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Find a comfortable place to sit and allow the mind and breathing to settle into a relaxed state.
Begin by noticing any thoughts arising effortlessly. Innocently watch them without entering into any dialogue. Notice that no effort is required for thoughts to arise.
Then notice any sensations or feelings arising in the body. Again, notice that they arise effortlessly. There could be a quiet feeling of joy, a sensation of discomfort etc, each arising effortlessly.
Become aware of any sensory experiences effortlessly arising within the room. There could be the sound of the ticking of a clock, light streaming through a window.
Now become aware of any sounds arising in adjacent rooms. There could be the sound of people talking, the sound of a TV or radio. Or there could simply be silence.
Then notice any sounds outside the building. There could be the sound of birds singing, cars passing by, wind in the trees, children playing, an aeroplane passing overhead. Notice that everything is arising effortlessly in awareness.
All these sensations arise effortlessly. No effort is required. We simply notice what is arising. This is effortless Being, non-conceptual Awareness.
Now take an example from the above experiences. Let’s use the example of the sound of a car passing by.
The sound of the car arises as the car becomes nearer and diminishes as it passes by. No effort is required to be aware of the sound of the car.
Now let’s engage the mind to comment on the sound of the car:
“I like the sound of cars passing by”
“That sounds like a car I once owned”
“ Those tyres sound noisy on the tarmac”
“ I wish it was quiet here”
This is conceptual awareness.
To engage the mind to provide a commentary on the experiences arising requires effort, which is in contrast to effortlessly noticing the thoughts, sensations, and perceptions arising.
Since early childhood, we have been conditioned to engage the mind and respond or react to the experiences which are arising. This requires effort and the thoughts often activate emotions. The more complex the thought structures become, the more potential there is for emotional turbulence.
Due to this conditioning, we have usually not noticed that we are already resting and existing as effortless awareness, effortless Being. All thoughts, sensations, perceptions, and emotions arise effortlessly. It is the effort of engaging the mind which seems to obscure ever-present, effortless awareness, effortless Being.
Effortless Being is Effortless Awareness, is Non-Conceptual Awareness.
We are already Effortless Being.
This is enlightenment, this is Self realization.
In any moment we can disengage the mind and become aware of effortless awareness, effortless Being by simply noticing what is arising effortlessly. Effortless, timeless Being is inescapable. It’s just that we’ve temporarily allowed ourselves to be distracted by the mind and emotions.
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*Posted with the express permission of the author.
Bingham, David. "How To Realize Effortless Being, Non-Conceptual Awareness".
Web blog post. Academia.edu, 2022.
Click here for David Bingham's Website and YouTube Channel
