Rationality - The Art To Keep A Clear Focus
We are more emotional than rational in our daily life. Most people have a clouded judgment because of their personal emotions. These emotions are fed by experience, bringing up, prejudice, sexual and other desires, expectations and intelligence. In a try to keep control over our mental processes most of us do effort after effort but often fail to reach that needed control in life. One of the most important factors in martial arts is a rational mind and a very clear vision on here and now.
Transcript
Rationality,
The art to keep a clear focus.
We are more emotional than rational in our daily life.
Most people have a clouded judgement because of their personal emotions.
These emotions are fed by experience,
Bringing up pre-justice,
Sexual or other desires,
Expectation and intelligence.
A whole bunch of influences.
In our try to keep control over our mental processes,
Most of us do effort after effort but often fail to reach what they needed to control their life.
One of the most important factors in martial arts,
My arts,
Is a rational mind and a very clear vision on here and now.
As a master of martial arts and a specific Muay Thai,
I did learn it from a very early age.
I was 8 years old and it was a very wise idea to understand the here and now right from the start.
My teacher slapped me a few times and did ask me the simple question,
Do you feel it here right now?
It was that moment I felt and did realize it was here and now.
I never forgot that moment.
A fighter should live in reality as the punches and kicks during training are real and at that very moment.
Any contact fighter knows that a little space in your reality is punished hard.
Most people do allow themselves to let their mind float into the sub-reality of life and hardly ever confronted with the reality of the moment.
For instance,
Daydreaming in a sub-reality,
It is possible for emotions to develop freely and take any space it wants and where are no borders.
Your mind can float all over the universe in a moment,
In your dream.
There is no space,
No time,
No here,
No now,
It is unlimited,
Safe,
Happy and you escape from reality.
Reality on the contrary gives you clear borders to our personal emotions.
It limits the free flow of an unlimited mind.
You are brought back to the here and now.
The free-floating mind and spirit is the highest call of spiritual development.
The endless lucid dream of drugs users are the sample of the freedom of a jailed mind thinking that they are free in their box of addiction.
Practice that Buddha and all other spiritual leaders made it clear that it is very important to limit the mind by concentration,
Meditation and finally contemplation.
A free mind is not a wandering spirit but a controlled one.
Rationality is needed to understand yourself,
The limitations of being human and the reason why we live,
How we live and what are our goals of living.
By learning to be rational and having a clear mind you enable yourself to release yourself at some time and float the rivers of meditation as you understand the importance of a true free controlled mind.
Controlled reality is like taking life in your own hands and develop it your personal way.
That makes you happier,
Healthier,
Less stressful and most of all be able to really love others.
Knowing how deep is your love and what is your goal with it.
Rationality is the acceptation of what you do and what you are able to do.
It gives you a picture of what that moment in which you live.
Unlike most spiritual hunters tell,
Rationality is a solving part of the human mind and it opens possibility.
You learn to know people,
See who they are,
Become more aware and realistic.
Cheetahs do not like a rational mind as it is strongly protective mind.
One that can see through the deeds of others,
Observe the moment and is able to know what will be the next stage.
Rationality opens your mind by focusing on what is important to you.
The road to a solution.
The first step you take to become a more rational mind is to realize what is irrational.
Worldwide there is a constant and continuous talks about every involvement of irrationality in life.
It is an evolving discussion of what is considered irrational.
And still there is no agreement and probably never will.
Both topics rational and irrational have no sharp borders,
No edges,
No sharp corners to deal with.
Each depends on the situation and personality.
To give you a better picture we border rationality with control.
All we are able to control,
Understand and influence can be considered rational.
To most people the word irrational has a negative tack on it.
But irrational or better say not rational is simply said something we cannot understand is out of our control and cannot be explained.
Therefore a psychological point of view,
Irrational behavior and thinking can be harmful to the person on a short or even a long term.
Control of your life is important.
To control things we should understand as much as possible of a situation and everything around it.
Rational involvement can be a limitation to our judgment.
To solve and control a situation we should cut it into rational understandable parts.
Let me give you an example.
Imagine there is a car crash on a crossing.
The four roads come together and the traffic lights does not work.
