I stated it as complex because it is not an exercise in inner peace and thought control, so much as it's an exercise in visualization that was applied to the goal of those things.
The exercise will induce relaxation as a side effect, which will bring inner peace. One of the main reasons for stress is because people
worry, so by having less thoughts, including that of worrying, then people will naturally relax. This does induce mind control, since it requires concentration in order to even perform the exercise in the first place. Almost every meditation practice will include some form of visualization. Remember, the OPs goal is to
clear their head of thoughts in the first place. This exercise already completes that requirement, so no further addition is needed. However, if the OP wanted to decrease the number of intruding thoughts they have then they should refer to your exercises.
I said it was not necessary because one does not need to visualize anything in order to develop peace of mind and concentration, and though you may take offense to my wording of that point, the point still stands.
I don't take offense. One form of peaceful meditation that helps clear the mind is focusing on ones heart beat or to focus on ones breath, both which require no visualization but the focus of tactile sensations. I never said that visualizations are required to relax.
I have no doubt that your exercise will work for many people, but there are many people who are not skilled in any form of visualization at all, and others who do not wish to be. And so, for them, your exercise is not simple at all, and is in fact completely useless to them. I do not wish to make this an argument, but I have been involved with many such people and even practice a system of psionics myself where visualization is not even directly necessary, and so I wanted to clarify my point.
I'm sorry, but stating that is already obvious; like I said, results will
always differ by person. Like I said, I
never stated the OP must do my exercise in order to clear their head. My exercise is an option. The OP has not given me any more information, so there's no restrictions on the practice. I can say the same thing of your exercises as well: there are people like me who don't really care about lengthening their delay between thoughts, or the feeling of inner peace. I just want to clear my head when I need to clear it, and that is final. I also like to constantly do something, even while physically resting, so I need something to focus on at all times. Your first exercise is then invalid, since to simply observe and do nothing is one of those things I can hardly do. Therefore I had to make up my own exercise that includes visualization, since it requires on my part effort. And I love watching things move and moving them in the first place. So just stating that my exercise is completely useless not only turns off potential people who can benefit from my exercise, but you are also stating I am unaware of the fact that different people have different needs. Obviously this was never an argument to begin with, since you are holding steadfast to your personal beliefs. I respect that, but stating that my beliefs are "misguided" and that my years of experience in meditation has just vanished annoys me. So please stop the ad hominem, since you cannot prove my exercise is inferior to yours. You must also note that you have initiated the insult towards me by stating:
If it so happens to work for you, that is wonderful--but I would like to simply remind you that different people have different natural talents, and so your personal visualizations may not be as effective for everyone else.
, stating I did not directly answer the OP request, which I take
very seriously since I am against misrepresentation of knowledge. This is also not my fault, since once again the OP did not post the areas they lack in.
Plastic Visualization is the faculty of being able to visualize something in ones mind, with eyes open or closed, in such detail and clarity that it appears to be almost physically real ... Skipping directly to plastic visualization is akin to skipping first and maybe even second grade, and expecting to be an ace second or third grader--some can do it, but certainly not everyone.
You are
clearly not reading the wording of my posts right and assuming things right off of the bat. Not even once did I state the OP must see the things they are visualizing. Visualization is actually very easy and anyone can do it. Just think of a red ball and if you see one then it's great. But one can also see it in ones mind eye, which anyone can actually do. I have personally attained the visualization level where I can see the objects with my eyes closed, but like you stated it usually requires years of effort. According to your definition, I use plastic visualization; however, the exercise I described did not require plastic visualization from anyones part.
Removing it from the mind is the goal, and so that is the way I wrote it. Should the reader have practiced the first exercise as I have advised before moving on to this one, they would know how to do this properly (and if such is not "proper," it is certainly easier or more efficient). And even for those who practice this exercise exclusively, most people learn in time.
The exercise you described doesn't remove the thought from the mind, but only shifts the intention of the OP to
passively observe, which are the key words. By not participating in the thought, the thought itself will disperse since attention is needed to sustain its durability. The thought being removed is only a side effect of passively observing it; the actual goal is to learn how to separate oneself from their own thoughts.
Not in the sense wherein force implies tension. Natural concentration should not come as the result of an internal war, but should be the natural by-product of relaxing the mind and, without the distraction of extra thoughts, being able to focus on the task at hand more completely. This is why I emphasize developing ones sense of Center with the first exercise before moving on to other meditations, since once you've calmed the storm of thoughts with thought observation, concentration becomes less an exercise in straining yourself and more an exercise in relaxing yourself.
But there is no such thing as natural concentration. The only concentration I have ever experienced is when I figuratively stare at a thought, which is to say I shift my attention to nothing to something. From there I only sustain the attention, which creates the term concentration. By having only a single thought while being incredibly relaxed, shifting ones attention from nothing to something should be easier. However, effort is still required, thus concentration is
still induced by conscious will. Like you keep saying in this section, concentration
becomes easier, but is still not brought on by itself. Thus, someone still has to force concentration, which is to say in this case the OP must still put effort in order to concentrate on something. I was arguing this point; since it seems you agree I don't understand why you would post this part, since it seems irrelevant.
Yes, this is a "longer" version of the first exercise. And yes, one can stop thinking entirely, eventually. Just ask Buddha, since this is one of the preferred meditations of his tradition. Also, these exercises come from a spiritual tradition wherein the ultimate goal is complete self-mastery on all levels, leading to what you may call Enlightenment. Whether or not anyone here makes it that far with these meditations is another matter entirely, but I posted the exercises in their entirety anyway for the sake of wholeness.
No, one can never stop thinking entirely since they will never get anything done. Someone stating they have completely stopped thinking is not proof that it's possible to stop thinking; that is only a claim without evidence. Even though I have much respect for Guatama Buddha, I still think he, or his disciples, might have exaggerated on some aspects of his practice/life. I don't think your exercises are useless; in fact, I actually think they are helpful and have even helped me review some of the principles and important aspects of meditation that I already knew. To the point of enlightenment though; some people state that it's a state where the individual becomes fully aware of their situation and can finally become one with the "Great One", which is to say the creator of the universe. Of course, I like to take the simpler road and state it is simply when someone has reached a level where they can take events from their life and to accept them as truth, whereby most people at this stage will elude themselves from reality and try to manipulate the facts for some personal purpose. I also think it's when someone can go beyond the feeling of suffering and desire, since they have no regrets and can therefore no longer suffer, and that desire for let's say an apple is really no different to a cup, just that they have a different form and that they personally induce a different feeling inside of you once contact is made. All is well once the person can find inner peace with their actions and their personality, which I personally find what enlightenment is geared towards. I haven't met anybody who is truly okay with who they are, what they are, and what makes them to who they are.
What must also be understood is that these exercises are not meant to be mastered in days or weeks. The first may take months or even years to fully master, the second may take years or more, and the third may take a lifetime. It certainly doesn't take this long to see results, though, and once one has decent success with one he may move on to the next (while maintaining the former!). So any who are on the path of self-mastery will likely find them useful.
Aye, mastering concentration itself requires massive amounts of years, which require massive amounts of dedication.To measure oneself and claim they have mastered an area is also difficult, since there is nothing to compare their skill level with. To see results usually takes at least a week, depending on how much effort and time they place into the practice of meditation. It's good to keep up with the basics, even while doing the advanced practices; the advanced exercises stem from basic principles, so ignoring the basics will make the advanced exercises obsolete.
