An

Alternate Awareness








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Cregory P. Wlodarskl





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CopyrlghL 2014 by Cregory P. Wlodarskl
All 8lghLs 8eserved.
emall: saLurn[earLhllnk.neL
llrsL edlLlon: 2014

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lor
!esslca and !ennlfer


lor
all Lhose who helped me
on my own paLh of dlscovery


lor
all Lhose who have recognlzed Lhe llluslon
and are ready Lo see beyond lL

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1ab|e of Contents
8LlACL ................................................................................ vl
ln18CuuC1lCn .................................................................. vlll
A81 l - lLLuSlCn Anu 8LALl1? ............................................. 1
1. Su8!LC1lvL vS. C8!LC1lvL ........................................... 1
Sub[ecLlve ercepLlon ............................................... 1
Cb[ecLlve Awareness ................................................ 3
ConvenLlonal vs. uellberaLe Awareness ................... 4
2. 1L8MlnCLCC? ............................................................. 8
3. 1PL 88Aln .................................................................. 12
luncLlonal Areas ..................................................... 14
LxperlmenLal uaLa .................................................. 23
Summary ................................................................. 31
4. C8lCln Cl 1PL LCC ................................................... 33
SponLaneous AcLlvlLy .............................................. 33
Croundlessness ....................................................... 33
CondlLlonlng ........................................................... 36
lrraLlonallLy ............................................................. 39
LmoLlon .................................................................. 40
8easslgnlng rlmary lmperaLlves ............................ 40
8lrLh of Lgo ............................................................. 42
llnal 1houghLs ........................................................ 44
3. SLC18uM Cl LCC .................................................... 47
lnLroducLlon ............................................................ 47
1hree aLLerns ........................................................ 47
aLhology ................................................................ 31
A81 ll - uLvLLClnC C8!LC1lvL AWA8LnLSS .................. 34
6. 1PL 8CCLSS .............................................................. 34
lnLroducLlon ............................................................ 34
CauLlon ................................................................... 39
llnal 1houghLs ........................................................ 60
7. 8LA8A1lCn ............................................................. 61
Slmpllfy ?our Llfe .................................................... 61
osLures .................................................................. 61
8. MLul1A1lCn .............................................................. 68
lnLroducLlon ............................................................ 68

v

racLlcal olnLs ....................................................... 69
8ody Awareness ..................................................... 74
8reaLhlng Awareness .............................................. 73
ueLached Self-Awareness ....................................... 77
Cholceless Clobal Awareness ................................. 79
Lovlngklndness ........................................................ 80
llnal 1houghLs ........................................................ 81
9. MlnuluLnLSS ............................................................ 83
lnLroducLlon ............................................................ 83
AcLlon Awareness ................................................... 83
ueLached Self-Awareness ....................................... 87
Clobal Awareness ................................................... 88
Lovlngklndness ........................................................ 89
llnal 1houghLs ........................................................ 90
10. LL11lnC CC .............................................................. 94
ueLachmenL ............................................................ 94
8emovlng CbsLacles ............................................... 98
8eleaslng 1enaclous 1houghLs .............................. 101
Avoldlng 1raps ...................................................... 102
11. ?Cu8 8AC1lCL ...................................................... 106
reparlng .............................................................. 106
SLep Cne ............................................................... 107
SLep 1wo ............................................................... 108
SLep 1hree ............................................................. 109
SLep lour ............................................................... 110
SLep llve ............................................................... 112
ConLlnulng Lhe racLlce ........................................ 113
12. A llnAL L8SLC1lvL ............................................. 116
?our Llfe ................................................................ 116
1he racLlce .......................................................... 118
A81 lll - A L8SCnAL S1C8? ............................................ 123
13. 1PL Au1PC8 .......................................................... 123
8l8LlCC8AP? ................................................................... 132


vl
reface
8ooks presenLlng Lhe concepL of an alLernaLe awareness
ofLen do so by descrlblng a serles of quallLles, such as
lmpermanence, connecLlvlLy, Lranscendence, oneness, and
empLlness. As Lhese are deflned lnLellecLually, Lhey are more
llkely Lo be undersLood lnLellecLually, buL Lhey can only be
fully appreclaLed wlLhln Lhe framework of an awareness LhaL
ls fundamenLally dlfferenL Lhan one normally" experlenced.
lurLhermore, auLhors may ask Lhe reader Lo Lhlnk or
percelve ln a way for whlch Lhe reader's mlnd ls noL yeL
prepared, such as leLLlng go" or sLllllng Lhe mlnd." lL's
challenglng for a mlnd Lo suddenly Lhlnk or percelve ln a
quleL, lnLrospecLlve, or egoless fashlon, when lL has been
condlLloned by culLure and menLal hablLs Lo relnforce lLs
own egocenLrlclLy and lmpulslve LhoughLs. 1hls ls slmllar Lo
descrlblng snow Lo a aclflc lslander or Lhe Lhlrd dlmenslon
Lo Lhe resldenL of a flcLlonal Lwo-dlmenslonal unlverse.
AddlLlonally, whaL l've read abouL medlLaLlon seemed Lo
sLress Lhe pracLlce or resulL of medlLaLlon wlLhouL dlscusslng
lLs relaLlonshlp Lo braln funcLlon. lurLhermore, Lhese books
dldn'L seem Lo puL as much emphasls on mlndfulness and
leLLlng go as l LhoughL Lhe developmenL of Lhls alLernaLe
awareness requlred. Cr, Lhey obscured explanaLlons ln vells
of meLaphors or euphemlsms. Cr perhaps, l was [usL Loo
dense Lo see whaL Lhe auLhors were saylng. So, for everyone
as dense as me, l wroLe Lhls book.
ln Lhls book, l descrlbe Lhe orlgln of Lhe ego and presenL
argumenLs for Lhe exlsLence of an egoless alLernaLe
awareness. l lnLroduce Lhe reader Lo braln sLrucLure and
funcLlon as well as presenL varlous sLudles lnvolvlng braln
scans Lo bolsLer Lhe case LhaL Lhere ls a neurologlcal basls for
Lhe Lwo Lypes of awareness, egocenLrlc and egoless.

vll
lurLhermore, l dlscuss Lhe neurologlcal changes assoclaLed
wlLh mlnd Lralnlng Lhrough medlLaLlon and mlndfulness.
LasLly, l glve a deLalled descrlpLlon of Lechnlques for
medlLaLlon, mlndfulness, and leLLlng go. 1hese wlll help
decondlLlon Lhe mlnd from prevlous LhoughL paLLerns Lo
faclllLaLe Lhe developmenL of an alLernaLe awareness. 1hus,
readers can wake up Lo Lhelr own underlylng egoless
awareness. 1hls alLernaLe sLaLe of awareness can Lhen be
experlenced, and Lhe quallLles descrlbed above can be fully
undersLood.
1hose readers wanLlng an ln-depLh explanaLlon of Lhe
phenomena lnvolved wlLh ego formaLlon and Lhe
mechanlsms lnvolved wlLh developlng Lhls egoless
awareness can sLarL wlLh ChapLer 1. 1hose readers who wlsh
Lo begln Lhe process by lmmedlaLely learnlng Lhe Lechnlques
of medlLaLlon, mlndfulness, and leLLlng go can go dlrecLly Lo
ChapLer 6.

vlll
Introduct|on
1he purpose of Lhls book ls Lo suggesL LhaL our commonly
held percepLlon of reallLy and self ls an llluslon. 1hls llluslon
orlglnaLes ln early chlldhood because of Lhe lmmaLurlLy of
our mlnds and perslsLs LhroughouL adulLhood because of
culLural condlLlonlng. l call Lhls percepLlon sobjectlve
because lL ls lnfluenced by egocenLrlc moLlvaLlons and
perspecLlves. 8elng acqulred ln chlldhood, Lhls lllusory
sub[ecLlve awareness ls superlmposed on a more
fundamenLal alLernaLe percepLlon of self and reallLy, an
objectlve awareness wlLhouL Lhe lnfluence of ego.
1he duallLy of our percepLual opLlons, overLly sub[ecLlve and
subLly ob[ecLlve, ls mosL easlly demonsLraLed by Lhe duallLy
of Lhe sLereogram (llgure 1), where Lhe obvlous,
meanlngless, chaoLlc plcLure obscures a less obvlous buL
meanlngful one. ln sub[ecLlve awareness, Lhe overL feellng of
l" or me" obscures Lhe subLle yeL full awareness of every
momenL.
lor a few vlewers of a sLereogram, slmply polnLlng ouL LhaL
Lhere ls a plcLure wlLhln Lhe plcLure ls enough Lo make Lhe
hldden lmage lnsLanLly vlslble. CLhers, however, musL be
Lold how Lo ad[usL Lhelr eyes Lo see Lhe plcLure wlLhln. lor
sLlll oLhers, Lhls ls noL enough. 1hey musL Lraln Lhelr eyes Lo
acqulre Lhe sklll Lo ad[usL Lhelr vlslon and, evenLually,
percelve Lhe prevlously lmpercepLlble. 1hls ls slmllar Lo
percepLlon and awareness. !usL as seelng Lhe hldden lmage
requlres us Lo reseL Lhe focus of our eyes, llvlng wlLh
ob[ecLlve awareness requlres us Lo reseL Lhe focus of our
aLLenLlon. (A clue Lo Lhe sLereogram LhaL follows ls glven aL
Lhe end of Lhe blbllography secLlon of Lhls book.)



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1
art I - I||us|on and kea||ty
1. Sub[ect|ve vs. Cb[ect|ve
Sub[ect|ve ercept|on
lrom Lhe momenL of waklng, Lhere ls a feellng of a self LhaL
permeaLes each momenL, lnlLlaLes a LhoughL, drlves a wlll,
and experlences emoLlon. 1hls self-ldenLlLy deflnes lLs wanLs
and needs and makes [udgmenLs LhroughouL Lhe day. lL's
Lhls self LhaL's felL Lo lnLeracL wlLh reallLy, buL Lhls percepLlon
ls noL lnvarlable.
MosL people have experlenced alLernaLe percepLlons of self
and reallLy: Lhe slowlng of Llme durlng an undeslrable or
borlng experlence, Lhe acceleraLlon of Llme durlng a pleaslng
experlence, self-consclousness durlng a publlc appearance or
whlle belng beraLed by a supervlsor, and Lhe zone" of an
aLhleLe durlng exLreme exerclse or Lhe hobbylsL lmmersed ln
hls or her acLlvlLy. Such experlences suggesL [usL how
malleable our percepLlons of reallLy and self are and how
much Lhey are lnfluenced by our LhoughLs, emoLlons, and
Lhe LargeLs under Lhe spoLllghL of our aLLenLlon. 8eyond Lhe
dlfferenL percepLlons of self and reallLy, each person creaLes
lnner monologues regardlng self-worLh, llkes and dlsllkes, as
well as a serles of could'ves," would'ves," and should'ves"
LhaL swlrl llke newly poured cream ln black coffee,
relnforclng Lhls sense of self, Lhe ego.
1he ego glves rlse Lo Lhe passlons LhaL power our amblLlons
and moLlvaLe our cholces and behavlors. 1he passlons of Lhe
ego demand saLlsfacLlon, whlch leads Lo acLlons LhaL may
counLer personal eLhlcs or lgnore Lhe needs of oLhers. lL ls
Lhe ego LhaL malnLalns emoLlonal sLaLes long afLer Lhe
sLlmulus for Lhe emoLlon has passed, malnLalnlng emoLlonal
echoes LhaL lnLerfere wlLh awareness, cloudlng reason and
[udgmenLs, and affecLlng cholces and behavlors.


2
ln reallLy, the ego |s a comp|ex system of |ntrus|ve thoughts,
memor|es, and menta| hab|ts that have been |earned from
ch||dhood and susta|ned by repet|t|on and cu|ture. 1he ego
encompasses Lwo muLually relnforclng phenomena. Cne
phenomenon ls self-ldenLlLy, Lhe feellng of an lndlvldual self,
Lhe l." 1he oLher ls Lhe process of self-referenclng, Lhe over-
personallzed experlence of reallLy and repeaLlng LhoughLs,
feellngs, and any lnLernallzed poslLlve and negaLlve
messages of self-worLh, lncludlng one's lnner monologue.
Cne analogy for Lhe relaLlonshlp of Lhe Lwo phenomena,
self-ldenLlLy and self-referenclng, ls a llne drawlng of a face.
1he llnes, each dlsLlncL and separaLe from Lhe oLhers, form
an lmage whlle Lhe lmage glves each llne lLs speclal
slgnlflcance.
1he ego has no physlcal represenLaLlon, belng only a swlrl of
LhoughLs and memorles, yeL lL can be ln[ured and needs Lo
be proLecLed. lL can be neglecLed and needs Lo be graLlfled.
When an lndlvldual ls lnsulLed, humlllaLed, or LhreaLened,
Lhe emoLlons of fear or anger arlse, emoLlons orlglnally
Lrlggered by lmpendlng physlcal harm. 8ecause everyone
shares Lhls sub[ecLlve experlence, lL's consldered a naLural
consequence of belng allve, and lf lL makes one feel happy
wlLhouL negaLlvely affecLlng oLhers, lL's consldered healLhy.
1he facL LhaL Lhere's an enLlre professlon dedlcaLed Lo Lhe
heallng and malnLenance of a well-ad[usLed ego ls LesLlmony
Lo Lhe accepLance of Lhe phenomenon of ego.
1he purpose of Lhls LexL ls Lo show LhaL ego |s ne|ther
natura| nor hea|thy, and |t |s on|y one perceptua| opt|on
w|th wh|ch to exper|ence rea||ty - one that shou|d be
cons|dered noth|ng more than an |ntermed|ate stage
before reach|ng the c|ear, ego|ess percept|on of ob[ect|ve
awareness.


3
Cb[ect|ve Awareness
Cb[ecLlve awareness ls as dlfferenL from Lhe sub[ecLlve
normal" as sobrleLy ls from lnLoxlcaLlon, or as Lhe clear
wakefulness of mldday ls dlfferenL from Lhe grogglness of a
mldnlghL awakenlng. Cb[ecLlve awareness ls noL a dlfferenL
perspecLlve or oplnlon. lL's noL Lhe acqulslLlon of new
lnformaLlon or knowledge. nor ls lL a sysLem of bellefs. lL's a
new way of seelng and experlenclng reallLy and self. lL's an
awareness of reallLy belng one wlLh Lhe momenL wlLhouL an
lnLernal dlalog, fears, uncerLalnLles, passlons, or self-lnLeresL,
whlch llke back-seaL drlvers, dlsLracL or lnLerfere wlLh seelng
and experlenclng Lhe momenL aL hand. lL's Lhe awareness of
an aLhleLe ln Lhe zone" or Lhe lmmerslon of a hobbylsL, buL
unllke Lhe aLhleLe or hobbylsL, ob[ecLlve awareness
conLlnues ln every momenL of Lhe day.
Cb[ecLlve awareness ls Lhe consequence of decondlLlonlng
Lhe mlnd from lLs acqulred hablLs of Lhlnklng and percelvlng
from Lhe perspecLlve of a dlsLlncL self. ln ob[ecLlve
awareness, LhoughLs and emoLlons may come unlnvlLed, buL
Lhey are experlenced as LranslenL waves LhaL come and go,
leavlng awareness undlsLurbed by any echoes of Lhose
lnLruslons. ln Lhls awareness, emoLlons are an accessory, noL
an lnfluenclng or dlsabllng force, declslons flow llke Lhe nexL
verse of a well-known poem, and movemenL flows llke a
well-pracLlced dance.
WlLh ob[ecLlve awareness, Lhere ls no need Lo malnLaln an
lmage of self. nor ls Lhere a need Lo proLecL or graLlfy Lhe
ego. 1he lndlvldual who has achleved egoless ob[ecLlve
awareness ls lmmune from lnsulLs and cured from any
Lendency Lo bellLLle oLhers or glorlfy Lhe self. Cb[ecLlve
awareness faclllLaLes Lhe appllcaLlon of raLlonal LhoughL and
Lhe sponLaneous expresslon of Lrue and proporLlonal
emoLlons. ?eL, lL prevenLs havlng overwhelmlng emoLlons ln
Lhe seLLlng of an lnslgnlflcanL evenL, whlle sLlll belng able Lo


4
express wholesome and approprlaLe emoLlons Lo llfe's
varlous perLurbaLlons.
AlLhough mosL of us have Lemporarlly experlenced Lhe
ob[ecLlve reallLy of Lhe aLhleLe's zone" or hobbylsL's
concenLraLlon, we all have Lhe poLenLlal Lo make Lhls a
permanenL experlence. Powever, Lhls almosL never occurs
wlLhouL Lralnlng. ln all buL Lhe mosL excepLlonal cases, Lhe
developmenL of ob[ecLlve awareness requlres dellberaLe and
susLalned efforL wlLh guldance. 1hls dellberaLe efforL ls
slmllar Lo Lhe acqulslLlon of language. WlLhouL exposure Lo
Lhe spoken word, we would sLlll be grunLlng, as do feral
chlldren deprlved of human conLacL. 1hanks Lo a dellberaLe
maLuraLlon process LhaL lncludes language Lralnlng, we
masLer speech and communlcaLlon. Slmllarly, wheLher ln
chlldhood or adulLhood, ob[ecLlve awareness requlres
Lralnlng and conslsLenL pracLlce.
Convent|ona| vs. De||berate Awareness
Cne can rlghLly ask whaL makes one percepLlon more
leglLlmaLe Lhan anoLher. Cne can cerLalnly clalm LhaL
convenLlonally occurrlng" ego-cenLered sub[ecLlve
percepLlon ls Lhe only leglLlmaLe one slnce lL ls Lhe
percepLlon held by Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of humans wlLhouL any
dellberaLe efforL or Lralnlng. 1hls argumenL, however, ls as
valld as suggesLlng LhaL Lhe babbllng of a Loddler ls preferred
Lo acqulrlng language slnce babbllng comes naLurally whlle
language requlres exposure, lnsLrucLlon, and pracLlce.
1he leglLlmacy of one percepLlon over anoLher ls noL a
quesLlon of rlghL or wrong, naLural or learned. lL's a quesLlon
of whlch ls Lhe ptefetteJ percepLlon. 1hls quesLlon can besL
be answered by assesslng Lhe consequences of Lhe
percepLlons Lhemselves.


3
ConvenLlonal sub[ecLlve percepLlon produces a sense of self
LhaL musL be proLecLed, appeased, graLlfled, and shown
deference. 1hese moLlvaLlons lead Lo lndlvldual behavlors
LhaL can be desLrucLlve for Lhe lndlvldual or envlronmenL.
1he Lenaclous echoes of emoLlons and memorles, born from
and relnforced by Lhe ego, llnger well beyond Lhelr
usefulness Lo lnLerfere wlLh raLlonal LhoughLs and behavlor.
AnxleLy, depresslon, and anger are common consequences
of an ego lnLrudlng on awareness and lead Lo maladapLlve
behavlors all Lhelr own. AlLhough all menLal lllness cannoL be
compleLely explalned by sub[ecLlve egocenLrlc Lhlnklng, mosL
cases of depresslon and anxleLy ln Lhe oLherwlse funcLlonlng
lndlvldual llkely arlse from and are malnLalned by excess
aLLenLlon Lo Lhe self. SLrlfe beLween Lwo people, acLs for Lhe
sake of savlng face, crlme of any sorL, and desLrucLlon of
hablLaL (from foresLs Lo nelghborhoods) for Lhe sake of
proflL, power, or self-expresslon are consequences of an ego
ln need of saLlsfylng an unquenchable LhlrsL.
1here are undenlably Lhose who have well-balanced ego-
cenLered percepLlons of reallLy and a self-ldenLlLy LhaL does
noL lnvade Lhe prlorlLles of Lhe momenL. 1hey are happy,
have successful llves, and llve harmonlously wlLh oLhers and
wlLhln Lhelr envlronmenL. 1hey represenL a small mlnorlLy,
however, mosL llkely belng Lhe forLunaLe consequence of
opLlmal blology and parenLlng.
unllke sub[ecLlve percepLlon, ob[ecLlve awareness ls Lhe
ablllLy Lo experlence reallLy wlLhouL Lhe lnLruslon of
egocenLrlc needs, expecLaLlons, or preconcepLlons. 1hls
percepLlon ls one where awareness and reason remaln clear
and unobsLrucLed, where emoLlons are experlenced Lhen leL
go, where Lhe lnLerconnecLedness of Lhe one wlLh Lhe many
and wlLh Lhe envlronmenL ls obvlous. 1he evenLual ouLcome
of ob[ecLlve awareness ls Lhe ready appllcaLlon of reason and
a LranqulllLy LhaL's ln harmony wlLh one's clrcumsLances,


6
communlLy, and envlronmenL. 1hls harmony exlsLs
lndependenL from clrcumsLances, relaLlonshlps, or
economlcs. lL ls harmony, afLer all, LhaL ls Lhe fundamenLal
elemenL mosL of us sLrlve for ln our llves.
1hls ls noL Lo suggesL LhaL ob[ecLlve awareness ls devold of
emoLlonal experlence or expresslon. lL ls noL Lhe excluslvely
loglcal experlence assoclaLed wlLh Lhe flcLlonal characLer Mr.
Spock from 5tot 1tek. Lgolessness slmply removes Lhe
aLLenLlon Lo and value for Lhe self from Lhe experlence.
LmoLlons are felL and expressed honesLly and fully, buL
wlLhouL Lhe exaggeraLlon fueled by ego.
ln egoless ob[ecLlve awareness, Lhere ls no need Lo bemoan
Lhe loss of ego-pleaslng messages of prlde, saLlsfacLlon,
flaLLery, self-esLeem, admlraLlon, and Lhe llke. When one
recognlzes LhaL lL ls Lhe ego LhaL deslres Lhese ego-enhanclng
pleasures, Lhe subverslve, self-servlng naLure of Lhe ego
becomes obvlous. ln Lhe absence of an ego, no loss ls
percelved. ln place of Lhese momenLary ego-sooLhlng
pleasures are LranqulllLy and marvellng aL Lhe speclalness
LhaL surrounds us.
Cne needn'L be born a muslclan Lo play a muslcal lnsLrumenL
nor an arLlsL Lo palnL a canvas. Slmllarly, one needn'L be born
a shaman, mysLlc, or guru Lo Lransform one's percepLlon
from Lhe sub[ecLlve Lo egoless ob[ecLlve awareness. WlLh
Llme and pracLlce, Lhe braln can remold lLself Lo confer Lo
Lhe lndlvldual Lhls new vlew of Lhe world and self. As wlLh
learnlng Lo dance or Lo speak a new language, lL all comes
down Lo conslsLenL pracLlce, day afLer day, momenL Lo
momenL.
1he remalnlng chapLers ln Lhls secLlon presenL Lhe sLrucLures
and funcLlons of Lhe braln responslble for Lhe llluslon of self
and supporL my asserLlon LhaL ego ls a menLal hablL ready Lo


7
be abandoned. 1he maLerlal here wlll show LhaL ego should
be vlewed as a LranslLlonal sLage of menLal maLuraLlon,
whlch by perslsLlng lnLerferes wlLh or suspends furLher
menLal developmenL.


8
2. 1erm|no|ogy
1here are several Lerms LhaL are used here whose meanlngs
may be dlfferenL from Lhose a casual reader or someone
schooled ln psychology may hold.
sychology deflnes psycbe as Lhe cenLer for lndlvldual
LhoughL, emoLlons, and behavloral moLlvaLlons aL Lhe level
of awareness and beneaLh (consclous and subconsclous).
Classlcal psychology dellneaLes Lhree elemenLs of Lhe
psyche: ld, superego, and ego. 1he ld ls LhaL elemenL LhaL
deflnes and drlves self-saLlsfylng prlorlLles. 1he superego ls
LhaL elemenL LhaL deflnes an lndlvldual's moral lmperaLlves,
whlch are largely learned from culLural and soclal
experlences. 1he ego (as deflned ln psychology) ls LhaL
elemenL LhaL pro[ecLs Lhe self and deflnes a saLlsfacLory
compromlse beLween Lhe Lwo oLher elemenLs, ld and
superego.
AnalyLlcal psychology dlvldes Lhe psyche lnLo dlfferenL parLs.
1he ego ls LhaL elemenL LhaL lnLeracLs wlLh reallLy. 1he
subconsclous ls LhaL elemenL LhaL ls beyond awareness buL
whlch lnfluences LhoughLs and behavlors. 1he self ls
consldered Lhe fundamenLal elemenL of belng, analogous Lo
Lhe psyche.
1he Lerm eqo, as used by me and oLher wrlLers deallng wlLh
Lhe Loplc of alLernaLe sLaLes of consclousness, mosL closely
approaches whaL psychology calls Lhe psyche, Lhe
comblnaLlon of ld, superego, and ego, or Lhe sum of Lhe
consclous ego and Lhe subconsclous. 1he slngle Lerm eqo ls
used here Lo encompass Lhem all because, Lhough Lhey
manlfesL dlfferenL lnfluences, Lhey are all acqulred layers of
LhoughLs ln Lhe form of memorles, emoLlons, and drlves LhaL
lnLervene beLween awareness and reallLy. lrom Lhls polnL


9
on, Lhe meanlng of Lhe Lerm eqo, as used by me, wlll reflecL
Lhls convenLlon.
qoceottlclty refers Lo Lhe Lendency Lo value Lhe ego above
all else, and Lo relaLe and raLe Lhe experlences of realLy from
Lhe perspecLlve of Lhe ego for Lhe beneflL of Lhe ego.
5elf and self-lJeotlty refer Lo Lhe percepLlon of a separaLe
belng from all else, Lhe enLlLy LhaL ls felL Lo be a dlsLlncL acLor
on Lhe sLage of reallLy, Lhe l" or me."
5elf-tefeteocloq refers Lo all Lhe hablLually dellberaLe menLal
acLs LhaL relaLe evenLs Lo Lhe ego and brlng aLLenLlon Lo Lhe
self-ldenLlLy. 1hls lncludes [udglng, capLlonlng, or rellvlng
evenLs, and Lhe excesslve value placed on an experlence for
Lhe self. 1he opposlLe of self-referenclng ls awareness of Lhe
momenL wlLhouL superfluous commenL.
Whlle self-referenclng ls a dellberaLe menLal acL, ottocbmeot
ls Lhe auLomaLlc aLLenLlon Lo Lhe self-ldenLlLy and Lhe
aLLlLude LhaL dlrecLs a blas ln all experlences Loward Lhe
sense of Lhe l" or me" Lhe ego. 1hls means personallzlng
experlences and focuslng on wanLs, needs, emoLlons, paln,
and pleasure. ALLachmenL does noL lnvolve all llkes and
wanLs, [usL Lhose LhaL emanaLe from and feed Lhe ego. lL ls
Lhe feellng one usually experlences when noLlclng an allurlng
sLare, hearlng crlLlclsm, belng glven an award or punlshmenL,
or experlenclng physlcal or emoLlonal paln or pleasure.
uetocbmeot ls Lhe process of leLLlng go of aLLachmenLs.
ueLachmenL dlrecLs aLLenLlon Loward Lhe elemenLs of Lhe
momenL, Lhe here and now. ln so dolng, lL redlrecLs
awareness away from Lhe self and any personal value or
emoLlon LhaL ls rouLlnely pro[ecLed onLo an experlence. lL ls
Lhe lmpersonal, unlnvolved experlence of self wlLh Lhe same
lmpersonal, unlnvolved percepLlon of looklng aL a Lree, a


10
cloud, or a sofa cushlon. (uetocbmeot ls more fully dlscussed
ln ChapLer 10.)
5objectlvlty, as used here, refers Lo Lhe alLered percepLlon of
reallLy and self, creaLed and malnLalned by Lhe ego.
qolessoess and objectlve owoteoess are synonymous and
descrlbe Lhe sLaLe of experlenclng reallLy and self wlLhouL
Lhe lnLruslon of egocenLrlc LhoughLs or aLLachmenLs. 1here
are several degrees of egolessness:
An lnLellecLual undersLandlng
An lmpermanenL menLal sLaLe llke Lhe Lemporary
awakenlng from a dream
An endurlng experlence whlle sLlll separaLed from Lhe
mundane reallLles of llfe, such as when a second
language ls known well enough Lo speak ln buL noL
yeL well enough Lo Lhlnk ln
A lasLlng experlence lnLegraLed wlLh dally llfe, such as
when a second language becomes as naLural as one's
naLlve Longue.

No-self ls Lhe loss of Lhe self-ldenLlLy. 1hls ls Lhe experlence
of Lhe momenL wlLhouL an lnLervenlng or experlenclng self.
AcLlon and acLor are one. 1hls occurs ln deeper levels of
egolessness called owokeoloq. lL's called awakenlng because
Lhe ego ls consldered an lllusory dream sLaLe for a mlnd
asleep Lo Lhe reallLy of llfe.
1he sLaLes of egolessness and no-self are noL analogous Lo
psychosls. 1he former Lwo sLaLes are mlndseLs LhaL are
dellberaLely culLlvaLed and chosen. 1hey lnvolve a well-
funcLlonlng mlnd where Lhe LhoughLs LhaL conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe
feellng of self are reduced Lo Lhe polnL where unLalnLed
awareness comes Lo Lhe menLal foreground. sychosls, on
Lhe oLher hand, ls an lnvolunLary condlLlon, Lhe consequence


11
of a malfuncLlonlng braln and dlsordered mlnd. ln psychosls,
LhoughLs lack order and coheslon. Slnce ego ls lLself a
complex paLLern of LhoughLs, Lhe ego ls as dlsordered as all
Lhe oLher LhoughLs Lhe psychoLlc mlnd manufacLures.
Awareness ln Lhls conLexL ls a prlsoner of Lhe dlsLorLlons
presenLed Lo lL.
1he process of slLLlng whlle lnLensely concenLraLlng yeL
wlLhouL Lhlnklng ls usually referred Lo as slttloq raLher Lhan
meJltotloo ln medlLaLlve communlLles because Lhe Lerm
meJltotloo usually refers Lo Lhlnklng deeply abouL a sub[ecL.
Cn Lhe oLher hand, slLLlng lnvolves belng aware wlLhouL
Lhlnklng. Powever, slnce Lhe Lerm meJltotloo has been so
ofLen applled Lo slLLlng ln awareness," Lhe Lerms meJltotloo
and slttloq are used here lnLerchangeably.


12
3. 1he 8ra|n
1he purpose of Lhls chapLer ls Lo presenL Lhose braln areas
and funcLlons LhaL are relevanL Lo ego formaLlon. 1o fully
descrlbe all areas and Lhelr known complex funcLlons would
Lake volumes, buL Lhe secLlon LhaL follows ls only meanL Lo
hlghllghL Lhe anaLomlc speclflclLy and funcLlonal
speclallzaLlon of cerLaln areas wlLhln Lhe braln. 1hls ls
analogous Lo peerlng behlnd Lhe maglclan's curLaln Lo see
LhaL Lhere ls no maglc aL all buL raLher complex machlnery
LhaL operaLes so smooLhly as Lo glve Lhe appearance of
maglc.
1he braln ls composed of lndlvldual nerve cells called
neurons LhaL are Lhe fundamenLal unlLs of Lhe braln. 1hese
neurons have Lhln pro[ecLlons LhaL make conLacLs, called
synapses, wlLh oLher neurons Lo form clrculLs. An lmpulse
Lravels down Lhe clrculL by way of Lhese connecLlons, buL
LhaL does noL mean LhaL every lmpulse ls LransmlLLed, as ls
Lhe case wlLh a Lelegraph slgnal, where each cllck senL ls also
recelved.
neurons have addlLlonal connecLlons Lo modulaLlng neurons
and supporLlve cells, called glla, whlch lncrease or decrease
Lhe Lendency of a glven neuron for LransmlLLlng an lmpulse
down Lhe clrculL. lf Lhe slgnal Lo be LransmlLLed ls supporLed
by augmenLlng lmpulses, lL wlll go on, buL lf lnhlblLory
lmpulses are presenL, LhaL slgnal wlll noL be allowed Lo
conLlnue. A slgnal ls lmporLanL enough Lo be LransmlLLed lf,
among oLher Lhlngs, lL ls one LhaL has prevlously occurred
wlLh cerLaln regularlLy down Lhe same paLh, ls assoclaLed
wlLh a prlmary lmperaLlve (pleasure, paln, or survlval), or ls
assoclaLed wlLh an emoLlonal experlence. 1he more ofLen a
parLlcular rouLe ln a clrculL ls acLlvaLed, Lhe more easlly lLs
neurons and synapses wlll LransmlL an lmpulse. 1hls ls Lhe
essence of one Lype of learnlng. Conversely, lf a clrculL has


13
noL been acLlvaLed ofLen enough, lLs prevlously faclllLaLed
LransmlsslblllLy wlll be reduced. 1hls ls one Lype of
forgeLLlng.
A slmple analogy for Lhe relnforcemenL of clrculLs ls Lhe flow
of ralnwaLer down a hlll. 1he flrsL few Lrlckles selecL a paLh of
leasL reslsLance over Lhe ground. 1haL same paLh ls Lhen
followed by subsequenL flow, whlch burrows deeper lnLo Lhe
ground. 1hus, a rouLe ls esLabllshed for more flow LhaL
evenLually becomes a rlver.
A more complex analogy would be Lrafflc movlng Lhrough
clLy sLreeLs. 1rafflc llghLs aL lnLersecLlons conLrol Lhe flow of
Lrafflc and are lnfluenced by Lhe Lypes of Lrafflc on Lhe
lnLersecLlng sLreeLs: convoys geL preference over lndlvldual
cars, and emergency vehlcles geL preference over all oLher
Lrafflc. lurLhermore, Lhe more ofLen a parLlcular rouLe ls
Laken, Lhe more lanes on LhaL rouLe become avallable and
Lhe longer Lhe llghLs are green, faclllLaLlng Lhe nexL Lrlp down
Lhe same rouLe. Conversely, on a rouLe noL Laken ofLen
enough, lane access wlll be reduced and Lrafflc llghLs wlll
Lurn green less ofLen.
1hus, Lhe behavlor of neurons wlLhln and beLween clrculLs ls
largely a consequence of how Lhey've been prevlously used.
1herefore, common Lhlnklng and behavlor are easler Lo
malnLaln, less common Lhlnklng or behavlor ls harder Lo
conLlnue. ln Lhe end, the m|nd a|ways does more read||y
what |t does more often. AlLhough Lhls conslsLency makes
respondlng Lo Lhe same envlronmenL more efflclenL, lL
makes adapLlng Lo new envlronmenLs or changlng
esLabllshed paLLerns of LhoughL, behavlor, or percepLlon
more challenglng.


