"Look at your hand" Exercise

[Juliano Zn]

I've practiced only 15 hours of this exercise, but I don't want to invest 1000 hours in it and find out that I was doing it wrong. 

Do we have to only look at the hand and return attention to it after getting distracted by a thought? Thats it? If so, how is this different than a breath meditation?

And the attention have to be put on a small point in the hand or in the whole hand (wider scope)?

It is normal to feel like I'm looking at an alien thing for a few seconds, during the exercise?

Thank you!

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

Looking at the "alien" thing for a few seconds is precisely the point. You want to wonder about what the hand is actually, beyond the labels and your perception of it. What is it prior to your interpretation of it, what is it made of, why is it there, how is it possible?

[Chumbimba]

Has anyone experienced any benefits from this exercise because I’ve been making this a habit and haven’t experienced much 

[Leo Gura]

2 hours ago, Juliano Zn said:

Do we have to only look at the hand and return attention to it after getting distracted by a thought? Thats it?

Yup

You can also gently question/wonder: "What is this thing?" "How can it exist at all?"

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If so, how is this different than a breath meditation?

It's basically not. It is a form of meditation but in this case not on a body sensation but on a visual phenomenon.

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And the attention have to be put on a small point in the hand or in the whole hand (wider scope)?

Both should work.

Just be conscious of the hand's existence. Try to "feel" or register the mystery of it existing there.

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It is normal to feel like I'm looking at an alien thing for a few seconds, during the exercise?

Yes, that's your goal! The more you become conscious of it, the more mysterious and unknown it will become. Don't try to demystify it. Rather you are becoming more and more conscious of the mystery of Being/Existence/God.

That hand is God! Try to notice that. What does it mean to say that the hand is God? Wonder about that as you stare at it.

WONDERING is a crucial aspect of this work. You need to genuinely and deeply wonder about existence itself and every object in it. Don't take anything for granted, not even your hand. How do you even know it is "your" hand? Who told you? What is a "hand" anyway? What remains after you remove all ideas, beliefs, stories, memories, labels, categories, and other projections from the "hand"? What is the hand made out of? What is its substance? (Hint: not cells or atoms.)

Be very patient and persistent with this process. Also, be gentle about it. Do it in a calm and relaxed state of mind without demanding some immediate answer. Look at your hand as though you're seeing it for the first time in your life. Don't take it for granted as a given.

[OmniYoga]

I did and it felt like I am developing some sort of mental illness, sorry ...

[remember]

2 hours ago, OmniYoga said:

I did and it felt like I am developing some sort of mental illness, sorry ...

if the hand told you that, you should maybe really consider visiting a doctor, hands oftentime tell the truth.

but don’t tell the doctor that your hand told you that.

Edited January 15, 2020 by remember

[Juliano Zn]

@TrynaBeTurquoise I'll keep that in mind. Thank you!

 

@Leo Gura That's very helpful. Thank you!

How can I do this exercise during a mushroom trip? It is very difficult to keep attention focused on something. 

I've never done more than 3g of cubensis. Whats the best dosage to try this practice?

 

 

Edited January 15, 2020 by Juliano Zn

[Leo Gura]

@Juliano Zn Just do it the same way. Reduce your dose to 1g.

[OmniYoga]

@remember my hand doesn't speak unfortunately

but I can describie my thoguht process:

wtf are you doing? ...
why do you even doing this? ...
it's just a hand ...
what do you expcet to happen? ...
it's just a hand...
you're wasting time...
go back to life...
it's just a hand...
do something productive...
it's just a hand...
it doesn't make any sense ...
 

[Rilles]

try to wonder, if ”I” am behind the eyes, then how can ”I” also be out there where the hand is? What am ”I” made of?

[remember]

@OmniYoga for one day, don’t use it. and then look at it again.

Edited January 16, 2020 by remember

[Recursoinominado]

I found this exercise excellent, this grounds me a lot and pulls me out of my head and all beliefs, ideas, labels, mental masturbation etc. 

This is incredible.

[Inliytened1]

An additional exercise you can do is to gaze at one of the fingers.  Acknowledge it as the finger.  Then shift your consciousness and see the finger as the entire hand.

Notice how it is the finger and the hand simultaneously, and it is being one or the other relative to perspective. 

That shift in consciousness or perspective is the shift between the relative and the Absolute.  All of reality is right there in your hand.