Walking with eyes unfocused...

reply to post by TatTvamAsi

Have you heard about blindsight?
I have experienced it once so I know it happens.
Thanks for the thread, its good to change focus!

reply to post by dodol


Personally, when I started off, it took a while to get into the correct mode. You still have to look, though you see nothing in front of you. The best is to stare at a fixed 'virtual' point in front of you at a comfortable height in the darkness a not move your eyes from that position. If there is a need to look another direction from the path you are walking, turn your head instead of moving the eyes.

Of course, you need to first adjust your eyes to surrounding darkness for at least 15min before considering moving in any direction. Maybe also good to munch up on some carrots if your diet is beef, takes vitamin A to see in dark.

reply to post by TatTvamAsi


Thanks for the tips, brother!

I read another of your post about glowing fungis, animals, etc, and I can't wait to meet them!!

peace

dodol
reply to post by TatTvamAsi

 

Thanks for the tips, brother!

I read another of your post about glowing fungis, animals, etc, and I can't wait to meet them!!

peace

Just as a side anecdote, I was annoyed as hell with the person who taught me this for leaving me in an undisclosed location in the forest to manage my way out. Once I made it out, the only comment my annoyance was encountered with was "What took you so long?". Of course we talked the principles of the technique over, but still I was unprepared. Somehow, moving the eyes disrupts low light detection and is the key to success in using the technique.

It is also not easy to trust that it works, when you see nothing consciously. It is actually quite hard to keep your eyes still as well. I found walking using the same technique to be much harder during the day for the same reason. When you actually see consciously, the sight steers away from peripheral mode more readily.

Some nocturnal creatures, like fireflies, seem almost blindingly bright and it will require some time to accustom to the dark again after encountering one of these. I normally lose my 'unfocus' for a while when I encounter one of these as the temptation to look focusedly is too great.

As with all things that matter, discipline, and will are essential, but above all, quieting the voice of the mind, once that is under control, awareness opens the doors of perception, and even the invisible will become crystal clear...

Sadly its those very things that turn most of the initiates away, discipline? baloney!
quieting the mind? but I say and repeat the nicest things of fear and hate!

its as doable as it is attainable!



keep at it! its almost within reach!
cheers!

What is the exact point here ?
are you talking about walking with eyes unfocused with our mind thinking about something else, like completely ignoring the fact that we are walking and forgetting about it while walking ?
or just unfocused eyes but concentrating on the way.

Anyway, I walk many time with unfocused eyes and i keep on thinking different things, i completely forget about the environment and i keep on walking, i also drive in this situation but mainly when the road is empty, i call it Auto-pilot.

reply to post by aashgonnatrash


concentrating on the way, with the mind focused on what its doing, like anchoring your attention on the now, and the immediateness of the environment, as an aid in silencing the mind, not letting it wander along in its randoms flights.

Its piloting the ship with full awareness without the autopilot kicking in.

Part meditation, part silent introspection, part getting the lay of the land, part mapping awareness...

a completely complimentary technique is to also "breathe through your feet"
the technique of walking in the taoist method, seeing without seeing and breathing with your feet will produce a walking meditation that can be quite enlightening.

some links...

taoism.about.com...
www.taichimaster.com...

bobs_uruncle

TatTvamAsi
..../

Besides being known by Tibetans, there is also the interesting connection to Carlos Castaneda and his power walking which seems very similar. I actually learned about Castaneda only after I was introduced to this technique.

Here is an interesting article about the Castaneda connection with Yoga and Buddhism.

Thoughts, experiences and comments are welcome.

A long time ago I used to practice unfocusing my eyes. I would sit there and not blink, not move my eyes and concentrate on one very small spot on the wall or ceiling while my eyes relaxed. I found that the "reality" portions of my field of view, the peripheral parts faded away and allowed me to see "past" whatever was there. It was really weird and reminded me a little of certain Castaneda related "products" years before, I suggest you try that as well (not the Castaneda products, just the unfocused concentration).

