Sensory Conflation: Linking Sense Perceptions Together Arbitrarily

[Emerald]

When I meditate, I focus on the sensations on my body and try to experience them for what they are without putting though- labels over them. However, because I'm used to experiencing the sensations in my body relative to my concept of how my body looks, my mind automatically creates thought-images of my body when I focus on the sensations.

One way I tried to bypass this was by imagining that the sensations in my body were objects floating in space. So, sort of imagining that my bodily sensations exist in a universe of their own, separate from the other sense perceptions that I think of as mine. So, now the mind gives me images of black space with little vibration-looking-things floating in it. So, it seems that I can't escape the concept of vision placed over my sense perceptions. Any advice, thoughts, or observations on this phenomenon?

[Guest]

I too am curious about this...I'm currently trying to remove my own mental image of myself and am finding it difficult. Maybe my problem is that I am still labeling others around me, rather than truly percieving their appearances as empty, and that comes back to me...

Edited February 16, 2016 by tryingforfreedom

[Leo Gura]

When you meditate, stop manipulating your experiences in any way. Just sit and accept everything as it is.

Do you see that on a meta-level, what's happening right now with you, is that the ego believes it can control this process. It's trying really hard to be a good meditator. It thinks it can stop mental images from arising. It thinks that mental images are somehow undesirable.

All of this is of course ludicrous because the ego doesn't exist and has no control. The manipulations are just additional layers of delusion of which you have no control.

Whenever you notice the urge to control something in your meditation, just drop the need. Soon you will enter a kind of very deep, calm flow state and you'll actually start smiling because you're finally accepting reality exactly as it is = happiness.

[A way to Actualize]

3 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Whenever you notice the urge to control something in your meditation, just drop the need

It seems quit hard to accept what is of you should accept what is. When it becomes a thing that needs to be forced, it won't help really on your way to enlightenment or if you want to relax.

suggestion: when something distracting shows up, say to yourself that it is okay to have it.

[vizual]

Realize that by trying to imagine your bodily sensations as something else the imagination itself becomes the obstacle.

The problem is that there is a fear inside of you to lose your bodily sensations--the fear of ego death, the fear of loss of identity. The attachment is still there.

[Emerald]

7 hours ago, tryingforfreedom said:

I too am curious about this...I'm currently trying to remove my own mental image of myself and am finding it difficult. Maybe my problem is that I am still labeling others around me, rather than truly percieving their appearances as empty, and that comes back to me...

Maybe a deeper exploration of the visual sense itself could help. The only thing we ever see are shapes, imbued with colors on a flat plane. So, the visual sense has only two dimensions, instead of three as we're accustomed to thinking. I'm a painter, and this has to be learned if someone wants to learn to depict something accurately. Maybe if you're able to see the image of yourself as being only shapes imbued with colors it would help.

[Emerald]

6 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

When you meditate, stop manipulating your experiences in any way. Just sit and accept everything as it is.

Do you see that on a meta-level, what's happening right now with you, is that the ego believes it can control this process. It's trying really hard to be a good meditator. It thinks it can stop mental images from arising. It thinks that mental images are somehow undesirable.

All of this is of course ludicrous because the ego doesn't exist and has no control. The manipulations are just additional layers of delusion of which you have no control.

Whenever you notice the urge to control something in your meditation, just drop the need. Soon you will enter a kind of very deep, calm flow state and you'll actually start smiling because you're finally accepting reality exactly as it is = happiness.

This makes perfect sense. 

[Emerald]

3 hours ago, A way to Actualize said:

It seems quit hard to accept what is of you should accept what is. When it becomes a thing that needs to be forced, it won't help really on your way to enlightenment or if you want to relax.

suggestion: when something distracting shows up, say to yourself that it is okay to have it.

Good advice.  

[Emerald]

2 hours ago, vizual said:

Realize that by trying to imagine your bodily sensations as something else the imagination itself becomes the obstacle.

The problem is that there is a fear inside of you to lose your bodily sensations--the fear of ego death, the fear of loss of identity. The attachment is still there.

Thank you. 

[Naviy]

7 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

When you meditate, stop manipulating your experiences in any way. Just sit and accept everything as it is.

Do you see that on a meta-level, what's happening right now with you, is that the ego believes it can control this process. It's trying really hard to be a good meditator. It thinks it can stop mental images from arising. It thinks that mental images are somehow undesirable.

All of this is of course ludicrous because the ego doesn't exist and has no control. The manipulations are just additional layers of delusion of which you have no control.

Whenever you notice the urge to control something in your meditation, just drop the need. Soon you will enter a kind of very deep, calm flow state and you'll actually start smiling because you're finally accepting reality exactly as it is = happiness.

This is one of the best messages I've seen on this forum

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Emerald Wilkins said:

Maybe a deeper exploration of the visual sense itself could help. The only thing we ever see are shapes, imbued with colors on a flat plane. So, the visual sense has only two dimensions, instead of three as we're accustomed to thinking. I'm a painter, and this has to be learned if someone wants to learn to depict something accurately. Maybe if you're able to see the image of yourself as being only shapes imbued with colors it would help.

That's really helpful thanks.

Leo's advice too was very helpful..! Great thread...

[ayokolomo]

Have you tried meditating in a sensory deprivation tank?  

You have spent millions of years perfecting your senses, and now you want to get rid of them?  Maybe a little bit of outside help couldnt hurt.

Edited February 17, 2016 by ayokolomo

[Emerald]

12 hours ago, ayokolomo said:

Have you tried meditating in a sensory deprivation tank?  

You have spent millions of years perfecting your senses, and now you want to get rid of them?  Maybe a little bit of outside help couldnt hurt.

I haven't. But I'm interested in trying it out.