There is a lot of blood and you see people are injured.
Some people are very emotional and they are crying,
Shouting,
Screaming.
The scene is a shock.
But you want to help and become emotionally involved now is very dangerous for the situation and it demands a clear mind of action.
You first unconsciously action is to cut your emotional involvement.
From a passerby you consider your involvement is needed and you decide to go for action instead of watching the scene goes by.
You become an observer before getting into action.
As an observer you need to judge where you can start to help.
To make the best judgment is to stay close to your personal abilities.
If you are strong you can do some lifting work.
When you are good in first ed you want to help the wounded.
Any task is possible at that moment you decide for yourself what's your position and what will be your actions.
The first thing you realize is that you become rational,
Clear in mind and very very focused.
No emotion,
Pain or fear just action.
The mind is terminating all emotional involvement.
Your mind has instructed your body how to be active in an emergent situation and brought you in a clear here and now moment.
On these moments you are a very rational person.
After all is finished,
The injured are treated,
The police and other services take over and it's possible for you to let go that focus of that moment and realize what happened.
Most people get an emotional reaction of their body and mind after such events.
Depending on your personal reaction everybody is different.
At such action moments there is a clear border between your rational and your emotional mind.
In daily living most of the time a very sharp border is missing but at times of danger your mind creates a difference.
This is a biological process.
Our reptile brain is reacting and the rest of the brain will follow.
During danger or in need of survival we are able to lock out secondary thoughts not related to the situation or which disturb us.
It is possible to become all in focus.
Most interesting fact is that very every single person on earth did encounter at least one situation like this during a lifetime.
Many people try to follow the road of concentration and meditation to become more clear in mind.
The training of this skill follow a part of banning thoughts and calm down the mind.
It's the same situation as what I described in the accident.
You get into full reality in the here and now status.
You become one with reality when it is actually happening.
When you experience reality that is exactly the moment you feel very much alive.
People who are into the extreme sports search for such moments.
Their goal is that tiny moment of feeling alive and focused but at the same time totally a part of the universe.
Inside their heads the chemical processes create focus space and extreme happiness.
That is what reality is all about.
Our life is focused on moments of happiness in which reality becomes evident and we get awareness of being one with the moment,
With the universe.
Reality is already in our head,
In our chemistry.
We only need to get it out and become conscious of it.
We should understand that it is impossible to live a life of awakening in reality all the time.
We search for these moments of special and intensive clarity.
The reason why we cannot live in a constant state of rationality is based on our senses.
All our senses collect information which need interpretation of our brain.
Although we think this all happens in real time,
No that is not the fact.
Our brain needs time to add information of our incoming sensible information.
This makes that information we usually receive is coloured and adjusted and not fully reality.
How do we find these special moments of clarity?
We know from the former part that reality is in the moment.
We know that our brain plays a very important role in it.
The biology of our brain and the chemical reactions are leading us day by day and moment by moment.
It is a chemical reaction in the brain that allows us to become clear,
Aware and completely focused.
It is possible to train it.
The first and most easy way is training your physical body by exercise.
Chemical exercise is a chemical process led by the brain but when it starts the brain receives feedback from the body and reacts on this by creating new chemical reactions which on its turn set a chain of other reactions moving.
There are several ways to provoke the body to react.
First,
Cardio exercises such as running,
Cycling,
Stepping,
Rowing and all other exercises that can be continued for a long time with a varying intensity.
To reach a moment of intense awakening focus and in the moment we need to put a high demand on the level of fitness of our body.
It is important to go to the edge of our personal capacity.
This is a very personal experience as when the physical condition grows the moment gets further away you need to put a lot more time and effort to get to that moment and that is not easy.
Another way is by explosive training such as interval and speed power training.
The body receives a short time but high intensive outburst of energy in a follow-up of series until a maximum is reached.
Our body responds by producing an array of chemical reactions and at certain moments the body and mind becomes one with clarity and that hits the mind.
You will be struck by lightning.
Number three is intense concentration exercises.
To get a real form of concentration we should get out to the open.
In my opinion clean air is the best remedy.