Cheers - Dave

edit on 2/11.2014 by bobs_uruncle because: (no reason given)

This is exactly how I force myself into sleep paralysis. I keep my eyes open, relax my eyes, and stare at one spot. Very strange things will happen eventually, and then sleep paralysis. Many people say that sleep paralysis is a precursor to out of body, but I can never seem to get past sleep paralysis because eventually anxiety builds up (especially when I feel my body 'vibrate') and I snap out of it.

spacemanjupiter

bobs_uruncle

TatTvamAsi
..../

Besides being known by Tibetans, there is also the interesting connection to Carlos Castaneda and his power walking which seems very similar. I actually learned about Castaneda only after I was introduced to this technique.

Here is an interesting article about the Castaneda connection with Yoga and Buddhism.

Thoughts, experiences and comments are welcome.

A long time ago I used to practice unfocusing my eyes. I would sit there and not blink, not move my eyes and concentrate on one very small spot on the wall or ceiling while my eyes relaxed. I found that the "reality" portions of my field of view, the peripheral parts faded away and allowed me to see "past" whatever was there. It was really weird and reminded me a little of certain Castaneda related "products" years before, I suggest you try that as well (not the Castaneda products, just the unfocused concentration).

Cheers - Dave

edit on 2/11.2014 by bobs_uruncle because: (no reason given)

This is exactly how I force myself into sleep paralysis. I keep my eyes open, relax my eyes, and stare at one spot. Very strange things will happen eventually, and then sleep paralysis. Many people say that sleep paralysis is a precursor to out of body, but I can never seem to get past sleep paralysis because eventually anxiety builds up (especially when I feel my body 'vibrate') and I snap out of it.

Have you ever tried brain entrainment? It can certainly get you past the anxiety stage.

Cheers - Dave

reply to post by TatTvamAsi


Very interesting. We are such visual creatures, it seems like along with the unconscious awareness provided from light,
the more rudimentary sense of smell would be heightened. The olfactory nerve is the most archaic of the cranial nerves, and is associated with the archaic portions of the brain. One function of meditation is to bring us out of our forebrain conscious mind spinning, which then allows for increase of other brain centers. Effectively this could be bringing you into an animal like state, with smell (and sound and touch) being increased dramatically. I bet there is some unconscious 3d mapping that takes place, accessing a sort of holograph of your environment. The problem is as soon as you try to consciously focus it goes away. I've had this happen in meditation for short times, because I keep focusing.

When I was first training in motorcycle racing, a similar technique was taught to me.

I was told to never focus on any individual item in my field of view (FOV), but to use my mind to look at what I needed to out of the "big picture."

I scoffed at the time (being a young teen, its kind of what happens with anything!), but as I got more experience.. I noticed that it help me "build" corners properly. I could take better lines through even the most complicated of chicanes. The difference? Viewing things in this way allowed me to see what was beyond the turn just in front of me. This is critical, since how you take the current turn may or may not put you in a good place for the next one (sometimes resulting in a crash).

When I talked about this with coach, he just slapped me on the shoulder and said "lesson learned." Just another "Aha moment" (which are apparently sponsored now by Mutual of Omaha!).

I've learned the trick of walking around with eyes unfocused since when I was a child many years ago, all by myself. I never knew it was used by another culture in meditation.

I could unfocus my vision without crossing my eyes. I could also focus my eyes to a point beyond infinity. I don't think it serves any purpose, I thought it's fun when I was a child.

Very interesting, had not heard of this before. I wonder if this would work for someone like me, as I have monofocal intraocular lense (IOL) implants in both eyes. My eyes are at a permanent fixed focus, so physically un-focusing my eyes is literally impossible. Unless of course you just mean the kind of 'blur around the edges' effect that happens when you stare at one spot for a long time.

reply to post by zardust


You are absolutely right. When you try to force it, or in other words focus on something, it goes away. You sort of have to draw a blank and maintain it or this won't work.

reply to post by Serdgiam


Well, that is interesting as well. Never thought something similar to this was taught to drivers. Thanks for the input.

reply to post by Spinx


Actually, the Tibetans also use this technique to help people correct eye related problems as well.
Don't know if it will work for your condition, though. Thanks for posting.