Anish's question on Non-doing

Following the last blog, Anish asked 'how do you achieve non-doing?'

My thoughts are,

You don't do 'non-doing'. Non-doing is not a doing. It is a state. It is not an action. Being in that state means you will just be a watcher. Watching as thoughts cross your mind to stimulate you to doing something. I guess the more you go into the state of watching, the less you do. Or put it other way, you still do something, but not any more without your permission.

I have found many times, that I need to fill up my day with several things - doing this, reading that, watching that movie, talking to some friend, going somewhere......And over a period of time if I look back, I have done a lot of these again and again like a machine. Who was wanting all these? If it is me, then nothing of that seem to remain NOW in me, except those memories. But at that point in time, I have always believed those things are so important to make my day. Now I think I can be without any of those. I have seen my readings have considerably gone down, my watching has gone down...you may say this is out of boredom. But it is not. If I am bored of watching a movie, I would have probably filled it up with another doing , like say a hobby. I now feel I am OK without any of those. But then who is this person without any shades , without any color, without any identity?

I don't know. I know I am on the path, but the way is far and I am not there yet. You need to believe that you may find IT ultimately. I guess you will find the REAL you.

Stop DOING you moron!

Inside me there is a voice right from the time I spring up from bed in the morning. It constantly tells me what I should be doing next. One after another, I create Karma in a day, across a week and over years. Do, Do and Do. Do something all the time.

Why is this constant penchant for Doing something or the other? This thought came to me strongly when I was meditating today. Unlike today, the other days when I meditate, I do some surya namaskarams, I become impatient because a thought came to me about a person I deal in office to whom I should have sent a email. Then I invariably hurry up my yoga and meditation - not a possibility when such "Do this" thought come to me.

So today I was contemplating on this question suddenly. I asked myself, who am I if Iam not doing any of this? Its pretty blank. The reason why Iam maniacally driven into "do something" is because I dont want to feel this blank. More because I dont know what it is. And no one around me seem to be visibly doing less. They all do more and they seem to do all the time something.

I feel in some sense the concept of 'time' is created within you when you "Do something". If you practice non-doing (How do you do that?) may be there is lot of time for obvious reasons. For example, come December and I have to plan on my vacation somewhere with my family. Then it creates a mountain of things to do before you go in a short span of time.

Why am I not fine as is? Why should I do something to know Iam there. Yes, the 'I' gets created and often grown by this doing. If I do nothing, then there is less of what I have created as myself in the view of this world. There is a craving in every one to show to the rest of the world some identity of him. All these seem to be intricately woven and entangled.

Drop the doing , you drop the I and you drop the misery you undergo. You have more time to watch and decide on what really gives you the pleasure in life and do that fully. Most of us are fortunately indirectly guided towards something worthy of doing. But this is very less and a large part is filled with rubbish.

Next time when the voice comes in you "Do this" or "Do that" , pause and reflect and most of the time you may end up leaving it for better ones.