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

For me personally the above/behind 'awareness' feels more like remembering that all that space is there, without any intention to do anything about it, or analyzing it consciously. It's the opposite of focusing down on something.