divine self-continuity

2007-11-14-0657

part of what can be done in sitting/life is:

watching for anything that makes sense of self continue.

--in some meditative states, these self-continuities are absent.

In lifting weights, there may ideally be one sense: that of lifting, focusing on muscle. All else that enters head is continuing a sense of self different from the lifting of the weights.

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on an even more subtle level, usually while sitting, it is possible to watch for movements of attention: to a thought, to a sound, to a sight, to a feeling in the body--any movement of attention.

That may help to reach the expansive, motionless attention.

Each movement of attention, however small, seems to be a self-continuity.

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Unless I'm in that motionless state of expansive awareness, it seems that there may always be a self-continuity.

Now, if I'm in that state of lifting weights, and if I do not have attention shifting to anything other than lifting weights, I find that a positive, peaceful state.

If, on the other hand, not a moment goes by without my attention moving to something other than lifting of weights,

i Am Not At Ease, i Am Not Focused On Lifting Weights.

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0707

If in all my life I very rarely experience long periods of mind focused on one task, or of mind sitting in motionless expansive awareness,

i Am Not At Ease, At Peace.

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If we are to bring the divine into our lives, it would seem that we would move with single pointed or expansive mind from one divine focus to another.

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Suppose I'm divinising the body (interpreted as caring for the physical body in this case), all movement of attention would be aligned with that.

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The challenge may be in determining those "divine" areas of focus. And of ordering one's life (one's attention-focusing) around them.

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I've heard that divine guidance can come through stillness.


0713
So I wake up this morning and had a plan to go swim, do weights, and then who knows what.

I get to moving around to get ready to go--all "self-continuities", perhaps aligned with a divine focus.

I decide to check internet--a self-continuity not aligned with divine--it could be an opening to divine--but it did not originate in silence.

That done, I take a look at paper. Again, a self-continuity not aligned with divine. It could be an opening to divine, perhaps, but it did not originate in my own silence.

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Now, almost ready to leave, perceiving a cycle before me: a self-continuity-- of swimming, weights, of going , coming, returning,


i Stop.

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What are the divine continuities I can center my focus on?

I can care for this body: I can go do that exercise in the morning.



Beyond that, what do I have?

I can read about spiritual leaders--like Ramakrishna. That seems valid.

I can sit and learn about attention, practice expansive, still, motionless attention.

.
And i Can Eat To Care For The Body.



Those are several things.

I should be able to move focus between those several things endlessly (until the body dies).

care for body: exercise

care for body: eat

care for attention: still, watch attention

care for mind: read about spiritual leaders


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That seems about the bare minimum.

See, life has to be organized beyond "sit for an hour in morning and evening" or "sit as much as possible" or "join a monastery if you're serious" or "follow a guru, if you're serious."


There are things it could be good to incorporate: visits with friends, gardening, music, helping others in some way.

Visits with friends: I let happen usually randomly throughout the day.

The others have no organized incorporation in my daily cycle.

----The reason is I'm distracted by the thought of being in some other cycle?-----------


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So, let's practice shifting attention, maintaining attention on these areas in sequence:


care for body: exercise

care for body: eat

care for attention: still, watch attention

care for mind: read about spiritual leaders

care for ?: visit with friends

care for attention cycle:

consider ways of helping others

consider incorporating gardening in cycle, part of care for body.

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Those are chosen self continuities. Chosen areas of focus.

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What of considering new areas of focus?

By shutting down inputs from material sources (internet, paper, advertising), all new areas of focus come from friends, from silence, (from reading about spiritual leaders).

There still is the past tendency to wander:

- I could be walking to pacific beach.

- I could be camping out.

- I could be maintaining this cycle somewhere else.

- I could be maintaining a different cycle (different exercise, routine, location, community), there are positive changes I could make to this cycle.

- I could be living a life more helpful to others.

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Those are self-continuities not related to chosen areas of focus.



Here's what can be done for day-long meditation.

Follow the plan for what the areas of focus will be at a particular time.

Schedule in time for re-evaluating the cycle.

All re-evaluating can be limited to that part of the cycle. So let's review again:


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Shift attention, maintain attention on these areas in sequence:


(1) care for body: exercise

(2) care for body: eat

(3) care for attention: still, watch attention

[opening to divine would/could occur here once stilling of this level of attention occurs. Or it occurs in the decisions made in an unstill state (Theory U), but is benefited, enhanced by the stilling process.

Actually, opening to divine occurs wherever there is clear, steady focus on a divine task. . .]

(4) care for mind(?): read about spiritual leaders

(5) care for ?: visit with friends

(6) care for cycle: evaluate cycle by pondering cycle improvements. This may involve writing about cycle.

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For this initial period of this kind of organization:

Watch for areas of focus that do not fit in any of the above areas. List them, give them their own area. Some may be:

care for garden

care for shelter

care for family

[if I write an email--god forbid--where would that go? Probably "care for friends" and also "opening to divine"?]

Consider avoiding material inputs: internet, newspaper.

If not avoiding these, give them their own area of focus. . . ("read periodicals, other information sources"--for what purpose? care for collective mind?). Consider what "divine" purpose reading these could have--move them from realm of mindless self-continuity to having some divine purpose, focus.

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0748 critique of this approach:

Does it lock you in to present cycle?

No. Potentially it may make you aware of the larger attention cycling that goes on througout the day.

If changes are made to this cycle, they are made with more awareness, and, quite possibly, with more connection to divine source.

I guess all it is, really, is a labeling mechanism applied to the whole day, just as some meditators use labeling in their sitting.

0801

PLAN

Finish (6), caring for cycle, by finishing this, posting it (relates to care for our mind, mass mind, plural mind?)

It is late enough to call Mike (5).

(1) Go swim, do weights.

(2) Eat. Or (3) first.

(4).

Perhaps go out again in evening to (1) and to (5). And then 2,3 or 4 again at some point.

That's it?

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Additional possibilities:

--complete the archiving of carfreeuniverse.

--consider what "care for garden" could be done.


peace,
Colin

Here, for reference, is the current scheme:

Shift attention, maintain attention on these areas in sequence:

(1) care for body: exercise

(2) care for body: eat

(3) care for attention: still, watch attention

(4) care for mind(?): read about spiritual leaders

(5) care for ?: visit with friends

(6) care for cycle: evaluate cycle by pondering cycle improvements. This may involve writing about cycle.

(7) Take rest.