Here's an exercise that I would like you to try as many times throughout the day as you can.
Label daily activities simply colour/image, sound, smell, taste, sensation, thought.
So for example, when having breakfast, become aware of:
Seeing a cup, simply= image/colour
Smelling coffee, simply = smell,
Feeling the warmth of the coffee cup, simply = sensation.
Tasting the coffee, simply = taste
Hearing the spoon stirring the coffee, simply = sound
Thought about drinking the coffee, simply = thought.
Just break down daily activities into these categories (which are all actual experience) and report back how you go.
I drank my first cup of coffee this way and I had to bring myself back many times. It’s not easy!
I try to do this in « in between « activities, such as going to get food or going to the photocopy machine. I would say something like: walking, seeing colleague, hearing keyboards click, smelling perfume, walking, thinking, and so on. But it is really difficult to stay in this mode for long.
Come on, it is not hard, it is the most simple - direct form of describing "what is"
We need to make more of this excercise if it is ok for you..
But please write just like i gave you the format of the exercise.
It is important for you to understand LOOKING instead of thinking and focusing to the direct experience rather than the story of if.
We need to make some effortless effort and focused dedicated work here to improve.
And you don't need to do it all day :)
Look let me break down some more for you
"Oh such a wonderful sunset" = Colour + thought
"How shall i pay the telephone bill it's too much this month" = thought
"Such a tasty hamburger" = Taste + thought
And here is a brief explanation what are we trying to see
When you watch a sunset, there are two things going on:
1. The actual experience of "Seeing"
2. The commentary about what is being seen "I am watching a sunset", "How beautiful", "Look at the colours, the depth..." etc etc
When you listen to sounds, there are two things going on:
1. The actual experience of "hearing"
2. The commentary about what is being heard "Truck" "I wonder where that aeroplane is going" " Wow, the birds sound so happy today" etc etc
So what is happening is, in all the (1.'s) above there is direct experience. (seeing, hearing).
All the (2.'s) above, there is thought commentary about what is being experienced - about an object being seen, heard, felt. For instance a "sunset" being seen by an "I", a "truck" being heard by an "I"
In all the (1.'s) there is no "I". In all the (2.'s) an "I" appears.
In the (2.s) seems like there is a "someone" and a "something".
summary is:
1. There is an image /shape/colour/taste/sensation. This is direct seeing.
2. There is labelling that happens AFTER all the seeing is done.
By this time the image has been "processed" and now we have "objects" labelled from the initial image.
Ok?
So please now send me some of your labelled direct experiences also.
Waiting for your answers
Sending much love.
