Know You Are…

“Stop thinking, and end your problems.”
-Lao Tzu

Everything is known by awareness.

The peace that comes with simply being aware, unfortunately, is eroded by thinking too much. But the good news: Peace can be restored with mindfulness training.

Sit alone in a quiet room. Be aware of the sensation of breathing. Know you are breathing in; know you are breathing out. Know you are breathing for a few moments.

Now, look at an object. Note the feeling of knowing you are seeing, and note also that it feels peaceful to simply know you are seeing, with no thoughts or cares about what you are seeing. 

Shift your attention and listen to a specific sound. Without caring about what you are hearing, simply know you are hearing for a few moments. And note: the sensation of knowing you are hearing feels the same as the sensation of knowing you are seeing. It’s just a quiet sense of knowing.

Lay the palm of one hand on your leg. Is the leg feeling the hand, or the hand feeling the leg? 

It’s neither. It is the one-knowing presence you were just experiencing.

Of what advantage is this knowledge? When you were aware of the knowing essence only, whether you were feeling, seeing, or hearing—how did you feel? Were there any problems, any worries?

Become better acquainted with the silent, knowing presence. The number of thoughts that can disable you is infinite. When you know your thoughts are creating difficulty, however, only then can you let them go.

Thoughts about the past or the imaginary future are always in the present moment. See the beauty and depth of that, and past and future thoughts will increasingly lose their power to confuse or incapacitate you. 

Manage each moment by deciding which thoughts to let go, and which thoughts are worth continuing.

As often as you can remember, relax into the feeling that silently knows what you are doing, knows if you are thinking. The more you do that, the more you will want to. Because you are naturally peaceful when you know you are aware.

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I’ll post a new topic each Friday afternoon, in one of two categories. One will be on shooting, and the other will be on living. Or: how I learned to live from what I learned by competing.

Thanks for coming in.