Seek a park,
A wood,
A mountain or seaside fresh air is needed for these exercises.
I know it's not easy to find it anymore.
Our first step is the training is the breathing process.
First the breathing needs to be shallow,
Light and high in the chest.
You can try it at home for learning.
The second step is nose breathing which must be deeper and most stomach focused.
Deep but not yet intense.
Third step is speed breathing.
This breathing method comes close to hyperventilation and must be trained with caution.
Your breath is in and out as fast 10 to 20 times and then you stop and repeat again.
This start 5 to 10 times in the beginning.
Keep in mind that you can feel lightheaded and sometimes a little bit drunk and it is the feeling of hyperventilation but a controlled one and that is what you have to keep in mind.
If you ever had hyperventilation before don't use this exercise.
Number 4 is deep breathing.
Is until maximum in and maximum out.
You should find the lungs and hold your breath 20 to 30 seconds by inhaling and by exhaling.
When the lungs are empty you hold this position also for around 20 or 30 seconds.
This must be repeated 10 to 20 times and can be higher after you become a more experienced breather.
When the breathing becomes a habit we start to focus on your eyes,
Ears and mind on a point of distance,
Meaning your intensity must focus on bridging a distance.
You have to learn to travel without moving to an object in a distance and just by your focus bridge the distance.
When the breathing is right and the focus is high you suddenly feel flowing and travelling in a moment.
You become a woken mind living only in the here and now.
You are one with reality.
And another important but for very few people is doing extreme sports or choose extreme adventures.
Only a very,
Very small minority of people is able to participate in extreme sports and realise the living in the moment experience.
But there is an alternative for that and easier to grasp.
This safe way to extreme sports which is the roller coaster experience.
Some of these particular spectacular events have the same effect as before mentioned,
Living in the moment.
But they are very,
Very short and in most cases mixed with excitement and fear which do not make them pure or clear.
More clear will be meditation but it does not work for every people.
Most people do not pass more than the concentration.
To become good in meditation you should first pass the state of concentration which already has many traps in store.
To reach meditation takes a series of tasks and a lot of effort before you are able to reach that inside moment of reality.
I personally did follow that long and bumpy road since the 70s and must honestly say that it is a road with lots of falling down and crawling up.
It was worth it for sure but it took me over 30 years to reach the level of being content and awoken.
Not the part that I advise to be walked by everyone unless you have the right discipline.
Can you train yourself on a personal level?
Yes,
It's possible for sure.
And for that I'm going to give you some tips.
Here are some tips that have proven to work but all have to be very personal and your results will be very personal and different from every other person.
So don't compare.
You will have to make a pick for what works for you and what doesn't.
It is advised to use following tools when you start trying.
Just try and experience.
Some will work,
Others will not.
But never give up.
Number A.
Sound training.
This is a tonal training.
You must learn to use sound or tone as a tool of practice.
Try different sounds like a beep,
Like a ee but keep focused on one tone only.
Do not use music because that's too much different tones.
More tones at the same time is the same.
It will disturb concentration.
It is important to experiment with different sorts of tones such as a flute,
Violin,
Drum or trumpet or anything but in a single tone aspect.
So don't try music.
Peace.
One tone continued for a long time in which you let your mind go along until you feel C and B in the tone.
Then we have number B is the water drop method.
Focus on slowly dropping water.
You can do it in a tap,
You can do it in the nature.
See the drop.
Hear the sound when it hits the surface and see it splatter away.
There must be at least a fall from the water drop for 50 centimeters from the moment that it starts falling till it splashes down.
Otherwise it's too fast and you have to follow it with your eyes.
You have to observe the drop falling,
Splattering and then look up again for the new drop to fall.
It must be a slow process otherwise you cannot try it.
Number C is the wind blow.
A more complicated and not controllable process is the wind concentration.
It only can be trained during a wind power higher than 5 or on an open terrain.
You must be no rain.
You have to feel the wind,
Catch the wind,
Breathe it and help it flow.
Your main goal is to flow with the wind.
Follow the streams with your body and mind.
Become one with the wind.
This experience is really universal and great.
And a lot of people who live in coastal areas know it but do not consciously use it.
Number T is underwater experience.
