I had to read the exercise many times. I realize it is difficult to know the “apple” as it is, as a sensory experience, because of the thinking conceptual mind(thinking). Perhaps impossible to know but by actually being it. I can pick it up and play with it so I have to say it is an actual experience.Is there really an ‘apple’ here, or only colour and a thought ABOUT ‘apple’?
Can ‘apple’ be found in actual experience?
Any thoughts about, fabricated images from the past, are just abstractions and not the Truth of what the word apple is referring to. There isn’t one experience of an apple and then you know it. That’s all in the mind. Yes, the Truth is the sensory experience in the here and now. I must make an effort to experience this thing as it is happening because of habitual use of “seeing” with the mind and not the eyes.Or are there just different sensations?
yes - it is only through direct experience that you'll understand. Thoughts just get in the way.the Truth is the sensory experience in the here and now.
In the mind, the first thing I noticed was that it took effort and concentration to hold the image. Also, the image of the vase had a dark background, was like viewing it on a flat screen tv, and the details were very vague and not remembered at all. A very poor representation.Choose an ordinary object in the room. Maybe a vase of flowers or something that has interesting and varied visual qualities
1. Close your eyes and picture it in your mind for a minute or two.
2. O.pen your eyes and observe it directly for a while.
Describe both experiences. The first one of what was happening directly in the mind sense and then the second one of what you experienced in the visual sense.
The mind sense is very poor compared to the visual. It’s terrible and unbelievable. It is known that it is not real. If I want to know the Truth of the object before me I must open my eyes and look. It’s simple and effortless and far more satisfying. The colors are intense compared to the mental image. The background is full of other objects and colors all over the place! Lots and lots of depth. The vase is contained in expansive space with sounds around it as well. The sound of rain, a Neighbor’s phone ringing, a car passing by.What is the difference between the two?
Singing bowl.Try now to stick to only adjectives and no other words at all when describing the sounds or the imaginations etc. You can use other words when describing the difference.
Hearing.
a) Imagine first the sound of a meditation gong (or something similar). Describe exactly how you imagined that. What were the qualities?
b) Then sound the gong and listen with your whole being. Describe that also as fully as you can.
The sound of the bowl has a rich texture and touches the soul. The actual sound vibrates and extends off into the distance and I cannot tell where the sound ends and the silence begins.c) Tell me the difference.
Taste. Imagining orange. Memory. Intellectual. Intense. Sour.Taste, smell and touch.
Imagine an orange or a similarly strong tasting fruit. Go through the same 3 steps and describe these 3 senses fully also.
The mind prides itself on “knowing that already”. Nothing new here! Is it pure laziness? Does it require effort to just experience “what is? Are we afraid of every moment being new? Different? Unique? UNKOWN!!!We are aiming here at awareness of experience without overlay of interpretation and personal assumptions etc. and seeing things in themselves without views and preconceived ideas
I disagree! What we are aiming for in this work is for you to actually KNOW that there is no self through your direct experience. That's very different to a thinking-based knowing.I realize no self is more of an “understanding” than an experience
These are lovely and rich comparisons. You've understood this well.Taste, smell and touch.
Imagine an orange or a similarly strong tasting fruit. Go through the same 3 steps and describe these 3 senses fully also.
Taste. Compare. Imagining just isn’t real. It’s an image made by the mind. A memory. One dimensional. Divorced from reality.
Smell. Compare. Imagining is inherently inaccurate. It’s an approximation based on a generalized memory. It’s not the smelling of an orange.
Touch. Compare. Imagining is in an entirely different realm unto itself. It’s not an experience. It’s fabricated, mental. Inside the head. Senses are designed for experience out there.
Yes. Spot on. We think we know, but when we actually look, or experience is quite different.The mind prides itself on “knowing that already”. Nothing new here! Is it pure laziness? Does it require effort to just experience “what is? Are we afraid of every moment being new? Different? Unique? UNKOWN!!!
Lying on floor. Imagining. A picture of the body on the floor. No sensations. There are no sensations in the mind. The mind doesn’t feel.I'd like you to explore the sense of TOUCH next
Imagine lying down on the floor and tell me what sensations come up in your mind and report back. Remember not to mention body parts like ‘heel’ for instance just the sensations in themselves.
Then lie down, feel the pressure/weight/sensations of contact with the floor and report back as fully as possible.
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