Observation Without Judgment

Mindfulness

If you are standing on a set of train tracks there are three ways that you can approach the situation.

Observation = Meditation = You are standing on the train tracks. You notice the color of the train coming toward you as a little black dot. You feel the vibration of the track and you can smell the roses. You hear the birds in the trees. In order to do meditation correctly, you must get away from knowledge understanding, and wisdom. This is noticing what is. 

Knowledge = You see the train coming toward you and you know that you are in the way of the train. This is what you have observed. You may have also observed another set of tracks on the left of you. This set of tracks also has a train coming from the other direction. On the right is a cliff with a railing about three feet high. At the bottom of the drop, you see a deep lake. 

Understanding = You see the train coming toward you and you notice that you are on the tracks. Now you understand that if you stay on the tracks you will be hit by the train and die. This is a make-believe scenario of what is going to happen next. You understand that if you jump one way there is another train coming from the other direction. Or if you jump the other way there is a cliff with a 50ft. drop.   

Wisdom = You see the train coming toward you and you realize that you are on the tracks. Understanding that if you stay on the track that you will die, wisdom is getting off of the tracks. This is taking the best course of action that would follow from your make-believe scenarios.

Observe (anyone the methods in this section) 

1. Knowledge - Write one paragraph to ten pages of what your knowledge of your observation is. Knowledge requires no emotional judgment. 
2. Understanding - What is your understanding of your observation and knowledge? Write one paragraph to ten pages of what you understand of the subject. 
3. Wisdom - What are some applications of this understanding to attain the desired outcome?
   

Observation/ Mindfulness is awareness of what is without emotional or Lizard brain involvement. This gives you time to be more observant of what is. The emotional or "ego" brain will limit your observation of "what is" by painting a false image of the world for you. The false image can be good or it can be bad. Good or bad is determined by what goal or outcome you wish to have. A science experiment only works well when a predetermined outcome is not expected or a pre-judgment (also known as prejudice) is not made. 

Understanding can only be correct when you do not let the Lizard brain ( ego ) cloud your understanding of the subject. To understand you will need to cover many scenarios and carefully follow the outcome of each. If the ego is not suppressed then one of these scenarios ( outcomes ) may be overlooked and you will not have a complete understanding. Understanding improves when you have a vast knowledge of the world and how it works. You will need to start somewhere. As you acquire more experience your level of understanding will improve.  

Wisdom involves being honest with yourself. If you are not honest about why you do things and what outcome you really want or need then the Wisdom will be flawed. Honesty is required when you think you can jump off a 50 ft cliff into the water and survive. Honesty is required when you decide if you can outrun the other train and go in the other direction. Honesty is required when deciding to jump on the railing and hold on till the train passes... Are you really strong enough to hold on for 15 mins? Honest is required when you realize you may have been there as you wanted to get hit by a train. Wisdom involves the understanding of what is and what could be to make a wise choice. 

If you have less than one second to make a choice it is always better to let the Lizard make the choice. It is prewired with fewer possibilities so it will make the best choice under the time constraints. 

The more you train yourself by separating Observation, Understanding, and Wisdom from each other the easier it will be to do this under pressure. By going over events before they happen it will be easier to decide later on.  If before you cross the train trestle you think about what might happen if a train comes along before you get to the other side your chances of survival increase. 

This is why this must become a daily practice. The brain will keep trying to go back to the old ways until enough time has lapsed to have created a new way. This new way must be exercised to keep it fresh.