14
Iunct|ona| Areas
1he varlous parLs of Lhe braln lnvolved wlLh conLrol of blood
pressure, breaLhlng, speech, movemenL,
and sensaLlon have been found and are
well documenLed. MosL readers wlll
llkely be famlllar wlLh llgure 2, a
dlagram of dlsconnecLed and dlsLorLed
body parLs showlng Lhe areas of Lhe
braln LhaL are dedlcaLed Lo sensaLlons
from and movemenLs of Lhose body
parLs.
1he braln ls dlvlded lnLo lobes. 1he parleLal lobe ls lnvolved
wlLh sensaLlon. 1he rear parL of Lhe fronLal lobe ls lnvolved
llg. 2
llg. 3


13
wlLh movemenL. 1he occlplLal lobe ls lnvolved wlLh vlslon.
MosL Lhlnklng funcLlons, descrlbed earller and below, lnvolve
acLlvlLy ln Lhe prefronLal corLex (ln Lhe fronL parL of Lhe
fronLal lobe).
Less famlllar Lhen Lhe braln cenLers for movemenL and
senslng are Lhe cenLers devoLed Lo Lhe varlous funcLlons of
LhoughL and Lhe percepLlon of self. 1hlnklng ls noL a
nebulous process buL a serles of dlsLlncL sLeps LhaL are
carrled ouL ln speclflc anaLomlcal locaLlons wlLhln Lhe braln.
8ecause of Lhe dlfflculLy of observlng LhoughL and deflnlng
lLs componenLs, Lhe braln areas for LhoughL are noL yeL as
well deflned as Lhey are for sensaLlon and movemenL, buL
slgnlflcanL progress has been made.
lor all Lhe varlous componenLs of LhoughL, Lhere are dlsLlncL
clrculLs lnvolved ln each. 1here ls one area of Lhe braln
devoLed Lo malnLalnlng aLLenLlon when Lhere are no
dlsLracLlons and anoLher for malnLalnlng aLLenLlon when
dlsLracLlons are presenL. Cne area ls lnvolved ln decldlng
whaL Lo do, anoLher ls lnvolved ln decldlng Lhe order ln
whlch Lo do Lhem. 1here ls an area Lo form concluslons or
hypoLheses and anoLher area Lo error-check Lhose
concluslons or hypoLheses. 1here are areas for lmaglnaLlon,
an area for assesslng rlsk, and an area for lnhlblLlng
behavlors learned Lo be soclally lnapproprlaLe. 1here ls one
area for holdlng onLo shorL-Lerm memory and anoLher Lo
organlze memorles so LhaL a Lhlrd area can acLually sLore
Lhem as long-Lerm memory. 1here ls an area Lo ellclL
emoLlons and anoLher area for emoLlonal regulaLlon. 1here
ls also an area relaLed Lo Lhlnklng abouL Lhe self ln concreLe
Lerms and anoLher area for Lhlnklng abouL Lhe self ln Lhe
absLracL.
8ecause Lhe braln's clrculLs for processlng, regulaLlng, and
manlfesLlng Lhe elemenLs of LhoughLs and emoLlons are


16
developed dlfferenLly ln dlfferenL lndlvlduals, Lhere are
varlaLlons of percepLlons and behavlors along a wlde
specLrum. Lxamples lnclude self-conLrolled Lo emoLlonally
lablle, exLroverLed Lo lnLroverLed, pollLlcally llberal Lo
pollLlcally conservaLlve, self-consclous Lo losL ln Lhe momenL,
focused on Lhe momenL Lo losL ln daydreams, and arroganL
Lo lnsecure.
ln Lhe flrsL decade of Lhe 20Lh cenLury, korblnlan 8rodmann
sLudled Lhe mlcroscoplc archlLecLure of Lhe cerebral corLex,
or ouLer braln, and found 32 anaLomlcally dlsLlncL areas ln
Lhe monkey braln (44 ln Lhe human), deflned by Lhelr unlque
nerve cell archlLecLure. 1hey are now referred Lo as
8rodmann Areas and, over Lhe decades, have been asslgned
funcLlons. 1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL a speclflc funcLlon ls llmlLed
[usL Lo LhaL area or LhaL a glven area has only one funcLlon.
1he funcLlons of many areas of Lhe braln have been clarlfled
because of dlrecL sLlmulaLlon of Lhe braln, funcLlonal M8l
examlnaLlons (braln scans) ln Lhe course of experlmenLal
sLudles, and observaLlons of changes seen afLer an ln[ury,
surgery, or Lumor. 1he descrlpLlve Lerms below relaLe Lo
anaLomlcal and funcLlonal locaLlons deflned Lhrough
experlmenLal and posL-ln[ury observaLlon, whlle Lhe
8rodmann Area deslgnaLlons refer Lo a mlcroscoplc
archlLecLural locaLlon. Whlle ofLen llnked ln Lhe llLeraLure,
Lhe Lwo deslgnaLlons do noL perfecLly allgn wlLh Lhe same
areas. 1hls dlfflculLy ln accuraLely asslgnlng funcLlon Lo
locaLlon ls ln parL due Lo an area havlng mulLlple funcLlons,
Lhe effecLs of damage from an accldenL or dlsease noL
exacLly correspondlng wlLh funcLlons deflned by a parLlcular
experlmenLal deslgn, Lhe llmlLed resolvlng ablllLy of
funcLlonal M8ls (braln scans), and flnally, Lhe sLlll-mysLerlous
naLure of Lhe braln and Lhe process of LhoughL.


17
!"# %&'()%*% ls an almond-shaped area locaLed ln each of
Lhe braln's hemlspheres. lLs clrculLs are lnvolved wlLh Lhe
emoLlons of fear, anxleLy, anger, and emoLlonal memory.
8eporLs of damage Lo Lhls area descrlbed affecLed
lndlvlduals as havlng feellngs of fearlessness and Lhe lnablllLy
Lo recognlze emoLlonal expresslons ln oLhers.
!"# %+,#-./- 0.+(1*%,# 0/-,#2 34556 %-#%7 896 :86 ::; ls
locaLed on Lhe lnner, medlal, surface of Lhe braln. lLs
mulLlple funcLlons lnclude aLLenLlon, confllcL/error
resoluLlon ln LhoughL processlng (e.g., Lhe SLroop effecL:
saylng Lhe color of a prlnLed color word lnsLead of readlng
LhaL color word. 1haL ls, Lhe word red" prlnLed ln green lnk
would requlre Lhe correcL answer, green"), deducLlve
reasonlng, memory, menLal Llmekeeplng, processlng
movemenL, and Lheory of mlnd (undersLandlng Lhe menLal
sLaLes of oLhers). 8eporLs of damage Lo Lhls area descrlbe
lndlvlduals wlLh dlfflculLy ln focuslng aLLenLlon when
presenLed wlLh dlsLracLlons. luncLlonal M8ls done of Lhe
bralns of persons wlLh exaggeraLed sensaLlons of paln show
reduced acLlvlLy ln Lhls area. Area 32 ls LhoughL Lo be
lnvolved ln reward-based cholce selecLlon and for ad[usLlng
Lhlnklng Lo changes ln condlLlons, self-lnslghL, appralsal of
negaLlve emoLlons, and mood regulaLlon. 8eporLs of damage
Lo Lhls area descrlbe lndlvlduals wlLh dlfflculLy ln maklng
cholces and ad[usLlng declslon maklng Lo changlng
condlLlons.


18
!"# </7,#-./- 0.+(1*%,# 0/-,#2 3=556 %-#%7 8:6 :>; ls locaLed
on Lhe lnner surface and ls lnvolved ln memory, paln
processlng, self-referenclng, self-monlLorlng, and modulaLlng
aLLenLlon. Compared Lo oLher areas, Lhe posLerlor clngulaLe
corLex ls much less well deflned.
!"# )/-7%* &#).%* <-#?-/+,%* 0/-,#2 3@A =B56 %-#% C;D ls
locaLed on Lhe lnner surface, and lLs funcLlons lnclude
concreLe LhoughLs of self and rapld error correcLlon durlng
an ongolng process of LhoughL or behavlor. 8eporLs of
damage Lo Lhls area descrlbe lncreased reacLlon Llme and
errors durlng rapldly changlng condlLlons. M8l sLudles show
llg. 4


19
LhaL lndlvlduals who have medlLaLed for years have a Lhlcker
corLex here Lhan non-medlLaLors.
!"# E#+,-%* &#).%* <-#?-/+,%* 0/-,#2 3FA =B56 %*7/ G+/H+
%7 ,"# I/7,-%* =-#?-/+,%* 5/-,#26 %-#% >J;D ls locaLed on Lhe
lnner surface, and lLs funcLlons lnclude declslon maklng ln
Lhe seLLlng of uncerLalnLy and helplng Lo make declslons LhaL
are noL caprlclous or arblLrary. 1hls area also seems Lo be
lnvolved wlLh lnhlblLlng declslons LhaL counLer personal
moral values. AddlLlonally, Lhls area ls lnvolved ln emoLlonal
or absLracL LhoughLs of self and ln learnlng desenslLlzaLlon
from anxleLy-provoklng sLlmull. 8eporLs of damage Lo Lhls
area descrlbe lndlvlduals percelvlng prevlously ob[ecLlonable
acLlvlLles as accepLable. AnoLher damage reporL descrlbes an
lndlvldual who was lnapproprlaLely cheerful. M8l sLudles
show LhaL lndlvlduals who have medlLaLed for years have a
Lhlcker corLex here Lhan non-medlLaLors. 1he mosL anLerlor
porLlon of Lhls area seems Lo be lnvolved ln organlzlng
declslons and acLlons LhaL have a speclflc order Lo Lhem.
uamage Lo Lhls area was reporLed Lo cause Lhe lnablllLy Lo
compleLe complex problems.
!"# &#).%* <-#?-/+,%* 0/-,#2 3%-#%7 C6 >J;D funcLlons
lnclude error deLecLlon and LhoughLs abouL self, called self-
reflecLlon. 8eporLs of damage Lo Lhe medlal prefronLal
corLex descrlbe reduced ablllLy Lo cope wlLh sLress. M8l
sLudles show LhaL lndlvlduals who have medlLaLed for years
have a Lhlcker corLex here Lhan non-medlLaLors.
!"# /-K.,%* <-#?-/+,%* 0/-,#2 3L-K =B56 %-#% >>;D ls Lhe area
of Lhe braln locaLed [usL over Lhe eyes. lLs funcLlons lnclude
anLlclpaLlng emoLlonal responses, empaLhy, declslons
lnvolvlng uncerLalnLy, conLrolllng cholce selecLlon, and
reward-based declslons. 1he area also seems Lo regulaLe Lhe
soclal approprlaLeness of behavlor, as damage here was
reporLed Lo cause lmpulslve, dlslnhlblLed, or unlnhlblLed


20
behavlor, such as uslng profanlLy, hypersexuallLy, and
gambllng. (1hls doesn'L mean Lhe braln evolved an area Lo
conLrol profanlLy, gambllng, or sexuallLy, buL raLher Lo
conLrol whaLever lL learned Lo be soclally lnapproprlaLe.
8elng accepLed soclally for early humans lncreased Lhe
llkellhood of beneflLlng from soclal belonglng and, Lherefore,
survlval. 1hose LhaL dldn'L develop Lhls sklll were less llkely
Lo be accepLed soclally, so Lhey were lefL Lo fend for
Lhemselves ln a hosLlle envlronmenL Lo perlsh or fall Lo
reproduce.)
*Note. 5ootces Jlffet oo tbe oomeoclotote fot tbe meJlol
pteftootol cottlcol oteos. 5ome sootces Jlscoss fooctloos lo
tetms of tbe eotlte meJlol oteo, ooJ some JlvlJe tbe oteo
fottbet wbeo Jefloloq fooctloo. 5ome locloJe tbe Acc lo tbe
meJlol llc. 5ome JlvlJe tbe eotlte meJlol oteo loto Jotsol
(opptoxlmotloq oteo 9), tosttomeJlol (opptoxlmotloq oteo
10), ooJ veottol (opptoxlmotloq oteos 11 ooJ 12), tbos
omlttloq tbe obove-meotlooeJ otbltol pteftootol cottex.
5loce tbe potpose of tbls text ls to lllosttote tbe fooctloool
Jlffeteotlotloo of tbe pteftootol cottex totbet tboo to
Jefloltlvely otttlbote o speclflc fooctloo to o speclflc oteo, l
temoloeJ cooslsteot wltb Jesctlptloos wltblo eocb loJlvlJool
stoJy ot popet, wltboot ttyloq to tecooclle tbe locooslsteocles
lo oomeoclotote betweeo tbem.
!"# <-#01+#17 3%-#% M; ls an area on Lhe lnner surface of
each hemlsphere Loward Lhe Lop rear. 1he precuneus ls
lnvolved ln Lhe dellberaLe shlfLlng of aLLenLlon,
undersLandlng Lhe LhoughLs of oLhers by relaLlng Lhem Lo
one's own, and reflecLlng body movemenLs felL, seen, or
lmaglned. CLher lnformaLlon suggesLs Lhls area ls lnvolved ln
self-reflecLlon and auLoblographlcal memory (abouL oneself).
!"# )/-7%* *%,#-%* <-#?-/+,%* 0/-,#2 3@N =B56 %-#% 9O; ls
locaLed on Lhe ouLer, laLeral, surface and ls lnvolved ln


21
absLracL Lhlnklng, organlzlng Lask-relaLed worklng memory,
and helplng Lo organlze memorles for long-Lerm memory
formaLlon. 1he lefL uL lC ls LhoughL Lo be lnvolved wlLh
lmpulse conLrol and conLrol of rlsky behavlor. 8eporLs of
damage Lo Lhls area descrlbe Lhe lnablllLy Lo use memorles
relaLed Lo Lasks.
!"# E#+,-%* *%,#-%* <-#?-/+,%* 0/-,#2 3FN =B56 %-#%7 996 9P6
9M; ls locaLed on Lhe ouLer surface. lLs funcLlons lnclude
malnLalnlng concenLraLlon, dlrecLlng aLLenLlon, and
generaLlng hypoLheses ln cerLaln conLexLs.
!"# ,#&</-/<%-.#,%* Q1+0,./+ 3!=R6 %-#%7 886 :C6 9J;
llg. 3


22
(someLlmes referred Lo as Lhe lnferlor parleLal lobe), ls an
area on Lhe ouLer surface of Lhe braln locaLed aL Lhe [uncLlon
of Lhe posLerlor end of Lhe Lemporal lobe and Lhe lower
parleLal lobe. lL ls LhoughL Lo lnLegraLe lnformaLlon from
several areas of Lhe braln relaLed Lo self and body.
LxperlmenLs suggesL lL ls lnvolved wlLh self-represenLaLlon,
asslgnlng flrsL-person perspecLlve and experlenclng
empaLhy. When Lhe area was dlsrupLed Lo varylng degrees
by an elecLrlc probe, lL led elLher Lo Lhe percepLlon of a
shadow person" presenL beslde one's own feellng of self or
Lhe feellng of an ouL-of-body-experlence.
!"# .+71*% 3%-#% :; ls a porLlon of Lhe corLex LhaL folds
lnward aL Lhe sldes and, Lherefore, ls noL seen from Lhe
surface. lL's assoclaLed wlLh Lhe feellng of self, awareness of
body sLaLes, regulaLlng Lhe
percepLlon of paln, empaLhy,
compasslon, declslon maklng, and
rlsk assessmenL. uamage Lo Lhls area
led Lo lncreased severlLy of
percelved paln, loss of body sLaLus
awareness, dlfflculLy wlLh declslon
maklng ln Lhe seLLlng of uncerLalnLy,
or loss of empaLhy. M8l sLudles
show LhaL some, buL noL all,
lndlvlduals who have medlLaLed for
years have a Lhlcker lnsular corLex Lhan non-medlLaLors. lL's
posLulaLed LhaL Lhe dlfferences seen among medlLaLors may
be a consequence of Lhelr dlfferenL medlLaLlon Lechnlques.
!"# )#?%1*, &/)# +#,H/-G ls a group of areas found Lo be
acLlve by funcLlonal M8l sLudles done whlle Lhe sub[ecLs
were aL resL, LhaL ls, when noL dellberaLely dlrecLlng Lhelr
LhoughLs. 1hese are areas lnvolved wlLh memory reLrleval,
referrlng Lo self, aLLenLlon and emoLlonal processlng:
dorsomedlal prefronLal corLex, venLromedlal prefronLal
llg. 6


23
corLex, posLerlor clngulaLe corLex, and lnferlor parleLal lobe
(near Lhe LemporoparleLal [uncLlon, 1!). 1hls neLwork ls
LhoughL Lo be responslble for whaL ls called Lhe sLream of
consclousness, Lhe undlrecLed flow of LhoughLs when noL
aLLendlng Lo any parLlcular sLlmulus. luncLlonal M8l sLudles
of persons who have medlLaLed regularly reporL less acLlvlLy
aL resL ln areas assoclaLed wlLh self-referenclng (dorsomedlal
lC, venLromedlal lC, and posLerlor clngulaLe corLex) buL
descrlbe lncreased acLlvlLy ln areas assoclaLed wlLh worklng
memory and cognlLlve conLrol (dorsal anLerlor clngulaLe
corLex and dorsolaLeral lC).
!"# *.&K.0 7'7,#& ls comprlsed of several areas ln Lhe braln
lnvolved wlLh sLrong emoLlons (amygdala), memory
formaLlon, memory reLrleval, emoLlonal regulaLlon,
(hlppocampus), and Lhe regulaLlon of pulse and blood
pressure (clngulaLe gyrus). When one conslders LhaL Lhe
fundamenLal purpose of any organlsm ls survlval and LhaL
emoLlons are lnLense menLal sLaLes Lo moLlvaLe behavlor, lL
makes sense LhaL Lhese funcLlons be grouped. lf an emoLlon
occurs Lo ensure survlval, lL would be lmporLanL Lo
remember Lhe clrcumsLances surroundlng Lhe evenL and
Lhen reduce Lhe emoLlon Lo prevenL lL from lnLerferlng wlLh
subsequenL LhoughLful responses. 1hls regulaLlon ls
analogous Lo Lurnlng off dlsLracLlng alarm bells and sLrobe
llghLs once Lhe alarm has been recognlzed so LhaL Lhe
emergency can be dealL wlLh wlLhouL hlndrance.
Lxper|menta| Data
5elf-kefeteocloq
8. 8enolL and oLhers (wbeo l tblok oboot me ooJ slmolote
yoo. MeJlol tosttol pteftootol cottex ooJ self-tefeteotlol
ptocesses) sLudled Lhe effecLs of parLlclpanLs descrlblng
elLher Lhemselves or a frlend uslng selecLed LralL words,
(e.g.: educaLed, gosslpy, sarcasLlc, angry, modesL, and
lrraLlonal). Whlle parLlclpanLs' bralns were belng scanned by


24
a funcLlonal M8l, Lhey were presenLed wlLh Lhe words and
asked Lo reglsLer lf Lhe LralL referred Lo Lhemselves or Lhelr
frlend. As a conLrol, Lhe parLlclpanLs were asked Lo ldenLlfy
Lhe number of syllables ln neuLral words.
1he scans showed greaLer acLlvaLlon ln Lhe medlal rosLral
reglon (medlal anLerlor) of Lhe prefronLal corLex (8A 10) and
anLerlor lnsula when Lhey were descrlblng Lhemselves or a
frlend Lhan when descrlblng a neuLral word. lurLhermore,
Lhere was greaLer acLlvaLlon ln Lhe rlghL lnsula when Lhe
parLlclpanLs descrlbed Lhemselves.
k. vogeley and oLhers (MloJ teoJloq. oeotol mecboolsms of
tbeoty of mloJ ooJ self-petspectlve) sLudled Lhe effecL of
Lhlnklng ln Lhe flrsL- or Lhlrd-person perspecLlve whlle
readlng sLorles wrlLLen ln one of Lhree sLyles: flrsL person,
Lhlrd person, and unllnked senLences. luncLlonal M8l braln
scans were done whlle sub[ecLs read Lhese sLorles.


23
8eadlng ln Lhe Lhlrd person acLlvaLed Lhe anLerlor clngulaLe
corLex (ACC) conflrmlng lLs lnvolvemenL ln Lheory of mlnd,"
Lhe ablllLy Lo undersLand Lhe menLal sLaLes of anoLher. Whlle
sub[ecLs read sLorles ln Lhe flrsL person, scans showed
acLlvaLlon ln Lhe precuneus and rlghL LemporoparleLal
[uncLlon (1!), ln addlLlon Lo Lhe ACC. 1he auLhors also quoLe
oLher sLudles menLlonlng LhaL ln[urles ln Lhe area of Lhe ACC
resulLed ln dlfflculLy wlLh Lasks lnvolvlng undersLandlng Lhe
llg. 7


26
menLal sLaLes of oLhers, ln[urles Lo Lhe rlghL 1! were
assoclaLed wlLh self vlsuo-spaLlal" neglecL, noL paylng
aLLenLlon Lo or belng unaware of one's own body parL. 1he
auLhors wrlLe LhaL Lhls suggesLs LhaL Laklng SLLl (Lhe flrsL
person perspecLlve) may draw on a body represenLaLlon as
Lhe cenLer of an ego-cenLrlc experlenLlal space."
M. Lsslen and oLhers (lte-teflectlve ooJ teflectlve self
tefeteoce. o spotlotempotol C ooolysls) sLudled Lhe effecL
of Lhlnklng ln Lhe flrsL-person perspecLlve compared Lo Lhe
Lhlrd-person perspecLlve. Whlle parLlclpanLs' bralns were
belng scanned by a hlgh resoluLlon LLC and a funcLlonal M8l,
Lhey were presenLed wlLh a serles of Lhree word senLences,
composed of a personal pronoun (l," she," and he") and
Lhen a feellng expresslon (am happy," ls sad," eLc.).
1he resulLs showed LhaL Lhe dorsomedlal prefronLal corLex
(uM-lC), venLromedlal prefronLal corLex (vM-lC), Lhe
rlghL lnsula, and Lhe rlghL lnferlor parleLal lobe were more
acLlve when referrlng Lo Lhe flrsL person l," compared Lo
referrlng Lo Lhe Lhlrd person he" or she." When referrlng
Lo Lhe Lhlrd person, Lhe uM-lC was acLlvaLed buL noL Lhe
vM-lC. 1hls suggesLs LhaL Lhe vM-lC reglon has a self-
referenclng role, whlle Lhe uM-lC has a more cognlLlve
symbollc emoLlon-free" role ln relaLlng Lo a self-deflnlng
LralL.
M. k. !ohnson and oLhers (ulssoclotloq meJlol ftootol ooJ
postetlot cloqolote octlvlty Jotloq self-teflectloo) sLudled Lhe
effecL of self-referenclng ln an lnward" vs. ouLward"
orlenLaLlon. Whlle parLlclpanLs' bralns were belng scanned
wlLh a funcLlonal M8l, Lhey were asked Lo Lhlnk abouL Lhelr
hopes and asplraLlons vs. duLles and responslblllLles. 1he
former referenced Lhe self ln an lnward, more absLracL
conLexL, whlle Lhe laLLer referenced Lhe self ln an ouLward,


27
more concreLe conLexL. arLlclpanLs were exposed Lo a
conLrol conLexL such as lmaglnlng bears flshlng.
8oLh Lypes of self-referenclng showed lncreased acLlvlLy ln
Lhe dorsomedlal prefronLal corLex (uM-lC), precuneus, and
posLerlor clngulaLe corLex (CC) when compared Lo Lhe
conLrol. Comparlng Lhe Lwo Lypes of self-referenclng Lhough,
Lhe venLromedlal prefronLal corLex (vM-lC) and anLerlor
clngulaLe (ACC) were more acLlve durlng lnward self-
referenclng, buL Lhe uM-lC and posLerlor clngulaLe areas
(CC) were more acLlve durlng ouLward self-referenclng.
1hls sLudy conLrasLs Lhe Lwo parLs of Lhe medlal prefronLal
corLex: Lhe dorsal (upper) and Lhe venLral (lower) porLlons:
1he venLral area was descrlbed as belng more lnvolved ln
emoLlonal, personallzed absLracL LhoughLs of self, whlle Lhe
dorsal area was descrlbed as belng more lnvolved ln
concreLe cognlLlve (uLlllLarlan) LhoughLs of self.
Ceorge norLhoff and oLhers (5elf-tefeteotlol ptocessloq lo
oot btolo - A meto-ooolysls of lmoqloq stoJles oo tbe self), ln
hls revlew of several sLudles abouL self-referenLlal
processlng, quoLes phllosopher Wllllam !ames, who ln 1892
reporLed: 1he consclousness of Self lnvolves a sLream of
LhoughL, each parL of whlch as 'l' can remember Lhose whlch
wenL before, know LhaL Lhlngs Lhey knew, and care
paramounLly for cerLaln ones among Lhem as 'Me', and
approprlaLe Lo Lhese Lhe resL. [slc]"
Ceorge norLhoff explalns, Slnce Lhe sLream of LhoughL ls
consLanLly changlng, for !ames, Lhere was no reason Lo
posLulaLe any core process of selfhood beyond Lhe sLream
lLself, whlch slnce lL was consLanLly changlng, led Lo Lhe
posslblllLy of a mulLlpllclLy of selves." norLhoff goes on Lo
menLlon Lhe many varlaLlons of self-referenclng LhaL have
been sLudled, among Lhem: agency (Lhe doer) and


28
ownershlp of movemenL, Lhe spaLlal domaln, Lhe soclal
domaln, Lhe emoLlonal domaln, and Lhe self ln memory.
A Zen 8uddhlsL chanL, Affltmloq loltb lo MloJ, wrlLLen by an
unknown auLhor ln Lhe flfLh or slxLh cenLury CL, conLalns Lhe
verse: lf all LhoughL ob[ecLs dlsappear, Lhe Lhlnklng sub[ecL
drops away. lor Lhlngs are Lhlngs because of mlnd, as mlnd ls
mlnd because of Lhlngs. 1hese Lwo are merely relaLlve, and
boLh aL source are LmpLlness." l lnLerpreL Lhls less
enlgmaLlcally: 1houghLs are LhoughLs because of Lhe sense of
self, as Lhe sense of self ls a feellng of self because of
LhoughLs. As each ls a consequence of Lhe oLher, Lhere ls no
fundamenLal and dlsLlncL orlgln of elLher.
uefoolt Netwotk
8. 8uckner and oLhers (1be 8tolos uefoolt Netwotk)
revlewed mulLlple sLudles Lo consolldaLe flndlngs and
supposlLlons. 1he defaulL neLwork ls LhaL group of braln
reglons acLlve when Lhe mlnd ls noL engaged ln a focused
Lask. 1he venLromedlal prefronLal corLex, Lhe dorsomedlal
prefronLal corLex, Lhe posLerlor clngulaLe corLex, and lnferlor
parleLal lobule make up Lhe core sysLem, whlle Lhe
hlppocampus and parahlppocampal corLex make up a
subsysLem. As Lhe defaulL neLwork acLlvlLy ls noL seen ln
lnfanLs, lL ls assumed LhaL lL develops durlng Lhe Loddler and
chlldhood years.
osLerlor clngulaLe corLex funcLlonallLy ls noL fully
characLerlzed, buL lL has been llnked Lo lnLernally dlrecLed
LhoughL and modulaLlon of aLLenLlon ln Lhe absence of a
Lask. 1he dorsomedlal prefronLal corLex ls seen Lo be acLlve
durlng [udgmenLs abouL self and oLhers wlLh whom Lhe LesL
sub[ecL feels a shared commonallLy, buL noL durlng
[udgmenLs abouL compleLe sLrangers.


29
AcLlvlLy ls reduced ln Lhe defaulL neLwork durlng mosL Lasks
buL ls lncreased aL resL and durlng Lasks LhaL lnvolve a
sensory experlence and Lhose LhaL requlre Lhe recollecLlon of
auLoblographlcal memory (Lhe laLLer Lwo belng Lasks LhaL are
ln Lhemselves self-referenclng ln naLure). As acLlvlLy ln Lhe
defaulL neLwork lncreases, acLlvlLy ln an exLernal aLLenLlon
sysLem dlmlnlshes. 1he defaulL neLwork ls seen Lo be
overacLlve ln schlzophrenla and reduced or dlsrupLed ln
Alzhelmer's demenLla.
MloJ ooJ MeJltotloo
8. Polzel and oLhers (MloJfoloess ptoctlce leoJs to locteoses
lo teqloool btolo qtey mottet Jeoslty) scanned Lhe bralns of
parLlclpanLs wlLh an M8l before and afLer an elghL-week-
long course ln mlndfulness, where Lhe cumulaLlve average
reporLed Llme spenL ln mlndfulness medlLaLlon was 22.6
hours ln addlLlon Lo acLlve mlndfulness durlng Lhe day.
lncreases ln braln gray maLLer were seen ln Lhe lefL
hlppocampus, lnsula, LemporoparleLal [uncLlon, Lhe posLerlor
clngulaLe corLex, and LhaL parL of Lhe braln sLem relaLed Lo
Lhe release of seroLonln (assoclaLed wlLh mood conLrol) and
noreplnephrlne (assoclaLed wlLh arousal).
1he hlppocampus Lakes parL ln emoLlonal regulaLlon, and
reduced hlppocampal volume ls seen ln ma[or depresslon
and posL-LraumaLlc sLress dlsorder. 1he lnsula ls lnvolved ln
concenLraLlon, awareness of body sLaLus, and ln empaLhy.
1he LemporoparleLal [uncLlon (1!) ls lnvolved ln Lhe
consclous experlence of self and Lhe unlLy of percepLlon of
self and body. lmpalred 1! funcLlon ls assoclaLed wlLh Lhe
sensaLlon of an ouL-of-body experlence or an oLher" or
shadow" experlence of self. 1he posLerlor clngulaLe corLex
ls LhoughL Lo be lnvolved ln lnLegraLlng self-referenLlal
emoLlonal and auLoblographlcal lnformaLlon and modulaLlng
aLLenLlon.


