Maintaining Presence During Everyday Tasks

[Pure Imagination]

More and more lately I have been able to disidentify from my thoughts and realize that I am the presence where they are taking place. I seem to oscillate between identification and disidentification many many times a day to the point where it can even get exhausting. Sometimes this will even happen while I am using my mind during everyday tasks, such as doing the dishes, doing schoolwork, making dinner, ect. When I do disidentify, it seems to stop me in my tracks during my task and sometimes I'll temporarily lose my place and have to jog my memory.

So my question to you all - how do enlightened people utilize their mind for everyday tasks? I feel like I can only be efficient if I am identified with thought; is there another way to do our "human things" with an enlightened mind? What is your experience of being mindful, yet accomplishing things?

[Nahm]

@Pure Imagination

The remaining resistance is in the more subtle thoughts (more subtle than ‘monkey mind’ or ‘over-thinking’/ past & future thought trees) and they are far tricker:  ‘identify’, ‘dis identify’, my place, my question, my tracks, my memory, our human things, your experience...... (all of those thoughts depict a fragment or separate thing - “you”)  - thoughts taken as a priori through assumption so deep, their root slips by, eluding, undetected, unchecked.  

Self inquiry & awareness of thought patterns supporting physicality. There’s some ‘false seeing / illusion’ (evidenced by the arising of thoughts of the unresolved nature: me & others / “identities”/ “disidentify from my thoughts”) .  So investigate, and breathe from your stomach. Relax head to toe all day wether ‘active’ or resting. Fully surrender your self. It’s amazing, everything continues to happen unscathed anyways, doing tasks without thought, or any need for it; running on a treadmill, body fully relaxed; watching hands assemble parts thoughtlessly, etc. There might be a deep rooted belief that without thought, there’s just staring at a wall all day invalid style. Don’t underestimate the sneakiness. You assign ALL meaning. All.

Attempting to arrive at samadhi through any efforting or identitfying, disidentifying, etc, is exhausting and in the opposite direction. The proccess is deconstructive. It’s not a game. Actually surrender the self. 

[dorg]

@Pure Imagination If you look closely you will see that the tasks are doing themselves, eg, making bread, getting the shopping, doing an arithmetic calculation, deciding what to have for dinner.... 'You' are only a thought about yourself that occurs from time to time, but you are not doing anything despite thought occurring that says you are.

[Sahil Pandit]

@dorg This is an amazing point that we often over look!! Thanks for pointing it out

@Pure Imagination Take into consideration how much of our day the automatic operating system is functioning by itself for survival. 

[Pure Imagination]

@Nahm  Thank you! Your post will give me quite a bit to chew on for a while

43 minutes ago, Nahm said:

There’s some ‘false seeing / illusion’ (evidenced by the arising of thoughts of the unresolved nature: me & others / “identities”/ “disidentify from my thoughts”) .

So will these subtle thoughts that imply an ego disappear the more I inquire? I am also practicing shadow work; wouldn't these thoughts about me and I be necessary to do certain practices or tasks like that? (Even if one is ultimately aware that the self is an illusion, and decides to participate in the restrictions of language)

I was under the impression that thoughts will still arise even in an enlightened mind. Especially for holding a conversation; conversations are literally thoughts that are vocalized.

@dorg Interesting. So in your opinion, thoughts will still arise but the implied I won't show up in them anymore? I guess I'm confused over how necessary thoughts are.

[Sevi]

If there is exaustion, the motion of the attention might be somehow forced or interrupted rather than a nice flow.

Caml and quiet observation of what is, might be getting mixed up with the mind being in charge to make things happen.

Might you be forcing your mind too much in order to practice mindfulness? Rather than being an silent audience for the simple daily tasks while they are being done, maybe unnecessary pressure-check on your already ongoing awareness.

 

 

[dorg]

15 minutes ago, Pure Imagination said:

@dorg Interesting. So in your opinion, thoughts will still arise but the implied I won't show up in them anymore? I guess I'm confused over how necessary thoughts are.

Whatever arises, you, as awareness, are simply aware of it. Whether thought, action, confusion, whatever arises you are simply aware of it.

You are not defined by any thought.

Edited October 1, 2018 by dorg

[Pure Imagination]

19 minutes ago, Sevi said:

Caml and quiet observation of what is, might be getting mixed up with the mind being in charge to make things happen.

Might you be forcing your mind too much in order to practice mindfulness? Rather than being an silent audience for the simple daily tasks while they are being done, maybe unnecessary pressure-check on your already ongoing awareness.

When I become suddenly present, it's not something I force. It's like a sudden realization that thoughts were going by without my awareness over them, then I suddenly gain that awareness. It just kinda exhausting going between the two states so many times throughout the day lol. 

 

12 minutes ago, dorg said:

Whatever arises, you, as awareness, are simply aware of it. Whether thought, action, confusion, whatever arises you are simply aware of it.

You are not defined by any thought.

You're right. I guess the mind will reform itself while this recognition persists. I just wish that the thoughts that I, awareness, am aware of would be less compulsive

[dorg]

2 minutes ago, Pure Imagination said:

17 minutes ago, dorg said:

Whatever arises, you, as awareness, are simply aware of it. Whether thought, action, confusion, whatever arises you are simply aware of it.

