| "Restless man's mind, | | | | recovers the instant you look away. The light (or any |
| How shall he tame it? | | | | other visual distortion you might see), serves as |
| Truly I think the wind is no wilder." | | | | feedback telling you what you need to know. It tells |
| The same lament echoes through the centuries. We | | | | you you're on target. It confirms attention. If you lose |
| sit down to meditate. We try to concentrate; try to | | | | attention however and your mind wanders, your eyes |
| attend; try to subdue the restless mind. More often | | | | wander too, and instantly the distortion ends. |
| than not our time is spent dreaming and drifting. | | | | In this way visual feedback signals you and rights your |
| Attention is hard to hold on to; impossible to sustain. | | | | course. Gazing at the light makes attention easy to |
| A great surprise is that this problem has a solution, and | | | | hold on to; simple to sustain. Like a trusty watch dog |
| that the solution has been there all along right before | | | | feedback alerts you to drifting and dreaming. That is |
| our eyes and unrecognized. If you meditate with your | | | | how feedback assures success. |
| eyes open (as in the "open gaze" of Zen practice), | | | | Focusing on feedback you can literally pay attention to |
| you may have seen it yourself. Its a sensation of light - | | | | your attention. Without feedback, only seconds of |
| the same "white Light" or illumination reported at | | | | perfect concentration can be expected. With |
| meditation breakthroughs: the light of enlightenment. | | | | feedback, attention can be sustained for as long as |
| This light, when put to use efficiently in meditation, | | | | you like. You can hold on to attention the way you |
| serves as a fix for the wandering mind. | | | | would grab a rope for a tow, and where does it take |
| How is this possible? The key is in using the light as | | | | you? Feedback takes you in a straight line to |
| feedback: visual feedback - information you need to | | | | enlightenment. Persist and in time you will "see the light" |
| know to assure success. Here's how to use the light in | | | | both literally and figuratively. |
| a feedback method meditation. | | | | To sum up: attention is your target in meditation and |
| A small disc with a bulls-eye is placed on the floor. | | | | feedback means a direct hit. You simply sit and watch |
| (You can cut one out of paper and try this at home.) | | | | the show your attention is producing. For two thousand |
| With a gentle gaze, you focus attention on the | | | | years the light has been there. Amazingly, we missed |
| bulls-eye. Attention fixes your gaze, holding your eyes | | | | the connection and so missed a precision guidance |
| still. Within seconds, this fixed gaze causes slight visual | | | | system. Once you see the connection however, it is |
| distortions, usually halos of light. These distortions stem | | | | obvious, and once you attempt the method, a minute |
| from retinal fatigue, a harmless natural process that | | | | or two of focused attention lets feedback prove itself. |