Resting the mind nowhere

[Meijin]

This is something I have been able to do, but not sustain or deliberately initiate.

 

Originally it would happen due to exhaustion.  I'd lie or sit down, and just rest, but not sleep.  Sometimes I would hear thoughts corresonding to what had happened earlier in the day.  The first time this happened I was in Vegas, and I heard people's voices saying all sorts of things appropriate to being in Vegas, but I was in my room.

 

I actually considered this might be clairaudience, but the next time it occured I had been inside all day, and played a computer game. I lay down, and heard the voices and sounds from the game.

 

Oh.

 

Then last summer I had an epiphany.  I was angry about something for hours.  Anger has been a significant attachment for me. I didn't want to be angry. 

 

In such a situation I (and others) often say "being angry doesn't solve anything, just relax."

 

Doesn't work.  But that day it did.  I thought "this isn't helping the people on whose behalf I'm angry, it's bad for me and I don't like it."  Poof--the anger was gone and I was unreasonably happy.

 

I went to the small room I was living in, sat and thought for a while. I had significant money problems and I was worried I was going to run out in a few months.  I thought "worrying about this does me no good. I've done what I'm going to do, it will work or it won't, and other stuff may happen I don't control.  If there's something I can do, I'll do it; if not, I won't; and otherwise I'm not going to worry about it.  If I run out of money and bad stuff happens, no reason to suffer for it until it happens (and maybe not then)."

 

I had spent a year deciding not to worry or care about all sorts of things, but anger and worry over money (survival) had evaded me.

 

I lay down, and just relaxed completely.  My attention was nowhere. It was not on my breath, it was not in a specific place in my body, it was not following a thought.  It was placed nowhere.

 

And I felt a heat, similar to how a fever feels, rising from the tips of toes and the tips of my fingers. It moved from the fingers and toes to the foot and hand.  I had a bad splinter in my left foot a few years ago which didn't heal properly.  When the fever hit that, it hurt.  My attention moved to the pain, and the fever stopped.

 

I wasn't upset by the pain, it was just that my attention was on something specific.

 

I relaxed again, the fever started again, and I managed to not pay attention to that pain.  Then it hit my right wrist, which I had broken as a teenager and had healed badly.  More pain.  Attention to that pain.

 

I couldn't get past that. I kept relaxing, the fever would hit the wrist and it was too much pain to ignore. It wasn't, again, that I was upset with the pain (I've had much worse) but just the act of putting my attention on it stopped the heat cold.  After a few tries, I got frustrated, starting thinking about how to do this and, of course, lost it.

 

This felt to me like chi rising (not Kundalini, but I could be mistaken).  I have had various heat sensations during meditation at various times. I can't make it happen, but if I detach enough it does.  Often this is a sudden flush of heat to the chest and neck. I don't think it's the same thing.

 

I've never had the fever repeat, but a month or so ago, I gave up on trying to fix another problem.  Really gave up, and thought "I'm never Doing anything every again."  My attention was nowhere, because I had given up completely--nothing mattered, so I didn't need to do anything.  Comfortable warmth rose in my body, not feverish, in the places where I have the most tension stored.  I fell asleep, woke up about 8 hours later, the heat was still there (indeed it had been with me when in the one dream I remember). 

 

Placing my attention somewhere, no longer "giving up completely", the heat vanished.

 

Ok, so much for the long story.

 

1) Have other people had similar experiences?

 

2) Does anyone have advice on how to get to this point of placing attention nowhere?  For now, while doing nothing, later while doing.

 

This seems related to Wu Wei (the non-doing part, though non-interference is also important). It seems associated with what Hindus would call Karma-yoga (doing without caring about result).

 

But I can't deliberately induce it, and I can't reliably stay in it.

 

How would I do that?

 

Advice much appreciated.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Meijin

[SEEKER OF TRUTH]

If I were you, I would try not to give attention to the voices you hear. That which you give your attention to increases and you don't want more of that. 

 

The placing your attention nowhere, is actually a form of meditation and the way to get better at it is to practice, there is no other way. Just observe the world and give no attention to anything that passes before your eyes, no names, no judgements just watch and feel the air as it passes in and out of your nostrils. Don't do this while driving.

 

Don't get too caught up in all the mumbo jumbo.  Always seek the truth, look for evidence of it  and believe nothing, without investigation.

Edited April 2, 2016 by SEEKER OF TRUTH

[Marblehead]

Yes, you are speaking of the concept of wu wei.

 

This is why I use empty-minded meditation when my mind is troubled.  In empty-minded meditation we are unconsciously aware of our surroundings but we are concentrating on nothing; just letting the thoughts come and go as they please until they finally take a break and stop bothering our mind.  At this point we have attained empty-mindedness.  This leads directly to wu wei.  Still unconsciously aware but consciously sleeping.

[Michael Sternbach]

There was a time I used to hear voices while falling asleep, especially when taking a short nap on a long train ride.

 

The opening post also reminded me of how I was often suffering from aches in one of my knees as a child. I found out that whenever this happened, I could guide the pain down my leg and out of my foot by imagining it to do so. This way, after a few minutes, it was gone, while it lasted half an hour or so otherwise. That's how I discovered the power of visualization for myself.

[Bearded Dragon]

I've been getting the fever stuff for a while. It's usually just around my head and if it's bad enough I'll just be drained of energy and have to sleep it off. It seems to be linked to the empty aware state which brings up energy to the surface to be resolved (which happens of its own accord since pure awareness burns through "impurities" without need for interaction). At those peak times I have sometimes felt like there's a thin tough layer between where I am and completely bursting into tears for no apparent reason.

 

It seems to be good in the long run. Unfortunately there is no way to induce it because the true empty state is not something you induce. It just comes along. If you try to do it then you'll only ever get a 2nd rate manufactured state. The next best thing is to set up triggers so that it happens automatically via the stimulus of certain external phenomena. You've probably already encountered something like this.

 

All I do is maintain a subtle concentration of awareness. This is the 2nd rate state I mentioned, which is better than nothing. Then I use my triggers which for me are reading certain things, sitting outside, etc. The mind goes quieter without effort. The more effective method is as I mentioned where it deepens for no apparent reason. I think this perhaps has something to do with becoming acquainted with it enough for it to start becoming natural. The heat doesn't come at this point for me. It comes later, perhaps after a night's sleep when it's had enough time to burn somewhat. 

[Diaitadoc]

Deliberately seeking to reproduce particular experiences, such as the state you describe, would actually be a form of resting your mind "somewhere" and therefore belong to the realm of dualism.

 

Not that there's anything wrong with dualism - it's just not wuwei.

 

Practice your ZuoWang daily without seeking any particular experience and eventually dualism will give way to Wuwei.