2018.05.29 - Day 76

Yes, funny that last week in French class I couldn’t think of a French word for ‘focus’ and somebody suggested using ‘concentrer.’ Looking it up in dictionary I get ‘to focus attention on sb/sth - focaliser l’attention sur qn/qch.’

But yes, I agree, paying attention doesn’t strictly mean employing a narrow focus to something but more like bringing the mind back from daydreaming or thinking about something not relevant to the task in hand. Like creating more space for attention? As usual, I find that when I examine the meaning of words closely, they disappear into endless Mandelbrot sets of further meanings.

HERE'S AN OLD ZEN STORY: a student said to Master Ichu, "Please write for me something of great wisdom." Master Ichu picked up his brush and wrote one word: "Attention." The student said, "Is that all?" The master wrote, "Attention. Attention." The student became irritable. "That doesn't seem profound or subtle to me." In response, Master Ichu wrote simply, "Attention. Attention. Attention." In frustration, the student demanded, "What does this word 'attention' mean?" Master Ichu replied, "Attention means attention."

Zen, your description of attention as " bringing the mind back from daydreaming or thinking about something not relevant to the task in hand" sounds right to me. And in doing that we can choose not only what we place attention on, but also how tightly focused attention will be, analogous to choosing a telephoto versus a wide-angle lens for a camera.

I love that Zen story: "Attention means Attention"

I just got back from the grocery store where I attempted to do self-remembering while shopping. I had at least some success. Not that I was able to maintain the practice uninterrupted, but that every time I drifted away I was able to come back to it fairly quickly, so that there were no long gaps during which I totally forgot about doing the practice. And I even managed to do a little self-observation, noting how small things and situations encountered while shopping play on my thoughts and feeling reactions.

Interesting talk: http://www.oneyoufeed.net/chris-niebauer/

Zen - thank you. It's interesting basic stuff, though it's odd to listen to people discussing mental habits, many of them problematic, that I honestly haven't had for many a year. Thus it's a good reminder (a) that I'm pretty weird and (b) that I should listen more to things like this to understand others who do experience these things!

Finished the Homo Ludens chapter on Play-Forms in Art. Will now start the one entitled "Western Civilization sub specie ludi".

Setting up the Insight Timer brought to mind our founder's original playful justification for Play as Being's it being 9 seconds every 15 minutes. He called it a "1% time tax".
https://wiki.playasbeing.org/About_PlayAsBeing/How_to_Play_As_Being
Equally playfully, I am of the persuasion that equates taxes to services (and as such will shun politicians vowing to cut taxes because I don't want services cut, for me or other people). Many of us have been paying our 1% tax for years now. What are the services we benefit from? >;-)

(Actually plenty in the early days, with our founder subsidizing virtual real estate for us. But what now? :))

How about just, "What now?" :)

Actually I was thinking about the 1% time tax when choosing an excerpt for the Insight Timer app., and thought maybe, if there are PaB audios along the way, that might be a good candidate to be included in an intro or follow up! Another I thought about, was your metta meditation, Storm. I may be ahead of myself, but I think these are things, fun things, to consider!

Began the audio of Carlo Rovelli's "The Order of Time" today (thanks to Bleu for mentioning it). I can hear so many of our studies and conversations in this work, come together so beautifully in such a timely (;-)), expression. It is not too long - I'll listen a few times while I get back to my daily steps, which I also began today.

The book arriving on Dream Session day (I had to wait for my audible credit :) ) has been fascinating, since I couldn't help but strongly ponder that becoming lucid' or 'becoming aware' or 'finding magic' -- even 'being alive'-- is about time, is time. Yes, everything is, but we talk about noticing the 'slowing down' of time or the near suspension of time to allow for new possibilities, appreciation of, more time for detail, greater sense of 'aliveness'. For me, recognizing lucidity and a sense of slowing down or suspension of time, is inseparable.

A few days ago I checked on a friend who recently lost her father. She had posted something on social media that was so bright and lovely, and I remarked that what she shared was timely. She responded that perhaps I was the one who is timely - knowing when to check!
Rovelli talks a lot about **relationship** in the book so far (relating this back to my focus of unlearning isolation).

PS - Sorry about all the deletions. I'm really 'having a time' with my computer lately! edited 00:50, 30 May 2018