It's the nature of the body to be always on the look out for danger, the contraction is this energy, this energy then gives a sense of I am, which then gives the opportunity for thought to arise, made up of fear related stories. The fear related stories then give rise to stronger contractions and the story goes on and on ( this is a very simplified account of it)If it is, what do you notice about this contraction over a day in you normal day to day?
It intensifies as the day progresses and is most intense by night time. Reacting to certain thoughts can also intensify the contraction.
When thought is seen through as stories we let go of the attachment to the stories and the fear subsides, the contractions relax.
I'll give this again to you so you can work on the contraction.
Take some time to sit with the sensation, not in the way Vipassana prescribes to observe it, but in the way of really Being at one with it. Talk to the sensation, acknowledging its presence, thank it for appearing, let it know that it is safe and it can leave now. Show an acknowledgement to the sensations, they may pass immediately or it may take a little time, be with it for as long as it takes for it to pass, and do it as often as it appears.
Lets try this exercise.
The aim of the following exercise is to discover whether the function of choice can really be found or confirmed in actual experience. The idea of making ‘choices‘ is a very clear example of a function that we wrongly identify as the basis of our identity.
Here's what’s needed - a chair, a table and two different drinks. Any two drinks you like are okay for this: coffee, tea, milk, water, juices, smoothies, beer, wine, etc.
Preparation - Place the two drinks side by side on the table in front of you, sit comfortably on the chair and mentally label them as drink A and drink B.
Experiment - Finding the function of choice. Sit for a few moments, take a few relaxed breaths and let the dust settle. When you feel ready:
1. Look at drink A and at drink B. Think about their respective qualities, the things you like about them, compare and weigh the pros and cons of each. See if a preference is manifesting for one or the other.
2. Count to 5.
3. Choose one of the drinks. Pick it up and take a sip.
Questions:
Remember that we’re looking for some kind of function, a something, an ‘I’ which is doing the ‘choosing’.
In step 1 when thinking about their respective qualities, did you ‘choose’ the qualities?
Or did they kind of appeal by themselves? If some preferences manifested, did you ‘choose’ these preferences?
Or did they just pop up by themselves?
In step 2 when you counted to 5, if the preferences took the back seat while the numbers took the front seat, did you ‘choose’ this sequence of event?
Did you ‘choose’ to shut down the preferences to give way to the counting?
Did you directly experience a mental function or faculty doing the ‘choosing’?
Have you seen this function in action?
