it spoke to me through the wired for 40 days i listened & transcribed i don't know if or what the others heard it said it was for the curious i don't know if that was me but i know i was there it told us what to do sometimes in words sometimes by artistic representation of forms that had been left behind some assumption that the dark forest would claim them it said take these reminders as encouragement take them as entertainment take them as a way to save your life they are born of kindness but not in the way you think this is the kindness of killing the killer the compassion of burning all the robes & lore & fancy stones it quoted from books "They knew a tremendous number of things but was it worthwhile knowing all these things if they did not know the one important thing the only important thing?” i think i had read that before but it had been many years
the first thing it said was SIT & BREATHE & BE this was the undercurrent of everything from that point forward it would expand & double back & whisper & speak it with its absence one time it said THIS IS NOT BASIC THIS IS FUNDAMENTAL EXPANDED INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW sit in a relaxed & easy way with your skeleton carrying your weight & your diaphragm free to move in & out & allow thoughts & sensations & phenomena to arise & vanish like watching clouds move through the sky not hurrying them or wishing they weren’t there you're just here being with what is & when you notice you’ve been carried away by a thought or distracted by a sensation reset (not in an uptight way like "i’m going to relax or else" that's not helpful) let the eyes & body soften & become the mirror reflecting all that arises & passes & when you get caught up in a thought or feeling notice that & start again don't try to achieve something or make something happen be relaxed & open & sit with the freshness of the moment i'll repeat keep it simple no need to innovate there’s nothing to do but sit & be so find a comfortable position you don't need a special chair or mat or incense or flowers or lineages or rituals or whatever the fuck you can even lay down vitruvian style which i might add is a great shoulder stretch for the terminally online take a deep breath or two & let the tension melt away you can focus on something like an object or your breath or you can let your attention relax into watching the coming & going or whatever arises be it thoughts or sounds or sensations & when you notice you’re distracted begin again gently bringing attention back to your chosen object of concentration or to the ceaseless stream of phenomena (whichever you chose before) you'll likely find short sessions to be most helpful marathons work for some but you don't need to be a hero even five minutes can make the difference between a hectic day & being able to bring a more relaxed & balanced perspective to life no this won't solve circumstantial problems this is about giving you some daylight that little bit of extra space to be more loving & kind when it might make all the difference
it said you're quite thick holy shit this is going to take a while ok ok so LISTEN find a comfortable position your eyes can be open or closed now bring your attention to the present moment & let go of any distractions or conceptual elaborations simply rest in the natural state of mind without trying to alter or fix or change anything & as you rest in this open awareness thoughts & emotions & sensory experiences will arise that's what they do it's their job & instead of getting caught up in them or trying to push them away recognize them as manifestations of the mind’s clarity & let them dissolve on their own they will trust me bro they're like clouds in the sky continue to rest in this awareness & get up when you feel like you're done there's no schedule or expectations or abstract notion of perfection thinking that way only sets you up for guilt & suffering this is what you do in many areas of life whether it’s stressing over financial stability or the quality of your relationships that first move of believing in Should Be is putting a stick in our own spokes don't do that bro it's going to hurt
it said did you get that hmm i'm not convinced alright here we go i don't mean we're going anywhere i mean we're starting again just rest here with any & all phenomena that comes through & don't worry i know sometimes it feels like entire sessions go by & you're daydreaming or wrapped up in thoughts the whole time there’s nothing wrong with that you're not bad at this it's not like you choose when to be distracted & for how long it simply happens our aim is not to achieve a certain stable state but to relax & accept things as they are ceaselessly changing & entirely unpredictable one thing you should know we're literally doing nothing not trying to do nothing it sounds strange but is what the people call a Distinction With A Difference think of it this way you’re relaxing into receiving whatever comes like a radio antenna it has no interest in filtering the signal it takes what comes whereas the active antennae of an insect reaches out to interact with the environment searching & honing in on specific phenomena in its surroundings to help it survive when we’re sitting we’re the radio not the insect got it ok this is the time to be completely open & resting in the moment & letting whatever comes to come you might find it helpful to relax the muscles of the forehead & eyes & jaw when you realize you've made the subtle move from Radio Receiving to Insect Inspecting but really you can forget about this analogy altogether this isn't work you're resting in the natural state of mind & observing whatever arises it's very practical that way there’s nothing to learn & no method to master just SIT & BREATHE & BE (which reminds me of a funny story one time i typed meditation & autocorrect changed it to detonation which makes sense in that the not-so hidden agenda behind all of this is to explode your sense of self by loosening the hold of habitual identification with the ceaseless stream of thoughts & sensations)
