Taken from
http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/3501413/2nd+Gear%3A+Practicing+in+Busyness+Daily+Life
aaronj1:
Hi -- I'm new to the site and find the
discussions here interesting and lively.
Kenneth writes in the "2nd Gear" article: "Tasks that require
dualistic thinking (writing this message, for example) can be
effectively accomplished from the witness state, and with practice
it gets easier and easier..."
With fewer commitments than usual in the week ahead, I am
interested in practicing with the witness state while engaged in
activities like writing, reading, speaking, listening, doing the
dishes, making decisions, etc. The witness state is a familiar one
in meditation, on retreat and even in the 'still moments' of daily
life. However, the witness state falls rapidly into the background
once I engage in activities, especially when there's a sense of
time pressure (a time pressure with the identification of me, mine
or my ; ) ).
It seems easy enough to say: Stay focused on the sense of 'I' that
is witnessing in the midst of doing or keep asking 'Who am I?'
However, I find, in the midst of doing, that the attention keeps
leaving the sense of 'I' or the continuity of inquiry fades out.
So, is the guidance that when there's noticing that the attention
has left the witness, the attention is returned to the 'I'/witness
-- over and over again? ...just like bringing attention back to the
the breath in anapanasati, for instance.
I would like to hear from others about how they work with 2nd Gear
off the cushion in as much detail as they're willing to share. Any
tools or devices that you find especially useful? More to say about
this kind of practicing? Hope this line of questioning makes some
sense.
Thanks,
Aaron
kennethfolk:
"So, is the guidance that when there's noticing
that the attention has left the witness, the attention is returned
to the 'I'/witness -- over and over again? ...just like bringing
attention back to the the breath in anapanasati, for instance."
-aaronj1
Welcome, Aaron. Yes, that is exactly the technique. If you have a
less-than-challenging week ahead, you can prioritize the Witness
and let everything else go on in the background. Of course you will
forget a million times, but as you have pointed out, you can always
return. In fact, the attitude you describe is crucial; since, for
some period of time, you have chosen to prioritize the Witness, it
doesn't really matter whether you accomplish anything else or not.
Keep the Witness in the foreground as much as possible, and slow
down everthing else until it becomes possible to stay with the
Witness even as you do other tasks. I am experimenting with this
right now as I write this, and I see that the slower I type, the
less I lose focus on the witnessing consciousness. I am in the
middle of my work day, so this is challenging, but once the
momentum builds it becomes possible to dwell continuously as the
Witness for longer and longer periods of time.
The beauty of 2nd Gear practice is that instead of an infinite
number of changing objects, you have only one. Everything appears
to be contained within pure subjectivity. Because there is no
jumping from object to object, it's easier for the mind to stay in
one place. This focused awareness leads to development of the
kundalini energy within the mind/body and also provides a
jumping-off place from which to realize nondual awareness.
Kenneth