Being quite frustrated, seeing how time is “occupied” almost always by stories I remembered a practice we did several weeks ago. I just replaced the term “thought” by “story”. Maybe this can help to let time`s dynamic and creativity shine in and beside stories.
Feel of Space (KTS 207)
Direct your attention to the stream of thoughts (stories). At the first level, one thought (story) arises and then disappears, to be replaced by the next, like a smoothly functioning computer program. At a second level, attention can shift to what happens when the thought (story) comes to an end; sensitively observed, the thought (story) “opens” into a kind of space – a “deprogramming” in which it becomnes clear that the stream of mental chatter is not necessary.
Beyond this, there is a third level, at which it is no longer necessary to make a sharp distinction between thoughts (stories) and the space between them, for the thoughts (stories) also appear as space. A way into this awareness is to focus on the “opening” of thought (story) into space in such a way that you both see and do not see it. This might be considered a “reprogramming”, in which old distinctions and concerns are no longer operative.
Hi Klaus,
I find your substitution helpful. Thoughts and stories do seem to have charactertics in common: in both the self feels at the center of what is imagined and the telling is on behalf of, about and for a self–sometimes a comedy, sometimes a mystery, sometimes a scarey horror story. Do you think thoughts and stories are also different? It seems that thoughts can be tiny and apparantly unrelated to anything else among the stories and emotions cycling around in the mind. Is the desire to scratch a story, or just a repetitive thought? Stories feel like they may be one level higher than fragmentary thoughts, leaving place for a central character (who is probably always the self), a verb togetgher with a subject and object, etc. Perhaps thoughts are the threads and stories are our unending attempt to weave something useful out of them: like a placemat or a doily. ; < )
Hi Michael,
I would say that diffrences between thoughts and stories can be found. My interest is more in the common “ground”, they share, that is that they kind of pop up out of space. The clou statement of Rinpoche in this practice is “the mental chatter is not ncessary”. I feel so attracted to this realm without chatter and I think TSK is one of the most direct ways there. To “go” there is to become used to dwell in space which means to give up telling stories which is giving up the believe in the importance of a self.