"- As you’re observing it, notice who’s doing the observing.
- That’s all there is to it.
- In that moment, when you observe the observing, you are the observing self."
means nothing. What does this mean? Look in the mirror? Focus on your breath? Repeat the thought you just had? None of this leads to any sort of depth that is often claimed.
That statement is self-refuting because it is objective. Subjectivism can't get off the ground because its fundamental premise is objective.
How can science isolate or control for a variable which cannot be isolated from the observer?
The nature of consciousness is elusive, almost like a dog chasing it's tail.
qed.
Epistemological monism easily resolves the "socratic paradox" and it looks like that's how Socrates himself resolves it.
"although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is – for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know" - Socrates, in Platos Apology
> qed.
This is a contradiction. QED means you just proved something to be true. If there is a single truth (that there is only one truth) then there can be no deductive reasoning, science, etc.
You must have objective truth and reasoning in order to say anything other than "I feel..."
Empathy is a vastly underrated (and underdeveloped) skill.
This is one of those questions that can't be usefully answered without reference to the experience it's asking about. I can say from my own experience that what's being described isn't nonsense, but I can't put words around it that make sense as an explanation of how I know. Nor can anyone else, as far as I can tell, and I've seen many try.
The method described here seems fine as far as it goes, but it's kind of like learning to ride a bike, or maybe how to juggle. There are clear steps you can follow, but they only take you up to the point where a moment of novel insight is required to grasp the skill, and only that moment of novel insight will take you any further. Once you've had it, you never forget it, but there's a step in there that no one else can take you through - you have to find it for yourself or not at all.
It's not fair, but that's just how it is as far as I can tell. I wish I could do better, and I'm sorry that I can't.
I have considered "meditative" to be a part of my character for nearly my whole life, while it is self-taught/self-discovered and idiosyncratic. I would read some popular accounts of meditation and hear parts which resonated and parts that just didn't seem to translate.
I already am aware of my breathing. I discovered "square breathing" for myself as a child for pain and stress management and got lots of breath-awareness through swimming. I find it odd to imagine being unaware of breathing, but I realize it must be possible from the accounts of others.
I am self-reflective and aware of my thoughts and emotional responses. I had difficult aspects to my childhood and had to learn to modulate my responses and predict the unpredictable to deal with volatile personalities in my surroundings. I find it odd to imagine being unaware of my thoughts or emotions.
In recent years, I've struggled with stress management and found myself stating things very similar to your final line. I hear people telling me to do these beginner-level meditation steps and I simultaneously feel, "I am already doing this," "it is not working," and sometimes "your advice is not actionable!" while feeling very frustrated. I might blurt out any of those statements if I get past feeling it is pointless to continue the interaction. On reflection, I think it may be impossible to know which is more true of the apparent contradictions. Am I not doing it even though I think I am? Is it working even though I don't think so? Is it really meaningless advice or I am just being petulant?
These guides and advice are written for a target audience. They are not really wrong if they do not work for some of us, as we may not be the audience. What is frustrating is that it can feel impossible to find alternative guidance if you have an atypical starting state. What is alternative advice about "being present" for someone who is stuck in hyper-vigilance due to stress/trauma? What is alternative advice about "recognizing your thoughts" for someone who is stuck ruminating and meta-ruminating? Etc.
Don't beat yourself up if your mind starts wandering. When you realize you're off track, just refocus on your breathing, seeing the things around you. What do you hear, what do you smell, can you feel the pressure where your body meets the floor, the bed, or chair? Your mind will wander off every couple seconds at first, just don't even worry about it and bring your focus back onto the sensations your body is feeling.
If you start to feel restless, think about what sensations you are feeling. Don't try to calm down. Focus on regular breathing, feel that your heart rate is elevated, feel out where the tension is located in your body. Is it in your neck, your chest? See if you can gentle relax those muscles.
Theres no right way to meditate and there's no wrong way. If you're worried that you're not doing it right, bring your attention back to the physical sensations and your 5 senses.
Sorry if it's not helpful. I think you were the one looking for a more concrete guide and this is what works for me.
It’s kind of similar to that state of mind you have when you’re boiling water, you get involved with some other activity but there’s somehow an increased sensitivity to the rather subtle sound of a bubbling pot.
If you try to think too much about the observations real-time, you interrupt the primary thought process that you were trying to observe. So it’s kind of a passive process that you can then reason about later.
I think it’s just something you have to try to do until you start to get results, it’s so subtle and personal that I think it’s going to be difficult for anyone to truly give prescriptive instruction that results in success.