i didn't quite follow what this was all for to be honest so i asked What's it all for & it said once there was this guy named Alan he said this doesn't have a reason it doesn't have a purpose in this respect it's unlike all other things that we do except perhaps making music & dancing in music we don't do it to reach a certain point such as the end of the composition if getting to the end of the piece were the purpose of music then the fastest players would be the best in dancing we're not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor when we dance the dancing itself is the point when we play music the playing itself is the point the same is true in this it's the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment DOES THAT MAKE SENSE it then said sorry that's a condescending & patronizing & frustratingly diffuse & non-actionable way to end a sentence so here's some real tips:
1) SITTING & BREATHING & BEING doesn't need to be bound to a time or place some thing you do & leave behind before getting on with your day it’s a mood it's an ongoing openness irrespective of activity it's a way of being in the world
2) you're not trying to get to The Next Level or A Deeper State (there’s drugs for that bro) you’re just being & enjoying the aliveness of the moment you're not trying to accomplish something or Get 1% Better by doing this you’re not looking to achieve some blissful & stable state you’re simply taking some time to downshift from doing to being so when you’re doing again you can do it with more being mkay
3) distraction WILL occur you’re not trying to reduce the number of times you’re distracted per session as if it were some sort of KPI distraction will occur as anything else occurs it will arise & stay for a time & vanish with or without our permission distraction is equivalent to all other phenomena it's just another passing cloud you’re not worried about counting clouds or trying to hurry them along all you're doing is gently shifting your pov from being focused on & invested in The What that’s arising to watching The How & when you pay attention you'll notice how much is going on it’s a relentless stream it's an itch then a bark in the distance then a thought of what’s for dinner then a gurgle then a tensing then a thought of what day is it then heat then a cough from the next room then a hum of electricity then a passing car & on it goes one thing after another with no break being aware of this display is the heart of life it's like becoming aware of the ocean for what it is a wave making machine & instead of trying to track & label wave after wave after wave you're just being with the ceaseless & wonderful rhythm of it all now granted some sessions feel "worse" than others you'll be distracted many times by various thoughts & feelings but that isn't a bad thing it's simply the flavor of that particular series of moments some skies are crystal clear not a cloud in sight & some are filled with impressive storms & thunder & lightning it's all beautiful & perfect there’s no winning or losing in this
4) don't worry about timers & all that nonsense just do this when you get the urge & as long as feels organic & natural when a thought comes that says Now Would Be A Great Time To Be it's usually quickly followed by But I Have So Much To Do LISTEN TO THE FIRST ONE it can sometimes feel like a workout the hardest part is starting but once you’re in the groove it’s the best & when you’re finished you're so glad you did it but if you must time yourself keep it short like 5-10 minutes but remember if you're always on a timer this can feel like one more thing to check off the to-do list whereas not having a hard stop can encourage your appreciation that life is not a schedule of slots being filled with one discrete activity after another but a ceaseless flow with no boundaries between moments try it bro please bro put the smartwatch away trust me bro
5) eyes open or closed it doesn't matter sometime open is good it keeps you engaged with the world & avoids the tendency to start thinking in terms of inner & outer as though there’s some border you're on one side of & everything else is Out There you're being with the flow of all things as they arise in this very moment there's no need to close off from that which you're inseparable from you couldn’t if you tried & eyes closed is wonderful too sometimes the peepers need it after going hard on the internet machines it's good to listen to your body when choosing the mode that makes the most sense at the time sometimes it's sitting sometimes laying down or walking sometimes eyes open & sometimes closed sometimes focused on an object & sometimes keeping your attention panoramic there’s no wrong way different approaches work for different people at different times (of the day & of life) the common thread is relaxing into the moment & being with what arises & bringing it back to that when distraction occurs anything more is window dressing sometimes you may even fall asleep & they'll say "noooo that’s not it you need to be awake & alert & paying attention” fuck that if you fall asleep enjoy the rest you probably needed it the same can be said for an itch that demands to be scratched you should go ahead & if you need to roll your shoulders because you’re getting stiff go ahead we're past "this is the only way to do it you must be a statue" we attune to the moment at hand & meet its needs as it happens
6) treat all phenomena the same whether loud or soft sounds insistent thoughts or barely-there thoughts intense itches or little tingles bright colors or subdued hues dramatic shapes or gentle lines all are dynamically interdependent in ceaseless relationship with everything else our job is to DO NOTHING to make space for seeing the ceaseless coming & going of absolutely everything & the how of what’s always happening & that there’s no stable center on which to stand just a perfectly clear & infinite sky through which the clouds of all forms of experience coalesce & fade
it said all these things in those 40 days & also that SITTING & BREATHING & BEING is but a means to an end not an end in itself since whatever is established with effort will succumb to the force of change i still didn't really understand so it said FFS OK FORGET WHAT I TOLD YOU SINCE YOU LIKE CATS SO MUCH TRY THIS so i did & i must say i like it very much (meow):
