How Will The "do Nothing" Technique Make You More Aware?

[Mary]

How will the "Do Nothing" technique make you more aware, when you are not supposed to be aware during the technique?

[egoeimai]

Because you get in touch with the present moment and you feel everything that relates to the real world,stronger.

[Rookie]

It gets you awareness of your resistance to the content of your thought stories, and how frequently you try to manipulate your direct experience. 

[Mary]

@popi In the way that leo puts it, you don't necessarily have to be in the present moment. You can get lost in thought stories from your past or future.

[Naviy]

Yes, you are not in present moment during Do Nothing meditation most of the time (I'd say, 90%+ of the time), and it is supposed to be so. If you are trying to be aware of something, this is still meditation, but not Do Nothing technique.

 

What this meditation does - it makes you much more tolerant to your thoughts and emotions. After months of daily Do Nothing practice, in normal everyday life you will become much more tolerant to any kind of your mental states. You will notice, that now you are ok with any of your mental states, mood, emotions, thoughts. For example, if something bothers you, it still bothers you the same as before, but now you do not have the need to get rid of it. Instead, you have some natural tendency to not touch your mental states and let them be as they are. You even enjoy accepting bad or good stuff, knowing, that ultimately it is good for you and that it is more true, more healthy than your old behaviour. This gives you more freedom from your mind, makes you much less vulnerable, more independed. Less resistance to thoughts, mood and emotions. You feel like you can deal with any kind of mental state. If you are upset with something, and it bothers you a lot, you just do not touch it, knowing that your freedom lies in equanimity. From your Do Nothing experience you know that the best you can do - do not touch anything. And that everything will pass and will change. Then next stuff will come and pass and change.

So, this practice gives you equanimity. Freedom from mind. Therefore, you are less affected by thought streams and stories. You have less tendency to take all your thoughts seriously. Here you get more space for awareness.

However, if you want to directly practice awareness, you'd better do Mindfulness Meditation.

[egoeimai]

I  prefer mindfulness meditation.

[Flicker_boy]

it will help you detect when your mind starts engaging with memories and fantasies and with time you'll be able to be aware of when it tries to manipulate your attention away from reality (which is pretty much all the time).
I have found that it gets waaay more powerfull when combined with some kind of more efforting meditation, such as mindfulness labeling, cause those help you build a momentum of meditation skills that plays out when you're 'doing nothing'

[Bombardini]

The way Leo describes it is a bit different  from the way Shinzen Young does. I preferd to do have Shinzens description in the back of my mind, rather than Leo's. 

You can easily find it if you google do nothing+ Shinzen young. It's a pdf-file. 

[Mal]

@Mary

Hi Mary,

Who said one is not supposed to be aware during the meditation?

It's "do nothing".

This means that if awareness arises then awareness arises. 

If thoughts arise, then thoughts arise.

If pain arises then pain arises.

If avoidance, control, or manipulation of experience arises, then avoidance, control, or manipulation arises.

If ice cream cravings arise then ice cream cravings arise. 

The point is to train ourselves to notice the difference between choiceless awareness and the need to change or run away from the mind.

 

 

[Leo Gura]

The dirty secret is that you can't help but be aware 100% of the time. Notice that you are always aware! It's impossible not to be aware unless you're dead.

Past and future cannot exist without awareness.

Nothing can exist without awareness.

So you are already 100% aware all the time.

You just need to sit down and be quiet and you'll notice it.

That's why do-nothing works.

And why distractions and addictions make up your lifestyle.

If you remove every single distraction and addiction in your life, you are pretty much guaranteed to become enlightened automatically.

But you're not gonna do that, are you?

[egoeimai]

He will do that. 

[Sultan]

15 hours ago, Emilio said:

The way Leo describes it is a bit different  from the way Shinzen Young does. I preferd to do have Shinzens description in the back of my mind, rather than Leo's. 

You can easily find it if you google do nothing+ Shinzen young. It's a pdf-file. 

What's the differences between them exactly?

[Bombardini]

@Sultan In practice, nothing.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Emilio

[Mary]

@Leo Gura Thanks for answering.

Will I let go of my addictions? Honestly, no. Can't even let go of the hard addictions I have.

[egoeimai]

2 hours ago, Mary said:

 

Will I let go of my addictions? Honestly, no. Can't even let go of the hard addictions I have.

Heeeeeey mary!!! Dont be afraid.

Everythings gonna be fine. Calm down!