Chapter 2: The Meditation Exercise

Sitting in a straight-back chair, place both feet on the floor. Close your eyes. Choose either hand and let it hang loosely by your side. Be careful not to go to sleep or to do the exercise for relaxation. The procedure is only to prevent an accumulation of tension by correctly meeting life’s experiences, not to dull the effects that will follow your failure to do so.

Bring your attention to your right hand hanging by your side. Simply notice it. Feel the blood flowing down into it. It will tingle. Now just do that. Just be aware of your hand hanging by your side. There is no need for any effort. Again, simply notice your hand hanging by your side until you find yourself not noticing it through being caught up in a daydream. When that happens, simply bring your attention back to your hand again, and again. If you will do this, you will begin to feel the blood flowing down into your fingertips. You are now learning how to concentrate on your hand. Be very, very conscious of your hand.

Mentally shift your attention from one finger to another. Shift your attention to the first finger, the second finger, the third and fourth, coming back to the first again. Just be very, very aware of each finger in turn until it begins to feel as though the blood were flowing down into it.

Now, while you are being very, very aware of your hand, at the same time (and you find you can do it) become also aware of the middle of your forehead. Now, as though you were looking through the middle of your forehead, funnel your attention down your arm into your hand.

When you notice that your mind wanders off, simply notice your hand again. Feel the awareness of your hand. Feel the hand tingling as though the blood were flowing down
into it and see if you can see the outline of your hand in your mind’s eye—as though you were peeking out of your mind’s eye through the middle of your forehead. Be aware of your hand as though you were seeing it with your mind’s eye through the middle of your forehead.

Keep doing this; don’t stop. Be very, very aware of this hand. Be very conscious of it. Feel the presence of it. Feel the blood flowing down into it, and then out of this mild, tingling, warm feeling, let that hand become a vague outline in your mind’s eye. It is as though you can almost see or sense where your hand is without imagery.

Now watch the thought that tries to pull you away from being aware of your hand. If your thoughts pull your awareness away from the present moment, bring your attention back to your hand, and then again feel the awareness of it; feel the presence of it, and then see the back of your hand drawing up toward you, so that the back of your hand comes up to touch the middle of your forehead. Draw your hand toward you as you look out at it with your mind’s eye.

Be very conscious of your own mind, as though you were sitting in a big cave, and then feel the awareness of your hand and see the outline of your hand moving toward your head and your head toward your hand. Note: it is not important if such concentration does not make your arm feel light. I only want to help you to keep your mind in the now—to keep it from wandering into thought and dream stuff.

If your thoughts pull your awareness away from the tingling of your hand in this present moment, simply feel the awareness of your hand again, and then “see” your hand drawing upward toward your head and your head toward your hand. Keep doing it; don’t stop.

Again, so as to help keep your awareness in the moment, judge the distance between the hand and your forehead. See if you can estimate the distance your hand has to travel to touch your forehead. Do not hurry. Be patient. You have plenty of time. Just be conscious of the tingling hand. Feel the awareness of it. See the outline of it through your mind’s eye, coming toward you (as though you were looking out through the middle of your forehead), drawing closer and closer and closer. Keep doing it. (You’re not meant to look up and strain your eyes.)

If your thoughts wander off, bring your mind back to the now awareness of your hand. Feel the blood flowing down into it. Feel the presence of it, and then see the outline of your hand drawing toward the middle of your forehead, as though you were looking out into space and you see it coming toward you. But don’t look upward or strain your eyes. Simply have the awareness of the middle of your forehead, of your mind’s eye. Just observe AS THOUGH you were looking through the middle of your forehead, the place where thoughts arise, and then see if you can locate where your hand is rising up toward the middle of your forehead. See if you can draw your arm up toward the middle of your forehead, energizing your arm through being very aware of it.

Do not hurry. It is really not important if your hand does not rise. The object of the exercise is to create in you a response to your inner self, to remain in the present, in the Presence. If your arm becomes light and buoyant, just let your hand go up by itself toward your forehead.

If your mind wanders off, bring your attention back to your hand; feel the awareness of it again. Feel the tingling sensation as if the blood were flowing down into your fingers. See the outline of your hand coming toward the middle of your forehead as though you were looking through your mind’s eye. Do not strain your eyes. Just be very, very aware of your hand as though you could see it, through the awareness of the middle of your forehead, so your hand and head touch and feel as one.

You find now that you can dissolve unnecessary, unwanted thoughts simply by becoming very aware of the present moment. Just be aware of your hand. Feel it coming up toward you so that the back of your hand touches your forehead. Judge the distance. In your estimation, see if you can judge the distance between the back of your hand and the middle of your forehead.Draw the hand closer to the head. Soon you will feel that the back of your hand is closer to your forehead than it really is. You may think to yourself, “If I move it just a little closer, the back of my hand will touch the middle of my forehead,” but it doesn’t. It may feel as though your hand is passing through your head, rather than to your head.

But when it does move a little closer, it doesn’t seem to touch your forehead. It seems as though your hand is closer than it really is. This is just an effect created by the way you are concentrating.

Now still keep being aware of this hand. Be very, very conscious of it. Feel as if the blood were flowing into it. It will tingle. It may begin to feel warm or detached, but just keep being aware of your hand and remain aware of it through the middle of your forehead.

When the back of your hand touches the middle of your forehead, drop your hand to your lap. When you have done it with one hand, do it also with the other.

Now, while you are listening to or reading these principles, keep noticing the place in the middle of your forehead and your hand as if they were one place, joined together, or just be very conscious of your hand on your lap or by your side.