Sound with Eyes Open and Closed

This set of observational meditation techniques focuses on understanding the relationship between attention and the Indriyas (sense organs). By engaging in activities that involve different combinations of Indriyas, we can gain insights into how our attention affects our experiences and enjoyment.
Attention and Indriyas, Observational Meditation, Sensory Combinations

So this technique is actually relatively simple and you can sort of modify it towards your preferences. Basically, what we’re going to be doing is a series of activities. Just based on different kinds of Indriyas, engaging other Indriyas at the same time.

• What activities do you typically engage in that involve multiple senses simultaneously (e.g., eating while watching TV, listening to music while walking)?
• How might exploring different sensory combinations help you better understand the role of attention in your experiences?

Some examples of activities to explore the relationship between Indriyas and attention include:

• Listening to music with eyes open or closed
• Eating while watching or listening to something
• Taking a bath with or without music
• Taking a bath with or without candles
  Music and Sight, Eating and Media, Bathing and Ambience

So one simple example of this is listening to music with your eyes open or eyes closed. Another good example of this is eating while watching something or listening to something. A third example is taking a bath while listening to music or without listening to music. Another example could be sort of lighting candles while you take a bath versus not having candles on when you take about.

• Choose one or more of these activities to explore mindfully. What differences do you notice in your experience when engaging different sensory combinations?
• What other sensory combination activities could you experiment with to deepen your understanding of attention and enjoyment?

We often make assumptions about what sensory combinations will increase our enjoyment, such as eating while watching something or creating a luxurious ambience for bathing. However, the conclusions drawn from mindfully exploring these combinations may challenge our assumptions.
Sensory Assumptions, Mindful Exploration, Challenging Beliefs

So as we kind of think through all of these practices, we have some assumptions, right? We sort of think to ourselves, well we all generally speaking, we’ll eat while watching something. And so that must mean that we kind of enjoy it more, otherwise we wouldn’t do it. There’s sort of this idea of having a luxurious relaxing bath, where he kind of light candles and you’re kind of soaking in bubble bath, and you’re kind of you have some soft music playing in the background. And it’s very romantic, very relaxing. But what actually happens when we engage multiple senses at the same time, we oftentimes will sort of try to create ambience, right?

• What assumptions do you hold about which sensory combinations increase your enjoyment of various activities?
• How might challenging these assumptions through mindful exploration lead to new insights about the nature of enjoyment and happiness?

If our enjoyment of an experience, such as listening to music, is affected by the engagement of other senses, like having our eyes open or closed, it suggests that some portion of our enjoyment comes from our own attention rather than the external stimulus itself.
Attention and Enjoyment, Internal vs External, Music and Sight

If I enjoy music, more with my eyes closed than with my eyes open, which is what a lot of people would assume. What does that mean about the enjoyment? of music? Where does the enjoyment of music actually come from? Because we sort of assume that the enjoyment of music obviously da comes from music. That’s why we call it the enjoyment of music. But that’s kind of interesting because if the enjoyment comes from music, what difference should it make whether my eyes are open or my eyes are closed? If the enjoyment comes from the music itself? Shouldn’t that mean that it doesn’t matter what I’m doing with my eyes?

• Reflect on a time when your enjoyment of an experience was affected by the engagement or disengagement of another sense. What does this reveal about the role of attention in your enjoyment?
• How might recognizing the internal component of enjoyment change the way you approach seeking happiness and satisfaction?

The yogis concluded that a significant portion of our enjoyment comes from our own attention rather than external objects or experiences. This insight can revolutionize our understanding of happiness and our approach to life.
Yogic Insights, Attention and Happiness, Revolutionary Perspective

And so the yogi’s stumbled upon a very interesting conclusion, which is that some piece of enjoyment actually comes from us. It actually has nothing to do or something to do, at least it’s modified in some way, by our attention. And once we recognize that principle, that can actually be really revolutionary, because if our attention is partially responsible for our enjoyment, then the question kind of becomes, what percentage of enjoyment is attention responsible for? Are we talking about a 50% responsibility based on our attention, a 10%, a 90% because this can really revolutionize the way that we live our life.

• How does the idea that a significant portion of enjoyment comes from our own attention challenge your current beliefs about happiness and satisfaction?
• What implications might this insight have for the way you prioritize and engage with various experiences and objects in your life?

The Indriyas are responsible for creating our desires and driving us towards certain behaviors, like eating unhealthy food. By exploring the role of attention in our enjoyment of sensory experiences, we can gain a deeper understanding of the nature of desire and potentially find greater control over our actions.
Indriyas and Desire, Understanding Desire, Gaining Control

So at the end of the day, if you really want to understand where enjoyment and happiness come from you really have to dig into the Indriyas because the Indriyas are what create our desires, and other things that sort of cause us to eat unhealthy food or seek out particular kinds of enjoyment. But if the enjoyment isn’t entirely in the object itself, what does that mean for our behavior? What does that allow us to do? Because of the enjoyment isn’t entirely in the cookie? Do I really need to eat the cookie?

• How have your desires and cravings been influenced by your sensory experiences and the engagement of your Indriyas?
• In what areas of your life could a deeper understanding of the role of attention in enjoyment help you gain greater control over your actions and choices?

By mindfully exploring the relationship between attention, Indriyas, and enjoyment, we can challenge our assumptions about the nature of happiness, gain insights into the origins of our desires, and potentially find greater control over our behaviors and experiences. This practice invites us to investigate the revolutionary idea that a significant portion of our satisfaction comes from within, rather than being solely dependent on external circumstances.

see also:: Observational Meditations