On the contrary with breathing exercise you must hold our breath and feel the pressure of the water.
This intense power of the water and the need for us to breathe is very important.
And it's important to train this exercise together with others and not alone.
As some people forget that living in the moment and becoming one with the nature can be fatal when you are underwater.
It's an almighty exercise but also one with a lot of dangerous experts.
So again do not try alone.
These are some of the methods that definitely work for you when you keep trying and experiencing.
Every time is different and the experience is different.
Reality is really never the same,
Not even a second.
Reality is changing with time and space and everything when it's passing by.
Your experience does the same change is the only guarantee that you have.
Reality is a changing factor and you discover that no experience is ever the same because the moment is not the same.
You discover that reality has many sides and shapes but always is stable and sharp unlike sub-reality which is always out of your grip,
Has never a clear shape or cannot be fully interpreted or understood.
Your reality is unique and personal and hardly possible to share.
In an answer.
I often do my meditation exercises and I read here that we hardly reach the state of meditation in most cases.
My master think differently.
Hey explain please.
Answer one.
Meditation is a state of mind that follows the concentration.
The first step in the process is concentration,
Then meditation and then contemplation.
Real meditation is next level.
First you have to pass a concentration training which is already a real big task for most people.
Concentration is to organize the mind,
Build the structure in the chaos of your thoughts.
After structuring you get into a focus and become able to select a thought while ignoring the others.
The moment you are able to become that thought,
Focus on it and surrounded by the single thought in that moment is where your meditation starts.
All before that is concentration.
Only after it becomes possible to empty the mind.
It cannot be learned in courses but by years of daily and exhausting practice.
Every way else can be self-hypnosis and in most cases fooling yourself.
Yes again that is the reality.
Question two,
From this story I read that reality is not what we observe or perceive.
How can I understand that?
Answer two.
All our observations are interpretations and a mixture of impressions,
Emotions,
Conscious plus unconscious interpretations.
Each observation is colored by many factors.
Each factor on return is influenced and it has an influence on our observation of reality.
What we consider reality by observation is a local interpretation of an impression.
If we wish to experience reality we have to transcend the observation and interpretation.
In the teaching I hand you some ways to reach that goal.
Question three.
You mentioned that we only can experience reality in a moment.
I want to be in reality all the time.
Answer three.
Reality is based on all over experience of events surrounding and your internal world at the same time.
To experience this it will be exhausted in a few minutes.
Your brain is not built for it.
Reality is an overall being.
Observation is equal to few from every side included from the inside.
The observation is done at the same moment,
Different places and not dependent on time or space.
To understand this experience rationally it only can last a moment otherwise your brain is overloaded with information.
Question four.
I have experienced an accident as you described and it filled me with fear and I wanted to run away.
Is that normal?
Answer four.
Not everybody is able to be a rescue person,
A hero or even a strong person.
It is very possible that your life is complicated and things did happen which led to your reaction.
In your case there is another step to take before you can work on reality seeking.
Find help by fighting your fear and organise your emotions.
That is another step in life and when that is solved you still can take the other steps.
Never worry too much and most of all never ever give up.
We are all able to do things beyond our own imagination.
Question five.
Do I need to practice fighting arts to become a master of my body and thoughts?
Answer five.
My honest wish is that everybody should be and do martial arts to help the world to solve their problems with respect and without fear.
But that's not possible.
Many people do not like martial arts.
Like many people do not like to play tennis or other sports.
That is a personal choice and interest.
My course is built from 55 years of experience,
Practice and unconditional love for my martial arts but there is not one way that leads to a rational mind experience.
There are many ways.
I have shown you one path but with many examples to go.
Try the way that suits you.
Follow the path which you can follow for 55 years and like me still like it,
Still love it,
Still satisfied and happy that you choose it.
It doesn't matter.
Whatever your path will be.
Thank you for listening to my lecture.
My name is Arnald van de Vere from the Netherlands.
I would like to know more of me.
Check me in the internet or at my website.
So I thank you again for listening and follow my lectures.
My email address can be found everywhere.
Contact me when you feel Virginia.
You're welcome at all times.
Thank you.
