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Talk: 2011-06_08 Learning How to Live_ Self Knowing in Action.json Start_time: 01:07:47 Display_question: How do I achieve the same kind of stillness that you talk about, breath, amidst daily life? Keyword_search: stillness, breath, daily life, meditation, Tibetan, attainment, cascading mind, CIMC, discouraged, awareness, ancient texts, choice, paying attention, actually live, steadiness, calm, patience, supermarket, feet, pausing, boredom, practice, wakeup/fall asleep, inner life, teachings Question_content: Questioner: I want to achieve the same kind of stillness that you talk about, breath, amidst daily life. Larry: Sure. Questioner: It’s yeah… Larry: But why set it up? Why? In other words, you don't want to sit? Questioner: Well, first I'm having a hard time sitting. I'm new to meditation. Larry: Everyone does. I don't know anyone, including the eminent, famous speaker. Look there's a very beautiful…it’s put very beautifully, in a Tibetan text. They've mapped certain stages, of how the mind develops. Every tradition has different ways of mapping it. And the first attainment, this is something… an achievement, here we probably give a diploma, or some kind of certificate. The first attainment is, attaining the cascading mind. Cascading like a waterfall. What kind of attainment is that? In other words, you see that your mind is wild. Does that matter? Right? I haven't met anyone, I've been doing this for a while, whose mind doesn't start that way. So, but why do they call it an attainment? Because the first step is, you see your predicament. You didn't get infected because you walked into CIMC. Your mind was clear as blue sky. And then you walk into this place and a virus affects you. And now you're all over the place. You brought it in here with you. It's not my fault. It's not his fault. Oh, he's the statue. All right. Break_line: So, now at that point, let's say they call it an attainment, because you're seeing it. Most human beings do not see it. They really think that their mind is okay. Now, when you see it, yes, it can be frightening, discouraging, and words like that. And then it's a fork in the road. You have a choice. Get discouraged, want a shortcut. And it's not just about breath. You can use other means that's just one method. Or understand that this is where I'm starting, but there's help. People have faced this for thousands of years. One of the things that helped me, is in reading ancient texts, which I like to do, I saw that people would… they would just… they sounded just like you. And when I read it, I felt, oh, it's just a human thing. To begin with, the mind is wild. Some people's minds are more wild than others. But I haven't met anyone yet. I've listened to really a few thousand minds, honestly. I haven't met anyone, any beginner, who has not started with the mind being wild. So maybe you won't sit as much as the person next to you. Maybe the breath is not the appropriate object. It's not about the breath, finally. Break_line: It's about awareness. And for some people, the breath is a wonderful way to develop the awareness, and for others it isn't. But can you develop awareness in daily life? Absolutely. But then you have to set that as a…mainly it's an attitudinal change, where you understand the importance of paying attention to how you actually live, underline actually, how you actually live, not how we think we live. Images of ourselves, how our mommy told us to live, how a rabbi, or a priest, or a mullah, whoever told you how to live, how do you actually…and from moment to moment, as you start paying attention, you're developing steadiness, and calm. But don't just drop the sitting, make the sittings a little more brief. Maybe just five or ten minutes. Be patient, let it grow slowly. If you get one clear breath, good enough, maybe the next day there'll be two breaths, it's okay. But understand, it's not finally about the breath at all. It's about awareness. And every human being is already aware. We already have that. It's just developing that capacity, to a refinement that is beyond what we can conceive of, right now. Break_line: So, I vote that… in other words, the cavalry is coming. Don't take the fork in the road that gets discouraged. Help is not on the way. It's here. There are methods, techniques. One of the virtues of a community is that, does anyone here…. show of hands how many people understand what this gentleman is talking about? So at least you don't feel lonely. In other words, it's human. That's the way the mind starts. You don't have to turn it into a problem and judge yourself. So, I would keep going, give the breath a chance, but it may not be the breath. Maybe some other methods. Questioner: I can you give an example. Today I was in line at the supermarket, and for some reason, pausing, focusing on my feet, on the ground, centers me. Larry: Right. Questioner: Like the breath does. Larry: Okay. Questioner: And you talk about particularly, I get to the point where I think that I'm as aware as I can be, you know what I mean? I can't get any more aware. And then I just drift off, and I totally forget it, because I get bored with it. I just think that this is it. Larry: Okay, Questioner: I can't do any more work. Larry: But then it's the same thing, as with the breath. You had a different object. But first of all, everyone's practice is, we fall asleep, we wake up, we fall asleep. That's why we call it a practice. Like you practice a piano (hums a tune) and little by little, you learn the scales, and so forth, the musical instrument. So, we're learning a new skill. But my question is, so you're attending to the feet. Are you going through the line, attending to your feet? Questioner: Yeah Larry: Now, supposing you give the cashier $20, and they give you $0.05 back, and the thing only costs $0.07, but I'm with my feet, they're really clear. See, at that point, you can use anything to help you steady yourself. So, I don't mean to totally mock it, but if you're in that situation, you can use your attention to the clerk. And also, when you feel bored, boredom is not an enemy, it's just true. So, let's say, it felt good, and you see, wow, now I know what they're talking about. I had a bit of awareness, and then it's gone. And then you get bored. But in our practice, everything is welcome. So, boredom, fine. Learn how to become aware of boredom. Don't try to squash it, or crush it, or let it control you, by saying, this is boring. I'm just not going to do any more of this. That is what you attend to. So, we're learning how to pay attention to ourselves, our inner life, as we attend to the clerk, let's say. As we attend to the packaging, as we attend to exchange the change being given, and so forth. And from time to time, when it's appropriate, if being with the feet touch points, if that helps you, sure. But how new are you to this? Pretty new? Questioner: Yeah. It’s sort of like my third week. Larry: Okay. Get more teachings. Because once you get the teachings, you'll see that everything I was saying, will more and more become, you'll know what to do. At this point, I wouldn't give up yet. Questioner: Thank you. End_time: 01:15:12
