What should one do/think of while walking?

[TheExaltedRonin]

Simple right? No.

 

When Lao tzu speaks of the caterpillar he appears to disregard mindfulness. He applauds flow though.

 

What does one do with the thoughts? The action of walking? Etc.

[Colonel Goji]

 

While walking, smile.

 

Focus the the thoughts on the breath.

[TheExaltedRonin]

If one thinks of breath though one disregards flow and begins the path of mindfulness towards breath.

[dawei]

do vs think... this is the essence of life...

[doc benway]

Simply watch from where the thoughts arise and to where they depart.

And pay attention where you're walking….

[mYTHmAKER]

turn off your cell phone

[BaguaKicksAss]

While walking I tend to think of:

 

Rooting

Sink

Focus on ldt and sink qi there

Tailbone tucked under just a tiny bit

Head up, chin down, neck straight

 

Yes I mean while walking down the street .

[soaring crane]

There's only one thing that exists in your present: your body.

 

It's the best thing to meditate on whether walking, sitting or anything else.

 

I do a lot of walking meditation/qigong. I'd say it's probably my main form of cultivation. Barefoot, over natural surfaces, most commonly the fields behind my house, and I step consciously, breathe consciously, move consciously, while passively taking in all the panorama, the fields, the river, the trees, the sky, the sun (likewise on other days the rain and the wind and the gray expanse of sky), allowing them to work their healing and strengthening magic on me as they see fit.

 

So, actively concentrate on your self.

Take everything else in passively.

Breathe deeply and profoundly.

 

That's how I do it.

 

I don't follow the caterpillar reference.

[soaring crane]

 

Yes I mean while walking down the street .

 

Yessssss! That's an important note. These things are for always. I only described the times I intentionally head outside for some nature-connecting, but the approach, the focus, is always there. I'd say I've had some of my deepest meditative experiences while driving haha.

[cheya]

"Don't think.....feel" Bruce Lee

"Feel.....don't think" Qui-Gon Jinn

......Mal's signature

 

[thelerner]

I'll feel the bottom of my feet, how they strike the ground. I'll focus on my hearing and turn off my thinking.

[soaring crane]

Sometimes my awarness turns to my toes. And I think to myself, "WoW. I love my toes. Look at those toes. I can feel the flow through the ends of my toes!"

I'd love to go for a walk with you some day :-)

[TheExaltedRonin]

Seems like a lot of these responses are dedicated to mindfulness, not necessarily awareness.

 

If one doesn't practice mindfulness how should I delegate my mind?

[soaring crane]

Seems like a lot of these responses are dedicated to mindfulness, not necessarily awareness.

 

If one doesn't practice mindfulness how should I delegate my mind?

 

Stay with your body, that's all. The body doesn't exist in the past or the future. The body is always now. So long as you do that, it doesn't matter if you label it mindfulness or awareness or anything else.

 

There are a lot of ways to interpret that, but the basic principle remains.

 

Can you expand on your caterpillar thought?

[TheExaltedRonin]

I appreciate the responses. Out of curiosity when does Lao tzu or zhuangzi speak of mindfulness?

 

Awareness to me is understanding what your doing consciously but not having a focused train of thought about said action.

[soaring crane]

Out of curiosity when does Lao tzu or zhuangzi speak of mindfulness?

 

Never.

 

If you want something to focus on: Pick an organ and feel into it. See it. Hear it. Smell it. Taste it. Let it grow in importance and become all-important. Try listening to your liver. That's what Zhuangzi would do, if he weren't busy breathing through his heals.

 

Or a muscle. The diaphragm is a good place to start. Not a bad place to end, come to think of it.

 

Still curious about that caterpillar reference. Do you mean the butterfly story? The butterfly "dream"?

Edited March 8, 2014 by soaring crane

[TheExaltedRonin]

I can't for the life of me find it. I apologize. If I do I will post it here.

[soaring crane]

I can't for the life of me find it. I apologize. If I do I will post it here.

 

hey now, no apologies and no shit, ok?

 

You were either led astray by people who credit Richard Bach with writing the Laozi, or you were thinking about the 'butterfly dream' from Zhuangzi. So what? Caterpillars and butterflies are sweet

[idiot_stimpy]

Nothing needs to be done

[soaring crane]

Nothing needs to be done

 

that's a tall order. See my sigline

[TheExaltedRonin]

@soaring crane

 

When you speak of "staying with the body" how would one necessarily do that? Think of the feel of the body?

 

Examples would be think of the feeling, see the movement, hear the body, etc.?

[ChiDragon]

I wouldn't be thinking about finding a solution to my personal problems while walking. I would keep my eyes on the road and do the following.

While one is walking, one should be aware of the immediate environment with the five senses to detect any signs of danger. 1. Use the sense of vision to see what is ahead of the road. What or who is coming toward and away from you? Observe if any obstacles in front of you?
2. Use the sense of hearing to listen what is behind you. How far is the moving object, if any, behind you?
3. Use the sense of smell to detect is there any offensive gaseous odors which might harm you?
4. Use the sense of feeling to sense the ambient temperature which might be harmful to the body?
5. The sense of taste may not be applicable but one may use it with one's own discretion.

[soaring crane]

When you speak of "staying with the body" how would one necessarily do that? Think of the feel of the body?

 

Be actively conscious of your body; passively aware of everything else. Your body is the only thing in the entire universe that exists here and now. That's it. Long explanations and discussions will only lead you away from the simplicity of it all.

Edited March 9, 2014 by soaring crane

[deci belle]

Seems like a lot of these responses are dedicated to mindfulness, not necessarily awareness.

 

Good point.

 

I'm not mindful of breath, but if I notice it I smile. The smile clarifies mind, then mind is once again empty.

 

Awareness is necessarily empty of thoughts. When you notice clarity, then that is already thoughts.

 

Awareness is selfless. As such it doesn't reflect on itself or its contents.

 

If one is already aware of self's emptiness, it is no longer empty.

 

The mind needs a crutch at first because it is so dependent on its contents to be occupied habitually.

 

When walking, just walk, watching over the mind, just observe mind. In both cases, the scenery is circumstantial. Only the light of the mind is unattributable.

 

The contents of this world and the contents of mind are the same. Awareness doesn't follow nor does it lead. It's your nature. Naturally not following nor initiating, just respond without habitual self-reflective patterns.

 

But the way to accomplish this takes a long long time of not using mind to follow or initiate. There is no short-cut to effectively not use mind to habitually occupy the self. When self is empty, this is selfless self.

 

 

When mind is momentarily empty, then awareness is necessarily empty of thought. Smile in the sight of the light of mind itself.

 

When you lose it, let it go. When it returns, embrace it.

 

The important point of practice is ultimately not a matter of mind itself, but the effect of it's essential fluidity assuming its natural place in your life as your true identity void of self-reification.

 

Eventually after many years of welcoming and relinquishing the light of mind as it appears, its presence perpetuates itself without self-conscious intellectual attention.

 

When one recognizes the light of mind, smile and let it go before a single though occurs …it'll be back.

 

It's like flirting~ don't be too obvious.❤

[TheExaltedRonin]

The answer is quite simple:

 

Quit trying. No effort. Just remember the teachings, put them into effect and live naturally.