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Talk: 20050305-Larry_Rosenberg-IMSRC-self_knowing_learning_how_to_live_part_4-6095 Leandra Tejedor.json Start_time: 00:38:36 Display_question: What are some techniques to help m,e when my mind is so busy thinking, and planning? Keyword_search: mind, present moment, observable, impatience, confusion, anxiety, meditating, thinking, breath, concentration, calm steadiness, attention, distraction, attitude, soften, awareness of unawareness, tedious, wake up, beginner’s mind Question_content: Questioner: I’m sure I’m not the only person who has done this, but I spent a large part of my life thinking about the next seven things that have to get done, so that I didn’t waste any time, and could beat my competitors. And when I go to sit in practice, sometimes that kind of mind is still there, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the thing that keeps coming up, that I have to tend to, or do in that minute. And I have different ways of trying to bring my mind back to focus, and I just wondered if you had any… Larry: What's the question? Questioner: The question is are there some techniques for when your mind is like that? Larry: Keep it simple. Stick to the present moment. See, like say when people go, oh, my God, we're moving. I've got to get to move, I got to unpack, I've got to call this one. And there are a lot of different things you have to do. Stop, be with a few breaths, start. In other words, take it moment by moment. Take care of business. Now, sometimes, let's say you have five minutes, sometimes you do have to do a few things, at the same time, but you know that that's what you're doing. But what I'm getting at is, that we're unconsciously obsessively spending…we're repeating it over, and over, and over again. What the seven things or whatever that is. Sometimes to the effect of while you're taking a shower, and you know you're going right from the shower, to some important meeting, life isn't so neat and tidy. That's what I was trying to say. Now is the question about the cushion. Questioner: Yes Larry: Whatever you're saying, it happens now. See, thinking makes it sound like it's seven different things. But the truth is, in that moment, what is happening? It's observable. It has to be. It might be confusion, like, well, which one do I do? It might be tremendous impatience. It might be anxiety. Probably anxiety. At least sometimes. That's what's happening, in the present moment. The present moment is what it is. That's all. That's not satisfying. But I can't do any better. Try. If I'm not answering it, please help me. Questioner: So, I’m sitting there, and I think oh, I have to take the dog to the vet. Larry: Period. Questioner: Period. Larry: I'm sorry to be rude, but that's what's happening in that moment. Keep going. Questioner: Right, but I’m not aware yet that I’m thinking that thought… Larry: Then you're not meditating at that…in that moment. Questioner: Right. Larry: Okay. Questioner: But then I realize at some point, however many times I think about the dog going to the vet, and I go oh, I’m thinking about the dog going to the ve,t and I come back to the breath. Larry: But it's not about always the breath. It's about thinking, about going to…. in other words, one practice is the breath. The other practice is being with whatever is happening. There are two practices that we're weaving together. One, exclusive attention to the breathing, that develops concentration, calm, steadiness. If you've set yourself that practice, be clear that that's what you're going to do, during that time period, then everything is a distraction, that isn't breath. You come back. But if it's the other, then there's no such thing as a distraction. Because whatever is happening, that's what you're attending to, because that's what's taking up the moment. There's no place you're supposed to be. That's the power. Am I making some sense? Questioner: Well yeah. I actually do focus on the breath. Larry: Just concentration, practice? Questioner: Yeah. Larry: So then just come back to the breath. Questioner: A million times. Larry: Ah, that's what you don't like. Yeah, maybe 2 million. Okay, I understand. We all know that when it can become tedious. That's why attitude again, is so important. The coming back. We tend to think of, if only I can be really on the breath. In, out, in, out. Ah. Nice and calm. Peace. And then we're distracted the dog. Woof, woof. Whatever it is. If only that didn't happen. Then I could really practice the distraction to the dog, is the practice. The coming back is why we're practicing. If you could just be totally steady on the breath, why would you need to come here? You're just red-hot attention, and then all we have to say is, okay, enlarge that now, and bring that quality of attention to every aspect of your life, both on the cushion, and off. Check in with me in five years. Let me know how it's going. Do you see what I'm getting at? Questioner: Yeah. Larry: So, we have to soften that. The mind is… we don't want to break the spirit of the mind. So, it's gentle. We're distracted. We guide our attention back. We're distracted. We guide our attention back. I think Michael and I emphasize that aspect of the coming back a lot, but awareness of unawareness, is practice. In other words, you notice that you're not with the breath. That's good practice. And the coming back is an essential part of... you know what would help? I hope this helped me a lot. Break_line: Some years ago, friend's child was just at that stage, learning how to walk. We were sitting, watching, and the child excited, full of wonder, which we unfortunately lose so much of as adults. Starts walking, falls down, gets up, starts walking, falls down, falls down. The joy is still there, and it's not going like, I wonder if the other kids my age, how many times do they fall down? When am I going to master this, for God's sake? And the adults, they're having a good time, but I hate this stuff. The child is just doing, learning how to walk. And the process is… everything that we're emphasizing here is the practice, it's our life in that moment. It's a process, and that can help prevent it from, or minimize the tendency, for it to become mechanical, and tedious. When it's becoming tedious, a good sign that you're probably the quality of your awareness has fallen off. It's sort of like in, out, in, out, in, out, in, out, then wake up. Bring in, beginners mind again. End_time: 00:45:41
