The do nothing technique

[SvanteTheBeast]

Im really lost with the do nothing technique. I research a little what others had wrote on the forum about do nothing but leo wrote somewhere that in meditation, including do nothing, you need to be aware. That the do nothing technique is useless if your not aware but isnt that the point of do nothing? isnt it to drop attention? is awarness and attention the same thing? What exactly are you supposed to be aware of?

[kieranperez]

It’s very simple: relax and surrender. 

That doesn’t mean you forcibly stop anything. Surrendering the mind and doing nothing DOES NOT mean you stop the mind. It’s means you stop and allow whatever that is occurring. If you’re mind is going crazy, allow it, surrender, do nothing. If you are driving in your car, you are driving allowing your mind to do whatever it does. 

THAT is surrender. 

The fact that you’re trying to make this complex is what makes this so hard. 

Sit down on a chair and let the mind go on, allow the mind to go crazy and bitch and moan. If you’re sitting still fine but that’s not the point. The point, as far “recognition” (and that itself is false because that implies cognition and enlightenment has nothing to do with cognition) of Truth goes is that you’re not your body-mind. 

Notice how you’re aware of all that mental, psychosomatic, physical, etc. nonsense. Who is that’s aware of all those thoughts? Whose agitated? Whose confused about this technique experiencing this mental state? 

The whole technique of doing nothing is the recognition is that what you are is that silent presence which is everpresent and is and has always been doing absolutely nothing. 

Good. Now, you’ve heard a cute little story, great. Now surrender and doing nothing moment to moment through out your day. 

[allislove]

You need to be aware of how your mind tries to restrict a thought process. 

Let's say you start to think about porn. And then mind comes with its belief and says something like: "No, no, no, it's bad to think about porn. I better switch to something else. I don't allow myself to think about porn.". So, your goal is to catch such thought and allow yourself to think about porn till naturally you will start to think about something else. 

It's easy to lost yourself in thoughts during "do nothing". It's okay, do not blame yourself for that. 

If you do this practice consistently there will be moments when after you're lost in thoughts then spontaneously clarity, silence of mind comes. Do not try to stop these moments too. Just be silent in that moment as long as possible. 

The key of this practice is consistency. Let's say you have "do nothing" every day for half an hour. Even if there will be only one moment of complete silence of mind for a few seconds it's already good. Do not blame yourself for having no results. Also, what important is to not move during a session. Good luck. 

[Forestluv]

Questions answered here:

 

[Strangeloop]

@whoshearts It's basically the same.

[Esoteric]

@Strangeloop No it's not. Strong determination sitting is just that you will not move the body during the duration of your sit, then you can apply whatever technique on top of that i.e do nothing, labeling, zazen etc

[Nahm]

@SvanteTheBeast Awareness and attention are the same ‘substance’ but are also not the same. There are some good descriptions and a source link in my signature for do nothing. ??