30
S. Lazar and oLhers (MeJltotloo expetleoce ls ossocloteJ wltb
locteoseJ cottlcol tblckoess) compared braln corLex Lhlckness
among medlLaLors who pracLlced lnslghL MedlLaLlon for an
average of nlne years, slx hours per week, wlLh Lhose who
dld noL, maLchlng for age and gender. (lnslghL MedlLaLlon
lnvolves susLalned awareness of Lhe body and mlnd and Lhelr
varlous sLaLes of belng.) MedlLaLors were found Lo have
lncreased Lhlckness of Lhe rlghL anLerlor lnsula. lncreased
medlal prefronLal corLex Lhlckness was noL found ln Lhls
sLudy, a Lhlckness LhaL was seen ln oLher sLudles on
medlLaLors. 1hls dlfference was LhoughL Lo be due Lo lnslghL
MedlLaLlon placlng greaLer emphasls on self-awareness Lhan
oLher medlLaLlon Lechnlques, self-awareness belng an acLlon
for whlch Lhe lnsula ls noLed Lo be responslble.
n. larb and oLhers (AtteoJloq to tbe pteseot. MloJfoloess
meJltotloo teveols Jlstloct oeotol moJes of self-tefeteoce)
sLudled parLlclpanLs ln an elghL-week-long mlndfulness-
based sLress managemenL course. arLlclpanLs were asked Lo
Lraln for 43 mlnuLes a day and aLLend a class one day a week.
1ralnlng lncluded breaLhlng medlLaLlon, body lmage Lralnlng,
and baslc yoga posLures. luncLlonal M8l scans of Lhe bralns
of medlLaLors were compared wlLh braln scans of a non-
medlLaLlng populaLlon. uurlng Lhe M8l scans, parLlclpanLs
were cued Lo perform one of Lwo acLlons. Cne acLlon was Lo
be aware of whaL was golng on ln Lhelr LhoughLs wlLhouL
engaglng Lhem, wlLhouL purpose or goal, (experlenLlal,
defaulL resLlng acLlvlLy). AlLernaLely, parLlclpanLs were Lo
read a presenLed LralL word (varylng ln degrees of poslLlve or
negaLlve, for example, charmlng or greedy), Lhlnk abouL how
Lhe LralL relaLed Lo Lhem, and Lo follow whaLever Lraln of
LhoughL developed (narraLlve, self-referenclng acLlvlLy).
uurlng self-referenclng, boLh novlces and medlLaLors showed
acLlvlLy ln Lhe area of Lhe braln prevlously conflrmed Lo be
assoclaLed wlLh Lhlnklng abouL Lhe self: Lhe rosLral medlal


31
prefronLal corLex, dorsomedlal prefronLal corLex, and
posLerlor clngulaLe corLex. uurlng Lhe resLlng (defaulL) sLaLe
of Lhe sLudy, medlLaLors (when compared Lo novlces)
showed less acLlvaLlon ln Lhe venLromedlal prefronLal corLex
and Lhe dorsomedlal prefronLal corLex whlle slmulLaneously
havlng more acLlvlLy ln Lhe rlghL laLeral prefronLal corLex,
rlghL lnsula, and lnferlor parleLal lobule.
1he auLhors make several asserLlons: 1) LhaL Lhe defaulL
sLaLe ln Lhe medlLaLlon group shlfLed away from Lhe mldllne
corLex (assoclaLed wlLh self-referenclng) Loward Lhe laLeral
corLex (assoclaLed wlLh cognlLlon), 2) LhaL Lhls shlfL
supporLed Lhe awareness of Lhe psychologlcal presenL, and
3) LhaL Lhls shlfL Lo Lhe laLeral corLex seen ln medlLaLors
suggesLs LhaL awareness of Lhe psychologlcal presenL
represenLed by evoluLlonary older neural reglons, may
represenL a reLurn Lo Lhe neural orlglns of ldenLlLy, ln whlch
self-awareness ln each momenL arlses from Lhe lnLegraLlon
of baslc lnLerocepLlve and exLerocepLlve bodlly sensory
processes. ln conLrasL (Lo cognlLlon), Lhe narraLlve mode of
self-reference may represenL an over-learned mode of
lnformaLlon processlng LhaL has become auLomaLlc Lhrough
pracLlce, conslsLenL wlLh esLabllshed flndlngs on Lralnlng-
lnduced auLomaLlclLy." ln oLher words, Lhe defaulL neLwork
ln medlLaLors lnvolved Lhe ouLer corLex, a parL of Lhe braln
LhaL evolved earller and LhaL ls acLlve for momenL-Lo-
momenL awareness. 1hls ls ln conLrasL Lo acLlvlLy ln Lhe lnner
corLex, a parL of Lhe braln LhaL developed more recenLly,
resulLlng ln aLLenLlon Lo a learned auLomaLlc represenLaLlon
of Lhe self.
Summary
1he defaulL neLwork ls noL seen unLll Lhe Loddler years. 1hls
ls Lhe same perlod LhaL Lhe ego ls seen Lo flrsL manlfesL lLself.


32
1here ls overlapplng acLlvaLlon ln areas lnvolved wlLh Lhe
defaulL neLwork and self-referenclng.
1here ls an lnverse relaLlonshlp beLween acLlvlLy ln Lhe areas
of aLLenLlon Lo self and aLLenLlon Lo Lasks (l.e., Lo Lhe
momenL), such LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of aLLenLlon ls dlrecLed Lo
one purpose aL a Llme, Lo Lasks or Lo Lhe self.
1aklng Lhe flrsL- or Lhlrd-person perspecLlve ls assoclaLed
wlLh acLlvlLy ln dlfferenL areas of Lhe braln.
1he self can be referenced Lwo ways, from Lhe concreLe
perspecLlve, exempllfled by relaLlng Lhe self Lo Lhe
envlronmenL, and from Lhe absLracL perspecLlve, exempllfled
by relaLlng Lhe self Lo lnLernal moLlvaLlons. Lach lnvolves a
dlfferenL grouplng of braln areas.
8eferrlng Lo Lhe self ln Lhe more concreLe perspecLlve
lnvolves Lhe same areas as Lhlnklng ln Lhe Lhlrd person.
MedlLaLlon lncreases braln acLlvlLy for performlng Lasks,
dlrecLlng aLLenLlon, processlng emoLlons, and awareness of
Lhe physlcal self and reduces braln acLlvlLy for aLLenLlon Lo
Lhe psychologlcal self.
Self-referenclng may represenL a learned or superlmposed
meLhod of processlng lnformaLlon by cerLaln braln areas on
Lhe medlal braln surface LhaL are, Lhrough medlLaLlon,
replaced wlLh a process of aLLenLlon Lo Lhe momenL by areas
on Lhe laLeral braln surface.
1he resLlng sLaLe of Lhe mlnd ln non-medlLaLors ls occupled
wlLh LhoughLs relaLlng Lo a psychologlcal self, whlle ln
medlLaLors, Lhe mlnd's resLlng sLaLe ls occupled wlLh
aLLenLlon Lo Lhe momenL.


33
4. Cr|g|n of the Lgo
1he formaLlon and perslsLence of Lhe ego ls nelLher a
predeLermlned nor lnescapable consequence of deslgn, as
are Lhe flve flngers of each hand or Lhe color of one's eyes.
1here are, however, cerLaln braln characLerlsLlcs LhaL
faclllLaLe lLs formaLlon and perslsLence, separaLe from and
overrldlng ob[ecLlve awareness.
Spontaneous Act|v|ty
Some Llme before blrLh, when a crlLlcal mass of nerve
clrculLs has been lald down, Lhe braln sLarLs processlng
lnformaLlon, never Lo sLop unless deeply anesLheLlzed or
dead. 1hls ls Lhe propenslLy Lo propagaLe a LhoughL, Lo seek
ouL sLlmulaLlon, Lo manlfesL a movemenL, and reallze a wlll.
Lven when we are asleep, subconsclous and unconsclous
levels of Lhe mlnd conLlnue Lo acLlvaLe and arrange
memorles or propagaLe LhoughLs.
When Lhe braln ls noL engaged ln a Lask, mosL consclous
LhoughLs are superfluous [udgmenLs or are lnvolved ln self-
referenclng, as sLudles on Lhe defaulL neLwork suggesL.
lurLhermore, awareness of one's own sLream of
consclousness demonsLraLes Lhls. LmoLlons are Lemporary
buL powerful moLlvaLors of behavlor, buL Lhey also
preclplLaLe LhoughLs devoLed Lo emoLlonal experlences,
ofLen manlfesLlng as Lenaclous emoLlonal echoes LhaL perslsL
long afLer Lhe preclplLaLlng experlence has ceased.
1he relaLlonshlp of LhoughLs and emoLlons Lo Lhe sense of
self ls Lhe same as Lhe relaLlonshlp of llnes Lo Lhe lmage Lhey
form. A few random llnes are [usL LhaL, random llnes. As
more llnes are added Lo Lhe canvas, aL some polnL, a crlLlcal
mass of llnes accumulaLes ln [usL Lhe rlghL locaLlons Lo form a
percepLlble lmage. 1he llnes


34

l
l
g
.

8
.

A


8
u
b
e

C
o
l
d
b
e
r
g

M
a
c
h
l
n
e



33
are sLlll [usL lndlvldual llnes, as LhoughLs are [usL lndlvldual
LhoughLs, yeL Lhere ls an lmage Lo be percelved from Lhose
llnes and a self-ldenLlLy Lo be percelved from Lhose LhoughLs.
Whlle Lhe cognlLlve mlnd generaLes mosL uLlllLarlan
LhoughLs, Lhe ego generaLes superfluous [udgmenLs, self-
referenclng LhoughLs, and emoLlonal echoes. 1h|s menta|
act|v|ty |s ana|ogous to steps of a perpetua| mot|on kube
Go|dberg mach|ne, one movement propagat|ng another,
wh|ch further propagates others. A mlnd occupled wlLh lLs
own LhoughLs and self-ldenLlLy, ofLen lnvolved wlLh an lnner
monologue, ls a mlnd obscurlng Lhe essenLlal LruLh LhaL
awareness alone ls Lhe fundamenLal naLure of belng. 1here ls
no lnherenL off swlLch," however, for Lhe braln's acLlvlLy
under volunLary conLrol.
Ground|essness
We come lnLo Lhe world as lnLellecLual and emoLlonal
neophyLes, empLy vessels wlLhouL knowledge or experlence.
Cur neurologlcal clrculLs are largely uncommlLLed Lo any
knowledge, undersLandlng, or complex LhoughL, belng ready
Lo learn as much as posslble from whaL we see, hear, and
feel. 1here |s noth|ng |nnate |n the bra|n that def|nes the
un|verse as true or rea|.
1hrough Lhe groundlessness of lmaglnaLlon, Lhe braln can
creaLe a reallLy of lLs own. 1hls allows us Lo lmaglne an
LasLer 8unny LhaL lays eggs, an obese SanLa Clause slldlng
down a narrow chlmney, and gobllns, ghosLs, demons, and
splrlLs. lmaglnaLlon also allows us Lo rellve Lhe pasL and
conslder a fuLure. 1here are no rules, llmlLs, or raLlonallLy ln
lmaglnaLlve Lhlnklng.
1he consequences of groundlessness are noL llmlLed Lo
dellberaLe Lhlnklng ln Lhe absLracL or Lhe unreal.
Croundlessness lnvolunLarlly affecLs our percepLlons,
allowlng Lhem Lo presenL us wlLh any manner of reallLy,


36
accuraLe or noL. 1he braln's groundlessness provldes us wlLh
a nebulous deflnlLlon of whaL ls real, as preclse as Lhe
messages we choose Lo accepL. Maglclans, psychologlsLs,
markeLlng experLs, and propagandlsLs all know, Loo well,
how easlly Lhe mlnd ls fooled.
Cond|t|on|ng
ln 2014, lrene Senna and oLhers, ln 1be Motble-nooJ lllosloo,
reporLed an experlmenL wlLh lnduced alLeraLlon of arm
percepLlon. 1he auLhors had dlfferenL groups of 11
parLlclpanLs slL wlLh boLh arms resLlng on a Lable. 1he rlghL
arm was shlelded from each of Lhe parLlclpanL's vlew, and a
small swlLch was placed on Lhls hldden hand. Lach
parLlclpanL was Lold LhaL Lhe headphones Lhey were glven
served only Lo muffle dlsLracLlng background nolse. 1he
experlmenLers Lhen Lapped Lhe swlLch on Lhe parLlclpanL's
hldden hand wlLh a hammer. 1hls caused Lhe parLlclpanLs Lo
feel Lhe Lap and Lhe headphones Lo slmulLaneously play a
prerecorded sound of a hammer sLrlklng a sLone. AL flrsL, Lhe
volume was low and barely percepLlble. 8uL wlLh each
repeLlLlon, Lhe volume was gradually lncreased Lo become
fully audlble ln Lhe course of Lhe 30 hammer sLrlkes per
sesslon.
A conLrol group dlffered from Lhe experlmenLal group only ln
LhaL Lhe sound was noL perfecLly Llmed Lo Lhe sLrlke of Lhe
hammer. 1wo oLher conLrol experlmenLs were done uslng
sLrlkes and slmulLaneous sound, buL Lhe sound LransmlLLed
Lhrough Lhe headphones was a pure Lone ln one seL and Lhe
naLural sound of Lhe hammer on skln ln Lhe oLher.
arLlclpanLs were glven quesLlonnalres before and afLer Lhe
experlmenL LhaL asked Lhem Lo grade how Lhelr arm felL on a
7-polnL scale from +3 Lo -3. 1he feellng words used were:
numb, sLlff, heavy, cold, dlfferenL, llghL, and sofL. A
comparlson of Lhe answers showed a slgnlflcanL devlaLlon of


37
pre- and posL-experlmenL arm percepLlons only ln Lhe
experlmenLal group. Comparlng Lhe posLLesL answers of Lhe
experlmenLal group wlLh conLrols, Lhe posLLesL answers were
skewed Loward sLlffer, heavler, and colder and away from
llghLer and sofLer. Comparlng Lhe experlmenLal group's own
preLesL and posLLesL answers, Lhey reporLed Lhelr arms afLer
Lhe experlmenL as sLlffer, heavler, harder, and less senslLlve
Lhan before Lhe experlmenL.
1o assess an ob[ecLlve measure, Lhe auLhors compared
galvanlc skln response as an lndlcaLor of Lhe parLlclpanLs'
arousal sLaLe before and afLer Lhe experlmenL. 1hey used Lhe
slghL of a needle approachlng each parLlclpanL's rlghL hand
as Lhe agenL of sLress. 1hey found LhaL Lhe galvanlc skln
response was hlgher ln Lhe posLLesL sub[ecLs compared Lo
preLesL and when compared Lo Lhe conLrols. 1here were Lwo
lnLerpreLaLlons, presenLed ln Lhe sLudy, of why an arm
percelved Lo have Lhe quallLles of sLone would cause a
hlgher arousal sLaLe. Cne was LhaL Lhe arm was heavler and,
Lherefore, less able Lo escape. 1he oLher lnLerpreLaLlon was
LhaL Lhe percepLlon of a sLone hand added Lhe sLress of
uncerLalnLy Lo Lhe sLress of lmpendlng paln. AnoLher
explanaLlon, Lhough, ls LhaL Lhe alLered percepLlon of Lhe
arm was ouLslde Lhe conLexL of prevlously learned sLress
modulaLlng responses, so Lhose responses could noL be
engaged for Lhe new arm percepLlon.
ln 1896, ur. Ceorge M. SLraLLon dld an experlmenL wlLh
lnverLed glasses demonsLraLlng Lhe mlnd's ablllLy Lo alLer lLs
percepLlon of reallLy. ln hls experlmenL, ur. SLraLLon
consLrucLed and wore glasses LhaL lnverLed Lhe vlsual world.
AL flrsL, Lhls caused slgnlflcanL dlsorlenLaLlon and dlsLress
from experlenclng hls new lnverLed world and body. Pls
llmbs would noL cooperaLe because hls lnLenL was confused
by hls lnverLed vlslon. 8y Lhe fourLh day, however, he sLarLed
Lo percelve hls body as lf lLs parLs were noL lnverLed aL all.


38
CLhers repeaLed Lhe same experlmenL and descrlbed alLered
body awareness as well.
ln 2000, kaoru Seklyama reporLed an experlmenL lnvolvlng
four sub[ecLs wearlng, for up Lo 33 days, specLacles LhaL
reversed Lhe rlghL and lefL flelds of vlew. AL Lhe sLarL, Lhese
sub[ecLs were asked Lo reach for an ob[ecL ln fronL of Lhem,
and Lhelr reacLlon Llme was sLudled. 1he reversed lmages
caused confuslon lnlLlally, buL wlLhln Lwo weeks, Lhelr
reacLlon Llmes were slmllar Lo pre-experlmenL
measuremenLs. AnoLher LesL lnvolved ldenLlfylng Lhe
sldedness, rlghL or lefL, of a plcLure of a hand placed ln
dlfferenL orlenLaLlons (LllLed aL elghL dlfferenL angles). 1he
sub[ecLs dld Lhls by manlpulaLlng Lhelr own hand Lo maLch
Lhe plcLure Lo ldenLlfy Lhe correcL sldedness. 1here was
compleLe confuslon durlng Lhe flrsL few weeks, buL by day
23, Lhe sub[ecLs reporLed Lhey could vlsuallze a speclflc hand
ln one of Lwo ways, lefL or rlghL, dependlng on whlch cues
(vlsual or LacLlle/somaLlc) Lhey selecLed.
1he above experlmenL demonsLraLed several Lhlngs. llrsL, lL
showed [usL how flexlble Lhe mlnd ls, able Lo creaLe a new
percepLlon of reallLy (hand-sldedness) even when Lhls
confllcLed wlLh a llfeLlme of experlence. Second, Lhe
experlmenL demonsLraLed how lmporLanL conslsLency and
repeLlLlon are ln manufacLurlng percepLlons. 1he sub[ecLs
dld noL change Lhelr percepLlons of hand-sldedness
lmmedlaLely buL only afLer prolonged and repeaLed
exposure Lo Lhelr reversed experlence. ldeally, our
percepLlons of reallLy should be genulne, so we can
successfully navlgaLe Lhrough llfe. ?eL lL appears LhaL what
we def|ne as rea| |s on|y as accurate as the messages
repeated|y presented to our m|nds. 1hls furLher lllusLraLes
Lhe LruLh behlnd Lhe quoLe, A lle repeaLed ofLen enough
becomes Lhe LruLh." 1hlrd, Lhls experlmenL demonsLraLed
Lhe braln's ablllLy Lo enLerLaln aL leasL Lwo conLrasLlng


39
percepLlons, as Lhe sub[ecLs reporLed Lhey could vlsuallze Lhe
same hand as elLher lefL or rlghL. LasL, lL demonsLraLed Lhe
role of lndlvldual cholce ln experlenclng one percepLlon over
anoLher.
1hrough repeLlLlon, our mlnds can be condlLloned Lo accepL
any message as a represenLaLlon of reallLy. Any percepLlon ls
Lhe resulL of our emoLlonal connecLlon Lo Lhe message, our
wllllngness Lo accepL one message over anoLher, Lhe
repeLlLlveness of LhaL message, and Lhe degree Lo whlch we
succumb Lo lrraLlonallLy and condlLlonlng, or conversely,
employ reason.
lL ls Lhe repeLlLlon of culLure LhaL personallzes culLural
ldenLlLy, Lhe repeLlLlon of rellglous Leachlngs LhaL
lnLernallzes Lhelr LeneLs, and repeLlLlve self-referenclng LhaL
solldlfles Lhe sense of self.
Irrat|ona||ty
lL ls an unforLunaLe blologlcal facL LhaL our raLlonal mlnd
does noL come lnLo exlsLence unLll age seven Lo elghL. 8efore
Lhls age, Lhe lrraLlonal naLure of Lhe human mlnd ls mosL
easlly seen ln Lhe ease wlLh whlch chlldren accepL Lhe
exlsLence of Lhe 1ooLh lalry, SanLa Clause, and Lhe LasLer
8unny. keason |s the on|y defense aga|nst |rrat|ona||ty,
emot|ona| |nf|uence, and the cond|t|on|ng of repet|t|on.
1he capaclLy for reason allows us Lo LesL and deLermlne lf
prevlously learned LruLhs" are real or lllusory. 1he
opporLunlLy Lo use reason, however, does noL ensure lLs
appllcaLlon, as reason ls noL an auLomaLlc funcLlon. lL
requlres dellberaLe efforL buL one LhaL comes more easlly
wlLh pracLlce. CerLalnly, Loddlers can form and LesL
hypoLheses buL only Lo a llmlLed exLenL. Lven as raLlonal
adulLs, our mlnds are prone Lo accepLlng dlsLorLlons of
reallLy lf presenLed ln a way LhaL appeals Lo or appeases Lhe
ego or engages Lhe emoLlons. 1hese subverL Lhe mlnd's


40
appllcaLlon of reason, Lhe mlnd's only defense agalnsL
dlsLorLed messages.
Lmot|on
Some clrcumsLances requlre sLrong moLlvaLlon for acLlon,
especlally acLlon LhaL counLers raLlonal [udgmenL. Some
slLuaLlons requlre maklng a lasLlng memory of Lhose
slgnlflcanL clrcumsLances. LmoLlons serve Lhese purposes.
1hey are lnLense and parallel Lhe prlmlLlve lmperaLlves of
pleasure (Lhrough [oy), paln (Lhrough sadness), and survlval
(Lhrough fear and anger) buL may supersede Lhem, such as
when a moLher [umps lnLo Lhe paLh of danger Lo save her
chlld. 1hroughouL llfe, we learn Lo assoclaLe new sLlmull for
glven emoLlons, and new prlorlLles are deflned as Lhe ego
conLlnues Lo develop. 1hese lncrease Lhe reperLolre of boLh
emoLlonal sLlmull and responses.
Cnce sLlmulaLed, Lhe duraLlon of an emoLlon depends largely
on lLs orlgln and connecLlon Lo Lhe ego. LmoLlons and sLrong
physlcal sLlmull encourage ego-relnforclng self-referenclng,
whlch ln Lurn lnLenslfles an experlence. 1hls furLher
promoLes self-referenclng: emoLlonal lmpulses reverberaLlng
beLween clrculLs for ego and emoLlon, llke echoes beLween
canyon walls.
keass|gn|ng r|mary Imperat|ves
1he braln ls sLrucLured wlLh a few hard-coded lmperaLlves:
Lo repeaL behavlors LhaL lead Lo pleasure, Lo avold behavlors
LhaL lead Lo paln, and Lo engage ln behavlors LhaL promoLe
survlval Lhrough flghL or fllghL (empowered respecLlvely by
Lhe emoLlons of anger and fear). When and how Lhese
prlmary drlves manlfesL Lhemselves are deLermlned by Lhe
lessons learned from prevlous experlences LhaL resulLed ln
pleasure, paln, or survlval Lhrough flghL or fllghL. lf an
experlence of a cerLaln LasLe or Louch broughL pleasure, one
would more llkely repeaL Lhose acLlons LhaL led Lo Lhe


41
experlence. lf a cerLaln behavlor resulLed ln paln, Lhen LhaL
behavlor would more llkely be avolded. lf anger or fear ln Lhe
seLLlng of a LhreaL resulLed ln overcomlng or avoldlng Lhe
LhreaL, Lhe behavlor and emoLlon LhaL led Lo Lhls success
would more llkely be repeaLed.
AddlLlonally, clrcumsLances LhaL precede a slgnlflcanL
experlence of pleasure, paln, or physlcal LhreaL would llkely
be learned Lo be assoclaLed wlLh Lhose evenLs, wheLher Lhey
were causally connecLed or noL. 1hese alLernaLe LhoughLs or
behavlors, whlch have been learned Lo have speclal
slgnlflcance Lo Lhe prlmary lmperaLlves, become our
secondary lmperaLlves or drlves and conLrlbuLe Lo a growlng
reperLolre of reacLlve LhoughLs and behavlors.
1hese assoclaLlons are Lhen approprlaLed by Lhe ego.
leasure may be assoclaLed wlLh proflL, power, or self-
expresslon, paln may become assoclaLed wlLh ln[ury Lo Lhe
ego, as ln embarrassmenL or shame. 1he survlval of Lhe
body, wlLh lLs assoclaLed emoLlons of anger and fear, ls
personallzed Lo become survlval of Lhe ego, lgnlLlng Lhe
same emoLlons. Cr, Lhese may form lnLo oLher expresslons
of anger or fear such as envy, resenLmenL, anxleLy, and Lhe
llke.
1he need Lo saLlsfy or defend Lhe physlcal self engages Lhe
survlval lnsLlncLs of anger and fear and Lhe prlmary drlves
assoclaLed wlLh paln and pleasure. 1hus, ln an unclvlllzed
socleLy where physlcal comforLs are few and LhreaLs are
frequenL, prlmary drlves are ofLen engaged, magnlfylng
aLLenLlon Lo Lhe needs of boLh Lhe body and Lhe sense of
self, Lhe ego.
ln a more clvlllzed socleLy where comforLs are rouLlne and
physlcal LhreaLs are lnfrequenL, Lhe prlmary drlves
connecLed wlLh Lhe physlcal self have llLLle opporLunlLy Lo be


42
engaged ln day-Lo-day llfe. 8uL, ln a socleLy LhaL ls drlven by
Lhe need for ego saLlsfacLlon, Lhe secondary drlves
assoclaLed wlLh Lhe ego are ofLen acLlvaLed Lo malnLaln,
proLecL, and pro[ecL Lhls ego.
8|rth of Lgo
uurlng lLs flrsL year, a baby reaches ouL wlLh lLs eyes and
llmbs Lo make conLacL wlLh Lhe world and learn. uurlng Lhls
perlod, Lhe world becomes ldenLlfled wlLh Lwo realms. 1he
exLernal realm ls LhaL whlch ls seen and Louched wlLhouL
furLher ldenLlflcaLlon. 1he blankeL, bed, food, and people all
have Lhls exLernal vlsual and LacLlle ldenLlLy. 1he lnLernal
realm ls LhaL whlch ls ldenLlfled as parL of Lhe self. 1he baby
moves an arm, and lL ls seen movlng. 1he baby reaches ouL
wlLh lLs hand Lo Louch lLs fooL and slmulLaneously feels lLs
fooL belng Louched. 1he Louchlng self, whlle slmulLaneously
feellng Louched, and Lhe movlng self, whlle seelng Lhe self
move, conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe process of learnlng Lo dlfferenLlaLe
self from a world LhaL ls noL self, dlvldlng Lhe unlverse lnLo
Lhese Lwo ldenLlLles, lnLernal and exLernal, self and non-self.
uslng Lhe prlmlLlve lmperaLlves relaLed Lo pleasure, paln,
and survlval, Lhe young mlnd sLarLs maklng assoclaLlons
beLween evenLs and Lhelr pleaslng or palnful resulLs. Some
are causal assoclaLlons: 8elng fed or hugged ls pleaslng,
bumplng Lhe head ls palnful. CLhers are noL causally relaLed,
for example: Mom's volce and Lhe saLlsfacLlon of belng fed
or hugged leads Lo Mom's volce belng deflned as a pleasure.
As Lhe reperLolre of experlences and assoclaLlons for
pleasure and paln grow, so do LhoughLs and Lhelr meanlng
for self. 1hese also conLrlbuLe Lo a growlng llsL of llkes and
dlsllkes, wanLs and don'L wanLs. LvenLually, a crlLlcal mass of
Lhese LhoughLs, emoLlons, and memorles form Lo creaLe Lhe
percepLlon of a dlsLlncL self, Lhe ego.


43
1hls ls slmllar Lo ldenLlfylng wlLh a characLer ln a book or a
movle. As Lhe sLory unfolds, Lhe reader or vlewer learns
more abouL a speclflc characLer. When a crlLlcal mass of
lnformaLlon abouL Lhls characLer has been learned, Lhe lnlLlal
lndlfference felL for Lhls characLer changes Lo ldenLlflcaLlon,
capLurlng Lhe reader's or vlewer's aLLenLlon and emoLlons.
Anger, fear, and paln - prevlously only assoclaLed wlLh
physlcal LhreaLs or loss - are now assoclaLed wlLh a LhreaL Lo
or a loss for Lhls self-ldenLlLy. 1hese furLher relnforce Lhe
exlsLence of Lhe ego. 1he lnlLlal manlfesLaLlon of ego ls seen
Lhe flrsL Llme a Loddler beLween Lhe ages of LwenLy and
LwenLy-four monLhs says no" or demonsLraLes
embarrassmenL, prlde, or shame.
8y co-opLlng prlmary and secondary lmperaLlves, Lhe
evolvlng lmage of self creaLes an ever-expandlng reperLolre
of llkes, dlsllkes, wanLs, needs, hopes, and emoLlonal
Lrlggers. 1hese make up Lhe complex paLLern of LhoughLs
and emoLlons LhaL serve Lo furLher evolve Lhe lmage of self,
llke llnes on a canvas slowly coalesclng Lo form an lmage.
1he braln does more readlly whaL lL does more ofLen. 1hus,
by conLlnuously referrlng Lo Lhls lmage from early chlldhood
Lhrough adulLhood, we relnforce lLs paLLern Lo Lhe polnL LhaL
lL becomes lnvaslve, affecLlng our aLLlLudes and behavlors
and Laklng over our percepLlon of self and reallLy.
uurlng Lhe flrsL slx or seven years of llfe, Lhe chlld's charmlng
buL maglcal Lhlnklng demonsLraLes Lhe absence of raLlonal
LhoughL. uurlng Lhls perlod, Lhe predomlnance of lrraLlonal
Lhlnklng and repeaLed self-referenclng allow Lhe lllusory
percepLlons of ego Lo Lake rooL. 8y Lhe age of abouL seven or
elghL, Lhe older chlld demonsLraLes refreshlngly raLlonal
undersLandlng, buL by Lhls Llme, Lhe ego's foundaLlon has
already been seL. 1he chlld's reslsLance Lo or compllance
wlLh adulL dlrecLlon demonsLraLes [usL how LlghL LhaL grlp of


44
ego ls on Lhe chlld's awareness. 1hls ego evolves and ls
modlfled durlng lndlvldual maLurlLy, Lhen, lL ls relnforced
LhroughouL adulLhood by self-referenclng and culLural
valldaLlon.
1h|s, then, |s the |rony of deve|opment, that the foundat|on
of ego, the |ens through wh|ch we w||| perce|ve and [udge
rea||ty throughout ||fe, |s |a|d down at a t|me when we are
the most |rrat|ona|. AlLhough Lhe lrraLlonallLy of
Loddlerhood ls Lempered, Lo a degree, by Lhe raLlonallLy of
adulLhood, Lhe underlylng lrraLlonal Lendencles and
percepLlons remaln. Cnce creaLed, Lhe ego ls malnLalned by
Lhe seducLlve feellng of self and by a sysLem of
relnforcemenL Lhrough ego-cenLered LhoughLs and
emoLlons, lnLernal monologues, and human culLures LhaL
have valldaLed and pandered Lo Lhls ego for mlllennla.
8ecause essenLlally everyone shares Lhe same experlence of
ego and because we llve ln a culLure LhaL supporLs lL, Lhe
ldea LhaL Lhere ls an alLernaLe percepLual reallLy ls unknown
Lo mosL and consldered preposLerous by many. 8uL, [usL as
crawllng precedes and ls replaced by walklng, and Lhe
Loddler's babbllng ls replaced by Lalklng, so Loo should Lhe
egocenLrlc percepLlons of chlldhood glve way Lo Lhe
egolessness of ob[ecLlve awareness.
I|na| 1houghts
Awoteoess
Awareness ls Lhe sLaLe of belng LhaL allows us Lo noLlce Lhe
world around us and ln our mlnds. It |s the fundamenta|
nature of be|ng a||ve and awake. As fundamenLal as lL ls,
awareness ls sLlll sub[ecL Lo Lhe llmlLaLlons lmposed by Lhe
braln's level of developmenL, Lhe mlnd's level of maLurlLy,
and Lhe lnvaslveness of Lhe ego. 1he percepLlons of an lnfanL
are dlfferenL from Lhose of a chlld, whlch are dlfferenL sLlll
from Lhose of an adulL. 1he lnfanL lacks any experlence or


43
undersLandlng of Lhe world or self. 1he chlld ls llmlLed by lLs
egocenLrlc perspecLlve and lrraLlonal braln, whlle Lhe adulL ls
hampered by llfelong hablLs of cllnglng Lo Lhe egocenLrlc
perspecLlve of Lhe young chlld. Awareness ls noL a LhoughL,
Lhe flow of LhoughLs, or Lhe feellngs LhaL make up whaL we
call Lhe sLream of consclousness. lor many, awareness ls so
enLangled wlLh Lhelr egos and lLs assoclaLed cascade of
LhoughLs LhaL Lhe concepL of a separaLe awareness ls elLher
lncomprehenslble or so forelgn as Lo be consldered absurd.
lurLhermore, c||ng|ng to our sense of se|f as a d|st|nct
"th|ng" cond|t|ons the m|nd to perce|ve a|| of rea||ty
accord|ng to |ts re|at|onsh|p to th|s sense of se|f. 1hls
consLrlcLs our percepLlons and undersLandlng and shackles
our aLLempLs Lo see beyond Lhe obvlous or convenLlonal.
ConsequenLly, openlng our mlnds Lo an alLernaLe sLaLe of
awareness ls more dlfflculL buL noL lmposslble.
locos
locus, or concenLraLlon, ls Lhe consclous ablllLy Lo keep a
cerLaln elemenL under Lhe spoLllghL of awareness whlle
lnhlblLlng Lhose LhoughLs LhaL sponLaneously arlse or
poLenLlally lnLerfere wlLh Lhe deslred LargeL of aLLenLlon.
Iocus |s as c|ose to an off sw|tch for undes|rab|e thoughts
as |s poss|b|e under consc|ous contro|. locus ls anLagonlsLlc
Lo sponLaneous menLal acLlvlLy, buL whlle Lhls acLlvlLy ls
unlnLenLlonal and random, focuslng Lhe mlnd ls a dellberaLe
acL.
1he sLrengLh of focus, llke Lhe sLrengLh of a muscle, can be
lncreased by exerclse (prolonged concenLraLlon) or
decreased by glvlng ln Lo sponLaneous or self-referenclng
LhoughLs or freneLlc or ego-cenLered behavlors.
unforLunaLely for mosL, dellberaLe and lnLense focus ls
dlfflculL, havlng been shackled by llfelong hablLs of LranslenL
and scaLLered aLLenLlon. MosL people concenLraLe for only


46
shorL perlods and Lhen leL go of Lhelr focus, whlch ls Lhen
sLeered by a barrage of dlsLracLlons or Lhe self-referenclng
sLream of consclousness.
votlotloo
Lach of Lhe mlnd's elemenLs and characLerlsLlcs manlfesLs
Lhemselves ln degrees. 1houghLs may occur more or less
sponLaneously. LmoLlons may be weaker or sLronger,
Lhlnklng can be more or less raLlonal, and focus can be
LargeLed or dlsordered. 1he dlfferences ln ampllLude of Lhe
mlnd's varlous elemenLs, comblned wlLh Lhe dlfferences ln
llfe experlences, conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe dlverslLy of Lhlnklng
paLLerns and behavlors we see among lndlvlduals. 1hls ls
analogous Lo Lhe dlverslLy of human forms we encounLer on
a beach. AlLhough all manlfesL Lhe same fundamenLal body
and menLal plan, Lhe specLrum of morphologlcal and
psychologlcal expresslon ls vasL.


