Expressing Candor by Being Unarguable

This meditation helps you distinguish between what is arguable and unarguable. Helping to separate your direct experience from your interpretation of now.

Transcript

Commitment number four of the 15 commitments of conscious leadership is the commitment around candor.

And as we learn to live from a place of candor in the world,

One of the most important distinctions that we learn to make is the distinction between that which is arguable and that which is unarguable.

And a fantastic place to practice making that distinction is in presencing practice or mindfulness or meditation.

So today I want to guide you through a meditation practice that helps you make a distinction between that which is unarguable and that which is arguable,

Between that which is direct experience and that which is interpretation.

This practice will serve you as you learn to live in the world from candor.

So begin by simply allowing your eyes to come closed,

Unless you're driving a car or riding a subway,

In which case perfectly okay to leave them open.

Allow yourself to sit or stand comfortably in a way that you feel supported by your muscular skeletal structure and your breathing is comfortable and relaxed.

And then begin as we often do,

By simply taking three deep breaths.

Imagine a breath that is 50% larger than your normal breath.

Breathing in deeply in a nice full exhale,

Making sure that you let the exhale really complete itself.

And then do that again,

A nice deep breath down into your belly.

And a full exhale.

One more time.

Deep breath into the belly.

And then really allow yourself to complete the exhale.

So often we're in such a hurry in life that we don't even finish our breath.

Now just allow your breathing to return to normal.

And begin by simply noticing sounds.

Now the practice is going to be to let labeling and interpretation drop away.

So for example,

As you notice sounds that are here in this moment,

You might notice the sound of a bird outside of your window.

And you've heard that sound so many times before,

And the natural inclination is to relate to an interpretation,

Which sounds like saying to yourself,

Ah,

Bird chirping.

But for now,

Let the interpretation drop away.

And simply experience the sound as though you've never heard it before and have no category for it.

You can do the same with the sound of a car driving by outside your window again,

Instead of labeling it car.

Simply be with the sound apart from any label or interpretation.

So that you're simply experiencing the experience of hearing.

And just do this for a few moments,

Noticing any sounds that are occurring around you.

And if a label or an interpretation or a name for the sound arises,

It's perfectly okay.

Just welcome that.

But then let that drop away and experience the sound directly without putting a label between you and your experience.

Now,

Let's do the same with sensations.

Sensations that are occurring in or on the body.

And so often when we begin this practice of paying attention to what's here now,

The natural inclination is to label the sensation with a word,

An interpretation like pain or discomfort or even pleasure.

Tired.

Relaxed.

These are all words,

Labels.

They're interpretations of the experience and not the experience itself.

So simply scan the body and notice any sensations that are occurring.

And if a label arises or a word to describe it,

That's okay.

That's what a mind does.

Just let the label drop away as best you can and experience the sensation directly without any need to interpret it,

To label it,

To name it.

Just experience the experience of the sensation.

And all you're doing is bringing your attention to sensations.

They can be occurring anywhere on or in the body.

They come and they go,

They rise up and then they unwind and dissipate back out to the nothingness.

And all you're doing is keeping your attention on sensation without any need to label or name or interpret.

Just simply experiencing your experience.

And now let's go one step further.

And I invite you to open your eyes as we do this.

Now what you're experiencing are images or pictures.

And this is where we really love to interpret,

To name and to label.

It's what the mind does.

So there might be a television screen in your space and you would label it TV or there might be a couch or a passing automobile.

Now for this practice as best you can,

Just let the labeling drop away with no need to name it,

Only to see it,

To observe it.

Almost like a child who doesn't have a name for what they see,

They only experience the experience.

Staying here now,

Allowing images to arise in and on your consciousness with no need to interpret.

Now the practice,

And feel free to do this as long as you like,

Is simply to notice what is arising.

There could be sounds,

Sensations or images.

And all you're going to do is notice them.

So you're sitting with an inclined attention to being with what is.

And you're letting go as best you can,

Or seeing through,

If you will,

The label,

The interpretation,

So that you're just experiencing experience.

And this experience is unarguable.

All the names and labels,

Interpretations,

Are all arguable.

They're an extrapolation from what is.

So just sit noticing what is unarguable.

Pictures,

Sounds and sensations,

Experiencing them directly.

This practice of letting go of the arguable is a tremendous invitation to wonder and curiosity.

It's a pathway to drama-free living.

Because that which is unarguable,

The experience of the now moment,

Is always free from drama.

There can be no drama apart from interpretation and story and labeling.

So use this meditation this month to just have a direct experience of drama-free,

Curiosity-filled experience.

Enjoy.

Reviews

One word from this meditation is “liberating “.
Thank you for offering

Practical advice to decrease drama and increase peace in daily life.

An outstanding way to get rid of the ego. Thanks!

I enjoyed this new perspective. It was a great way to start my day! I love that this meditation can be listened to while quietly watching sunrise or while commuting to work in rush hour. I’m inspired to listen to this one more often! Thank you.

So true. See things with fresh eyes always and avoid the trap of subjective interpretation. "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Hamlet

free yourself from unnecessary labeling. Just Observing is one of the best aspects of foreign travel. So calm, patient, devoid of the need to integrate each detail.

All time favorite ❤️ it made me fall in love with life again.

I have been wrestling with a thorny issue in the business and this was a definite "light bulb over the head" moment for me!

Thank you for the new perspective. Very insightful!

Drama free living- yes, please!

Excellent guided meditation. Jim not only guides us through an effective meditation practice but imparts a really effective principle we can use throughout the day. Thank you for sharing your wonderful work with this community, Jim Dethmer.

Really interesting meditation. Looking forward to hearing more from Jim.

Food for thought. Very interesting for a beginner.

Great! It felt like melting into the world, becoming one with everything!

A good beginner's experience. Also, a good refresher.