MetaJess

1] Play a game with me. While reading this , open and close your hand a few times. Do this a few times as you read this sentence. Notice how you aren't using words in your head to think "open... close... open.... close". You 'just open' and 'just close' your hand.

2] Now do the same while at the same time voicing it over in your head: "open... close... open.... close..." It works fine. So you can see how these things can easily go together, but thinking of the words isn't *required*. This means it's easy to confuse the two.

3] Now try this. Start with you hand open and close it, while at the same time thinking "open". Do this a few times such that you're thinking the opposite of what you're actually doing. What's that like? Weird, huh? Almost like you're *interfering* with the process.

4] So we can see that: a) true intention is 'thoughtless' b) thoughts might happen at the same time, though c) thoughts can actually interfere Whenever I talk about intention, or use words like 'become aware of', I mean by using the quality of intention of a).

5] Try it. Right now, become aware of the space above you. 'Just become aware'. Any amount of thinking about the space above you is *not it*. That's still just thinking. Just open and close your hand. Just become aware of the space above you.

I can delete this soon so as not to pollute the thread, I love many of the examples you use but the space above/behind seems really hard esp in terms of thought. "becoming aware" feels like tuning in to my sense data, but since I can neither see, hear, smell or touch the air ...

I find I can't do anything but start "thinking" about the space above or behind me, wondering what it is, picturing it in a way thats waaaay more thoughtful than opening and closing my hand which I can see, hear and feel