47
S. Spectrum of Lgo
Introduct|on
When walklng lnLo a gym or on a beach, we see bodles ln all
shapes and slzes. And ln our llves, we've all marveled aL Lhe
muslcal, arLlsLlc, maLh, or sclence skllls of some and accepLed
LhaL Lhelr bralns have areas more developed Lhan oLhers.
1he lndlvldual varleLy of Lhe braln's clrculLs for ego ls
comparable Lo our own morphologlcal or lnLellecLual
dlverslLy. 1he specLrum of Lhe mlnd's expresslon of
percepLlon and ego ls analogous Lo Lhe range of Lhese
morphologlcal, arLlsLlc, and lnLellecLual aLLrlbuLes. 1here are
Lhose LhaL can separaLe an experlence from Lhelr emoLlons
and LhoughLs and oLhers LhaL personallze each experlence.
1here are Lhose LhaL see Lhlngs more or less ob[ecLlvely, who
are more or less raLlonal, more or less reslsLanL Lo waves of
passlon or emoLlon, and who Lhlnk or acL wlLh a greaLer or
lesser sense of communlLy or lndlvlduallsm. 1hese many
faceLs are consequences of menLal processes, and Lhough
geneLlcally deflned, Lhey can be developed lnLo greaLer
ablllLy, neglecLed lnLo weakness, or abused lnLo malfuncLlon
or dlsorder.
1hree atterns
Anyone who's worked wlLh Lhe publlc or who has a large
enough famlly has meL lndlvlduals who have one of Lhree
general paLLerns of percepLlon and, Lherefore, paLLerns of
Lhlnklng and behavlor. 1hese paLLerns are noL permanenL
feaLures of personallLy or characLer buL a cholce made
auLomaLlc by condlLlonlng and repeLlLlon.
llgure 9 lllusLraLes Lhese Lhree baslc paLLerns. 1hey're
represenLed by recLangles, where each recLangle encloses
Lwo menLal properLles wlLh an arrow LhaL represenLs Lhe
lnfluence Lhese properLles have on each oLher and Lhe flow
of percepLlon beLween Lhem. AnaLomlcally, Lhe lndlvldual


48
properLles, from lower lefL Lo upper rlghL, represenL
funcLlons lnvolvlng Lhe llmblc sysLem, venLromedlal
prefronLal corLex, dorsomedlal prefronLal corLex, and Lhe
dorsolaLeral prefronLal corLex, respecLlvely.
1he paLLerns of percepLlon aren'L sLaLlc buL can flow from
one Lo anoLher dependlng on llfe clrcumsLances. Powever,
Lhough people can Lemporarlly shlfL lnLo all Lhe paLLerns of
percepLlon, Lhey llve prlmarlly Lhrough a slngle paLLern.
MosL people undersLand LhaL Lhelr percepLlons and acLlons
are dlsLlncL processes, yeL do noL undersLand LhaL awareness
ls as dlsLlncL and separaLe from percepLlon as ls acLlon. 1o
lllusLraLe Lhls separaLeness, ovals LhaL represenL awareness
llg. 9


49
and acLlon are placed, respecLlvely, above and below Lhe
Lhree recLangles.
1he lower paLLern lnvolves Lhe baslc moLlvaLlons and
emoLlons as well as Lhe sense of self LhaL develops when
LhoughLs, relaLed Lo Lhese drlves and emoLlons, reach a
crlLlcal mass. 1hls recLangle ls locaLed below Lhe oLhers
because lLs properLles are Lhe flrsL Lo develop, and lL's Lhe
easlesL paLLern Lo fall lnLo.
lndlvlduals llvlng Lhrough Lhls paLLern dlrecL Lhelr aLLenLlon
lnwardly" Lo be preoccupled by Lhelr sense of self, baslc
drlves, and Lhelr emoLlons. 1hey never learned Lo focus Lhelr
mlnds, remold Lhelr prlmlLlve drlves, conLrol Lhelr emoLlons,
express less dlsabllng emoLlonal responses, or Lo look aL
Lhelr experlences ob[ecLlvely. 8aLlonal Lhlnklng plays only a
mlnor role for Lhem. As such, Lhey are vlcLlms of Lhelr
chlldlsh wanLs, needs, [oys, sorrows, fears, and anger. 1hey
personallze every evenL, seelng every [oy as a personal
vlcLory and every hardshlp as a personal aLLack. 1hey have
egos LhaL need Lo be manlfesLed, can be ln[ured, and need Lo
be proLecLed. 1hey may feel vlcLlmlzed by Lhelr envlronmenL
or blame oLhers for Lhelr own mlsery or mlsforLune. MosL
evenLs, no maLLer how Lrlvlal, are [udged, capLloned, and
rellved. lnsLead of Lalklng calmly, Lhey ofLen emoLe ln mosL
conversaLlons, melodrama belng Lhe emoLlonal basellne.
Many of Lhese lndlvlduals ulLlmaLely need Lranqulllzers,
anLldepressanLs, or drugs of abuse Lo cope. 1hey may seek
solace ln food, or exLremlsL rellglons or ldeologles. 1helr
famllles are more llkely dysfuncLlonal, and Lhey are more
llkely Lo lnLeracL wlLh legal or medlcal sysLems. 1hey are
mosL exempllfled by Lhe characLers presenLed on 1v's Ietty
5ptloqet 5bow.
Some lndlvlduals here may percelve prlmarlly aL Lhe exLreme
end of Lhls paLLern, Lhe baslc moLlvaLlons and emoLlons wlLh


30
llLLle aLLenLlon Lo self. 1hese lndlvlduals are more llkely Lo be
found ln psychlaLrlc lnsLlLuLlons, prlsons, homeless, or
oLherwlse soclally lsolaLed.
1he cenLral verLlcal box represenLs Lhe Lwo selves" LhaL
lnLeracL wlLh reallLy - Lhe emoLlonal self and Lhe LhoughLful
self. Self-conLrol ls Lhe menLal funcLlon LhaL deLermlnes Lhe
dlrecLlon of percepLlon and acLlon. 1hls paLLern represenLs
Lhe percepLlon of reallLy and self for Lhe ma[orlLy of
lndlvlduals. ersons percelvlng Lhrough Lhls paLLern shlfL
Lhelr aLLenLlon from lnward" Lo ouLward" dlrecLlons,
Lhlnklng emoLlonally or raLlonally, dependlng on Lhe
demands of Lhe momenL and Lhelr degree of self-conLrol.
Compared Lo Lhose percelvlng Lhrough Lhe paLLern
represenLed by Lhe flrsL recLangle, persons percelvlng
Lhrough Lhe cenLral paLLern are beLLer focused, Lhelr
emoLlons are beLLer conLrolled, and Lhelr egocenLrlc drlves
are more subordlnaLed Lo Lhe needs of Lhe envlronmenL or
fllLered by lnLellecLuallzaLlons. noneLheless, Lhelr sense of
self ls Lhelr prlmary LargeL of aLLenLlon. 1hey are sLlll
anchored Lo Lhe percepLlon of a self LhaL needs proLecLlon
and graLlflcaLlon.
1here ls a wlde range of presenLaLlon for Lhls group. 1hls
depends on how well Lhelr emoLlons and egocenLrlc drlves
are modlfled or resLralned by reason, ln oLher words,
wheLher Lhey percelve prlmarlly Lhrough Lhe upper or lower
properLles wlLhln Lhls paLLern, and how ofLen Lhey shlfL lnLo
Lhe paLLerns of Lhe nelghborlng upper or lower recLangles.
lndlvldual blology, envlronmenL, and Lhe parenLlng Lhey
experlenced ln chlldhood deLermlne [usL how balanced Lhey
are, how well Lhey cope wlLh llfe's obsLacles and
perLurbaLlons, or recover from sadness or neurosls, and Lhe
degree Lo whlch Lhey have llves of happlness and
equanlmlLy.


31
1he upper paLLern lnvolves raLlonal Lhlnklng and Lhe sense of
self LhaL develops when LhoughLs relaLed Lo reasonlng reach
a crlLlcal mass. 1hls recLangle ls locaLed above Lhe flrsL
because Lhese properLles developed laLer and because lL
Lakes efforL Lo rlse" lnLo Lhls paLLern. WheLher Lhrough
blology, approprlaLe parenLlng, or Lralnlng, persons llvlng
Lhrough Lhls paLLern of percepLlon dlrecL mosL of Lhelr
aLLenLlon ouLwardly." 1hey've masLered Lhe ablllLy Lo focus
Lhelr LhoughLs, Lhlnk raLlonally, pracLlce self-conLrol, avold
referenclng Lhemselves ln ob[ecLlve declslons and acLlons,
and leL go of Lhelr baslc drlves, emoLlons, and Lhelr
emoLlonal self. 1hey remaln calm whlle Lhose around Lhem
[ump Lo concluslons or reacL emoLlonally. 1hey experlence
reallLy wlLhouL Lhe need Lo proLecL, pro[ecL, or saLlsfy Lhelr
egos. 1hey Lhlnk and acL wlLhouL self-servlng moLlvaLlons,
llvlng wlLh [oy and compasslon.
Some lndlvlduals here may percelve prlmarlly aL Lhe exLreme
end of Lhls paLLern, Lhe properLy of raLlonal Lhlnklng. 1hough
Lhey may express emoLlons Lemporarlly, Lhey easlly reLurn Lo
raLlonal percepLlon and are free of Lhe baslc moLlvaLlons and
Lhe sense of self, havlng Lranscended Lhem llke a forgoLLen
memory.
atho|ogy
1here are lndlvlduals who have weaker cenLers for focuslng
aLLenLlon or modulaLlng self-dlrecLed LhoughLs and
emoLlons. Some people have exaggeraLed acLlvlLy ln Lhe
cenLers for paln, fear, and absLracL LhoughL. CLhers may
have defecLs ln Lhe areas of memory or cognlLlon. 1hese
lndlvlduals are more llkely Lo refer Lo Lhe same LhoughLs or
emoLlons repeaLedly because of some paln, ln[ury, an unmeL
wanL or need, a fear or anger assoclaLed wlLh an ln[ury, or a
real or lmaglned LhreaL.


32
8ecause Lhe mlnd does more readlly whaL lL does more
ofLen, repeaLed self-referenclng relnforces assoclaLed
clrculLs, redlrecLs aLLenLlon away from Lhe presenL momenL,
and suppresses Lhose clrculLs lnvolved wlLh Lhe raLlonal,
ob[ecLlve awareness of self and reallLy. ln so dolng, self-
referenclng suppresses Lhe feellng of harmony LhaL's
experlenced wlLh aLLenLlon Lo Lhe momenL, whlch furLher
accenLuaLes Lhe percepLlon of paln, fear, or anger. 1hls
conLlnues Lhe loop, leadlng Lo ever-deeper realms of menLal
lllness.
ln Lhe healLhy mlnd, acLlvaLlon of Lhe cognlLlve areas reduces
acLlvlLy ln areas assoclaLed wlLh self-referenclng. Conversely,
self-referenclng reduces acLlvaLlon ln Lhe areas assoclaLed
wlLh cognlLlon. (8ecall Lhe medlal/self vs. laLeral/Lask-relaLed
dlvlslon of aLLenLlon dlscussed ln ChapLer 3.)
ln Lhe depressed braln, Lhls lnverse relaLlonshlp for
acLlvaLlon ls losL so LhaL boLh areas show acLlvaLlon buL wlLh
dlsproporLlonaLely more acLlvlLy ln Lhe area of Lhe braln
relaLed Lo self-referenclng, leadlng Lo lnapproprlaLe
cognlLlon. lurLhermore, lncreased acLlvlLy ln Lhe area
lnvolved wlLh self-referenclng lnhlblLs release of Lhe braln's
seroLonln. 1hls braln hormone ls, dlrecLly or lndlrecLly,
lnvolved ln modulaLlng nerve cell generaLlon, connecLlvlLy,
and acLlvlLy, ln addlLlon Lo Lhe release of noreplnephrlne
and, posslbly, dopamlne. lnhlblLed release of seroLonln,
Lhen, reduces Lhese acLlons. WlLhouL Lhese nourlshlng and
sLablllzlng braln hormones, Lhere ls reduced connecLlvlLy and
synchrony among Lhe braln's clrculLs so LhaL cognlLlve
funcLlon and emoLlonal sLablllLy are reduced, and aLLenLlon
Lo self ls lncreased. 1hls furLher accenLuaLes self-referenclng
and propels Lhe splral lnLo deeper and more reslsLanL
depresslon.


33
lL ls Lrue LhaL ln some lndlvlduals, lnhlblLlon of seroLonln
does noL produce depresslon. lL's posslble Lhese lndlvlduals
have braln cenLers wlLh a lower Lendency Lo desynchronlze
or LhaL oLher elemenLs faclllLaLe Lhelr bralns' synchronous
acLlvlLy. CandldaLes for such elemenLs are Lhe anLerlor and
posLerlor clngulaLe gyrl, and Lhe venLral laLeral prefronLal
corLex Lhrough Lhelr roles ln modulaLlng and dlrecLlng
aLLenLlon. ln so dolng, Lhey could lnhlblL areas LhaL would
oLherwlse acL ouL of synchrony. (8ecall LhaL focuslng Lhe
mlnd lnhlblLs superfluous menLal acLlvlLy, ln oLher words,
focuslng promoLes synchrony.) undoubLedly, Lhe
mechanlsms LhaL lead Lo or malnLaln depresslon can be
more complex, buL Lhe dlscusslon here focuses on Lhe roles
of aLLenLlon and self-referenclng ln depresslon.
neuroses are caused by Lhe acqulslLlon of memorles or Lhe
developmenL of LhoughLs LhaL creaLe a maladapLlve or
exaggeraLed aLLenLlon Lo self. 1hese may occur wlLh
exLremely negaLlve emoLlonal experlences ln adulLhood or
less exLreme experlences ln chlldhood durlng ego
developmenL. neuroses lnapproprlaLely assoclaLe Lhe
prlmary drlves of pleasure, paln, anger, and fear wlLh Lhe
sense of self Lo produce emoLlonally laden echoes beLween
Lhe clrculLs of ego and Lhe clrculLs relaLed Lo Lhose negaLlve
experlences.
MedlcaLlons can help Lhese people, buL lf Lhese persons
conLlnue Lhe same LhoughL paLLerns LhaL Lhelr blology,
condlLlonlng, or experlences have faclllLaLed, medlcaLlons
wlll provlde only a parLlal or Lemporary beneflL. AL besL,
Lhese lndlvlduals wlll be dependenL on drugs Lo malnLaln
some degree of emoLlonal conLrol.



34
art II - Deve|op|ng Cb[ect|ve Awareness
6. 1he rocess
Introduct|on
8ecause ego ls Lhe basls of sub[ecLlve percepLlon, reallzlng
Lhe ob[ecLlve sLaLe of uncluLLered awareness lnvolves
abandonlng Lhe ego. As dlscussed earller, Lhe ego ls
malnLalned by Lwo muLually relnforclng phenomena. Cne ls
aLLachmenL, Lhe auLomaLlc aLLenLlon Lo Lhe self-ldenLlLy and
malnLalnlng a blas (wanLlng, needlng, re[ecLlng, eLc.) for Lhe
beneflL of Lhe me," Lhe ego. 1he oLher phenomenon ls self-
referenclng, Lhe hablLual yeL dellberaLe acL of relaLlng evenLs
Lo Lhe self by [udglng, capLlonlng, and rellvlng Lhe elemenLs
ln one's llfe, lncludlng keeplng an lnner monologue.
1hese Lwo phenomena are analogous Lo Lhe elemenLs of a
llne drawlng where Lhe llnes, each dlsLlncL and separaLe from
Lhe oLhers, form an lmage, whlle Lhe lmage glves each llne lLs
speclal slgnlflcance. LllmlnaLlng Lhe lmage lnvolves removlng
Lhe llnes, one by one, unLll a crlLlcal Lhreshold ls reached
when Lhe lmage ls more easlly lgnored or no longer
percelved. Analogously, Lhe efforLs Lo exLlngulsh Lhe
lnfluence of ego lnvolve sLopplng self-referenclng LhoughLs
and dlrecLlng aLLenLlon away from Lhe self so LhaL Lhe sense
of self ls more easlly lgnored and evenLually leL go.
As menLloned prevlously, focuslng ls Lhe closesL Lhlng we
have Lo an off swlLch for unwanLed LhoughLs. 1hus, aL Lhe
sLarL, self-referenclng ls reduced by sLrengLhenlng Lhe mlnd's
ablllLy Lo focus. As focus strengthens, superf|uous thoughts
are d|m|n|shed, and at some po|nt, they are reduced be|ow
the cr|t|ca| mass needed to susta|n the percept|on of se|f.
1hls ls accompllshed by medlLaLlon and Lhen conLlnued by
mlndfulness, keeplng our aLLenLlon on Lhe momenL wlLhouL
[udgmenL or commenL.


33
Attachment |s reduced by |ook|ng at exper|ences and se|f
|mpersona||y, the |nd|fference of a th|rd-person observer.
1hls ls Lhe prlmary prlnclple behlnd deLachmenL as applled ln
cerLaln medlLaLlon and mlndfulness Lechnlques dlscussed ln
Lhe followlng chapLers.
1he moLlvaLlon Lo conLlnue Lhe pracLlces of medlLaLlon and
mlndfulness may lnvolve cllnglng Lo a goal, buL a goal dlverLs
Lhe mlnd's aLLenLlon Loward a posslble fuLure and away from
Lhe presenL. Lach pracLlce should be done wlLh aLLenLlon Lo
Lhe currenL momenL. lor example, when dolng slL-ups, Lhe
polnL ls slmply Lo do Lhe currenL slL-up, and [usL as each slL-
up remodels your muscles, each momenL of awareness
remodels your braln.
lrom anaLomlc and funcLlonal sLudles, lL seems clear LhaL
several areas of Lhe braln help Lo focus Lhe mlnd and fllLer or
modlfy Lhe vlrLual self. ln so dolng, Lhey fllLer ouL self-
referrlng LhoughLs lnLerlaced wlLh raLlonal ones, resulLlng ln
a more reallsLlc and ob[ecLlve percepLlon of reallLy and a
fadlng away of Lhe sense of self. 1he more ofLen a sklll ls
pracLlced, Lhe easler lL ls Lo apply. 1hus, as an lndlvldual
pracLlces ob[ecLlve awareness, speclflc areas of Lhe braln
develop Lo apply Lhls ob[ecLlvlLy more easlly. erhaps, ln
Lhousands of years, our bralns wlll have evolved larger
corLlcal areas ln Lhose speclal cenLers of Lhe braln LhaL
prevenL formaLlon of an lllusory self or prevenL lL from
lnvadlng awareness. unLll Lhen, lL ls up Lo us Lo Lake conLrol
and decondlLlon our mlnds from Lhe resulLs of prevlous
envlronmenLal and culLural lnfluences Lo experlence Lhls
new alLernaLe awareness.
1here are Lhose LhaL may sLumble onLo [usL Lhe rlghL
Lhlnklng paLLern Lo see Lhe ob[ecLlve reallLy before Lhem.
unforLunaLely, Lhe hldden and mysLerlous naLure of LhoughL
makes flndlng Lhe menLal paLh Loward ob[ecLlve awareness


36
dlfflculL. lorLunaLely, Leachers, gurus, and shamans have
been showlng us how for cenLurles.
1rylng Lo descrlbe a menLal pracLlce ls llke lllusLraLlng a
dance wlLhouL showlng Lhe dancer's feeL. Slmllarly,
execuLlng a new menLal pracLlce ls llke learnlng a new dance
wlLh only vague sensaLlon ln your legs. 1he mlnd's
maneuvers are noL as vlslble as Lhe sLeps of a dance. 1hus,
some Lrlal and error ls lnevlLable aL Lhe sLarL, as you Lry Lo
puL lnLo menLal acLlon whaL Lhe words wrlLLen here
represenL. lor Lhls reason, l've used dlfferenL words and
analogles Lo descrlbe Lhe menLal acLs lnvolved, wlLh Lhe
hope LhaL one of Lhe phrases may Lrlgger your recognlLlon
and undersLandlng. lf necessary, go over Lhe maLerlal here a
few Llmes Lo grasp Lhe concepLs. !usL as repeLlLlon ls Lhe key
Lo percepLlon, lL also faclllLaLes undersLandlng.
lL may be dlfflculL Lo sLarL or keep up wlLh some of Lhe
Lechnlques descrlbed, as Lhey lnvolve menLal funcLlons you
haven'L used ofLen, lnLensely, or aL all. noneLheless, keep
dolng Lhem, and your braln wlll llkely flgure ouL whaL lL ls
you're Lrylng Lo do. 1hls ls analogous Lo movlng Lo a new clLy
for a new [ob. AL flrsL, you Lake Lhe maln hlghways from
home Lo work, Lhough Lhey may noL be Lhe mosL dlrecL.
1hen, as you become more famlllar wlLh Lhe sLreeLs, you
sLarL experlmenLlng wlLh dlfferenL rouLes LhaL are fasLer,
shorLer, or have less Lrafflc, looklng for Lhe mosL efflclenL
rouLe LhaL wlll Lake you Lo your [ob. Slmllarly, as you keep
medlLaLlng, your braln wlll send lmpulses down one rouLe
and Lhen anoLher, unLll lL flnds Lhe mosL accuraLe and
efflclenL clrculL. WlLh repeLlLlon, LhaL clrculL wlll become
faclllLaLed Lo LransmlL lmpulses more readlly, resulLlng ln
your evenLual undersLandlng. So, whaLever Lhe dlfflculLy,
keep do|ng the pract|ce and trust that your bra|n w||| f|gure
out what |t |s you're try|ng to do.


37
Learnlng Lhe menLal sklll of ob[ecLlve awareness requlres
overcomlng several hurdles. llrsL are Lhe well-lngralned
menLal hablLs supporLlng Lhe ego, aLLachmenL and self-
referenclng, whlch are reslsLanL Lo change. 1he second
hurdle ls Lhe unfamlllarlLy of Lhe menLal funcLlons Lo be
pracLlced, as menLloned above. 1he flnal hurdle ls Lhe ego
lLself. lL ls well aware of whaL you are Lrylng Lo do and wlll
fabrlcaLe obsLacles and mold your wlll along Lhe way. As one
medlLaLlon Leacher, Sally kempLon, sald, SIt's hard to f|ght
an enemy who has outposts |n your headTU Maklng your
pracLlce a dally rouLlne wlll help overcome lnner reslsLance.
1he pracLlce of abandonlng ego lnvolves Lhree componenLs.
1he flrsL ls medlLaLlon, Lo sLrengLhen and malnLaln Lhe
dlsclpllne of focus and deLachmenL ln a quleL, undlsLurbed
seLLlng. 1he second ls mlndfulness, Lo sLrengLhen and
malnLaln Lhe dlsclpllne of focus and deLachmenL ln Lhe
seLLlng of a Lyplcal acLlon-fllled day. LeLLlng go ls Lhe Lhlrd
componenL, lnvolvlng dellberaLely releaslng Lhe mlnd's hold
on prevlous ego-susLalnlng hablLs, aLLachmenLs, Lenaclous
LhoughLs and emoLlons, and any newly formed Lraps. Lach of
Lhese componenLs ls dlscussed ln deLall ln Lhe followlng
chapLers.
1he process of ego abandonmenL and Lhe LranslLlon Lo
egolessness can be compared Lo learnlng a second language.
Cne's naLlve Longue ls so well known LhaL lLs words are
noLhlng more Lhan verballzed LhoughLs. So well connecLed
are Lhe Lwo - LhoughLs and words - LhaL Lhe mlnd uses Lhls
language Lo form lLs own LhoughLs, LhaL ls, Lo Lhlnk ln LhaL
language. uurlng Lhe lnlLlal sLages of learnlng a second
language, LhoughLs are puL lnLo Lhe words of Lhe naLlve
Longue, whlch are Lhen LranslaLed lnLo Lhe new language.
WlLh Llme and conLlnued pracLlce, LranslaLlon from Lhe
naLlve Longue ls abandoned, and LhoughLs are puL dlrecLly
lnLo Lhe words of Lhe second language. 8uL Lhey are sLlll


38
percelved as words ln LhaL second language, noL verballzed
LhoughLs. Cnly wlLh conLlnued repeLlLlon does Lhe second
language develop Lhe lnLulLlveness of Lhe naLlve Longue
where Lhe words are percelved as Lhe LhoughLs Lhey
represenL. lL ls Lhen LhaL Lhlnklng Lakes place ln Lhe second
language Lo replace Lhe flrsL. unllke a language Lhough, Lo
replace old percepLlons wlLh new ones, we musL flrsL
overcome lngralned paLLerns of LhoughL.
Conslder Lhe analogy of Lhe prlsoner of Lhlngness.
1hroughouL a llfe lnfluenced prlmarlly by hls senses of vlslon
and Louch, Lhls lndlvldual percelves Lhe world only ln Lerms
of whaL he has become accusLomed Lo seelng and Louchlng,
hls mlnd condlLloned Lo percelve only LhaL whlch ls a Lhlng.
Cne day, he flnds hlmself surrounded by lron bars Lwo
lnches Lhlck. Pe looks and reaches ouL Lo feel Lhe cold, hard
sLeel of Lhe bars. Pe moves hls gaze and hand Lo Lhe slde of
Lhe bars Lo Lhe Lhree feeL of empLy space beLween Lhem and
feels noLhlng. 1here ls noLhlng Lhere Lo see or feel, whlch ls
beyond hls prevlous experlence. So, havlng a mlnd
condlLloned only Lo whaL ls seen or felL, he can'L undersLand
Lhls absence of seelng or feellng, Lherefore, hls mlnd refuses
Lo percelve Lhe space beLween Lhe bars. Pls mlnd reLurns Lo
Lhe only Lhlng he has been condlLloned Lo percelve, Lhe
Lhlngness of Lhe bars. lor hlm Lhen, Lhere ls no space, he
percelves hlmself Lo be a prlsoner surrounded by solld walls
of sLeel from whlch Lhere ls no escape. Cne day Lhough, ln a
momenL of dlsLracLlon, he abandons hls condlLlonlng and
sLops Lhlnklng ln Lerms of bars or Lhlngs. Pe opens hls mlnd
Lo Lhe posslblllLy of someLhlng oLher Lhan Lhlngness.
Suddenly, he percelves Lhe empLlness beLween Lhe bars and
walks ouL of hls lmaglned prlson.
1hlnklng ln Lerms of Lhlngness condlLlons Lhe mlnd Lo value
Lhlngness. 8uL Lhlngs, lncludlng ourselves, do noL exlsL ln a
vacuum, nor are Lhey lndependenL from oLher Lhlngs. All


39
Lhlngs relaLe and lnLeracL wlLh each oLher. no Lhlng can acL
wlLhouL some effecL belng felL by anoLher Lhlng. 1hlnklng ln
Lerms of Lhlngness, we separaLe ourselves from oLhers and
Lhe resulLs of our acLlons on oLhers. Cn Lhe oLher hand,
Lhlnklng ln Lerms of acLlon makes Lhe resulLs of our acLs
more obvlous. 1hls changes our moLlvaLlons and acLlons Lo
be more ln harmony wlLh Lhe oLher Lhlngs wlLh whlch we
share our unlverse.
Conslder a dance floor. As a dancer Lhlnklng ln Lerms of
Lhlngness, l am moLlvaLed Lo cllng Lo and use my parLlcular
area of Lhe dance floor for myself. 8uL, l am noL alone. 1he
oLher dancers and l are movlng all around Lhe floor. lf l Lhlnk
ln Lerms of my Lhlngness, l'm always sLruggllng Lo flnd my
space whlle slmulLaneously Lrylng Lo avold bumplng lnLo Lhe
oLher dancers. Cn Lhe oLher hand, lf l sLarL Lo Lhlnk ln Lerms
of Lhe acLlon of danclng, Lhen lL's easler Lo reallze we are all
danclng LogeLher. l am beLLer able Lo flow wlLh Lhe
movemenL of Lhe oLher dancers whlle sLlll dolng my dance.
llndlng or cllnglng Lo my space Lo dance becomes lrrelevanL.
1hlnklng ln Lerms of Lhlngness vs. acLlon ls noL Lhe conLrasL
beLween Lwo lnLellecLual facLs or phllosophlcal analyses.
1hey are Lwo dlfferenL psychologlcal experlences.
Caut|on
CerLaln lndlvlduals should noL pracLlce Lhe Lechnlques Lo be
descrlbed wlLhouL Lhe knowledge of and monlLorlng by Lhelr
docLor, psychlaLrlsL, or LheraplsL. 1hese lnclude persons wlLh:
Severe depresslon
Severe anxleLy
Schlzophrenla
8lpolar dlsease
uepersonallzaLlon dlsorder
PalluclnaLlons


60
unconLrolled, lnLruslve LhoughLs
LmoLlonal lnsLablllLy

1he Lechnlques LhaL follow requlre coherenL braln funcLlon
slnce Lhey lnfluence Lhe clrculLs of aLLenLlon, percepLlon, and
self-ldenLlLy. lf an lndlvldual's percepLlons are currenLly
malfuncLlonlng Lo Lhe polnL where Lhelr connecLlon Lo reallLy
or Lo Lhelr sense of self ls dlsorganlzed, lnLense medlLaLlon
and mlndfulness may dlsorganlze Lhls connecLlon furLher.
AddlLlonally, lf a person's Lhlnklng processes or emoLlons are
unsLable, lnLense medlLaLlon and mlndfulness may lnLerfere
wlLh coplng mechanlsms LhaL compensaLe for Lhls lnsLablllLy,
furLher exacerbaLlng Lhe underlylng problem.
I|na| 1houghts
1he followlng chapLers on medlLaLlon, mlndfulness, and
leLLlng go descrlbe each elemenL ln deLall. 8ecause of Lhe
lnLerdependence of Lhese Lhree elemenLs, each wlll only be
fully appreclaLed when Lhe chapLers dedlcaLed Lo Lhem,
ChapLers 7 Lhrough 10, are read Lo compleLlon. WlLh Lhls
lnformaLlon and undersLandlng, you wlll be ready for
ChapLer 11, whlch Lakes you sysLemaLlcally Lhrough Lhe
lndlvldual Lechnlques for you Lo pracLlce sLep by sLep.


61
7. reparat|on
S|mp||fy our L|fe
uurlng Lhe beglnnlng of Lhls process, you should assess your
llfe. ueveloplng egolessness ln an ego-cenLered socleLy ls a
dlfflculL Lask. 1hls ls furLher Laxed by Lhe many demands on
free Llme and sLressors common ln modern llfe. 1ake a whlle
Lo reflecL on Lhe organlzaLlon of your day and Lhe demands
on you and your Llme. Conslder how Lhese demands affecL
you from Lhe perspecLlve of ego. Can you pracLlce
medlLaLlon and mlndfulness ln harmony wlLh Lhese
demands? Can you flnd peace wlLhln Lhe demands? lf noL,
conslder ellmlnaLlng some responslblllLles or acLlvlLles,
geLLlng help ln execuLlng Lhem, or redeflnlng your llfe and
prlorlLles.
nexL, conslder your maLerlal goals. uo you really need more
sLuff? WlLh less sLuff, you need less Llme acqulrlng sLuff.
When you do make a purchase, don'L conslder lL Lhe source
of your [oy or a [ewel ln your crown. AfLer all, no maLLer
whaL lL ls, lL wlll fade, break, wear ouL, or oLherwlse lose
whaLever lmaglnary value lL had ln Lhe flrsL place. 8y
slmpllfylng your llfe ln Lhe reallLy of your day and Lhe
aLLlLude of your mlnd, you wlll have more energy and fewer
dlsLracLlons Lo appreclaLe each momenL of Lhe day.
ostures
leqs
8ecause Lhe mlnd and body are noL separaLe, cerLaln body
posLures are helpful Lo opLlmlze Lhe processes LhaL dlsclpllne
and focus Lhe mlnd. 1hls means compacLlng Lhe body whlle
avoldlng dlsLracLlng pressure polnLs on Lhe legs and buLLocks
and sLraln on Lhe back, arms, and shoulders. osLures LhaL
are assoclaLed wlLh relaxaLlon or sleep encourage relaxaLlon
and sleep. 1hus, lylng ln bed or slLLlng ln a recllner are noL
ldeal posLures Lo promoLe concenLraLlon.


