07-31-2009, 10:33 PM
Is it "just" looking within and calming yourself down? I mean is that the motion? The slideshow thought effect you mention airwaves is similar to the walking as was explained to me. Only there you're kinda amplifying sensory expressions at the same time to keep the mind still, like how you can't listen and talk at the same time. The walk has a tendency to activate and alert you I would not call it tranquil or contemplative. It's still relaxing though.
If I sit and close my eyes while I do that all kinds of things start happening in my head. If I shut down the inner dialogue I still see all of those things and while they're not dialogue I'm still producing them. It's another kind of dialogue maybe.
I do know a little trick that might help a bit with shutting the inner dialogue down. It's a trick making use of the mind's normal programming. Just ask yourself what your next thought is going to be. Then wait for it to happen. If you didn't know the trick try it right away. You may notice the mind just automatically holds, waiting for the next thought. But since it's waiting it's not producing it. Until it notices and then starts to produce a comment about the situation. It gives you a little time to observe the silence and experiment with prolonging it. And there's really no way to do it wrong. (It's Ali proof) But I think it only concerns the inner dialogue.
I had one moment I can recall that is similar to the time lapse Richard explains. I was in church as a child I remember the beginning of the sermon then a shock when people started to move and cough at the end of it. Some 20 minutes are gone. I'm not sure if you can call it a meditative state I was simply not aware of anything in the period.
If I sit and close my eyes while I do that all kinds of things start happening in my head. If I shut down the inner dialogue I still see all of those things and while they're not dialogue I'm still producing them. It's another kind of dialogue maybe.
I do know a little trick that might help a bit with shutting the inner dialogue down. It's a trick making use of the mind's normal programming. Just ask yourself what your next thought is going to be. Then wait for it to happen. If you didn't know the trick try it right away. You may notice the mind just automatically holds, waiting for the next thought. But since it's waiting it's not producing it. Until it notices and then starts to produce a comment about the situation. It gives you a little time to observe the silence and experiment with prolonging it. And there's really no way to do it wrong. (It's Ali proof) But I think it only concerns the inner dialogue.
I had one moment I can recall that is similar to the time lapse Richard explains. I was in church as a child I remember the beginning of the sermon then a shock when people started to move and cough at the end of it. Some 20 minutes are gone. I'm not sure if you can call it a meditative state I was simply not aware of anything in the period.