Hi,
So I want to cover a real quick exercise.
Some people call them awareness games.
I call them thorn games.
That idea that you use a thorn to take out a thorn and then you discard it.
So they're not to be depended on.
They don't do anything.
It's just,
I mean,
This is the very specific definition of for entertainment purposes only.
But it can be fun.
Some people say,
Some people think you shouldn't offer techniques or methods or whatever.
And to that I say,
Who says who?
But even Ramana Maharshi,
When people would come up and say,
Should I meditate?
Should I do yoga?
Should I repeat a mantra?
His answer was always basically,
Sure,
Go ahead.
The mind searches for things to do until it doesn't.
Just in the same way that seeking happens until it doesn't.
And if you like these kind of things,
There's a gentleman by the name of Brian Tom O'Connor that has a book called Awareness Games.
I'll put a link in the description.
You can check that out.
I follow him on social media and he posts some really interesting,
I guess,
Fun awareness games.
So this one's called Blank is Happening.
There can be a tendency for the mind to give running commentary all the time throughout our day.
And there are a lot of people that understand,
They're like,
I get it,
I'm not a separate person.
Blank is Happening is a great way to give the mind something to do,
But do that in the context of and as the observer.
So if you're walking around,
You're not brushing your teeth,
Teeth brushing is happening.
So this repetitive verbal observation of what's going on with is happening,
Walking is happening,
Breathing is happening.
Doing that over and over and over again gives your mind something to do,
But it also in some ways can turn it on itself because the ego likes to claim everything.
And even though science is showing and has shown for years that we don't control our thoughts and in fact that something will happen and then the mind sort of runs around the back and claims it as having done it.
I did that,
Science is showing that that's not the case.
So Blank is Happening is a,
And I dare say fun or to say interesting,
An interesting exercise throughout your day when you're walking around and things are happening and you might have that commentary to note that things are just happening because that's exactly what's going on.
Teeth brushing is happening and in fact if you look at your day,
You're not even making the,
You're not even,
The thought doesn't even come up like I should go brush my teeth now.
You just,
The body just goes and brushes the teeth.
I mean it happens,
When you're able to start observing that you'll see,
You find that that's the case for so many things.
In those other cases where the mind is making claim for,
You know,
Is making claim to these actions with these activities and in these labels of what is happening,
Then Blank is Happening can be an interesting way to give it a little food to eat.
Anyway I just want to quickly share that if you have been doing it or you've heard another version of this or you try it and you're finding it enjoyable,
Then please let me know.