62
osLures commonly used ln medlLaLlon (llgures 10-14) are
llsLed here.
lull loLus (rlghL fooL over Lhe lefL Lhlgh and lefL fooL
over Lhe rlghL Lhlgh)
Palf loLus (one fooL over Lhe opposlLe Lhlgh)
CuarLer loLus (one fooL over Lhe opposlLe calf)
8urmese posLure (boLh knees benL wlLh calves flaL on
Lhe floor parallel Lo each oLher)
kneellng (wlLh a plllow or bench under Lhe buLLocks)
SlLLlng ln a chalr wlLh Lhe back sLralghL

1he loLus offers sLablllLy aL Lhe cosL of knee pressure. 1he
8urmese posLure ls a favored compromlse.
When slLLlng ln any of Lhe above poslLlons, a cushlon (zofo)6
chalr, or bench LhaL's Lhe rlghL helghL wlll keep your legs ln a
sLable poslLlon wlLhouL undue pressure on Lhe legs and keep
your back sLralghL wlLhouL sLralnlng. (oundlng a zofo
around lLs clrcumference afLer each sesslon of medlLaLlon
wlll prevenL lL from becomlng Loo flrm from repeaLed
slLLlng.) A pad (zobotoo), folded blankeL, Lhlck rug, or carpeL
on a bare floor wlll keep pressure off your feeL and ankles.











63



























llg. 10. lull LoLus
llg. 11. Palf LoLus
llg. 12. CuarLer LoLus
llg. 13. 8urmese osLure


64




llg. 14. kneellng


63
nooJs
1he poslLlon of your hands can conLrlbuLe Lo your focus by
Lhe lnpuL of Lhelr sensors Lo anchor your awareness. Cne
hand poslLlon lnvolves placlng Lhem aL Lhe lower belly, lefL
over rlghL, so LhaL Lhe flngers of Lhe lefL hand lay dlrecLly
over Lhelr counLerparLs of Lhe rlghL hand whlle Lhe Llps of
Lhe Lhumbs Louch each oLher, as lf enclrcllng an egg (llgure
13-16), Lhe poslLlon of concenLraLlon/Jbyool. AnoLher
poslLlon ls wlLh each hand on Lhe correspondlng knee, palm
up, ln varlous permuLaLlons of Lhumbs Louchlng flngers
(llgure 17-18). AlLernaLely, one hand may slmply lay ln Lhe
oLher on Lhe lap. ubyool ls a favored hand poslLlon as lL
keeps Lhe body compacL and, belng aL Lhe belly, lL relnforces
aLLenLlon Lo breaLhlng.
lf Lhe hands are kepL ln Lhe mlddle, resL Lhem on Lhe feeL lf
leg posLure allows or conslder a small plllow under Lhe hands
Lo reduce sLraln on Lhe shoulders (llgure 16). 1he varlous
hand poslLlons are derlved from boLh 8uddhlsL and yoga
LradlLlons and have come Lo symbollze many Lhlngs, buL
Lhere ls no fundamenLal advanLage of one poslLlon over
anoLher. Apply whlchever poslLlon works besL for you Lo
malnLaln focus.



66
llg. 16. ubyool (on plllow)
llg. 17. Cyoo (on knees)
llg. 13. ubyool (on fooL)


67
llg. 18


68
8. Med|tat|on
Introduct|on
As menLloned prevlously, focuslng Lhe mlnd ls Lhe closesL
Lhlng we have Lo an off swlLch for unwanLed LhoughLs and
emoLlons. 1he flrsL sLep lnvolves sLrengLhenlng Lhe ablllLy Lo
focus by quleLly belng sLlll and dlrecLlng awareness Lo a
slngle elemenL or LargeL.
Schools vary as Lo whaL Lhe preferred LargeL of focus should
be: Lhe sound of mu" or anoLher manLra (a sound or phrase
wlLh speclal meanlng), Lhe lmage of a flame, or awareness of
breaLhlng or body posLure (yoga). WhaLever Lhe LargeL, Lhe
common elemenL of all of Lhese and oLhers ls LhaL focus ls
dlrecLed aL a slngle elemenL for an exLended perlod of Llme.
AnyLhlng can serve as Lhe LargeL of focus, buL lL's easler Lo
focus on someLhlng LhaL changes cycllcally, raLher Lhan a
sLaLlc LargeL or one LhaL ls randomly changlng. 8reaLhlng ls
such a LargeL and ls always wlLh us. lL holds aLLenLlon
Lhrough Lhe senses of hearlng, feellng, and Lhe awareness of
movemenL LhroughouL Lhe body. As such, lL ls Lhe ldeal
LargeL for novlces and experlenced medlLaLors allke.
1here are several ways Lo focus on breaLhlng, sLarLlng wlLh
Lhe easler and concreLe Lechnlque of dlrecLlng aLLenLlon on a
movlng body parL, Lhen Lhe more dlfflculL and absLracL
Lechnlque of dlrecLlng aLLenLlon on Lhe acL of breaLhlng.
1here are also oLher medlLaLlon Lechnlques, whlch are llsLed
below more or less ln order of lncreaslng dlfflculLy.
Whlchever Lechnlque ls pracLlced, lL's lmporLanL Lo focus
lnLensely yeL Lo pracLlce wlLh lmpersonal deLachmenL from
one momenL Lo Lhe nexL. 1he Lerm lnLensely" ls used Lo
descrlbe unwaverlng and lmmersed focus. lnLenslLy does noL
mean passlonaLely, as passlon orlglnaLes wlLh ego, whlch
would be an obsLacle Lo quleLlng Lhe mlnd. lnLense,


69
lmmersed, and unwaverlng focus should be relaxed and
resLful. 1hls ls Lhe meanlng behlnd Lhe lnsLrucLlon: 8e as
focused as lf your llfe depended on lL, yeL as deLached as lf lL
dldn'L." lf your focus ls noL relaxed and resLful, you're
probably Lrylng Loo hard.
MedlLaLlon lnvolves dlrecLlng your aLLenLlon Lo a speclflc
LargeL. uo so wlLhouL paylng aLLenLlon Lo how you feel or
your sense of self.
ract|ca| o|nts
MedlLaLlon ls an exerclse Lo sLrengLhen Lhe braln's aLLenLlon
clrculLs LhaL engage when Lhere are no dlsLracLlons. lnLensely
engaglng Lhls aLLenLlon wlll lnhlblL unneeded or undeslrable
acLlvlLy ln oLher clrculLs. AL Lhe sLarL of medlLaLlon, Lhls
lnhlblLlon can also lnvolve some deslrable funcLlons, such as
shorL-Lerm memory, problem solvlng, and oLher cognlLlve
Lasks. lor Lhls reason, you may flnd yourself a blL unseLLled
when deallng wlLh Lhe real word" durlng Lhe flrsL few days
of medlLaLlon. Lxamples lnclude slower reacLlon Llme,
reduced shorL-Lerm memory, and Lrouble prlorlLlzlng your
acLlvlLles.
As you conLlnue medlLaLlng, followed by llvlng your day, Lhe
deslrable clrculLs LhaL may have been lnhlblLed aL Lhe sLarL of
medlLaLlon wlll reengage, and LhaL unseLLled feellng wlll
fade. 1herefore, sLarL medlLaLlng when you have several
days LhaL don'L requlre you Lo make lmporLanL declslons,
Lake parL ln complex acLlvlLles, drlve for long perlods, or deal
wlLh sLress. uurlng Lhese flrsL few days, be parLlcularly
vlgllanL when worklng and drlvlng.
As menLloned above, Lhe acL of focuslng lnLensely reduces
acLlvlLy ln cerLaln braln clrculLs. lf Lhose clrculLs are
responslble for learned coplng skllls, an underlylng anxleLy or
Lenslon Lhose coplng skllls were masklng wlll Lemporarlly


70
surface Lo Lhe level of consclousness. WlLh conLlnued
medlLaLlon, Lhough, Lhose anxleLles or Lenslons wlll
Lhemselves be weakened. 1hls ls analogous Lo deleLlng, one
by one, a serles of bugs and bug flxes ln a compuLer program
or removlng, layer by layer, Lhe repalr paLches on an old
coaL. 1hls does noL mean LhaL medlLaLlon ls desLlned Lo
unvell a andora's box of psychologlcal maladles. ConLlnued
medlLaLlon may unvell some Lenslons, buL lL also defuses
Lhem. 1hls ls anoLher reason Lo flrsL sLarL medlLaLlng when
Lhere are a few days when your lnLellecLual demands are
lowesL and Lhen Lo conLlnue medlLaLlng regularly.
MedlLaLlon Lakes efforL and ls more effecLlve lf conslsLenLly
pracLlced, and lL wlll be conslsLenLly pracLlced lf lL's parL of
your day's rouLlne, llke brushlng your LeeLh or maklng Lhe
bed. Conslder Lhe demands on your Llme and aLLenLlon, and
Lhen declde wheLher mornlng or evenlng provldes a less
demandlng and dlsLracLlng perlod for slLLlng. lf posslble, Lry
medlLaLlng boLh mornlng and evenlng.
SlL ln whaLever posLure glves you sLablllLy and reasonable
comforL, buL remember, you're noL Lrylng Lo relax. l use Lhe
8urmese posLure and puL my hands ln Lhe concenLraLlon
poslLlon (ubyool) [usL below Lhe level of my navel, on a small
plllow Lo keep my shoulders from belng sLralned.
Some schools suggesL keeplng Lhe eyes open whlle slLLlng,
and oLhers suggesL keeplng Lhem closed. l keep mlne open.
My perspecLlve ls Lo Lraln as one llves Lhe day, LhaL ls, wlLh
Lhe eyes open. Also, keeplng Lhe eyes open reduces Lhe
mlnd's Lendency Lo creaLe lmaglnary dlsLracLlons. lf you do
pracLlce wlLh your eyes open, polnL Lhem ahead ln a relaxed
sllghLly downward dlrecLlon wlLhouL focuslng on any polnL.
?our eyes wlll Lend Lo go ouL of focus, leL Lhem.


71
Some medlLaLlon cenLers have everyone faclng a wall, whlle
oLhers have everyone faclng each oLher wlLh Lhelr backs Lo a
wall. lf you are faclng Lhe wall, avold one wlLh poLenLlally
evocaLlve paLLerns, as your mlnd wlll Lry Lo creaLe dlsLracLlng
lmages from Lhose paLLerns. Llke a bored chlld, Lhe mlnd ls
always Lrylng Lo flnd someLhlng Lo play wlLh.
A Llmer wlll keep you from belng dlsLracLed durlng
medlLaLlon by maklng lL unnecessary Lo Lhlnk abouL Lhe
elapsed Llme. AddlLlonally, seLLlng a speclflc duraLlon for
medlLaLlon wlll encourage you Lo conLlnue Lhe pracLlce unLll
Lhe bell rlngs should your wlll weaken and you wanL Lo sLop
premaLurely. Powever, don'L geL dlscouraged lf you do
LermlnaLe Lhe sesslon before Lhe Llmer rlngs. !usL llke LargeL
pracLlce, mlsslng Lhe bull's eye ls parL of Lhe process of
hlLLlng lL.
SLarL slLLlng wlLh a Llmer seL for 13 mlnuLes. lncrease Lhls
duraLlon by flve mlnuLes every few days as your sLamlna
grows. MedlLaLlng for 20 Lo 30 mlnuLes once a day may be
enough Lo calm Lhe mlnd, buL achlevlng egolessness or
awakenlng requlres more. As wlLh learnlng a new language,
Lhe more you pracLlce, Lhe more fluenL you become. uslng
Lhe analogy of Lhe llne drawlng of an lmage, Lhrough our
pracLlce, we remove llnes represenLlng ego-relnforclng
LhoughLs, whlle our culLure, envlronmenL, and remalnlng
menLal hablLs puL Lhem back. 1hus, we should medlLaLe
longer Lo succeed ln reduclng Lhe llnes of LhoughL and Lo
fade Lhe lmage of ego. Conslder medlLaLlng for one Lo Lwo
hours per day, (30- Lo 40- mlnuLe sesslons, Lwo Lo four Llmes
a day). l flnd LhaL slLLlng for 30 Lo 40 mlnuLes, Lwlce a day on
weekdays, and Lwo such sesslons ln Lhe mornlng and one aL
nlghL on weekends flL lnLo a modern schedule. SlLLlng
regularly wlll evenLually reduce your need for sleep, so Lhere
ls noL a greaL loss of Llme from Lhe day.


72
1he secLlons LhaL follow descrlbe flve fundamenLal
medlLaLlon Lechnlques. 1hey dlffer from each oLher by Lhe
LargeLs placed under Lhe spoLllghL of awareness. 1he
Lechnlques descrlbed are llsLed ln lncreaslng levels of
dlfflculLy. As such, each Lechnlque Lralns and prepares Lhe
mlnd for Lhe ones LhaL follow.
1he sLarLlng Lechnlque lnvolves a more concreLe LargeL of
focus. As your concenLraLlon grows, you wlll progress Lo
more absLracL LargeLs for medlLaLlon. 1ogeLher Lhese wlll
sLrengLhen your mlnd's ablllLy Lo concenLraLe on Lhe
momenL and deLach from your ego. 1hls ls noL Lo suggesL
Lhls ls a one-way cllmb up Lhe ladder of dlfflculLy. ?our
pracLlce can change dependlng on your day and progress.
lor example, lf you've had a more demandlng day wlLh more
dlsLracLlons or lnvaslve LhoughLs, you can reLurn Lo a more
concreLe medlLaLlon Lechnlque. As always, Lhe Lechnlque
LhaL helps you focus and sLllls your mlnd ls Lhe besL
Lechnlque for you.
When you flrsL slL down for a glven sesslon of medlLaLlon, lL
can be helpful Lo anchor your awareness wlLh a more
concreLe LargeL, such as Lhe movemenLs of Lhe belly or Lhe
acLlon of breaLhlng. 1hen, as your mlnd sLeadles ln Lhe
followlng few mlnuLes, move your aLLenLlon Lo your
preferred LargeL of focus, your preferred Lechnlque.
SlLLlng sLlll wlLh a mlnd lmmovably focused ls dlfferenL and
more dlfflculL Lhan mosL oLher menLal or physlcal acLlvlLles
of Lhe day. ?our aLLenLlon may occaslonally drlfL from your
pracLlce. When you recognlze you've been deLoured by
exLraneous LhoughLs pulllng your aLLenLlon away, slmply go
back Lo your orlglnal focus. uon'L anLlclpaLe, lnLerpreL, or be
dlsLracLed by auras, vlslons, eplphanles, lLchlng, dlscomforL,
sounds, or oLher experlences durlng medlLaLlon.
lurLhermore, don'L [udge, applaud, or crlLlclze yourself or


73
your pracLlce. All Lhese are dlsLracLlons and should be
lgnored whlle redlrecLlng your focus back Lo your pracLlce.
MedlLaLlve rellglons have consLrucLed an enLlre
nomenclaLure and myLhology asslgnlng varlous splrlLual
meanlngs Lo Lhese numerous dlsLracLlons. 1hey are all slmply
Lhe lasL survlvlng lmpulses of menLal acLlvlLy afLer layers of
conLrolllng or lnhlblLlng clrculLs have Lhemselves been sLllled
by your focus. lgnore Lhem. 1hey are as lllusory as any lmage
percelved ln Lhe clouds, and lf clung Lo, Lhey are Lraps LhaL
hlnder your pracLlce. Slmply redlrecL your focus Lo your
pracLlce wlLhouL looklng for speclal slgnlflcance or maklng
Lhese llluslons your goal. WlLh conLlnued unwaverlng and
lmpersonal focus, Lhey Loo wlll be sLllled.
Avold, lf posslble, shlfLlng your posLure or movlng around
whlle slLLlng, as Lhe dlsclpllne needed Lo keep your body sLlll
wlll exLend Lo Lhe dlsclpllne requlred Lo keep your mlnd sLlll.
Any dlscomforL can serve as a message or moLlvaLor Lo focus
more lnLensely on your pracLlce. ln hls book, 1btee llllots of
2eo, hlllp kapleau wroLe LhaL hls Leacher would occaslonally
requlre Lhe monks Lo slL ouLdoors unproLecLed from
mosqulLoes. 1he more uncomforLable Lhe mosqulLo blLes,
Lhe more Lhe monks were Lo reallze LhaL Lhelr focus was noL
deep enough. 1hls ls a blL exLreme, buL you geL Lhe message.
MosL physlcal dlscomforLs wlll fade wlLh conLlnued
concenLraLlon, buL lf lL ls necessary Lo scraLch an lLch or
ad[usL your posLure, do so mlndfully, wlLh Lhe same
aLLenLlon as for Lhe LargeL of your pracLlce. lmpersonally
waLch your acLlons as you move ouL of and Lhen back lnLo
your posLure and pracLlce.
keep Lhese prlnclples ln mlnd as you learn abouL Lhe
medlLaLlon Lechnlques below.


74
8ody Awareness
1hls pracLlce sLrengLhens your power of concenLraLlon and
beglns Lhe process of sllenclng superfluous LhoughLs. Whlle
you're looklng ahead or havlng your eyes closed, keep your
mlnd's eye on a body parL LhaL's movlng wlLh each breaLh.
1hls means puLLlng your aLLenLlon on your lower abdomen,
chesL, nosLrlls, or palms. Slnce self-ldenLlLy ls commonly
experlenced ln our heads due Lo Lhe power of our sense of
vlslon, l prefer keeplng aLLenLlon far away, ln Lhe lower belly
or ln Lhe palms poslLloned aL Lhe lower belly. Whlchever
body parL you've chosen, sLay conslsLenLly on Lhe same
LargeL, belng aware of lLs movemenLs as you breaLhe. Lach
breaLh has a beglnnlng, mlddle, end, and lnLervals ln
beLween. ay aLLenLlon Lo your body parL movlng
LhroughouL each of Lhese momenLs of breaLhlng, and as
each momenL flows lnLo Lhe nexL.
All your aLLenLlon should be on LhaL body parL wlLhouL Lrylng
Lo conLrol lLs movemenLs or your breaLhlng. lurLhermore,
don'L pay aLLenLlon Lo your self. ?ou should only be aware of
Lhe body parL movlng, from momenL Lo momenL, mllllsecond
by mllllsecond. noLhlng else maLLers.
lf lL's dlfflculL Lo malnLaln your focus aL Lhe sLarL, you can use
labels for Lhe componenLs of breaLhlng Lo help dlrecL your
aLLenLlon. lnhale whlle menLally saylng one" for each
lnhalaLlon and Lhen exhale whlle menLally saylng Lwo" for
each exhalaLlon. AlLernaLely, you can menLally say rlslng"
for each lnhalaLlon and falllng" for each exhalaLlon. AfLer a
week or so, sLop uslng Lhe words, and [usL keep your
awareness on Lhe body parL movlng durlng breaLhlng.
lf lL's dlfflculL Lo glve up conLrol of breaLhlng, keep your
conLrol, buL do so whlle purposely slowlng down each
exhalaLlon or boLh lnhalaLlon and exhalaLlon sllghLly. All Lhe
whlle, you should focus all your aLLenLlon on Lhe body parL


73
movlng wlLh each breaLh. AfLer several sesslons or weeks of
slowlng Lhe breaLhs, see lf you can leL go of your conLrol and
leL each breaLh happen on lLs own. lf noL, reLurn Lo Lhe
slowed breaLhlng unLll your concenLraLlon has developed Lo
Lhe polnL where you can leL go of your need Lo conLrol.
1hls baslc medlLaLlon Lechnlque sLrengLhens your
concenLraLlon and prepares you for more absLracL
Lechnlques laLer. As baslc as lL ls, don'L conslder Lhls a
sLepplng-sLone. Llfe's demands vary, and Lhe braln's energy
may falLer, whlch may aL Llmes Lax your ablllLy Lo apply more
absLracL medlLaLlon Lechnlques. 1hus, lf Lhere are days when
you have dlfflculLy sLllllng your mlnd wlLh oLher Lechnlques,
don'L heslLaLe Lo reLurn Lo Lhe medlLaLlon of body
awareness.
lf you are becomlng more anxlous, self-consclous, emoLlonal,
or oLherwlse ouL of sorLs wlLh Lhls pracLlce, you are probably
personallzlng Lhe experlence, paylng more aLLenLlon Lo your
self-ldenLlLy Lhan Lo Lhe body parL movlng wlLh each breaLh.
LeL go of Lhe feellng of self. 8e aware of LhaL body parL wlLh
Lhe same relaxed, deLached, and unlnvolved aLLlLude as
waLchlng a pendulum swlng. lf you're sLlll feellng ouL of sorLs
or anxlous, lL may mean you're Lrylng Loo hard Lo
concenLraLe lnLensely. SLop worrylng abouL lnLenslLy. !usL
waLch each movemenL of Lhe body parL you've chosen as
you breaLhe, waLch ln a relaxed frame of mlnd as lf waLchlng
a wave on a lake.
8reath|ng Awareness
1hls pracLlce beglns Lhe process of decondlLlonlng your mlnd
from Lhlnklng ln Lerms of Lhlngness and furLher sLrengLhens
your focus Lo sllence superfluous, self-referenclng LhoughLs.
lnsLead of belng aware of Lhe belly, hands, or oLher body
parL movlng, dlrecL your awareness Lo Lhe acLlon of
breaLhlng. uon'L focus on a slngle body parL movlng Lo Lhe


76
breaLh, slmply waLch Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng wlLh full
concenLraLlon, from Lhe beglnnlng Lo Lhe end of each
lnhalaLlon and exhalaLlon and all Lhe momenLs ln beLween.
WaLch your breaLhlng ln Lerms of Lhe acLlon raLher Lhan Lhe
parLs lnvolved. lL may help Lo flrsL be aware of Lhe
movemenL of your enLlre body durlng each momenL of
breaLhlng for a few mlnuLes, and Lhen Lry Lo LranslLlon your
aLLenLlon Lo Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng.
1here ls a subLle yeL slgnlflcanL dlsLlncLlon beLween body and
acLlon awareness. 1he former conLlnues Lhe mlnd's
aLLachmenL Lo Lhlngness, whlle Lhe laLLer weakens lL. AL Lhe
sLarL, you may noL undersLand Lhe dlfference beLween Lhe
awareness of a body parL movlng and Lhe awareness of Lhe
acLlon of breaLhlng. keep Lrylng. 1rusL LhaL your braln wlll
flgure ouL whaL lL ls you're Lrylng Lo do.
All your aLLenLlon should be on Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng
wlLhouL Lrylng Lo conLrol lL. lurLhermore, don'L pay aLLenLlon
Lo your self. 8e aware of Lhe acLlon, from momenL Lo
momenL, mllllsecond by mllllsecond. noLhlng else maLLers.
lf Lhere are days when your concenLraLlon ls reduced, apply
Lhe same focuslng Lools you used ln Lhe medlLaLlon of body
awareness. uL your mlnd's eye on Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng,
use Lhe labels one" and Lwo," or rlslng" and falllng" for
each lnhalaLlon and exhalaLlon, respecLlvely, or slow down
your breaLhs sllghLly.
As wlLh Lhe prevlous cauLlon, lf you're becomlng more
anxlous or ouL of sorLs wlLh Lhls pracLlce, pay more aLLenLlon
Lo Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng, and leL go of your sense of self.
WaLch Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng wlLh Lhe same deLached,
lmpersonal aLLlLude as waLchlng a leaf floaLlng ln a breeze.


77
Detached Se|f-Awareness
1hls pracLlce beglns Lhe process of decondlLlonlng your mlnd
from Lhlnklng ln Lerms of self. 1hls lnvolves belng aware of
your self wlLh an lmpersonal deLached mlndseL. Cbserve
your self, your breaLhs, and your LhoughLs wlLh an
unlnvolved Lhlrd-person perspecLlve. WaLch your self
LhroughouL each momenL of each breaLh. When a LhoughL
appears, observe lL wlLh lndlfference as lL rlpples, llke a wave
across a pond, whlle sLlll belng ob[ecLlvely aware of your self
and your breaLhlng. When a LhoughL pulls your aLLenLlon
away, leL go of lL and reLurn your full lmpersonal aLLenLlon Lo
waLchlng your self and each momenL of your breaLhlng.
lmpersonally observlng your self does noL mean LhaL you
form a menLal lmage of yourself as lf seelng yourself ln a
phoLograph or a movle. 8aLher, lL means belng aware of your
self from wlLhln.
lf lL's dlfflculL aL Lhe sLarL Lo observe your self lmpersonally,
Lry Lhe followlng LranslLlons. llrsL, wlLh your mlnd's eye,
H%,0" ,"# &/E#&#+,7 of your enLlre body durlng each
momenL of breaLhlng. 1hen, .&<#-7/+%**' waLch Lhe
movemenLs of your enLlre body durlng each momenL of
breaLhlng, as lf your body was [usL anoLher ob[ecL ln Lhe
room. 1hen, .&<#-7/+%**' H%,0" ,"# <#-7/+ ,"%, .7
K-#%,".+( (your self) do Lhe breaLhlng, as lf your self was [usL
anoLher person ln Lhe room. lf you're havlng dlfflculLy aL Lhe
sLarL, keep Lrylng. 1here's a good chance your braln wlll
flgure ouL whaL you're Lrylng Lo do over Lhe nexL few weeks.
Cnce you've masLered Lhe Lechnlque, be as focused as |f
your ||fe depended on |t, but be as d|spass|onate and
|mpersona| as |f |t d|dn't.
ln Lhe prevlously descrlbed medlLaLlon of breaLhlng
awareness, aLLenLlon ls on Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng. ln
deLached self-awareness, your aLLenLlon ls on Lhe self LhaL ls


78
dolng Lhe breaLhlng. 1hls ls a subLle buL lmporLanL dlsLlncLlon
ln boLh pracLlce and purpose. 1he flrsL prlmarlly reduces Lhe
formaLlon of sponLaneous LhoughLs and Lhe mlnd's Lendency
Lo Lhlnk ln Lerms of Lhlngness. 1he second sLrengLhens Lhe
mlnd's ablllLy Lo lmpersonallze Lhe sense of self, Lhus leLLlng
go of Lhe Lhlngness of self.
8y ob[ecLlvely observlng your self as you slL ln medlLaLlon,
you manlfesL Lhe reallLy LhaL your awareness and self-
ldenLlLy are separaLe from each oLher. 1he lmpersonal
observaLlon of your self-ldenLlLy weakens Lhe connecLlon
beLween your awareness and Lhls ldenLlLy, your ego. 1hls, ln
Lurn, weakens Lhe egocenLrlc moLlvaLlons LhaL drlve your
LhoughLs and acLlons. lurLhermore, you become less
affecLed by prevlous ego-LhreaLenlng sLlmull, and emoLlons
become less lnvaslve, lnLense, and deblllLaLlng.
lL may seem counLerlnLulLlve Lo observe your self lnLensely
Lo loosen Lhe grlp of ego. 1he key elemenL ls deLachmenL:
Lhe same observaLlon LhaL ls Lhe lmpersonal, ob[ecLlve,
unlnvolved, deLached perspecLlve of looklng aL a plle of
laundry or an empLy chalr. uslng Lhe analogy of Lhe llne
drawlng of a face, Lhls pracLlce Lralns Lhe mlnd Lo see Lhe
llnes wlLhouL belng dlsLracLed by Lhe lmage of Lhe face.
ueLachmenL separaLes awareness from Lhe ego and lLs
assoclaLed self-servlng LhoughLs and emoLlons.
1here ls a cauLlon relaLed Lo deLached self-awareness. lf you
are beLLer able Lo observe yourself Lhan you are able Lo
deLach from (lmpersonallze) your LhoughLs and feellngs, you
may accenLuaLe Lhe ego's hold on your awareness raLher
Lhan loosen lL. 1herefore, lf you noLlce you're becomlng
more emoLlonal, anxlous, self-consclous, arroganL, or
oLherwlse feellng more ouL of sorLs wlLh Lhls pracLlce, reallze
LhaL you musL work harder on deLachmenL. lf you cannoL be
deLached, abandon Lhls form of medlLaLlon for a few weeks


79
or monLhs. Co back Lo breaLhlng awareness or body
awareness unLll your sLrengLh of focus and deLachmenL have
lmproved.
Cho|ce|ess G|oba| Awareness
1hls pracLlce conLlnues decondlLlonlng your mlnd from
Lhlnklng ln Lerms of Lhlngness and self. 1he sLaLe of
cholceless global awareness ls Lhe sLaLe of compleLe
ob[ecLlve awareness and Lhe separaLlon of awareness from
LhoughLs and feellngs. 1hls awareness ls open Lo all LhaL ls
golng on ln boLh Lhe envlronmenL and wlLhln your mlnd. 1hls
means belng aware of your breaLhlng, your body slLLlng, any
sounds ln Lhe envlronmenL, and Lhe ebb and flow of any
LhoughLs and feellngs wlLhouL aLLachmenL. All Lhe whlle, you
are belng aware wlLhouL belng carrled away by any LhoughLs
or feellngs LhaL arlse.
Cholceless global awareness ls one of Lhe mosL dlfflculL of
pracLlces. 1here ls no sLeady focus polnL, as Lhe spoLllghL of
awareness ls noL a spoL buL everywhere. ?ou waLch wlLh
compleLe aLLenLlon whaLever comes lnLo awareness durlng
each mllllsecond of each momenL buL wlLh compleLe
deLachmenL.
ln a world where work musL be done, where we musL
concenLraLe on a parLlcular [ob or responslblllLy, Lhe
medlLaLlon of cholceless global awareness may make
concenLraLlng on a slngle selecLed elemenL more dlfflculL. lf
Lhls becomes Lhe case, sLop pracLlclng cholceless global
awareness for a few weeks. Co back Lo breaLhlng awareness
or deLached self-awareness for a whlle, Lhen, pracLlce
cholceless global awareness lnLermlLLenLly, raLher Lhan
excluslvely. unLll you can effecLlvely shlfL your aLLenLlon
beLween focused and cholceless global awareness ln Lhe
worklng world, lL may be besL noL Lo pracLlce Lhls form of
medlLaLlon Loo ofLen. Powever, once your concenLraLlon has


80
grown sLrong enough Lo keep focused ln Lhe worklng world,
pracLlce Lhls medlLaLlon ofLen. Cholceless global awareness
wlll greaLly enhance your ob[ecLlve awareness and your
experlence of egolessness.
Lov|ngk|ndness
1hls pracLlce deemphaslzes Lhlnklng ln Lerms of self and
opens Lhe mlnd Lo Lhe value of oLhers. Compasslon ls noL
[usL a LralL, lL's also a cholce. lL lnvolves Lhe recognlLlon LhaL
each llvlng Lhlng on Lhe planeL has lnLrlnslc value no less
Lhan your own. lL ls fosLerlng a carlng and lovlng mlndseL
conLlnually raLher Lhan as a spoLllghL on a favored person.
1he medlLaLlon of lovlngklndness dlrecLs aLLenLlon away
from Lhe ego and faclllLaLes Lhe braln's clrculLry Lo conLlnue
Lhe mlndseL of compasslon LhroughouL Lhe day.
SLarL by plcLurlng someone you deeply care abouL, and Lhen
waLch Lhe lovlng feellng Lhls generaLes. 8e aware of Lhe
feellng of lovlng lLself. lf your focus drlfLs or you lose Lhe
ablllLy Lo focus on LhaL lovlng, use Lhe lmage of LhaL speclal
someone Lo recreaLe Lhe feellng. LvenLually, LhaL lmage wlll
noL be necessary.
AlLernaLely, repeaL cerLaln phrases LhaL are Lhe hearL of a
LradlLlonal 8uddhlsL Leachlng on lovlngklndness (Metto
5otto). lrom Lhe repeLlLlon comes Lhe feellng, from Lhe
feellng comes Lhe sLaLe of belng. Mlndful aLLenLlon Lo each
word and repeLlLlon are Lhe keys Lo lnLernallzlng Lhe
meanlng of Lhe words. lL's lmporLanL LhaL you repeaL Lhese
phrases wlLh aLLenLlon on Lhe meanlng and Lhe feellng
wlLhouL an ego-cenLered l." MulLlple verslons have been
wrlLLen. Some use Lhe verbs feel," be fllled wlLh," or be."
Some use Lhe word lovlngklndness" for carlng and klnd."
CLhers add phrases for Lhe sLaLe of belng well" ln place of
healLhy." leel free Lo amend Lhe words Lo Lhose LhaL feel
comforLable for you whlle reLalnlng Lhelr meanlng, slnce lL ls


81
Lhe meanlng raLher Lhan Lhe words Lhemselves LhaL
Lransform you.
May l feel carlng and klnd.
May everyone feel carlng and klnd.
May l feel safe and aL peace.
May everyone feel safe and aL peace.
May l feel healLhy and happy.
May everyone feel healLhy and happy.

