I\u00c2\u00a0 have been meaning to suggest an exercise for the week, and now I have received a request to do so that stimulates me to act. But I want to start in a very ‘casual’ way.<\/p>\n
At the start of the DTS reading, Rinpoche writes, “If we take the time to focus on the stream of mental events, we soon observe that we are almost always thinking.”<\/p>\n
Let that be the practice. First, “take the time.” So this should mean at least 5-10 minutes where you don’t do anything but focus on the stream of thinking. Of course, it could be time waiting for a bus, or even driving (if you are on an old, familiar route), etc.<\/p>\n
Second, “observe.: This means not getting caught up in the content of the thought; instead, you maintain a certain distance or detachment. Thinking has the special quality of being ‘about’ the content of the thought, but here we are just noticing that<\/em> we are thinking, not what<\/em> we are thinking about. Of course, the ‘what’ comes along, but that is not the focus.<\/p>\n Third, the claim is made that we are “almost always thinking.” Some people experience it differently. How about you?<\/p>\n Let’s plan to discuss this in next week’s phone call.<\/p>\n Jack<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u00c2\u00a0 have been meaning to suggest an exercise for the week, and now I have received a request to do so that stimulates me to act. But I want to start in a very ‘casual’ way. At the start of … Continue reading