! The seeker is going somewhere that has no boundaries, so don't give up an old set of boundaries for a new set. Stay with not-knowing, and the marvelous truth will naturally unfold. It is alive, intimate, poignant, profound, wonderfully ordinary, and bursting with love. It is curious, playful, compassionate, thankful, and intuitive. The truth never knows what its doing, but it has a joyous time exploring the collosal wonder of its infinite being. To be awake is to be everlastingly amazed.
One last warning: don't forget that the ordinary is just as extraordinary as the extraordinary. When you're walking around during the day, bring the same attentiveness to everything you see that you brought to focusing on the witness. As young Frankenstein said, "It's alive, Igor. It's alive!" LOL