I|na| 1houghts
Whlle slLLlng, you may experlence new percepLlons and
erroneously label Lhese experlences as markers of good"
pracLlce, maklng Lhem your goal, raLher Lhan slmply focuslng
on your pracLlce. ln medlLaLlon and mlndfulness, Lhere are
no goals. A goal ls someLhlng Lo reach for ln Lhe fuLure, buL
your pracLlce ls all abouL llvlng ln Lhe presenL momenL. uL
your aLLenLlon on your medlLaLlon and mlndfulness pracLlce,
lgnorlng all else.
We all have good days and bad days deLermlned by Lhe
Lypes of lnLeracLlons we've had and Lhe demands wlLh whlch
we've had Lo conLend. AddlLlonally, our bodles and mlnds do
noL funcLlon aL Lhe same level from day Lo day. 1hus, some
slLLlng perlods wlll seem sLronger or weaker Lhan oLhers.
Lven experLs" have noLed LhaL Lhelr slLLlng lnLenslLy can
change from one day Lo Lhe nexL. l menLlon Lhls so Lhe
novlce ls noL dlshearLened when aLLenLlon wanes some days
compared Lo oLhers. 1he besL Lhlng Lo do ls Lo conLlnue
medlLaLlng, and afLerwards, go on wlLh Lhe day wlLhouL
maklng [udgmenLs abouL Lhe quallLy of your medlLaLlon.
1he lnlLlal hard work, faLlgue, and dlsLracLlons durlng
medlLaLlon can become poLenLlal obsLacles Lo conLlnued
pracLlce and may requlre passlon Lo keep Lhe efforL golng.
8uL, Lhere ls Lhe hlLch. asslon comes from Lhe ego, and


82
Lhough lL moLlvaLes our pracLlce, passlon relnforces our
sense of self and magnlfles our aLLachmenL Lo goals, one
aspecL of ego preLendlng Lo be an ally agalnsL lLself. 1hls
demonsLraLes how subverslve Lhe LhoughL paLLerns are LhaL
encompass Lhe ego. Some medlLaLlve LradlLlons have
Lermlnology for Lhese varlous paLLerns, buL Lhey are all
manlfesLaLlons of Lhe ego noneLheless. use LhaL passlon Lo
help propel your pracLlce, Lhen, leL Lhe passlon go.
CLherwlse, you may forLlfy raLher Lhan exLlngulsh Lhe ego.
SlL wlLh your focus as lnLense as lf your llfe depended on lL
and leL go of everyLhlng else: worrles, regreLs, hopes, goals,
and your passlon as well. When LhoughLs are more lnvaslve,
sllenLly say, LeL go" Lo help loosen Lhe grlp of Lhose
LhoughLs on awareness. When aLLenLlon wavers, sllenLly say
now" Lo redlrecL your aLLenLlon back Lo Lhe presenL
momenL. When passlons, emoLlons, or aLLachmenLs refuse
Lo wane, sllenLly say !usL waLch" Lo brlng your aLLenLlon Lo
your LargeL and fade Lhose dlsLracLlons. uurlng medlLaLlon,
focus on your pracLlce and noLhlng else. Dur|ng med|tat|on
there |s on|y focus|ng on your pract|ce, from moment to
moment, m||||second by m||||second. When you're done
s|tt|ng, carry the focus you've [ust strengthened (the
|ntens|f|ed awareness of the moment) |nto the act|v|t|es of
the day.
ln each momenL of your medlLaLlon pracLlce, dolng Lhe
pracLlce ls your only purpose. 1here ls no goal Lo achleve, no
feellng Lo feel, no LhoughL Lo Lhlnk. 1here ls no polnL Lo
medlLaLlon oLher belng aware of Lhe LargeL of your pracLlce.
!usL conLlnue Lhe pracLlce llke compleLlng each slL-up of an
exerclse rouLlne, one slL-up afLer anoLher, noL expecLlng
anyLhlng excepL Lo do Lhe currenL slL-up. uon'L geL lnvolved
ln or dlsLracLed by any goals, sensaLlons, LhoughLs, or
quesLlons. 8e focused on your medlLaLlon as lf your llfe
depended on lL, yeL sLay as deLached as lf lL dldn'L.


83
l'm repeaLlng myself because Lhls lnLenslLy of concenLraLlon
and deLachmenL ls rarely applled ln dally llfe and because
sLrong concenLraLlon and deLachmenL are Lhe foundaLlons of
awakenlng. 1hese skllls wlll grow wlLh pracLlce, and as Lhey
do, Lhose menLal hablLs supporLlng Lhe ego wlll weaken.
MedlLaLlon, mlndfulness, and deLachmenL (Lo be dlscussed
ln Lhe nexL chapLers) lnvolve greaLer use of some braln
clrculLs and less of oLhers. 1hls change ln Lhe braln's
sLlmulaLlon paLLern wlll cause new synapses Lo form and old
ones Lo weaken, and supporLlng cells (glla) wlll adapL Lhelr
acLlvlLy and alLer Lhelr number. ln oLher words, Lhe braln wlll
remodel lLself. 8ecause of Lhls process, you wlll noLlce your
dreams are more vlvld for Lhe flrsL several nlghLs or a week.
AddlLlonally, you may need more sleep durlng Lhls perlod.
1hese phenomena wlll be more dramaLlc Lhe more lnLensely
you medlLaLe and Lhe more conslsLenLly you pracLlce
mlndfulness. Powever, compared Lo an ego-cenLered llfe,
llvlng wlLhouL ego ls less compllcaLed. ?our braln wlll no
longer need Lo process everyLhlng Lwlce, once for awareness
and agaln for Lhe ego. 1herefore, as you conLlnue your
pracLlce whlle slLLlng and llvlng mlndfully each day, your
need for sleep wlll evenLually lessen whlle slmulLaneously
becomlng more resLful.
AL flrsL, medlLaLlon may seem borlng - concenLraLlng on Lhe
same Lhlng over and over - because Lhere ls a sLrong sense of
self Lo be enLerLalned LhaL wanLs Lo be saLlsfled and ls
sLrongly llnked Lo Llme. 1hen medlLaLlon becomes a sLruggle
Lo reslsL Lhe onslaughL of LhoughLs pulllng ln dlfferenL
dlrecLlons, llke a Lug of war over your aLLenLlon. 1hen, as Lhe
number of LhoughLs dlmlnlshes and focus sLrengLhens, lL's
sLlll an efforL Lo keep your focus sLeady agalnsL Lhe
remalnlng currenLs of LhoughL, llke a LlghLrope walker ln a
breeze. llnally, medlLaLlon becomes an efforLless awareness
floaLlng sLeadlly whlle LranslenL waves of LhoughL come and


84
go wlLhouL dlsLurblng your underlylng sLlllness. 8epeLlLlon
and conslsLency are Lhe keys.
Slow, pracLlced movemenLs or posLures, llke Lhose of Lal chl
or yoga, dlrecL your aLLenLlon Lo Lhe movemenL or body. ln
oLher words, Lhey represenL Lhe physlcal expresslon of
acLlon awareness and deLached self-awareness. As such, lf
you pracLlce Lal chl or yoga [usL before medlLaLlng, you wlll
propel your medlLaLlon Lo a deeper level.
1here ls one reporL ln Lhe llLeraLure of a menLal dlsorder
arlslng from medlLaLlon. As menLloned earller, focuslng
suppresses LhoughLs, and lf Lhose LhoughLs were coplng
mechanlsms for some underlylng menLal paln or
maladapLlve Lhlnklng, LhaL paln or Lhlnklng paLLern could
manlfesL lLself. lf Lhe lndlvldual Lhen became preoccupled
wlLh Lhese negaLlve lnfluences, lnsLead of lmpersonally
focuslng aLLenLlon on Lhe momenL, menLal lllness could
resulL. 1hls would be especlally Lrue lf Lhere was a
predlsposlLlon for menLal lllness. 1hls predlsposlLlon may be
Lhe resulL of a sLrong famlly hlsLory of menLal lllness, or a
personal hlsLory of slgnlflcanL or repeaLed head Lrauma,
physlcal or emoLlonal Lrauma, or abuse. 1hus, l would
sLrongly recommend LhaL persons who wlsh Lo pracLlce
medlLaLlon lnLensely, who suffer wlLh or have sympLoms
suggesLlve of menLal lllness, or Lhose who may have a
propenslLy for menLal lllness, as menLloned above, medlLaLe
wlLh Lhe guldance of a LheraplsL or medlLaLlon Leacher.


83
9. M|ndfu|ness
Introduct|on
Whlle medlLaLlon sLrengLhens Lhe mlnd's focuslng ablllLy ln
an undlsLracLed envlronmenL, mlndfulness applles Lhe
focused mlnd ln dally llfe. Mlndfulness ls aLLenLlon Lo Lhe
momenL LhroughouL a day occupled wlLh poLenLlal ego-
relnforclng lnfluences aL work, wlLh famlly, and aL play. Llke
Lhe movemenLs of Lhe feeL ln a dance, mlndfulness
reproduces Lhe menLal paLLern LhaL ls egoless ob[ecLlve
awareness lLself. When learnlng a dance, mosL of Lhe efforL
aL Lhe sLarL goes Loward consclously performlng Lhe
lndlvldual sLeps. WlLh Llme and pracLlce, Lhe purposefulness
of learnlng LranslLlons Lo Lhe lnLulLlveness of Lhe dance,
where Lhe sLeps flow wlLhouL foreLhoughL. So lL ls wlLh
mlndfulness, lnlLlally dellberaLe Lhen gradually auLomaLlc.
ln medlLaLlon, aLLenLlon ls pracLlced momenL by momenL
durlng Lhe slLLlng sesslon, ln mlndfulness, aLLenLlon ls
pracLlced from Lhe flrsL momenL of waklng Lo Lhe lasL
momenL of wakefulness aL bedLlme. lour Lechnlques for
mlndfulness are descrlbed, each havlng characLerlsLlcs LhaL
help belng mlndful ln dlfferenL seLLlngs: lnacLlvlLy, slmple or
freneLlc acLlvlLy, and lnLerpersonal lnLeracLlons. AL flrsL, you
may noL undersLand how Lo do Lhe mlndfulness Lechnlques
descrlbed below, buL wlLh conLlnued pracLlce, LrusL LhaL your
braln wlll flgure ouL whaL lL needs Lo do. lf you are sLlll
sLruggllng, seek ouL a Leacher Lo help.
Act|on Awareness
1hls ls Lhe mlndfulness verslon of breaLhlng awareness
durlng medlLaLlon. ln school, we are LaughL LhaL Lhe sub[ecL
of a senLence ls Lhe noun. now conslder Lhe acLlon (verb) as
Lhe sub[ecL of each momenL lnsLead of Lhlngs (nouns).


86
1o pracLlce acLlon awareness, focus on Lhe acLlon ln Lhe
momenL, loslng your self ln Lhe acLlon. 8e fully aware of Lhe
experlence of Lhe acLlon raLher Lhan Lhlnklng abouL lLs
compleLlon or your self. When walklng, be aware of Lhe
sLeps of walklng. When foldlng laundry, be aware of Lhe
foldlng and Lhe sorLlng. When brushlng your LeeLh, Laklng a
shower, geLLlng dressed, pulllng weeds, dusLlng, cleanlng,
cooklng, washlng Lhe dlshes, dolng laundry, and all Lhe oLher
slmple acLlvlLles of Lhe day, puL Lhe acLlon under Lhe
spoLllghL of your awareness raLher Lhan Lhe Lhlngs lnvolved,
yourself, or Lhe compleLlon of Lhe Lask. lf you need help
dlrecLlng your aLLenLlon Lo Lhe acLlon, say Lhe verb for Lhe
acLlon you're experlenclng wlLhouL Lhe sub[ecL l," for
example: washlng," walklng," foldlng," pulllng," and so
on. ?ou should noL keep a monologue ln your head, make
[udgmenLs, or Lhlnk abouL oLher acLlvlLles or daydream. All
your aLLenLlon ls on Lhe acLlon.
Cur senses are powerful lnfluences on percepLlon and fool
us lnLo Lhlnklng LhaL whaL we see and feel ls all LhaL ls. 8y
pracLlclng Lhe mlndfulness of acLlon awareness, we begln Lo
recognlze LhaL Lhere ls someLhlng beyond Lhe llluslon of
Lhlngness LhaL our senses of vlslon and Louch have convlnced
us ls Lhe prlmary naLure of reallLy and self. 8y keeplng our
aLLenLlon away from Lhlngness, Loward acLlon, we sLarL Lo
escape Lhe consLralnLs of our prevlous condlLlonlng, as dld
Lhe prevlously menLloned prlsoner of Lhlngness."
keeplng your awareness on Lhe acLlon lsn'L very dlfflculL
when Lhe acLlon ls as slmple as Lhose menLloned above, buL
lL's more dlfflculL when Lhe acLlvlLy ls complex or Lhere are
lnLeracLlons wlLh oLhers, such as drlvlng a car, playlng sporLs,
or belng aL a dlnner parLy. lf acLlon awareness ls dlfflculL due
Lo Lhe complexlLy of Lhe momenL, conslder pracLlclng
deLached self-awareness or global awareness.


87
Detached Se|f-Awareness
1he mlndfulness of deLached self-awareness ls slmllar Lo Lhe
medlLaLlon of Lhe same name. lL lnvolves ob[ecLlvely and
lmpersonally waLchlng yourself as you do Lhe acLlvlLles of Lhe
day, be Lhey slmple or complex. ?our deLachmenL should be
as lmpersonal as waLchlng a sLranger across Lhe sLreeL buL as
focused as lf llsLenlng for a whlsper.
ueLachmenL does noL mean avoldlng your emoLlons or
dlsLanclng yourself from your feellngs or unpleasanL
clrcumsLances. As AdyashanLl wrlLes ln hls book, 1be woy of
llbetotloo, ?ou are noL Lrylng Lo change your experlence,
you are changlng your relaLlonshlp Lo your experlence."
ueLachmenL ls noL meanL Lo change Lhe elemenLs of your
reallLy buL raLher your mlndseL Loward lL. lf you are avoldlng
undeslrable or unpleasanL clrcumsLances wlLh Lhe excuse of
belng deLached, you are mlsapplylng Lhe concepL of
deLachmenL. ChapLer 10 wlll provlde more lnslghL lnLo Lhls
sklll.
WlLh pracLlce, you wlll undersLand LhaL you can be mlndfully
deLached yeL sLlll be able Lo sponLaneously respond Lo Lhe
momenL: Lo laugh, cry, or be sLlll, accordlng Lo Lhe needs of
Lhe momenL. ln oLher words, waLch your self as you flow
Lhrough all Lhe momenLs of Lhe day.
ueLached self-awareness can be applled ln mosL dally
slLuaLlons, from slmple acLlvlLles Lo soclal lnLeracLlons. All
LhaL ls needed ls dellberaLe aLLenLlon from Lhe Lhlrd-person
perspecLlve. 1here are Lwo occaslons, Lhough, when global
awareness (dlscussed below) may be more approprlaLe:
slLuaLlons where Lhere ls no acLlvlLy (e.g., sLandlng ln a
queue) or where acLlvlLy ls very hecLlc (e.g., playlng sporLs or
an anlmaLed parLy).


88
!usL as wlLh Lhe medlLaLlon of deLached self-awareness, be
vlgllanL for any slgns of exaggeraLlon of Lhe ego. lf you are
more able Lo observe yourself Lhan Lo deLach from your
LhoughLs, feellngs, or self-ldenLlLy, you may accenLuaLe Lhe
ego's hold on your awareness raLher Lhan loosen lL. lf you
noLlce you're becomlng more emoLlonal, anxlous, self-
consclous, arroganL, or oLherwlse feellng ouL of sorLs wlLh
Lhls pracLlce, reallze LhaL you musL work on belng ob[ecLlve
and deLached by pracLlclng Lhe Lhlrd-person perspecLlve, or
abandon Lhls form of mlndfulness for a whlle. Conslder
medlLaLlng wlLh deLached self-awareness or breaLhlng
awareness so you can become more deLached durlng
mlndfulness.
G|oba| Awareness
1he mlndfulness of global awareness has Lwo varlaLlons
dependlng on Lhe clrcumsLances ln whlch lL ls applled:
cbolceless and ptojecteJ. ln sLlllness, Lhe mlndfulness of
cbolceless global awareness ls slmllar Lo Lhe medlLaLlon of
Lhe same name, encompasslng boLh Lhe envlronmenL and
Lhe mlnd. ln Lhe seLLlng of acLlvlLy, ptojecteJ global
awareness lnvolves focuslng on Lhe envlronmenL, llke a
wlde-angle lens, buL wlLhouL aLLenLlon Lo Lhe mlnd's own
acLlvlLles. 1he dlfference beLween Lhe Lwo ls based on a
slngle pracLlcal conslderaLlon: 1o funcLlon ln acLlvlLy,
awareness needs Lo be dlrecLed aL LhaL acLlvlLy raLher Lhan
one's own menLal phenomena.
1o pracLlce cholceless global awareness ln Lhe seLLlng of
sLlllness, open your awareness Lo everyLhlng, wheLher ln Lhe
mlnd or Lhe envlronmenL. Cbserve any phenomena wlLhouL
personallzlng Lhem or belng lured away from your sLaLe of
global awareness.
1o pracLlce pro[ecLed global awareness ln Lhe seLLlng of
acLlon, pro[ecL your aLLenLlon lnLo Lhe envlronmenL ahead


89
and around you, llke a soldler enLerlng a baLLle zone, all
senses on alerL. noLlce, wlLhouL menLal commenL, all Lhe
slghLs and sounds LhaL surround you. All your aLLenLlon ls on
whaLever enLers your awareness, wlLhouL aLLendlng Lo your
own LhoughLs or self-ldenLlLy.
When sLandlng ln a sLore queue or walLlng for a bus or oLher
evenL, conslder applylng Lhe mlndful sLlllness of cholceless
global awareness. Conversely, when Lhe acLlon ln Lhe
momenL ls complex or freneLlc, such as playlng sporLs or
drlvlng ln Lrafflc, be mlndful wlLh pro[ecLed global
awareness. 8uL global awareness, cholceless or pro[ecLed,
can also be pracLlced ln oLher degrees of acLlon as well, such
as grocery shopplng, on a walk or a hlke, mowlng Lhe lawn,
eLc. racLlce whaLever form of global awareness LhaL allows
you Lo funcLlon whlle sLlll belng deLached and fully aware of
Lhe momenL.
As wlLh Lhe medlLaLlon of cholceless global awareness, Lhe
mlndfulness of global awareness may make concenLraLlng on
a slngle elemenL more dlfflculL. lf Lhls becomes Lhe case, sLop
Lhls pracLlce for a whlle, reLurnlng Lo acLlon awareness or
deLached self-awareness. unLll you can shlfL beLween
focused and global awareness ln Lhe worklng world, lL may
be besL noL Lo pracLlce Lhls form of mlndfulness exLenslvely.
Lov|ngk|ndness
!usL as wlLh Lhe medlLaLlon of lovlngklndness, Lhls
mlndfulness Lechnlque manlfesLs Lhe reallLy LhaL each llvlng
Lhlng on Lhe planeL has lnLrlnslc value no less Lhan your own.
8e aware of Lhe lndlvldual ln each person you encounLer,
recognlzlng hls or her worLh. 1hls does noL mean golng ouL
of your way Lo do someone a favor or Lo acL Lo feel good
abouL yourself. nor does Lhls mean glvlng ln, appeaslng, or
belng submlsslve. Look aL sLrangers wlLh Lhe same


90
perspecLlve as for famlly or frlends. Lose your self ln Lhe
lnLeracLlon. When noL lnLeracLlng wlLh people, experlence a
lovlng feellng ln each momenL, emanaLlng forLh wlLhouL a
LargeL. lL may help Lo medlLaLe wlLh lovlngklndness before
applylng Lhls mlndfulness Lechnlque.
I|na| 1houghts
lnlLlal aLLempLs aL mlndfulness may reLaln Lhe sub[ecLlvlLy
you've prevlously normally" experlenced. ConLlnued
pracLlce wlLh boLh medlLaLlon and mlndfulness, however,
dlmlnlshes your superfluous LhoughLs and, as a resulL,
weakens your sub[ecLlvlLy. 1hls, Lhen, allows you Lo
dellberaLely shlfL your mlndful awareness from Lhe
sub[ecLlve perspecLlve lnLo Lhe conLrasLlng perspecLlve of
ob[ecLlve awareness, encompasslng whaLever LargeL you've
chosen for your aLLenLlon. 1hls percepLual shlfL may be
dlfflculL for non-medlLaLors Lo undersLand or experlence, so
lL's llkely you may noL experlence Lhls shlfL lnlLlally. WlLh
your conLlnued pracLlce of medlLaLlon and mlndfulness,
however, your braln wlll evenLually rewlre lLself, and you wlll
be able Lo experlence Lhls phenomenon.
1here are many aspecLs Lo a Lyplcal day, and mlndful
awareness Lo all aspecLs requlres dlfferenL skllls. Mlndfulness
durlng lnacLlvlLy vs. acLlvlLy, awareness Lo slmple vs. complex
acLlons, and belng alone vs. aLLendlng Lo lnLerpersonal
lnLeracLlons all enllsL dlfferenL menLal faculLles LhaL share
Lwo quallLles: Lhe sLrengLhenlng of aLLenLlon and Lhe shlfLlng
of focus away from ego. 1hus, get comfortab|e w|th sh|ft|ng
from one m|ndfu|ness techn|que to another, depend|ng on
the c|rcumstances. 8uL, don'L fllLLer from one Lechnlque Lo
anoLher ln Lhe same seLLlng, llke an undeclded apprenLlce
who never pracLlces one Lhlng long enough Lo galn any sklll.
1he dlfferenL Lypes mlndfulness Lechnlques here may remlnd
you of Lhe sLereoLyplcal Chlnese menu and cause some


91
confuslon over whlch Lo choose and when. 8uL, Lhere ls a
cerLaln slmpllclLy Lo Lhem. 1he varlous Lechnlques dlscussed
dlffer prlmarlly ln your cholce of LargeL for Lhe spoLllghL of
your awareness: acLlon, Lhe self, or Lhe comblnaLlon of boLh.
lf your LargeL of aLLenLlon ls your own acLlon, be mlndful
wlLh acLlon awareness. lf your LargeL ls acLlon ls ln Lhe
envlronmenL, however, be mlndful wlLh pro[ecLed global
awareness. lf your LargeL ls your lmpersonal self, be mlndful
wlLh deLached self-awareness. llnally, lf your aLLenLlon ls all
lncluslve, be mlndful wlLh cholceless global awareness.
Looklng ln dlfferenL dlrecLlons enllsLs Lhe acLlon of dlfferenL
eye muscles buL ls sLlll [usL looklng. Slmllarly, belng aware of
dlfferenL LargeLs lnvolves dlfferenL menLal skllls buL ls sLlll
[usL belng aware.
lf you are geLLlng lnvolved ln an lnner monologue, conslder lL
a slgn LhaL your aLLenLlon ln mlndfulness ls weakenlng, Lhen
lncrease your awareness ln Lhe momenL. As you pracLlce,
you may curse Lhe sLressors LhaL lnLerfere wlLh your
mlndfulness or pull you Loward Lhe egocenLrlc Lhlnklng you
are Lrylng Lo exLlngulsh. lnsLead of hlndrances, conslder
Lhem slgns LhaL show you where your efforLs need Lo be
sLrengLhened. AccepL Lhe sLressors mlndfully and
dlspasslonaLely. WlLhouL Lhese challenges, you may become
lax, sLagnaLe, or regress.
Cons|stency and repet|t|on are the keys to mak|ng
m|ndfu|ness automat|c. 8ecause we've been condlLloned
lnLo Lhlnklng from Lhe egocenLrlc perspecLlve slnce
chlldhood and Lhls percepLlon ls malnLalned by our culLure,
lL's easy Lo lapse lnLo egocenLrlc Lhlnklng lf you're noL
aLLenLlve. 1herefore, be as vlgllanL as when your moLher Lold
you Lo keep your posLure sLralghL, from Lhe momenL of
waklng Lhrough Lo bedLlme. WlLh pracLlce, you'll qulckly
recognlze when you've drlfLed away from belng mlndful.


92
1hen you'll be able Lo shlfL back more easlly lnLo mlndful
ob[ecLlve awareness, [usL as Lhe sub[ecLs ln Seklyama's
experlmenL (ChapLer 4) could dellberaLely shlfL beLween Lhe
vlsual percepLlons of rlghL and lefL. AppreclaLlng Lhe hldden
lmage ln Lhe sLereogram aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhls book
requlred you Lo dellberaLely shlfL your vlsual focus. Slmllarly,
mlndfulness requlres a dellberaLe shlfL of Lhe focus of your
awareness LhroughouL Lhe day.
AL flrsL, you ponder whlch mlndfulness Lechnlque Lo apply Lo
your currenL slLuaLlon, llke quesLlonlng whlch dance flLs Lhe
sLyle of muslc you're hearlng. And, [usL as looklng aL your
dance parLner may dlsLracL you from keeplng Lo Lhe rhyLhm
of Lhe muslc, Lhe day's evenLs may dlsLracL you from keeplng
your mlndful perspecLlve. WlLh pracLlce, Lhough, you flnd
LhaL Lhe slLuaLlon suggesLs Lhe mlndfulness Lechnlque, [usL
as Lhe sLyle of muslc chooses Lhe sLyle of Lhe dance,
moreover, pracLlce helps you malnLaln your sLaLe of
mlndfulness more ofLen. noneLheless, dlsLracLlons sLlll lgnlLe
prevlous egocenLrlc hablLs and pull your aLLenLlon away or
your aLLenLlon weakens, causlng you Lo drlfL ouL of
mlndfulness. 1hroughouL Lhe lnlLlal perlod, you shlfL
beLween mlndfulness, lnaLLenLlon, and ego-cenLered
Lhlnklng, Lhen back Lo mlndfulness. WlLh more pracLlce,
however, your aLLenLlon sLrengLhens and you spend more
Llme belng mlndful and less Llme belng dlsLracLed.
LvenLually, mlndfulness ls second naLure. Llke Lhe flow of a
well-pracLlced dance where Lhe movemenLs of Lhe legs [usL
happen, egoless ob[ecLlve awareness becomes parL of Lhe
experlence of every momenL. SLlll, some slLuaLlons can make
you sLumble Lo sllp lnLo Lo your prevlous ego-cenLered
percepLlons and responses. 8uL, llke a pendulum LhaL's been
pushed from lLs resLlng mlddle, you're able Lo reLurn Lo Lhe
quleL cenLer. WlLh conLlnued pracLlce, mlndfulness becomes
a sLaLe you purposely keep, buL lL's sLlll noL yeL naLural, llke a
well known second language LhaL's noL as fluenL as your


93
naLlve Longue. LvenLually Lhough, efforLless mlndfulness [usL
ls. And, when Lhe challenges of reallLy face you, your egoless
response flows wlLhouL heslLaLlon. 8epeLlLlon and
conslsLency are Lhe keys.


94
10. Lett|ng Go
LeLLlng go lnvolves sLopplng Lhe menLal or physlcal
manlfesLaLlons of ego as well as cerLaln hablLs acqulred
durlng medlLaLlon and mlndfulness LhaL are more subLle
expresslons of ego.
Detachment
1he prevlous chapLers on medlLaLlon and mlndfulness
dlscussed wbete Lo dlrecL your aLLenLlon, Lhls secLlon
dlscusses bow Lo dlrecL your aLLenLlon.
1here are Lwo perspecLlves for aLLenLlon. Cne ls Lhe
convenLlonal, auLomaLlc, personal, and egocenLrlc aLLenLlon
LhaL ls assoclaLed wlLh Lhe feellng of a self-ldenLlLy, me."
lurLhermore, lf a LargeL holds some personal slgnlflcance,
Lhls form of aLLenLlon can Lrlgger a hosL of ego-cenLered
LhoughLs and emoLlons, whlch, LogeLher wlLh Lhe feellng of
self, are called aLLachmenLs. When you are glven a glfL, you
have a cerLaln ego-cenLered experlence relaLed Lo Lheses
aLLachmenLs.
1he second perspecLlve for aLLenLlon ls Lhe more dellberaLe,
deLached, lmpersonal perspecLlve, wlLhouL Lhe feellng of a
self-ldenLlLy. When you observe a sLranger recelve a glfL, you
have no ego-cenLered experlence because you observe Lhe
evenL wlLh an unlnvolved perspecLlve. ueLachmenL, Lhe
leLLlng go of aLLachmenLs, ls LhaL same lmpersonal and
unlnvolved perspecLlve applled Lo your own llfe. lL ls Lhe
same perspecLlve as when seelng a passlng car, a cloud
overhead, a sofa cushlon, or an old shoe.
Also, cerLaln Lasks requlre you Lo apply deLached awareness,
ln addlLlon Lo mlndfulness. Lxamples lnclude: Lhreadlng a
needle, slowly Lylng your shoelaces, and cross-sLlLchlng.
1hese are slmple Lasks, yeL Lhey ofLen requlre sLrongly


93
focused awareness. 8oLh, Lhe lmpersonal perspecLlve and
Lask relaLed awareness, dlrecL aLLenLlon away from Lhe
feellng of self and Loward Lhe currenL momenL.
lf Lhe concepL of deLachmenL ls sLlll dlfflculL Lo undersLand,
Lry Lhreadlng a small needle several Llmes a day for abouL a
week. Cbserve how your aLLenLlon durlng Lhls Lask dlffers
from your aLLenLlon durlng Lhe resL of your day. AfLer a few
days or a week, you may be able Lo see Lhe dlfference. 1hen,
pracLlce applylng Lhls same deLached Lask relaLed awareness
aL wlll for all Lhe acLlvlLles of your day.
Detachment |nvo|ves |ett|ng go of the se|f-|dent|ty and any
ego-centered thoughts and emot|ons re|ated to the
e|ements of the moment, |mpersona||y be|ng aware of the
e|ements of the moment and se|f. 1hls ls whaL ls meanL by
Lhe words [usL waLch," dlspasslonaLe awareness," and
deLached awareness," observlng wlLhouL addlng any feellng
of your own speclalness or sense of self Lo Lhe experlence. AL
Lhe sLarL, lL's a dellberaLe mlndseL LhaL you purposely apply
Lo every momenL. WlLh pracLlce, lL becomes auLomaLlc.
ueLached awareness of each momenL leads you Lo noLlce as
each momenL becomes Lhe nexL ln a serles of nows."
1hlnklng ln Lerms of Lhe pasL" holds on Lo a memory,
LhoughL, or feellng from a prevlous now, whlle Lhlnklng ln
Lerms of Lhe fuLure" reaches for a hope or expecLaLlon ln a
now LhaL has noL yeL occurred. 8oLh are dlsLracLlons
prevenLlng you from focuslng all your aLLenLlon on Lhe
currenL now. Cne cannoL Lruly appreclaLe Lhe subLleLles and
nuance of Lhe presenL whlle belng dlsLracLed by memorles
from a pasL or expecLaLlons ln a fuLure. 1hus, Lhlnklng ln
Lerms of now helps Lo leL go of aLLachmenLs Lo a pasL or a
fuLure.


96
ueLachmenL ls noL Lhe psychlaLrlc condlLlon of
depersonallzaLlon dlsorder, whlch ls Lhe lnvolunLary and
dlsLresslng feellng of belng dlsconnecLed from or noL belng
ln conLrol of one's physlcal body or menLal acLlvlLles.
ueLachmenL ls compleLely under a person's conLrol and
resulLs ln a Lranqull mlnd.
ueLachmenL ls noL Lhe psychologlcal coplng mechanlsm of
dlssoclaLlon where feellngs or memorles are hldden from Lhe
sense of self, Lo avold Lhe paln Lhey evoke for Lhls self. 1hls
can occur wlLh cerLaln sLrong sensory experlences or evenLs
LhaL have greaL slgnlflcance for our sense of self or survlval.
ueLachmenL does noL lnvolved hldlng or escaplng from
anyLhlng. Memorles remaln buL are noL clung Lo. LmoLlons
are experlenced buL are proporLlonal and non-lnvaslve.
ueLachmenL ls noL dlsLanclng oneself from Lhe envlronmenL.
ulsLanclng lnvolves dellberaLely separaLlng yourself or
puLLlng up walls beLween experlences and one's ego, or
hldlng from feellngs and emoLlons. ln Lhe process of
dlsLanclng, one ls forced Lo pay aLLenLlon Lo any negaLlve
emoLlons or percepLlons of an uncomforLable experlence
and Lhe sense of self Lo separaLe Lhe Lwo. ?ou cannoL
separaLe a caL and a mouse lnvolved ln a fracas, wlLhouL
paylng aLLenLlon Lo boLh. ueLachmenL, however, puLs all
your aLLenLlon on Lhe experlence wlLhouL puLLlng value on a
sense of self or ego-generaLed emoLlons.
ueLachmenL requlres a focused mlnd and lnslghL Lo really
undersLand whaL lL means and how Lo apply lL. CfLen,
however, Lhls focus and lnslghL musL flrsL be developed
Lhrough medlLaLlon. 1hls ls a sorL of paradox - deLachmenL
deepens your medlLaLlve pracLlce, buL medlLaLlon ls ofLen
flrsL needed Lo undersLand Lhe process of deLachmenL.


