11-22-2007, 10:44 PM
Gazing is hard for the mind. The mind isn't supposed to do the gazing. "Trying" arouses the mind.
Gazing, to me, is looking without effort or identification or involving the mind. It's casual, relaxed, easy - because "you" don't have to do anything. Gazing happens when "you" are absent.
Try this if you like: find some swiftly flowing water or a waterfall; it doesn't have to be a large one. If using flowing water (not too deep), find a stone or something that you can make out below the surface, on the bottom of the stream. If using a waterfall, find an outcrop of rock or whatever behind the falling water. Fix your gaze upon this spot but allow your attention/awareness to be on the surface. In other words, keep your eyes fixed on that stone below the surface but be aware of the moving surface without letting it catch and pull your eyes. This might take a little practice but you should start to notice "interuptions" in the flow of the waterfall, some pauses, some "pattern" to the whole, some stretching of awareness to encompass the whole stream... These are some things you might notice that let you know that you're beginning to gaze properly. The phenomena are not essential; the absence of the thinker is essential.
Gazing, to me, is looking without effort or identification or involving the mind. It's casual, relaxed, easy - because "you" don't have to do anything. Gazing happens when "you" are absent.
Try this if you like: find some swiftly flowing water or a waterfall; it doesn't have to be a large one. If using flowing water (not too deep), find a stone or something that you can make out below the surface, on the bottom of the stream. If using a waterfall, find an outcrop of rock or whatever behind the falling water. Fix your gaze upon this spot but allow your attention/awareness to be on the surface. In other words, keep your eyes fixed on that stone below the surface but be aware of the moving surface without letting it catch and pull your eyes. This might take a little practice but you should start to notice "interuptions" in the flow of the waterfall, some pauses, some "pattern" to the whole, some stretching of awareness to encompass the whole stream... These are some things you might notice that let you know that you're beginning to gaze properly. The phenomena are not essential; the absence of the thinker is essential.