my kids occasionally refer to "the game." as soon as one of them says,"the game," everybody shouts "you lose!"" and laughs..... strange huh? apparently, the way it works is, if you don't think about "the game" all is well, but as soon as you think about it..... you lose.
does this relate to the bates method? i think so.... follow me for a moment, if you will.....
the purpose of all the bates method exercises is not to "make your eyes stronger" or "beef up the muscles" of your eyes.... the purpose is to teach your eyes to relax... and it during those moments of utter "eyeball relaxation" that you realize a visual acuity improvement.....
the paradox... if you think about what you are seeing, or about seeing... or about your eyes.... you introduce some level of muscular tension simple by virtue of your awareness of the muscles around your eyes..... but, it is through the removal of muscular tension that vision improves.... think about it... you lose... don't think about it.. you see!
our eyes are passive receptors.... things exist, those things pass within a window of perception... our eyes perceive those things exactly as they exist.... it is in the processing of those perceptions that things get messed up.... squint here, tilt there, rotate this, etc etc.....
if my guess that the eyes are passive receptors is valid.... and if my guess that it is in the processing that stuff gets blurred..... then..... it seems to me, the solution is.... stop thinking about seeing.... stop thinking about how you see... stop thinking about what you see.... stop trying to see.... just see.
accept without processing those things your eyes perceive... no value objectification... no biases.... no preconceived notions.... just see...
much like zen... just be.
just some thoughts from one who tries not to think too much....
a very interesting post! The Bates method seems to be all about relaxation and the abilty to get aware of your tensions, in the end. So as you wrote it, the key may be stop thinking about all this, and just do it/let it happen. It seems that meditation/training of awareness is combining all this and let it work in a natural way. I often had the thought, that for perfect vision, you dont have to do ten steps forward, just one step back.
But (in my experience) the typical myopic, that is wearing glasses, doesnt think about seeing either. (Or is not aware of his thoughts) He's just using his eyes everyday, without thinking about it, and his vision is getting worse and worse. So at some point you have to interfere, in order to make a change. Following your describtion, this would cause trouble and so make things worse. Saying yourself "stop trying to see!" all day doesnt work, because then you already think about it?
My question is, at what point do you interfere? Or is your goal to let go all the unconscious thoughts about seeing/your eyes that are rushing through the back of your head by practicing awareness/zazen/meditation/whatever once a day and then forget about all this? I often thought about that, but never tried it regulary over a long time.
Thanks for the response. Two things.... The typical myope doesn't think about seeing... Absolutely correct ... WHILE WEARING GLASSES... So... Take off the glasses and don't think about seeing...
Second thing... Awareness is not something done once a day on a mat or pillow. It is not practiced. One is aware, or one is not. Choose.
Yes, I think you are right, the best way to see is to be so relaxed - not only eyes - that the seeing process comes instinctively the way it has to be.
I wrote elsewhere in the forum about my vision:
Quote:Sometimes, when I am really relaxed, my vision becomes so good, that I don't have to do anything to 'direct' my eyes; almost the whole eye chart clears up - at least till the 20/40 line and parts of the 2 lines below. Or when I am cycling in the fields I often have long clear flashes almost continuously, even in cloudy, dark weather. My eyes just do the right things instinctively, I only have to 'follow' them as they 'do their job' and enjoy the good feeling and clear sight.
Then there are other days, when I really have to struggle for clearness, everything is blurry and my eyes don't seem to be able to focus correctly. Then, looking at small points and shifting (in triangles or other forms) usually helps, sometimes I need a lot of hard concentration, palming, acupressure and other relaxation techniques.
And there are very few times, when my eyes are so tired (or maybe I am too stressed or absent-minded), that no technique can lead me anywhere and the more I try, the more my eyes get strained and vision gets worse. Then I stop the training and give my eyes the time they need to recover...
but:
Quote:There are so many factors which can prevent good vision and even if we do almost everything right, one small point can block the the whole process.
And as long as I don't reach the state of perfect calmness and peace in every day's life, I don't think it is possible to cure my myopia without any special care and attention.
I don't even know, whether it is possible at all to reach such a perfect state in this life - even the dalai lama is wearing glasses...
Nevertheless, I think, this aspect is very important, as even the effect of stress and worries can be noticed in a deterioration of vision, and maybe without a certain level of inner harmony the way back to normal vision will be impossible or at least very difficult.
yes, even HH Dalai Lama wears glasses.... there is every possibility that he is not fully aware and awakened at all times.... he would likely confirm that. but, he is also likely more aware and awakened than the rest of us.... but that is a side point....
i suspect my ruminations were based in part on the observation that so many people post that they have clear flashes when they least expect them and are doing something entirely different than tending to, or paying attention to, their eyes and/or vision.
Bates developed all sorts of routines that were meant to help the individual relax.... i think that is the critical point.... to relax. how does one achieve relaxation of the visual process? don't know for sure... but... i think that if one is aware of a given part of the body.... a finger... a toe... a calf... a muscle in the back... if you are sensing it... if you are consciously aware of it, it cannot be totally relaxed.... because you are thinking about it.... you are sending a signal to the muscle or the tissue, you are receiving a response... total relaxation occurs when you let it go....
i don't really know... just kinda thinking out loud, if you will..... i'm sure the purists out there will flame me for some oversight on my part, but that's okay....
A few observations. There are a lot of neurotic and otherwise crazy people out there with good vision. People who remove glasses sometimes report their vision improving a little in the days and weeks afterwards, but hardly ever completely. People develop vision problems without the help of glasses and without thinking about their eyes. When people have chronic tension in various muscles of their body, simply ignoring it doesn't often solve the problem.
If your vision worsens as a result of doing anything that's supposed to help, and it improves for a moment later as a result of seemingly nothing, it may be telling you that the solution is more subtle than you realize. Maybe the right tool for the job is a combination of a few delicate surgeon's tools and not a mallet.
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"Half of our funny, heathen lives, we are bent double to gather things we have tossed away." - George Meredith
i don't think i would advocate "ignoring" a tense body part.... if there is tension, and you are aware of it, then it stands to reason that something needs to be done to reduce the tension.... and when the tension is gone, then the need to focus on that part also goes away.... if one's eyes are no longer suffering from tension, and one is able to see clearly... or more clearly.... then the need for attention to the tension in the eye goes away....... if tension is present, then tend to it.... learn, or attempt to learn, its cause... address that cause and seek the release of the tension....
again.... i am merely rambling.... thinking out loud.... with, more likely than not, no idea about that of which i write..... i no longer need my glasses.... i do find, though, that when i pay attention to my eyes and what i am seeing, the visual acuity worsens... when i pay my vision no mind and simply "be in the moment" my vision is incredible....