97
1hus, as you lnlLlally medlLaLe wlLh Lhe Lechnlques of body
awareness and breaLhlng awareness, do so wlLh Lhe
convenLlonal, personal awareness wlLh whlch you're
comforLable. As your concenLraLlon sLrengLhens, your mlnd
sLllls, and your lnslghL grows, you can sLarL pracLlclng
deLachmenL. llrsL, lmaglne someLhlng LhaL has absoluLely no
lmporLance for you, or slmply be aware of your fooL or hand.
Cbserve your deLached sLaLe of mlnd as you do Lhls, Lhen
shlfL Lhls lmpersonal mlndseL Lo Lhe LargeL of your
medlLaLlve pracLlce. As your ablllLy Lo become deLached
grows, you wlll be able Lo waLch every experlence wlLh Lhe
same lmpersonal ob[ecLlvlLy.
ueLachmenL ls very dlfferenL from an lndlvldual's usual
mlndseL and largely allen Lo non-medlLaLors. 1o shed llghL on
Lhe phenomenon, leL me descrlbe Lwo personal experlences.
Whlle ln posLgraduaLe school, a panlc aLLack woke me ln Lhe
mlddle of Lhe nlghL before an lmporLanL exam. My hearL
Lhumped so lnLensely, lL felL as lf lL was golng Lo explode. l
felL a choklng sensaLlon ln my LhroaL, and l felL Lhe exLreme
fear of someone falllng Lo Lhelr deaLh. l suffered Lhrough Lhe
experlence for a mlnuLe or Lwo Lhen declded Lo look aL lL as
lf lL were a speclmen on a plaLe, ob[ecLlvely and
lmpersonally. ln an lnsLanL, all sympLoms sLopped.
A nearly paralyzlng anxleLy occurred when l found myself
lylng aL Lhe ready, aLop a 76-fooL-hlgh waLer sllde durlng a
Lrlp Lo a waLer park wlLh my daughLers. l was lnsLrucLed Lo
push myself over Lhe edge when l was ready, buL my fear
kepL me from commlLLlng myself Lo Lhe near-verLlcal drop. l
Look a momenL and became one" wlLh Lhe experlence by
looklng aL lL fully and lmpersonally. My anxleLy dlsappeared,
allowlng me Lo calmly push myself over Lhe edge and lnLo
Lhe abyss."


98
1he lmpersonal looklng" LhaL l applled Lo Lhese lndlvldual
momenLs ls Lhe deLachmenL LhaL ls Lo be applled ln every
momenL ln medlLaLlon and LhroughouL Lhe day ln
mlndfulness.
kemov|ng Cbstac|es
CbsLacles are ego-relnforclng hablLs LhaL are ofLen
consldered normal behavlor or parL of Lhe culLure ln Lhe
famlly, among coworkers, frlends, or ln socleLy. Some of
Lhese hablLs may have been repeaLed so ofLen, Lhey've
become assoclaLed wlLh personallLy.
uon'L creaLe emoLlon where no emoLlon exlsLs. Melodrama
belongs on 1v slLcoms, noL ln dally llfe. 1here are many
examples of ordlnary conversaLlons belng Lurned lnLo
LheaLrlcs and lnLerpersonal relaLlonshlps Lurned lnLo a clrcus
of emoLlons. 8ecomlng angry or annoyed aL every
Lransgresslon, belng dlsappolnLed by unmeL expecLaLlons,
Laklng Lhlngs personally, Laklng yourself Loo serlously, and
noL accepLlng Lhe needs of Lhe momenL or Lhe unchangeable
aspecLs of llfe: all lnflame or lnflaLe Lhe ego. 1hey engage Lhe
emoLlons of anger or fear leadlng Lo boLh self-referenclng
and egocenLrlclLy, whlch can Lhen produce a cascade of
emoLlonal echoes. AlLhough Lhese examples hlghllghL
common evenLs, Lhey are nelLher maLure nor conduclve Lo
egolessness. 1hey have no place ln your reallLy. Abandon
Lhem. CulLlvaLe Lhe feellngs of compasslon, peace, and
accepLance lnsLead.
When an emoLlon develops, see lL for whaL lL ls, a passlng
wave. Lxperlence lL, Lhen leL lL pass, movlng your aLLenLlon
back Lo Lhe presenL momenL. uon'L be carrled off or cllng Lo
emoLlonal echoes ln your head. Avold knee[erk emoLlonal
responses or belng dragged lnLo any emoLlonal Lurmoll
creaLed by Lhe company you keep.


99
Avold creaLlng Lenslon when people annoy you or Lhe evenLs
of Lhe day don'L go as planned. losLer a frame of mlnd LhaL
accepLs oLhers and Lhe poLenLlal frusLraLlons of Lhe day.
Change whaL can be changed and accepL whaL cannoL. LeL go
of any frusLraLlon and avold commenLlng on or rellvlng
evenLs.
racLlce self-conLrol and equanlmlLy ln boLh mlnd and body.
Avold dramaLlc manlpulaLlons of your volce or faclal
expresslons, head bobblng, or LheaLrlc gesLlculaLlon durlng
conversaLlons. uon'L Lalk dramaLlcally or loudly or chaLLer for
Lhe sake of chaLLer. Look and llsLen LhroughouL Lhe day. 1alk
when needed for lnformaLlon and humor ln a calm volce,
nelLher loud nor emoLlonal. 8emember, Lhough, Lo be parL
of your envlronmenL. A parLy may call for revelry, a [oke calls
for laughLer, and grlef calls for Lears. 8uL, mosL days call for
quleL equanlmlLy.
ln a consumer-drlven or rellglous socleLy, we are bombarded
by messages of whaL ls good or bad, and beLLer or worse,
regardless of how lrrelevanL Lhose comparlsons are ln our
llves. Cf course, [udgmenLs musL be made for lmporLanL
declslons, buL ouLslde Lhls conLexL, mosL [udgmenLs are
superfluous and lrrelevanL and emanaLe from and relnforce
Lhe ego, so avold Lhem. Cbserve and accepL Lhe presenL
wlLhouL unnecessary [udgmenL or crlLlclsm.
Avold mulLlLasklng. ln a modern llfe where demands are
many and Llme seems lacklng, lL's LempLlng Lo consolldaLe
acLlvlLles Lo do as much as posslble slmulLaneously. As
efflclenL and Llme savlng as Lhls may appear, lL encourages a
dlsLracLed mlnd and a weakened focus, Lhe very
characLerlsLlcs medlLaLlon and mlndfulness are deslgned Lo
remedy. So, lnsLead of opposlng Lhe efforLs of your pracLlce,
Lhlnk abouL, focus on, and mlndfully do one Lhlng aL a Llme.


100
CerLaln vlrLual/compuLer games and movles confer Lhe
percepLlon of superhuman ablllLy (scl-fl) or supremacy over
oLhers (baLLle scenes). Cr, Lhey are so emoLlonally charged
or reallsLlc Lhey engross Lhe player ln Lhelr emoLlon and
reallsm, Laklng Lhe player away from reallLy. 1hus, Lhese
feaLures dlsrupL your aLLempLs Lo malnLaln deLached
mlndfulness ln Lhe presenL. Avold Lhem, keep your exposure
Lo a mlnlmum, or en[oy Lhem wlLh mlndful deLachmenL.
CerLaln acLlvlLles lnvolve percelvlng super-human ablllLles
such as drlvlng a car, [eep or moLorcycle on or off Lhe road,
or shooLlng a gun or an arrow. AddlLlonally, some acLlvlLles
may confer Lhe feellng of supremacy over oLhers, such as Lhe
marLlal arLs. erhaps Lhls ls one of Lhelr allurlng facLors, buL
ln Lhe process of abandonlng ego, Lhls feellng of supremacy
ls an obsLacle. lf you choose Lo conLlnue Lhese acLlvlLles,
en[oy Lhem by dlrecLlng your aLLenLlon Loward Lhe sklll and
your ob[ecLlve awareness ln each momenL of Lhe acLlvlLy. ln
oLher words, pracLlce mlndfulness, and leL go of any ego-
enhanclng sense of power or supremacy Lhese acLlvlLles may
confer Lo you.
CerLaln llfe slLuaLlons may also confer Lhe feellng of
supremacy over oLhers or speclalness compared Lo oLhers,
such as power, wealLh, and celebrlLy. lf you are ln one of
Lhese slLuaLlons, be aware of any ego-enhanclng aLLenLlon
belng dlrecLed Loward you due Lo Lhese superflclal aLLrlbuLes
and any feellng of superlorlLy or dlsLlncLlon you may
experlence yourself. Apply Lhe mlndfulness Lechnlques
dlscussed, and leL go of any sense of speclalness or
superlorlLy.
Conversely, cerLaln llfe clrcumsLances may confer a feellng of
lnferlorlLy Lo oLhers, such as lower soclal sLaLus, employmenL
hlerarchy, and poverLy. lf you are ln one of Lhese slLuaLlons,
be aware of any ego-cenLered feellngs or negaLlve


101
dlsLlncLlon you may experlence. racLlce mlndfulness and leL
go of any feellngs of lnferlorlLy.
Sex, as oLher sLrong physlcal sLlmull, can pull awareness
Loward your self-ldenLlLy. And, as wlLh oLher sLrong
emoLlonal experlences, sex can sLrengLhen your aLLachmenL
Lo your self-ldenLlLy. 1hus, uslng sex for your own pleasure,
aggrandlzemenL, or sense of power or conLrol wlll forLlfy
your ego. Powever, lf you relaLe boLh your physlcal and
emoLlonal experlences Lo your parLner, your ego wlll less
llkely be relnforced by Lhe experlence. ?ou can cerLalnly
en[oy Lhe experlence mlndfully or reLurn Lo mlndfulness
soon afLerwards.
unless your mlnd's dlsclpllne has developed enough Lo
efforLlessly sLop Lhe random self-perpeLuaLlng waves of
LhoughL Lhe mlnd ls so apL Lo creaLe, avold prolonged
sollLude or lnacLlvlLy. 8andom LhoughLs occur mosL
commonly when we are lnacLlve or alone. SollLude and
lnacLlvlLy sLop exLernal sLlmulaLlon, so havlng none, a mlnd
ln need of sLlmulaLlon wlll Lry Lo creaLe lLs own. Cnce
creaLed, Lhls sLlmulaLlon produces more sLlmull, LhoughLs
afLer LhoughLs, llke Lhe sLep-afLer-sLep of a perpeLual moLlon
8ube Coldberg machlne. And llke a 8ube Coldberg creaLlon,
Lhere ls no polnL Lo Lhem excepL Lo propagaLe more of Lhe
same, ln an ever-splrallng course of egocenLrlclLy and,
someLlmes, menLal lllness.
ke|eas|ng 1enac|ous 1houghts
lor mosL clrcumsLances, focuslng on your pracLlce wlll quleL
your mlnd. Powever, Lhere may be cerLaln LhoughLs and
feellngs LhaL [usL wlll noL glve up Lhelr hold on your
awareness. Llfe can have many emoLlonal experlences,
whlch can creaLe pleasanL and dlsLresslng memorles and
poslLlve and negaLlve emoLlons. Longlngs, regreLs,
resenLmenLs, and more can seducLlvely drag your awareness


102
away from Lhe presenL. lL wlll requlre your consclous efforL
Lo leL Lhem go.
LeLLlng go ls Lhe dellberaLe efforL Lo release Lhe grlp of
cllnglng LhoughLs and memorles. When Lhey can'L be sLllled
by focuslng your mlnd, Lhe phrase or LhoughL LeL go" whlle
slowly exhallng may do Lhe Lrlck. WlLh pracLlce, Lhe phrase,
slowly exhallng, or slmply Lhe wlll Lo leL go wlll succeed.
LeLLlng go does noL mean lgnorlng emoLlons. When Lhey
arlse, experlence Lhem buL Lhen leL Lhem pass wlLhouL
cllnglng Lo Lhelr echoes.
1hls ls noL a sklll LhaL can be demonsLraLed or broken down
lnLo sLeps. !usL keep applylng Lhe menLal aLLlLude of leLLlng
go or uslng Lhe words. 1he key ls pracLlce, so keep Lrylng,
and evenLually your braln wlll flgure lL ouL.
SympLoms of cllnglng can lnclude Lremor, anxleLy,
overLhlnklng, obsesslve LhoughLs, a recurrenL lnner
monologue, and hearL poundlng. lf Lhese occur, concenLraLe
Lo sLrengLhen your aLLenLlon, and be lmpersonally aware Lo
deLach from your ego, whlle boLh slLLlng and belng mlndful.
Lxpress Lhe wlll Lo leL go when cllnglng emoLlons, LhoughLs,
or worrles Lake hold. 1hen, dlrecL your aLLenLlon more fully
Lo Lhe elemenLs ln Lhe momenL.
Avo|d|ng 1raps
8ecause Lhe ego's LenaclLy can be subLle and coverL, we
musL always be wary of Lraps Lhe ego bullds ln Lhe course of
our aLLempLs Lo subdue lL. 8elow are llsLed some of Lhe ego-
relnforclng hablLs LhaL arlse from mlsapplylng Lhe concepLs
of medlLaLlon and mlndfulness.
Arrogance may arlse as you progress ln medlLaLlon. 1hls
comes from Lhe mlsLaken noLlon LhaL, as a medlLaLor, you
are beLLer Lhan oLhers or, Lhanks Lo your clearer mlnd, you


103
become more sklllful Lhan oLhers. AccepL any dlfferences
wlLhouL [udgmenL. losLer a mlndseL of humlllLy.
SomeLlmes, medlLaLlon can make you feel so good LhaL you
escape Lo Lhe sollLude of medlLaLlon, separaLlng yourself
from your envlronmenL and leavlng mlndfulness behlnd. 1he
day has many faceLs, so embrace Lhem all. uevelop Lhe skllls
for medlLaLlon, mlndfulness, and leLLlng go.
SLagnaLlon resulLs when you cllng Lo Lhe comforL and
pleasure of whaLever level of equanlmlLy you've aLLalned.
?ou may wanL Lo sLay Lhere whlle your ego llves on, Laklng
pleasure ln your peace of mlnd. lf Lhls should occur,
recognlze lL, concenLraLe, deepen your pracLlce, and lose
your self ln Lhe momenL. 8e more mlndful Lo Lhe evenLs of
Lhe day, and don'L pay aLLenLlon Lo any equanlmlLy you may
have aLLalned. Some Leachers may suggesL aL Lhls polnL
looklng lnLo or asklng yourself durlng medlLaLlon: Who ls lL
LhaL's acLually seelng?" Who ls lL LhaL's acLually breaLhlng?"
Who ls lL LhaL's feellng so aL peace?" WhaL else ls Lhere?"
Lo push you pasL Lhe comforLable plaLeau on whlch you've
seLLled.



104
1he Noydes

1hey're sllenL and sLealLhy so look ouL, beware,
1hey'll sneak up and lnvade, you beLLer Lake care.

nelLher shorL nor Lall, nor blue or red,
1hey're noL ln your closeL, nor under your bed.

AlLhough Lhey're everywhere you can be,
1hem you won'L hear, Lhere's noLhlng Lo see.

When dlspleased or peeved, or seelng red,
1he noydes wlll make, a home ln your head.

1he noydes can make, any lmaglned Lhorn or nall,
ln[ure and wound, and hurL you wlLhouL fall.

1hose noydes are sLrong, Lhey're hard Lo beaL,
1helr lnfluence can reach, down Lo your feeL.

1he noydes wlll Lake over, your gray and whlLe braln,
1hus Lhey may drlve you, compleLely lnsane.

1he noydes wlll grow, and Lhelr polson dlscharge,
Cf your mlnd and soul, Lhey wlll Lake charge.

?our own feellngs and senses, you'll have Lo forsake,
1he noydes, your llfe, and happlness wlll Lake.

1helr power ls such, as Lo make you forgeL,
Who and whaL you are, on Lhls you can beL.

All of a sudden you wlll be gone, and Lhey wlll be you,
?ou wlll Lhen uLLer l'm a noyde," feellng angry or blue.




103
now Lo avold Lhe noydes, you musL empLy Lhe sense,
1haL you are Lhere flghLlng, ln ego's defense.

lf your ego ls found, nelLher hlgh nor low,
1he noydes wlll look, buL wlll have nowhere Lo go.

So leL LhaL ego langulsh, lnsLead of seduce,
lL wlll Lhen whlLher, and fade of dlsuse,

1hose nasLy noydes, ugly and savage,
Wlll have no one Lo abuse, no one Lo ravage.


106
11. our ract|ce
repar|ng
1he paragraphs LhaL follow ln Lhls chapLer are wrlLLen ln a
sequence Lo help gulde you Lhrough Lhe process. lf
necessary, revlew Lhe relevanL paragraphs ln ChapLers 8
Lhrough 10 dlscusslng medlLaLlon, mlndfulness, and leLLlng
go Lo refresh your undersLandlng of Lhe Lechnlques and
prlnclples as you begln Lo apply Lhem here.
SLarL pracLlclng Lhe Lechnlques dlscussed ln each of Lhe sLeps
below, one aL a Llme. ?ou should only move Lo Lhe nexL sLep
afLer you've become comforLable wlLh Lhe Lechnlques
descrlbed ln Lhe currenL sLep. AfLer you've gone Lhrough
Lhem all, you'll be able Lo assess Lhelr affecLs and apply
Lhose Lechnlques LhaL work besL for you. WlLhln Lhls chapLer,
read and pracLlce one sLep aL a Llme. ?ou can, however, read
Lhe followlng chapLers or reread prevlous ones as you
sysLemaLlcally pracLlce Lhe sLeps wlLhln Lhls chapLer.
repare your schedule, your day, your space, cushlons, and
Llmer. 1ry ouL Lhe varlous posLures prevlously descrlbed, and
selecL a posLure for your legs and hands. 8emember Lo keep
your back sLralghL. As prevlously menLloned, sLarL medlLaLlng
when you have Lhree days wlLhouL sLress or lncreased
demands.
8e aware LhaL aL some polnL along your pracLlce, you wlll
sLarL Lo experlence Lhlngs dlfferenLly. ?ou wlll Lhen wonder lf
Lhls ls lL," some maglcal polnL you've been walLlng for. no
maLLer whaL Lhe experlence, don'L [udge, analyze, or expecL
lL Lo reoccur. Slmply keep your mlnd focused on Lhe LargeL of
your pracLlce.


107
Step Cne
MedlLaLlon: SeL your Llmer for 13 mlnuLes. SLarL Lhe
medlLaLlon of body awareness (page 74).
lollow tbe movemeot of yoot selecteJ boJy pott wltb yoot
mloJs eye, tbtooqb evety momeot of evety lobolotloo ooJ
exbolotloo, ftom ooe bteotb to tbe oext. lf tbls ls Jlfflcolt, ose
tbe lobels ooe ooJ two ot tlsloq ooJ follloq, ot slow
Jowo yoot bteotbs os ptevloosly JlscosseJ.
AlLhough much has been wrlLLen here abouL Lhe lmporLance
of deLachmenL, don'L worry abouL Lrylng Lo apply Lhls rlghL
now. !usL focus your mlnd on your chosen body parL Lo
sLrengLhen your concenLraLlon. MedlLaLe dally and, lf
posslble, boLh mornlng and evenlng. Lvery few days or a
week, lncrease Lhe Llme by flve Lo Len mlnuLes, worklng up
Lo a duraLlon of 30 mlnuLes Lwlce a day. 8emember, Lhere ls
no goal. !usL keep your aLLenLlon on your LargeL.
Mlndfulness: lor all Lhe slmple acLlvlLles of Lhe day, pracLlce
Lhe mlndfulness of act|on awareness (page 83).
8e owote of tbe octloo lo tbe momeot. 8e folly owote of tbe
expetleoce of tbe octloo totbet tboo tblokloq oboot lts
completloo ot yoot self. lf oeeJeJ, ose tbe vetb fot tbe octloo
yoo ote lovolveJ lo to btloq yoot otteotloo to tbe octloo.
LeLLlng go: As you mlndfully engage Lhe day, avold Lhose
personal hablLs and culLural elemenLs LhaL are ego-
relnforclng obsLacles, and use leLLlng go when needed (page
97).
1olk colmly wltboot osloq o looJ volce ot Jtomo. uoot
eoqoqe lo sopetflooos joJqmeots, ctltlclze, ot lobel tbe
lttelevoot eveots of tbe Joy. lf yoo floJ yootself stottloq oo
looet moooloqoe, qo bock to beloq mloJfol. lloJ tbe joy ooJ


108
bomot lo tbe momeot, bot of cootse, Joot qet cottleJ owoy
ftom tbe esseoce of eocb momeot.
ConLlnue Lhls sLep for abouL several weeks, pracLlclng
medlLaLlon mornlng and nlghL and mlndfulness all day. uon'L
go furLher unLll you can focus your mlnd well enough Lo sLay
on your LargeL durlng mosL of your medlLaLlon sesslon, and
you are comforLable wlLh Lhe mlndfulness of acLlon
awareness.
Step 1wo
MedlLaLlon: SLarL Lhe medlLaLlon of breath|ng awareness
(page 73).
ultect yoot owoteoess to tbe octloo of bteotbloq. kotbet
tboo oo o boJy pott, oll yoot otteotloo ls oo tbe octloo of
eocb lobolotloo ooJ exbolotloo, momeot by momeot. lf tbls ls
Jlfflcolt, ose tbe lobels ooe ooJ two ot tlsloq ooJ
follloq, ot slow Jowo yoot bteotbs os ptevloosly JlscosseJ.
lf Lhls ls dlfflculL aL Lhe sLarL, remember LhaL lL's okay Lo
anchor your aLLenLlon wlLh body awareness for Lhe flrsL few
mlnuLes of medlLaLlon, and Lhen move your aLLenLlon Lo Lhe
acLlon of breaLhlng. lollow Lhe acLlon of your breaLhlng,
momenL Lo momenL, breaLh afLer breaLh. ueLachmenL may
evolve over Llme, buL for now, concenLraLe on breaLhlng
awareness wlLhouL Lrylng Lo apply deLachmenL. Slmply be
aware of Lhe acLlon of breaLhlng. ConLlnue medlLaLlng for 30
mlnuLes Lwlce a day.
Mlndfulness: Cbserve yourself wlLh Lhe mlndfulness of
detached se|f-awareness (page 87).
Objectlvely wotcb yoot self os yoo Jo tbe octlvltles of tbe Joy,
be tbey slmple ot complex. Iost wotcb yoot self.


109
locus your efforLs Lo lmpersonally waLch your self [usL as a
member of an audlence would waLch a characLer ln a movle
or play. 8emember Lo be parL of Lhe momenL. Laugh, cry,
slng, dance, or be sLlll as Lhe momenL dlcLaLes. 8e vlgllanL so
LhaL you are belng mlndful from Lhe momenL you wake unLll
golng Lo bed. Cnce you're able Lo be mlndful wlLh deLached
self-awareness, ad[usL your mlndfulness Lechnlque Lo sulL
Lhe momenL: acLlon awareness for slmple repeLlLlve
acLlvlLles and deLached self-awareness for oLhers, or you can
be mlndful wlLh deLached self-awareness all day long.
LeLLlng go: ConLlnue Lo avold Lhe hablLs LhaL form egocenLrlc
obsLacles, as prevlously dlscussed, and avold any Lraps
creaLed by you, oLhers, or Lhe clrcumsLances of Lhe day
(page 102).
ConLlnue Lhls sLep for abouL several weeks. uon'L go furLher
unLll you can easlly medlLaLe wlLh breaLhlng awareness and
be mlndful wlLh deLached self-awareness.
Step 1hree
MedlLaLlon: ConLlnue Lhe medlLaLlon of breath|ng
awareness, but now purposefu||y add detachment (page
94) Lo your pracLlce. WaLch each momenL of Lhe acLlon of
breaLhlng wlLh Lhe same lndlfference as lf looklng aL a
branch swaylng ln a breeze. 8emember, lL's okay Lo anchor
your aLLenLlon wlLh body awareness for Lhe flrsL few mlnuLes
of medlLaLlon. When your mlnd ls focused, move your
aLLenLlon Lo breaLhlng awareness, flrsL wlLhouL deLachmenL,
and Lhen LranslLlon Lo breaLhlng awareness wlLh
deLachmenL. ConLlnue medlLaLlng for 30 mlnuLes Lwlce a day
buL, when you feel comforLable wlLh Lhe Lechnlque, lncrease
Lhe duraLlon Lo 33 or 40 mlnuLes Lwlce a day.
Mlndfulness: When drlvlng or playlng sporLs, pracLlce Lhe
mlndfulness of pro[ected g|oba| awareness (page 88).


110
ltoject yoot otteotloo loto tbe eovltoomeot obeoJ ooJ
otoooJ yoo, llke o solJlet eotetloq o bottle zooe, oll seoses oo
olett. Notlce, wltboot meotol commeot, oll tbe slqbts ooJ
soooJs tbot sottoooJ yoo. All yoot otteotloo ls oo wbotevet
eotets yoot owoteoess, wltboot otteoJloq to yoot owo
tbooqbts ot self-lJeotlty.
racLlce Lhe mlndfulness of act|on awareness for all Lhe
slmple acLlvlLles of Lhe day. ln oLher seLLlngs, conLlnue Lo
observe yourself wlLh Lhe mlndfulness of detached se|f-
awareness. lmpersonally waLch each momenL as you llve
Lhrough Lhe day. 8e vlgllanL so LhaL you are mlndful from Lhe
momenL you wake unLll golng Lo bed.
LeLLlng go: keep dlllgenL Lo dlscover any personal or culLural
obsLacles LhaL may perslsL or Lraps LhaL form so LhaL you can
leL go as soon as you dlscover Lhem.
ConLlnue Lhls sLep for abouL several weeks. uon'L go furLher
unLll you feel comforLable wlLh Lhe process of deLachmenL
applled Lo Lhe medlLaLlon of breaLhlng awareness and wlLh
Lhe mlndfulness of pro[ecLed global awareness.
Step Iour
MedlLaLlon: SLarL Lhe medlLaLlon of detached se|f-awareness
whlle breaLhlng (page 77).
lmpetsooolly wotcb yoot self tbtooqb eocb momeot of eocb
bteotb. wbeo o tbooqbt oppeots, obsetve lt wltb loJlffeteoce
os lt tlpples, llke o wove oo o pooJ, wblle stlll beloq owote of
yoot self ooJ yoot bteotbloq. lf o tbooqbt polls yoot otteotloo
owoy, let qo of lt ooJ tetoto yoot foll otteotloo to yoot self
ooJ eocb momeot of tbe octloo of yoot bteotbs.
keep medlLaLlng Lwlce a day. 8emember, lL's okay Lo anchor
your aLLenLlon wlLh body awareness or breaLhlng awareness


111
for Lhe flrsL few mlnuLes of medlLaLlon, and Lhen move your
aLLenLlon Lo deLached self-awareness. SlL waLchlng your self
breaLhe wlLh lnLenslLy and lndlfference, and leL go of any
passlon LhaL may have propelled your pracLlce Lo Lhls polnL.
lf lL's dlfflculL Lo keep your awareness lmpersonally on your
self, lL's all rlghL Lo shlfL beLween breaLhlng awareness and
deLached self-awareness as you learn Lhe process of keeplng
your aLLenLlon on your self ln an lmpersonal/deLached way.
Mlx up your medlLaLlon sesslons so LhaL you conLlnue
breaLhlng awareness lnLermlLLenLly wlLh deLached self-
awareness, for example, one ln Lhe mornlng and Lhe oLher aL
nlghL. As menLloned prevlously, Lhe flrsL sLrengLhens your
concenLraLlon Lo sLlll your mlnd and reduces your mlnd's
Lendency Lo Lhlnk ln Lerms of Lhlngness, Lhe second helps
you leL go of your sense of self.
lncrease Lhe duraLlon of your medlLaLlon sesslons Lo 33 or 40
mlnuLes Lwlce a day lf you haven'L already done so. Cn
weekends or when Llme permlLs durlng Lhe worklng week,
have Lwo sesslons of medlLaLlon ln Lhe mornlng and one aL
nlghL.
Mlndfulness: ln momenLs of sLlllness or when lnLellecLual
demands are low, such as durlng a walk, hlke or whlle
walLlng ln a queue, pracLlce cho|ce|ess g|oba| awareness
(page 88).
Opeo yoot owoteoess to evetytbloq, wbetbet lo tbe mloJ ot
tbe eovltoomeot. Obsetve ooy pbeoomeoo wltboot
petsooollzloq tbem ot beloq loteJ owoy ftom yoot stote of
qlobol owoteoess.
ConLlnue Lhe mlndfulness of act|on awareness when dolng
slmple Lasks. racLlce Lhe mlndfulness of detached se|f-
awareness when dolng more complex acLlvlLles, such as


112
grocery shopplng. And, ln slLuaLlons where acLlvlLy ls qulckly
changlng, pracLlce Lhe mlndfulness of pro[ected g|oba|
awareness.
LeLLlng go: ConLlnue as you have been dolng Lo Lhls polnL.
keep dlllgenL for obsLacles and Lraps.
ConLlnue Lhls sLep for abouL several weeks. uon'L go furLher
unLll you feel comforLable slLLlng ln deLached self-awareness
and pracLlclng Lhe mlndfulness of cholceless global
awareness.
Step I|ve
MedlLaLlon: SLarL Lhe medlLaLlon of cho|ce|ess g|oba|
awareness (page 79) when you are free of slgnlflcanL
lnLellecLual demands for abouL Lhree days.
Opeo yoot owoteoess to oll tbot ls qoloq oo lo botb tbe
eovltoomeot ooJ wltblo yoot mloJ. 1bls meoos beloq owote
of yoot bteotbloq, yoot boJy slttloq, ooy soooJs lo tbe
eovltoomeot, ooJ tbe ebb ooJ flow of ooy tbooqbts ooJ
feelloqs wltboot ottocbmeot. Iost wotcb wltb Jetocbmeot.
All tbe wblle, yoot owoteoess ls oot cottleJ owoy by ooy
tbooqbts ot feelloqs tbot otlse.
lf your concenLraLlon ls noL sLrong enough Lo malnLaln
LargeLed focus ln Lhe worklng world, lnLersperse Lhese
medlLaLlon sesslons wlLh breaLhlng awareness or deLached
self-awareness so LhaL you are noL excluslvely pracLlclng Lhe
medlLaLlon of cholceless global awareness. Powever, once
you are able Lo keep focused ln Lhe worklng world, pracLlce
Lhls medlLaLlon ofLen. ConLlnue medlLaLlng 33 Lo 40 mlnuLes
Lwlce a day. As ln Lhe prevlous sLeps, lL's okay Lo begln a
sesslon by anchorlng your aLLenLlon wlLh a slmpler
Lechnlque, such as body awareness or breaLhlng awareness,
for Lhe flrsL few mlnuLes of medlLaLlon.


113
Mlndfulness: ConLlnue Lhe same mlndfulness Lechnlques
you've been dolng so far. !usL llve each day mlndfully, whlle
shlfLlng your Lechnlque Lo sulL Lhe slLuaLlon.
LeLLlng go: ConLlnue Lo avold Lhe hablLs LhaL form egocenLrlc
obsLacles, as prevlously dlscussed, and avold any Lraps
creaLed by you, oLhers, or Lhe clrcumsLances of Lhe day.
Cont|nu|ng the ract|ce
l suspecL LhaL, from a neurologlcal perspecLlve, lndlvldual
egos are bullL" dlfferenLly dependlng on geneLlcs and
experlence, [usL as lndlvldual bodles are dlfferenL. Some egos
may be dependenL on a sLrong llnkage Lo emoLlons and baslc
moLlvaLlons. CLhers may be susLalned prlmarlly by a
conLlnuous sLream of consclousness LhaL creaLes a menLal
reallLy of lLs own. SLlll oLher egos may be dependenL on a
sLrong connecLlon Lo Lhe range of self-percepLlons from
lnsecurlLy Lo arrogance. 1hus, some lndlvlduals may beneflL
from cerLaln Lechnlques more Lhan oLhers. 1herefore, as you
pracLlce Lhe varlous medlLaLlon and mlndfulness Lechnlques,
you'll dlscover whaL supporLs your ego and flnd LhaL some
Lechnlques are more effecLlve ln sLllllng your mlnd, focuslng
your aLLenLlon, and helplng you leL go more Lhan oLhers.
ConLlnue pracLlclng Lhose Lechnlques, or comblnaLlon of
Lechnlques, LhaL are mosL effecLlve for you.
lf your mlnd produces Loo many sponLaneous or superfluous
LhoughLs LhaL lnLerfere wlLh your awareness, Lhe medlLaLlon
of acLlon awareness wlll reduce Lhem by sLrengLhenlng your
LargeLlng of awareness (concenLraLlon). lf unprovoked or
unnecessary emoLlons lnLrude on your awareness, Lhe
medlLaLlon of deLached self-awareness or cholceless global
awareness wlll reduce Lhelr auLomaLlclLy. lf your sense of
self lnLrudes on your awareness, Lhe medlLaLlon of
cholceless global awareness wlll help weaken Lhe llluslon of
self.


