--- In [email protected], "sparaig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "Alex Stanley" < > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > wrote: > > > > I'm wondering whether there might be a better model > > > > for witnessing than a simple binary ON/OFF switch. > > > > How about more of a rheostat control? > > > > > > Sure, why not? But, it does seem like the witnessing state can > come > > > and go, a la the binary ON/OFF switch. IIRC, one guy at the > Wednesday > > > night satsangs expressed great relief when the 24/7 witnessing > > > stopped. I also spoke with one of the Waking Down teachers about > > > witnessing sleep, and he said he'd experienced it and that sleep > was > > > more enjoyable without it. > > > > > > Back in May, I drove up to Minneapolis, and I got lost in St. > Louis > > > Park (a suburb) looking for my hotel. And, it was very > interesting to > > > become aware that part of me was not at all involved in the anger > and > > > frustration of being lost in a big city. > > > > > > Fast forward to a few days ago, when our water system died, and I > > > needed to access the cistern, and I discovered that the cistern > lid > > > was half-buried under heavy clay because the goddamned vastu > > > rectification encroached on it, and I had to fucking hack away at > > > rock hard soil in 100 fucking degree heat because some > superstitious > > > bullshit meant soil needed to be piled up on top of existing > critical > > > infrastructure. Was I aware of that uninvolved witness at that > > > moment? No fucking way. I was pissed off beyond belief and > totally > > > overshadowed. > > > > > > I think the lesson there is that shift happens, and it's best to > not > > > latch on to any particular state or experience. > > > > I can identify with all of the above. I had to help my neighbor > > move furniture today in heat almost as bad, and could have > > sworn at the time that there was no witnessing going down. > > Then I sat at twilight on the terrace of the house I'm staying in. > > It is built upon and overlooks the ramparts of the medieval > > village. The swallows were out, swooping everywhere, pick- > > ing insects out of the air. And voila! there was full-fledged, > > Grade A Prime witnessing. > > > > And the second thought that hit me, after the thought, "Oh, > > there's that witnessing thing again," was, "Oh shit...this has > > been here all day, but I just didn't notice it." So I'm wondering > > whether the ON/OFF switch really is the proper metaphor. > > Now that I look back on it, another way of describing today > > would be that during the day I was operating with a low > > appreciation of the witnessing, and when evening came, > > for whatever reason, I shifted to operating with a higher > > appreciation of witnessing. But there was no sense of > > shift, of a transistion from non-witnessing to witnessing. > > It was more like noticing, after the fact, that I had moved > > from less witnessing to more witnessing. > > > > I've never really noticed this "lack of shift" before. It's an > > interesting perception, and has caused me to rethink > > many things and challenge many previously-assumed > > assumptions. > > > > Cool day. > > Allof these things appear to me to be contained in MMY's theory > about progression in CC...
Especially the correlation between noticing the witnessing and the lower level of activity (sitting on the terrace at twilight as opposed to moving furniture in Barry's case, and sitting in the car driving around versus digging out the cistern in Alex's case). The lower the activity level, the less competition the Self has for one's attention. Both of them mention the heat in which they had to do their more active task, which also would grab some attention, both from mind/ senses and physiology. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
