This is a classic, organized technique that closely resembles the psychological problem-solving concepts.
The meditation is divided into four phases:
- preparation and the first approach to the subject,
- incubation and analysis,
- the result,
- and verification and review.
This technique is designed to help you make the most of both your conscious logical and unconscious intuitive processes.
- Set a timer for 45 minutes to an hour, as you usually would.
- Begin your meditation by following the four-step transition to the breath at the nose, counting ten breaths, and then tracking the breath until your mind is calm.
1. INITIAL APPROACH AND PREPARATION
Allow the breath sensations to fade into the background and bring to mind the subject you've selected for this meditation after you're fully present with a calm, clear mind and well-focused attention.
- Keeping the breath sensations in peripheral awareness during this exercise is very beneficial.
- Simply "keep" the subject in mind throughout this initial phase.
- Allow it to “speak” to you by “listening” to it, exploring it, and waiting for it to “speak” to you.
- “Holding” a subject entails remembering it without evaluating it.
- If your subject is a passage from a book or something similar, open your eyes and read the paragraph without thinking about it, memorizing it.
- If you don't have anything written down, simply go over it in your head.
- If you have an issue, write it down as a question or a series of questions, and then ask yourself those questions.
- Simply bounce it around in your thoughts whether it's an idea or an observation.
- Staying in a receptive condition rather than doing anything is what “listening” entails. Wait for anything to catch your attention.
- By keeping the subject in your mind, you're allowing unconscious processes to go to work on it.
- The subject has "spoken" to you when something sticks out—when a concept or idea comes to mind, or when a certain word or phrase grabs your attention.
- This indicates that an unconscious brain process has provided the seeds of a potential response or solution.
As an example, picture a lovely golden thread that has gotten very knotted. This is the subject at hand.
Holding and listening to it is similar to gently twisting it in your hands, searching for a loose end to begin the untangling process.
- The subject has spoken to you when you discover the loose end.
- When a subject strikes a chord with you right away, you're ready to go on to analysis.
- In the preparation phase, you may find yourself holding and listening until your timer bell sounds.
- This doesn't happen very frequently, but if it does, know that your subconscious mind will keep working on the issue as you go about your day.
- Simply schedule your next session of analytical meditation and return to the subject then.
- If the subject still doesn't resonate with you the following time, it's possible that it's just too large.
- It has to be simplified. Consider concentrating on a single statement or selecting a more basic version of the issue or topic.
- Just take your time. Attempting to push the analysis too soon may stifle the very unconscious processes you're attempting to elicit.
2. ANALYSIS AND INCUBATION
Once you've found the end of the thread, follow it wherever it leads.
- Start thinking about the word, phrase, concept, or idea that came to mind as your beginning point. Analyze and examine it from many angles.
- As ideas occur to you, put them to the test for logic and significance.
- Explore the connection between your initial idea and other thoughts within the subject, keeping an open mind to the potential of uncovering some deeper significance.
- Stay open to any ideas or recollections from personal experience that may emerge, and evaluate their relevance when they do, no matter how abstract the subject may seem.
You want a degree of knowledge that goes beyond the abstract and intellectual to encompass the experienced, regardless of the subject.
3. THE RESULTS: UNDERSTANDING, RESOLUTION, AND DECISION, OR DEEPER INSIGHT
The goal is for your thoughts to lead to some kind of natural conclusion—an understanding, a solution or choice, or a deeper insight.
You'll have a feeling of achievement and completeness.
Proceed to the fourth step, confirming and evaluating, unless some detail necessitates additional study.
- Frequently, the result is just partial; it does not answer all of your questions.
- Nonetheless, go to the fourth stage if that partial result seems solid and substantial.
- You may come back to the main subject for a more detailed response at a later time.
Large, complicated subjects are often addressed via a succession of partial results, with previous conclusions sometimes being changed until a final resolution is reached.
- Recognizing the need for additional knowledge, observation, and experience may also be a result.
- You may also discover that you need to do something else before continuing.
- This is likewise a legitimate result, and it justifies moving on to the next stage.
- Once you've completed whatever it is you need to do, you may return to the original subject.
- However, the bell may ring to terminate your session before you have gotten a clear result. That's OK; your subconscious mind will continue to work on the issue.
Not only for analytical meditation, but for virtually any problem-solving scenario. Do something else and come back to it later if you aren't making progress on an issue.
- When you come back, your subconscious mind will almost always have a solution.
- Occasionally, the result will emerge unexpectedly while you are engaged in other tasks. In a peaceful time, your mind may return to this thought and offer a solution.
- If no result appears before your next analytical meditation, just start again with holding and listening.
- It doesn't matter if what calls to you the next time is different from what talks to you the first time.
The more you think about the issue in this manner, the more likely you are to find a solution.
4. CONFIRMING AND REVIEWING THE RESULTS
You don't want to lose an answer you've discovered, so be prepared to continue the process of checking and reviewing even if the bell to terminate your session sounds.
- You may wish to examine the route of analysis you took so you may repeat it in the future or explain it to someone else, depending on the nature of your meditation subject and its result.
- Return to the incubation and analysis step if you find a problem.
- If there are no flaws, the most essential thing is to consolidate and integrate your new knowledge so that you don't have to go through the whole problem-solving process again.
- It may be useful to establish mental "cues" for yourself to assist you return to this level of awareness and insight in certain situations.
- Holding the fruit of your meditation in mind as the goal of non-analytical meditation is a very effective method to accomplish this.
- To put it another way, use the thought, concept, or insight as your meditation object and allow it to grow in your mind.
- This leaves a powerful impression, allowing you to quickly return to this level of realization in the future by remembering the result of this meditation and focusing your attention on it.