You are not defined by any thought.

You're right. I guess the mind will reform itself while this recognition persists. I just wish that the thoughts that I, awareness, am aware of would be less compulsive

Yes, initially you have to 'hold onto' awareness as the 'compulsive thoughts' try to compel you to be identified by them. But you now realise that you cannot really be defined nor confined by thought so you need to assert that realisation.

And yes, wishing that thoughts would be less compulsive is just another thought to watch and not be sucked into. Vigilance is important.

[dorg]

@Pure Imagination Perhaps you are seeing that your name "Pure Imagination" is everything other than awareness... Previously your were identified by imagination/thought, but now you are most certainly not.

This whole world we think we live in/on is total imagination/thought/belief/dream, and a very compelling one too as you have noted.

Best wishes,

[Nahm]

@Pure Imagination

The goal is not the practices, they are a means, but not to a goal, to nothing but the truth. Investigating & deconstructing each thought & pattern, they naturally cease as the spaciousness they arise in is more prevalent. Let go, until only the truth remains, only the spaciousness. Thoughts are rooted in falsity, - that thoughts are needed is also a thought. Saf. Start with awareness of the identity+past & identity+future thoughts. See the identification in the thought, or, that a “you” is placed in a little scene in your head, as a thought. The ‘scene’ takes place in the past, or future - and we “exit” the ‘scene’ (our life) taking place right now. 

Awareness of this brings clarity to thinking via an “identity”, and it dissolves in understanding (through investigation/inquiry), which brings presence now, mindfulness now, as in immediately. If it takes practice, that’s perfect too. Thoughts are like static while the song of now is playing, and you ‘tune in’ by counter intuitively letting go of the dial, and relaxing. If it takes you a while to ‘let go of the dial’, that’s perfect too, the song will play regardless. All is well. 

 

Thought is sneaky. Even though letting go feels intuitively and viscerally pleasing & connective, thinking patterns which have been repeated many times can be strong enough to override, keeping us tense & serious.

Identification+past = A thought which repeats the past, inserting it into now, and feels like shame, guilt, fear, depression, regret, anger, etc. All self diminishing in nature. All just repetition of thoughts about the past.

Identification+future = A thought which is worrisome about the future, inserted into the now, and feels like worry, self doubt, fear, anxiety, etc. All self diminishing in nature. All just repetition of thoughts about the future. 

 

The difference in thoughts arising is a reduction of 99%, via no more falling for the maya of identification, and identification with the past & future. The nature, the understanding, of the 1% of thoughts still arising, is now, it is without all the paradigms, thought trees, identification, without doubts, fear, guilt, shame, anger, worry, seriousness, tension, anxiety, depression. It is without self diminishment. It can be eye opening just to consider the amount of thinking, that overthinking actually is.

Something so simple as picking a better thought, trusting the bodily sensation of “better”, of alignment, leads to the truth. But this is difficult to see through duality, and through the confusion and circus of that 99% of thoughts.  But it’s worthwhile. The most simple things are revealed to be the most powerful. When we’re all done living through story in ‘in our heads’, the story that is our life is revealed to be far more worthy of interest, and our attention was the most powerful force all along. 

[Nahm]

There’s some synchronistic humor here in the polarity of “pure imagination“ and “dorg“........no? Kind of a perfect pairing. ❤️

 

[dorg]

Thanks for pointing that out @Nahm

[Barry J]

@Pure Imagination  it is normal to feel the tension, it will pass. Keep going as you are and accept whatever arises

[Pure Imagination]

@Nahm  Thank you so much for your long and thoughtful post ❤️ It's all great stuff that really resonates with me. I feel like most of the time I have awareness over my thoughts and I realize that they are illusory. I can usually observe that they're happening in awareness, which is ultimately the present moment (the only moment). The thoughts imply past and future, but ultimately they are just images. 

1 hour ago, Nahm said:

Something so simple as picking a better thought, trusting the bodily sensation of “better”, of alignment, leads to the truth. But this is difficult to see through duality, and through the confusion and circus of that 99% of thoughts.  But it’s worthwhile.

So picking thoughts that feel good is also a solution? If so I do agree with that; I am pretty aware of the thoughts that cause negative emotion vs positive emotion. And I am quite practiced in positive focus, allowing me to generate positive feeling states (most of the time). However, isn't even this process not the ultimate truth? Doesn't one still have to identify with thought to do this practice, thus reinforcing the ego?

1 hour ago, Nahm said:

There’s some synchronistic humor here in the polarity of “pure imagination“ and “dorg“........no? Kind of a perfect pairing. ❤️

And thank you for pointing this out! My life has been full of synchronicity lately  

[Nahm]

@Pure Imagination

❤️Thought does not equal ‘ego’.  

[Hellspeed]

Attention on breath above your work will enter a state of full awareness (after approx. 6 months of practice) of the surroundings and be able to focus at the same time as fully be aware of what's happening around one. 

[universe]

On 1.10.2018 at 0:17 PM, Nahm said:

@Pure Imagination

❤️Thought does not equal ‘ego’.  

What do you define as ego? Go on please.

[Nahm]

@universe

Choosing a better thought can be relatively life changing, simple & effortless. Then there is also the full circle, if you will, of cessation of separation, meaning and thought.