114
AL some polnL, your pracLlce wlll become efforLless. ?ou wlll
no longer have Lo sLrlve Lo keep your focus on Lhe
medlLaLlon Lechnlque because lL sLays sLlll on lLs own. When
you geL Lo Lhls polnL, leL go of Lhe sLrlvlng Lo leL your
awareness be one wlLh your pracLlce. 8y Lhls Llme, you wlll
undersLand whaL Lhe phrase belng one wlLh." means
ConLlnue Lhe varlous mlndfulness Lechnlques from mornlng
unLll nlghL. lL requlres dlllgence Lo purposely selecL Lhe
mlndful frame of mlnd when Lhe envlronmenL pulls you
Loward Lhe egocenLrlc mlndseL.
Compasslon wlll grow as your pracLlce does, buL lf you feel
your compasslon ls lacklng for someone speclal or negaLlve
feellngs develop for oLhers, pracLlce Lhe medlLaLlon and
mlndfulness of lovlngklndness, as prevlously dlscussed.
1he sub[ecLs ln Seklyama's experlmenL developed Lhelr
alLernaLe percepLlons afLer 23 days. ln Polzel's sLudy, braln
scans showed lncreased Lhlckness ln cerLaln areas afLer
sub[ecLs pracLlced for elghL weeks. 1here ls a LempLaLlon for
everyone Lo look aL Lhe pracLlces descrlbed here as a vehlcle
Lo reach a cerLaln mlnd sLaLe ln a cerLaln space of Llme.
Powever, Lo conslder Lhe vehlcle or desLlnaLlon as separaLe
from Lhe [ourney would be a grave mlsLake LhaL wlll hamper
your pracLlce. 8emember, danclng ls noLhlng more Lhan
dolng Lhe dance, so focus on Lhe dolng raLher Lhan Lhe
aLLalnlng.
!usL as Lhe ablllLy Lo dance, palnL, read, and wrlLe can always
be lncreased, so Loo can egoless ob[ecLlve awareness be
deepened. 1here are many degrees of Lhls awareness, and
conLlnued pracLlce wlll deepen your undersLandlng and your
awareness. 8ecause Lhe sLrucLure of our mlnds, our world,
and our culLure remaln Lhe same, Lhe penchanL for
reemergence of ego ls always Lhere, LhaL ls, unLll a person


113
reallzes full awakenlng. 1hus, pracLlce medlLaLlon,
mlndfulness, and leLLlng go conslsLenLly Lo prevenL Lhe ego's
reLurn.
When you have reached a polnL of menLal dlsclpllne and
focus, and your awareness floaLs ln sLlllness, your self-
ldenLlLy may sLlll llve on. LeL go of LhaL ldenLlLy Lo be one
wlLh Lhe sLlllness. 1here ls only Lhe pracLlce, Lhe LargeL of
your aLLenLlon. lf you experlence a sudden fear of dylng
durlng medlLaLlon, accepL Lhe fear and menLally accepL Lhe
experlence. 1hls ls no ordlnary dylng. lL ls Lhe deaLh of Lhe
sense of l," Lhe self, Lhe ego. 1haL fear ls Lhe ego's
approprlaLlon of an emoLlon deslgnaLed for your physlcal
self and ls Lhe lasL hold of ego on your awareness. LeL go of
Lhe fear and Lhe self. MenLally sLep Loward LhaL deaLh" and
accepL Lhe reallLy of llfe wlLhouL ego.


116
12. A I|na| erspect|ve
our L|fe
ln a culLure saLuraLed wlLh egocenLrlclLy llke ours, Lhe
exerclses and hablLs l have descrlbed here, essenLlally a
llfesLyle, requlre dellberaLe efforL. As wlLh any alLernaLlve
llfesLyle, lL's less dlfflculL lf shared wlLh a parLner, easler sLlll
lf shared wlLh a famlly or group, and more llkely rouLlne lf lL
ls parL of Lhe envlronmenL, creaLlng a healLhler and more
harmonlous culLure of lLs own. 1hus, l urge serlous
pracLlLloners Lo Lry connecLlng wlLh oLhers and supporLlng
each oLher's pracLlces Lo creaLe an ever-growlng culLure of
egoless ob[ecLlve awareness. lnvesLlgaLe your school or
communlLy Lo see lf Lhere are oLher pracLlLloners/medlLaLors
wlLh whom you can slL. no maLLer how moLlvaLed a person
can be Lo slL alone, slLLlng wlLh a group lnvlgoraLes your
pracLlce.
As a young adulL, llfe ofLen seems Lo be abouL preparlng for
Lhe fuLure, such as learnlng a [ob sklll or preparlng for an
exam. Lven Lhough currenL acLlvlLles may be sLrongly llnked
Lo a fuLure evenL, keep your focus on Lhe presenL and avold
menLal monologues abouL fuLure hopes, expecLaLlons,
requlremenLs, or responslblllLles. Cr, young adulL llfe may
revolve around saLlsfylng Lhe deslre for fun. When
lnLeracLlng wlLh oLhers, recognlze Lhelr speclalness, raLher
Lhan looklng aL Lhem as a means Lo graLlfy your own
personal needs. Ln[oy whaLever recreaLlon you're lnvolved
ln, buL do so mlndfully deLached Lo prevenL relnforclng your
ego. lurLhermore, refraln from acLlvlLles LhaL oversLlmulaLe
your braln lnLo dlsLracLlon Lo avold hamperlng your efforLs Lo
keep your mlnd focused.
AL work, focus on Lhe [ob wlLhouL geLLlng caughL up ln any
sLressors, changlng whaL you can and accepLlng whaL you
cannoL. Popefully, condlLlons are such LhaL employmenL


117
does noL creaLe undue sLress or dlsharmony. LmploymenL ls
a means Lo provlde for yourself and famlly. unforLunaLely,
employmenL ls Loo ofLen a vehlcle Lo enrlch us or someone
else far beyond llfe's needs, creaLlng unnecessary sLress and
ego enhancemenL, robblng us of Lhe opporLunlLy Lo
appreclaLe each momenL and deprlvlng us from belng ln
harmony wlLh lL. lf such ls Lhe case, leL go of Lhe deslre for
luxury or Lhe hablL of acqulslLlon. 8e conLenL wlLh havlng
whaL ls needed whlle puLLlng your exLra resources lnLo
enrlchlng relaLlonshlps and experlences.
lamlly can have mulLlple sources of poLenLlal sLress LhaL may
relnforce Lhe ego. When Lhe number of responslblllLles
grows beyond your percelved Llme and energy Lo accompllsh
everyLhlng, prlorlLlze Lhem. locus on Lhe currenL momenL,
and leL go of any expecLaLlons. When a chlld's aLLlLude or
acLlons push you Loward a bolllng polnL, deLach from your
lmpendlng anger and model Lhe calm self-conLrol you wanL
your chlld Lo learn. When you need Lo spend Llme wlLh your
chlld whlle oLher responslblllLles awalL your aLLenLlon, focus
on Lhe momenL wlLh your chlld. AccepL Lhls as your Llme,"
and leL go of LhoughLs relaLed Lo laLer," whlch you've
earmarked for paylng bllls, dolng laundry, washlng dlshes,
relaxlng, and so forLh. 8e fully focused on each momenL, no
maLLer whaL LhaL momenL lnvolves.
use Lhe varlous acLlvlLles of Lhe day Lo apply Lhe varlous
Lypes of mlndfulness. When your chlld ls old enough, abouL
Lhree Lo flve years of age, lnLroduce hlm or her Lo Lhe
medlLaLlon of body awareness or breaLhlng awareness,
keeplng Lhe duraLlon only as long as your chlld can quleLly
slL. 1hen, as Lhe chlld's maLurlLy grows, gradually lnLroduce
hlm or her Lo Lhe oLher Lechnlques of medlLaLlon and
mlndfulness prevlously presenLed. When Lhe chlld can [oln
you ln medlLaLlon, slLLlng LogeLher as a famlly wlll deepen
everyone's pracLlce.


118
kea||ze that the sess|ons of med|tat|on and the a||-day
m|ndfu|ness you pract|ce are the very man|festat|ons of
ego|ess ob[ect|ve awareness. 1here are no goa|s other than
||v|ng |n th|s awareness. ConslsLenL use of a second language
brlngs you closer Lo Lhe momenL when Lhe second language
becomes fluenL and replaces your flrsL. Slmllarly, pracLlclng
medlLaLlon and mlndfulness regularly brlngs you closer Lo
Lhe momenL when your percepLlons shlfL and your ego drops
away. When egoless ob[ecLlve awareness ls achleved, Lhe
pracLlce of awareness becomes llvlng ln awareness. ?ou wlll
Lhen reallze how dlfferenL Lhe world ls compared Lo your
prevlous lllusory percepLlons. 1hls, however, ls noL Lhe end
of Lhe process buL raLher Lhe beglnnlng. Lgolessness opens
Lhe door Lo Lhe reallzaLlon LhaL Lhere ls much more Lo
reallLy, buL for now, Lhe [ob ls Lo reach for Lhe door, Lhen
open and walk Lhrough lL.
ersonal ablllLy, experlence, commlLmenL, and efforL
lnfluence how far one progresses ln Lhe process of egoless
ob[ecLlve awareness. noL everyone can palnL llke 8embrandL
or play llke Segovla, buL one doesn'L have Lo be a masLer Lo
palnL a canvas or play a gulLar. Slmllarly, one doesn'L have Lo
be enllghLened Lo llve a more enllghLened llfe.
1he ract|ce
Lgoless awareness ls noL a phllosophy, a sysLem of LhoughL,
or approach Lo llfe's challenges. lL does noL belong ln Lhe
realm of convenLlonal psychology, whose goals are Lo
Lemper Lhe negaLlve aspecLs of ego ln favor of lLs poslLlve
ones or Lo harmonlze Lhe ego's lndlvldual parLs. Lgoless
awareness ls noL a rellglon ln whlch LeneLs are accepLed on
falLh or ln whlch currenL llfe ls percelved or [udged ln
relaLlonshlp Lo an afLerllfe or supreme belng.
1he maLerlal l have presenLed here ls noLhlng more Lhan a
process Lo learn a new sklll, slmllar Lo a new dance or a new


119
language. !usL as muscles remodel Lhemselves ln response Lo
exerclse, Lhe braln can remodel lLself Lo faclllLaLe a new way
of experlenclng reallLy. 1here ls no falLh Lo LrusL, lnformaLlon
Lo learn, or facLs Lo remember. 1here ls only Lhe hablLual acL
of belng focused and deLached wlLh dally medlLaLlon,
mlndfulness ln every momenL of Lhe day, and leLLlng go
when needed. Llvlng wlLh consLanL awareness of Lhe
momenL, lnsLead of Lhe self, gradually remodels Lhe braln:
sLrengLhenlng lnherenL skllls and eraslng cerLaln acqulred
hablLs. 1he consequence ls an unvelllng of one's orlglnal
egoless self, ob[ecLlve awareness - a dlrecL experlence of
reallLy wlLhouL Lhe lnLruslon of ego.
A sLereogram requlres Lhe vlewer Lo shlfL focus Lo be aware
of Lhe lmage obscured by Lhe obvlous chaos ln Lhe plcLure.
Slmllarly, a person musL shlfL hls or her aLLenLlon Lo be
aware of Lhe elemenLs of reallLy oLherwlse obscured by
egocenLrlc percepLlons and prlorlLles. WlLh conLlnued
pracLlce, Lhls shlfL ls Lransformed from a dellberaLe efforL Lo
an auLomaLlc rouLlne.
Awareness ls Lhe senslng of envlronmenL and self wlLhouL
superlmposlng exLraneous LhoughLs, emoLlons, and
egocenLrlc lmperaLlves. 1hls awareness ls Lhe fundamenLal
sLaLe of belng allve, buL lL ls dependenL on Lhe braln's
developmenL and Lhe mlnd's maLurlLy. We are all blologlcal
belngs. Cur hearLs pump blood Lo supply each of our cells
wlLh oxygen and energy molecules. Cur Llssues use Lhese
elemenLs Lo form and move lmpulses, whlch help us Lhlnk,
feel, and percelve Lhe world. 1he complex lnLerplay beLween
geneLlcally deflned blologlcal characLerlsLlcs, chlldhood
lessons, and llfe experlences lnfluence how we Lhlnk and
how we percelve.
lL's falr Lo ask LhaL, lf ob[ecLlve awareness ls a progresslon of
Lhe naLural capaclLy of Lhe human mlnd, why ls lL necessary


120
Lo Lake Llme ouL of Lhe day Lo medlLaLe raLher Lhan llvlng Lhe
day? 1he answer lles ln Lhe mlnd's Lendency Lo creaLe
random sLlmull wlLh llLLle or no provocaLlon, Lhe egocenLrlc
characLer of currenL human culLure, and llfelong hablLs of
panderlng Lo Lhe ego. 1hus, [usL as we need Lo exerclse Lo
keep our bodles sLrong and healLhy, so Loo musL we
medlLaLe Lo keep our concenLraLlon sLrong and Lhe mlnd
focused Lo Lranscend Lhe ego-relnforclng messages
bombardlng us.
Slmllarly, mlndfulness and leLLlng go need Lo accompany
medlLaLlon. 1he currenLs of menLal hablLs and culLural
condlLlonlng conLlnuously pull us Loward Lhe egocenLrlc
mlndseL. 1o llmlL our pracLlce Lo medlLaLlon alone would be
llke Lrylng Lo canoe upsLream by paddllng only
lnLermlLLenLly.
ChapLer 3 dlscussed Lhe physlcal and funcLlonal changes
relaLed Lo medlLaLlon and mlndfulness. lL can be lnferred
LhaL Lhese changes faclllLaLe ob[ecLlve awareness or
egolessness Lhrough lncreased braln maLLer or faclllLaLed
Lransmlsslon LhaL glve Lhe mlnd cerLaln characLerlsLlcs:
lncreased sLrengLh of concenLraLlon
8educed sponLaneous LhoughLs
8educed self-referenclng LhoughLs
lmproved emoLlonal regulaLlon
8educed aLLenLlon Lo self-ldenLlLy
CreaLer aLLenLlon Lo ob[ecLlve reallLy
A shlfL of percepLlon from an ob[ecL orlenLaLlon
Loward an acLlon orlenLaLlon
A loosenlng of Lhe percepLlon of a dlsLlncL self

Whlle all Lhese changes don'L ln Lhemselves confer hlgher
lnLelllgence or wlsdom, Lhey do encourage less ldeologlcal
and lrraLlonal Lhlnklng. lurLhermore, Lhey favor


121
LhoughLfulness and compasslon, more aLLenLlon Lo Lhe
envlronmenL, less aLLenLlon Lo self-lnLeresL, a more
harmonlous sense of belng, and evenLually, a dropplng away
of Lhe sense of self.
1he percepLlon of egolessness has ofLen been referred Lo as
a splrlLual experlence, buL ln reallLy, noLhlng exLracorporeal,
meLaphyslcal, or splrlLual has been achleved. lf you remove
all Lhe layers of dusL on a Lable, lL's sLlll a Lable. 8emovlng
Lhe walls from your house makes experlenclng Lhe
envlronmenL ouLslde a more lnLlmaLe experlence, buL lL's
sLlll Lhe same envlronmenL. And, you are sLlll you.
SLudles wlLh psllocybln, a compound produced by cerLaln
groups of mushrooms, have shown a llnk wlLh ouL-of-body
experlences and Lhe feellng of oneness" Lo Lhe acLlvaLlon of
cerLaln recepLors wlLhln Lhe braln. 1hls suggesLs a
neurologlcal process for whaL ls consldered by many a
mysLlcal or splrlLual experlence. 1hls ls noL Lo negaLe Lhe
feellng of unlversal oneness" LhaL some medlLaLors
experlence, buL Lo desplrlLuallze lL. ln any case, Lhe
experlence of oneness" ls noL Lhe goal buL slmply a
consequence of egoless aLLenLlon Lo Lhe momenL, ob[ecLlve
awareness.
As ob[ecLlve awareness develops, lL may lead you Lo
quesLlon long-held rellglous bellefs and Lhe reallzaLlon LhaL
mosL of your prevlous rellglous bellefs were drlven by and
for an lllusory ego. lf or when you flnally make Lhe declslon
Lo abandon Lhem, Lhere may be some unease. 1haL's Lo be
expecLed. AfLer all, your bellefs represenLed a llfeLlme of
LruLhs LhaL deflned boLh you and your communlLy. WlLh
conLlnued awareness, Lhough, LhaL unease wlll fade, and
wlLh Lhem, your prevlous ego-cenLered values, percepLlons,
and quesLlons abouL Lhe meanlng of llfe, fear of deaLh, Lhe
naLure of an afLerllfe, and Lhe llke.


122
ueveloplng egoless ob[ecLlve awareness ls noL a soluLlon
wlLh sLeps. lL's more of a process LhaL ls also a way of belng,
[usL as learnlng Lo dance ls Lo move your legs ln Lhe paLLern
of Lhe dance. 1he only dlfference beLween Lhe learnlng and
Lhe danclng ls LhaL ln Lhe former, aLLenLlon ls on dolng Lhe
lndlvldual sLeps whlle ln Lhe laLLer, lL's ln Lhe [oy of danclng
Lo Lhe muslc.
Cver Lhe cenLurles, human culLures have spenL enormous
amounLs of money and blood ln defense of someLhlng LhaL's
Lhe equlvalenL of a chlld's lmaglnary frlend. 1he Llme Lo
wake up from Lhe llluslon of ego ls long overdue. 8ellevlng
and lnLellecLually knowlng ls noL enough. 1he braln needs Lo
be Lralned and decondlLloned so LhaL everyone can dlrecLly
experlence a dlfferenL way of seelng, egoless ob[ecLlve
awareness.


123
art III - A ersona| Story
13. 1he Author
Cne borlng day Loward Lhe end of hlgh school, l scanned Lhe
shelves for a book Lo read and found one my faLher broughL
home, 1btee llllots of 2eo, by hlllp kapleau. l lnferred from
Lhe book LhaL enllghLenmenL was a handy Lhlng Lo geL, so l
sLarLed medlLaLlng. l experlenced lLs calmlng lnfluences, and
ln a sLressed llfe, LhaL calm became my goal. l saL
haphazardly aL flrsL and Lhen more frequenLly, buL only Lo
feel medlLaLlon's LherapeuLlc effecLs.
AbouL slx years laLer, l dlscovered a medlLaLlon group and
sLarLed slLLlng wlLh Lhem. 1hls group was assoclaLed wlLh Lhe
auLhor of 1btee llllots of 2eo, and lL had Lhe sLereoLyplcal
!apanese dlsclpllne abouL lL: gongs, bells, chanLlng, and a
hlLLlng sLlck. AlLhough Lhls seemed a llLLle exLreme for an
Amerlcan, Lhe dlsclpllne emphaslzed Lhe efforL needed Lo
wake up." SlLLlng wlLh a Zen group relnforced my goal of
reachlng enllghLenmenL, whlle l slmulLaneously used
medlLaLlon as Lherapy for llfe's sLresses. 1he phllosophy
comblned wlLh rlLuals caused me Lo conslder 8uddhlsm my
rellglon.
8uddhlsm Lalks abouL enllghLenmenL, and for mosL WesLern
pracLlLloners, LhaL's Lhe goal. 8elng a goal-orlenLed
WesLerner, especlally an Amerlcan schooled ln Lhe sclences
wlLh a problem-solvlng mlndseL, was a handlcap. 1hls meanL
deflnlng a problem, flndlng a soluLlon, and Lhen Laklng Lhe
necessary sLeps Lo reach LhaL soluLlon. 1herefore, l pracLlced
Lhe way l worked, whlch meanL LhaL l made llLLle progress ln
escaplng Lhe lnfluence of my ego.
8elng flrsL a college sLudenL, Lhen a posLgraduaLe sLudenL,
and Lhen someone caughL up ln Lhe race Lo succeed ln a new
professlon and sLarL a famlly, medlLaLlon became an


124
lnfrequenL and erraLlc occurrence. Llfe was demandlng and
Llme was fragmenLed, maklng medlLaLlon a lower prlorlLy.
When l dld medlLaLe, lL was wlLh Lhe same goal orlenLaLlon
LhaL l applled Lo my professlonal llfe. lurLhermore, l dldn'L
pracLlce Lhe mlndfulness needed Lo exLend any mlndseL
developed from medlLaLlon lnLo Lhe day. lor Lhe nexL
decades l would slL, sLop, and Lhen resLarL medlLaLlon for
weeks aL a Llme.
uecades would pass unLll professlonal responslblllLles
became less onerous and chlldren lefL Lhe nesL, allowlng me
Lo reconslder and reasslgn my prlorlLles, reexamlne Lhe
process, and ad[usL my focus when slLLlng. l no longer had a
goal Lo chase or someLhlng Lo accompllsh, and wlLh a less
demandlng llfe, Lhere was more Llme Lo slL. SlLLlng longer
and more conslsLenLly, 40 Lo 90 mlnuLes every day whlle
glvlng up my goal orlenLaLlon, allowed me Lo develop new
lnslghLs and undersLandlng. Also, Lhanks Lo conLacLs wlLh a
growlng communlLy of medlLaLors, l learned even more and
lncorporaLed Lhose lessons lnLo my pracLlce and Lhls book.
As l began Lo observe Lhe varlous psychologlcal changes
resulLlng from dlfferenL medlLaLlon and mlndfulness
Lechnlques, l came Lo Lhe undersLandlng LhaL Lhls was
noLhlng more Lhan Lhe psychologlcal process of acqulrlng a
sklll, a new way of seelng. l reallzed Lhere was no more
splrlLuallLy ln acqulrlng Lhls new sklll Lhan Lhere ls ln learnlng
a new language, so l sLopped looklng aL Lhe process or
experlence ln Lerms of rellglon or splrlLuallLy, and l leL go of
any rellglous ldenLlflcaLlon.
1he flrsL Lhlng l noLlced afLer l sLarLed my new era of
medlLaLlon was sllence. revlously, l would ofLen have an
lnLernal monologue of evaluaLlons (beLLer or worse, rlghL or
wrong) for declslons aL work or whlle shopplng, crlLlclsms
abouL llfe's frusLraLlons wheLher large or small, and more. As


123
l pracLlced, Lhese lnLernal monologues sLopped, and as Lhey
dld, Lhe envlronmenL seemed quleLer, whlle any sounds l
heard seemed crlsper and more vlbranL. lurLhermore, as Lhe
monologues waned, so dld any frusLraLlons and annoyances
Lhey represenLed and relnforced.
As my medlLaLlon deepened, my Lhlnklng became clearer. l
began Lo experlence a smooLher flow Lo Lhe process of
problem solvlng, wlLhouL Lhe prevlous doubLs or Lhe need Lo
congraLulaLe myself. revlously, l would second-guess Lhe
declslons l made, wonderlng whlch was beLLer, more cosL
effecLlve, or more efflclenL. Cr, l would congraLulaLe myself
for a [ob well done or crlLlclze myself for havlng performed
below my expecLaLlons.
l no longer have a need Lo defend, nourlsh, or graLlfy a self-
lmage. ConcepLs such as self-esLeem, ego saLlsfacLlon, prlde,
envy, splLe, vlndlcLlveness, and resenLmenL seem hollow.
lurLhermore, l feel more connecLed Lo Lhe people around
me. l am more aL ease expresslng myself and belng warmer
Lo any person l encounLer, frlend or sLranger. l am more
aware of Lhe speclalness of each person and express
compasslon more easlly.
revlously, l would use an lnLernal volce Lo organlze whaL l
was Lo do or when solvlng problems, buL Lhls lnLernal volce ls
much reduced. 1houghL and acL ofLen colnclde wlLhouL an
lnLervenlng speaker.
AddlLlonally, l can percelve Llme dlfferenLly. 8aLher Lhan a
pasL, presenL, or fuLure, l can percelve Llme as a serles of
nows LhaL flow conLlnuously from one Lo Lhe nexL. 1hese
wrlLLen words may suggesL llLLle dlsLlncLlon, buL Lhere ls a
slgnlflcanL dlfference ln Lhe experlence. revlously, Llme
seemed Lo flow llke a rlver wlLh a downsLream pasL laden


126
wlLh memorles and an upsLream fuLure holdlng plans and
expecLaLlons. ercelvlng Lhe serles of nows means all my
aLLenLlon ls on a more vlbranL presenL.
1he longer l slL, Lhe less evldenL ls my sense of self, fadlng
lnLo Lhe background of Lhe momenL. lf l dlrecL my aLLenLlon
Lo my self, l am less aLLached, whlch can besL be descrlbed as
a Lhlrd-person perspecLlve waLchlng my LhoughLs and
acLlons. 1hls lsn'L an auLomaLlc experlence buL one avallable
for me Lo choose, llke Lhe selecLlon of handedness by Lhe
sub[ecLs ln Seklyama's 2000 experlmenL descrlbed ln ChapLer
4. l choose lL, of course, Lhough my lnlLlal aLLempLs Lo do so
were more dlfflculL, llke Lhe flrsL look aL Lhe sLereogram aL
Lhe beglnnlng of Lhls book. AL Lhe sLarL, Lhls percepLlon was
more apL Lo drlfL, or be overwhelmed by an emoLlonal
experlence or egocenLrlc envlronmenL. WlLh Llme and
pracLlce, Lhough, lL's easler Lo malnLaln deLached ob[ecLlve
awareness, and lL's more reslsLanL Lo dlsLracLlon. Powever,
Lhere sLlll are cerLaln slLuaLlons LhaL can reanlmaLe my ego,
whlch compel me Lo make an exLra efforL Lo malnLaln or
reclalm my deLached awareness afLer any sudden deparLure.
under mosL clrcumsLances, l can swlLch back Lo egoless
awareness as soon as l've recognlzed LhaL l've devlaLed from
lL. AL Lhe sLarL, Lhe percepLlon l woke up wlLh was Lhe
egocenLrlc one, buL Lhls Loo has changed wlLh conLlnued
pracLlce so LhaL upon awakenlng, l'm already ln Lhe sLaLe of
egoless awareness.
Cnce my sklll ln Lhe varlous medlLaLlon Lechnlques grew Lo
Lhe polnL LhaL l could pracLlce each falLhfully, l found LhaL
breaLhlng awareness and deLached awareness are Lhe mosL
helpful ln sLllllng my mlnd and deLachlng from my ego. 1hus,
Lhey are my prlmary medlLaLlve Lechnlques and l pracLlce
Lhem aL alLernaLlng medlLaLlve sesslons. l do pracLlce Lhe
medlLaLlon of cholceless global awareness buL only


127
occaslonally. l slL for 30 Lo 40 mlnuLes ln Lhe mornlng, Lwlce
lf Llme allows, and Lhen once aL nlghL.
My mlndfulness pracLlce encompasses all Lhe Lechnlques
descrlbed, dependlng on Lhe clrcumsLances. When Lhe
acLlon ls slmple and non-repeLlLlve, as ln preparlng for Lhe
workday or golng on a hlke, l'm mlndful wlLh deLached
awareness. When l'm engaged ln a repeLlLlve acLlon, such as
weedlng, raklng, or washlng dlshes, l apply acLlon awareness.
When drlvlng, l'm mlndful wlLh pro[ecLed global awareness.
When l'm more anlmaLed as when shopplng, or when l'm
sLaylng sLlll as ln a queue, l apply Lhe mlndfulness of
deLached awareness or cholceless global awareness.
l've read LhaL once an lndlvldual has been fully awakened or
enllghLened, Lhe process ls lrreverslble. l'm cerLalnly noL
Lhere. Llfe's occaslonal demands sLlll pull my aLLenLlon
Loward Lhe egocenLrlc or lnLerrupL my medlLaLlon schedule.
AfLer Lwo or Lhree days of noL medlLaLlng, my ablllLy Lo
malnLaln or selecL egoless awareness sLarLs Lo weaken, whlle
Lhe egocenLrlc alLernaLlve becomes sLronger, llke Lhe falllng
and rlslng of Lhe Lwo sldes of a balance scale. As Lhe non-
medlLaLlng days conLlnue, lL becomes more dlfflculL Lo shlfL
lnLo Lhe egoless opLlon, whlle Lhe egocenLrlc perspecLlve
beglns Lo sLrengLhen lLs grlp on my awareness. 1hls occurs
desplLe conLlnued day-Lo-day mlndfulness. Powever, afLer
medlLaLlng conslsLenLly for a week or Lwo, l'm able Lo reLurn
Lo Lhe sLaLe of egoless awareness once agaln. l suspecL LhaL lf
l keep medlLaLlng wlLhouL Lhe lnLerrupLlons LhaL faclllLaLe my
egocenLrlc clrculLry, l Loo wlll experlence Lhe lrreverslblllLy of
full awakenlng. unLll Lhen, l conLlnue my regular and,
hopefully, conslsLenL pracLlce of medlLaLlon, mlndfulness,
and leLLlng go.
1o be conLlnued.


128
1he Strugg|e

Cne day a seed dld sprouL,
AbouL who lL ls LhaL's sees,
Who's LhaL person all abouL,
WlLh Lhe squeak ln hls knees.

l waLched Lhe blrLh of a LhoughL,
And how lL dld Lransform.
l waLched, noL aL all dlsLraughL,
Pow Lhe sense of "me" dld form.

AL flrsL a flber ln Lhe weave,
ln Lhe fabrlc of Lhls "me,"
Cradually Lhen l dld percelve,
Pow Lhe Lwo began Lo cleave.

!usL by waLchlng l dld affecL,
1he changes LhaL occurred.
1lme seemed Lo dlsconnecL,
Slowlng from a Langled blur.

When a LhoughL l dld speak,
Was noL my volce LhaL l heard.
1hough flowlng from my beak,
lL wasn'L "me" LhaL sald a word.

When l moved any llmb,
Muscles moved clalrvoyanLly.
1hrough Lhe alr l dld swlm,
A body floaLlng buoyanLly.

SubLle dld Lhe wlsdom grow,
1hls "me" was [usL a dream.
"l" was [usL a puppeL show,
A keLLle fllled wlLh sLeam.


129

8eneaLh Lhe bolllng, Lhere lL was,
All Lhe whlle Lo be seen,
A quleL flre and Lhe cause,
lor llfe's effecLs and mlnd serene.

Lach momenL held a [oy,
As clear as a mounLaln sprlng.
no passlons born Lo annoy,
Lach day glldlng on Lhe wlng.

8uL Lhere's a force runnlng deep,
Away from Lhls awakened sLream.
lL's a world all asleep,
Llvlng Lhrough an ego's dream.

lL's a Llde LhaL drags Lo "sLuff,"
Where loves and haLes coexlsL,
Where more ls never enough,
And "you's" and "me's" perslsL.

lL drags Lhe mlnd, Lhls grlpplng Llde,
lrom open eyes and seelng clear,
1o gods and demons all conLrlved,
1o explaln Lhe sufferlng and Lhe fear.

Lach day ls a consLanL sLruggle,
1o swlm agalnsL Lhe Llde,
ercepLlons of llfe Lo [uggle,
Llke a !ekyll and a Pyde.

ually work Lo be done,
ConsLanL efforL Lo apply,
1o lose Lhe "me" and one become,
WlLh Lhe apple and Lhe ple.



130

De|us|ons

ueluslon,
MlsconsLruslon,
Source of much paln.

1houghLs of [oy, sorrow,
1hlnklng abouL Lomorrow,
urlve you lnsane.

?esLer days,
1'morrow's maze,
never were or be.

1oday's now,
8ose or sow,
Are all Lo see.

Cbsessed emoLlons,
CounLerfelL noLlons,
See Lhrough Lhe lles.

Llvlng Lruly,
Llfe's beauLy,
Pow blue Lhe skles.

Pard work,
Lgo shlrk,
WorLh Lhe sLruggle.

ConcenLraLe,
uon'L debaLe,
Lscape Lhe bubble.



131
Look and see,
WlLhouL Lhe me,
Aware each momenL of Lhe day.

locus and llve,
ALLenLlon glve,
no worLhless LhoughLs obey.

LeL go l,
no me or my,
Pow easlly Lo floaL.

no more me,
now l see,
Llfe's a canLaloupe.











132
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