Just One Look Forum Archives

I am pasting this from another thread as I realize the way I titled that thread may have led people to believe I was just talking about technical issues with the webinar. As I am starting to gain more consistent benefits from practicing the instructions listed in TJOLM, I find myself sharing JOL with more and more people and I want to gain more clarity in exactly how to share this with people. Of course the main thing I emphasize is to go to the website and download the book, as well as to check out the recent YT and podcast clips. I am not sure if there is universal access to the webinar recordings, or if you have to be signed up for them to receive the recordings. Anyway, there are still plenty of questions people usually have for me about JOL and my experiences with it. The last 2 webinars have really helped clarify for me what to share - but there are still some points I want to gain more clarity on. Will paste what I wrote in the other thread:

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This webinar, and the last, have been especially helpful to me in the sense that it really caused me to relax more about sharing JOL, and what to say to people about it when they ask me questions. Because I've been in the seeking and alternative healing fields for a number of years, and because I am a jazz musician, I have found this two types of people are usually extremely interested JOL. Yesterday, at a rehearsal, we wound up talking about this stuff for over an hour!

My biggest question is about sharing info about the (oh God, I guess you're going to make me type it out;-) THE SELF-DIRECTED ATTENTION EXERCISE. It is only natural that most people ask me what my experience of this exercise is and what I feel about it. The first thing I do is tell them they need to read the latest book, as well as check out some of the newer YT convos. And, nowadays, I emphasize that each person is unique in their experience and will have their own experience, and that it will be positive. Then I tell them that one of the things it has been doing for me is to make me feel better. This is because I believe this is a universal experience to people who are suffering. Just like practicing the Self-Direction Attention exercise, and going to breath in daily life when disturbing thoughts arise, develops your focused attention and gets rid of 'the soliders of fear'. This is a universal experience. To go back to feeling better, to give an example, one fellow I was talking to about JOL a fairly short awhile back was thinking about crossing himself over - he really wanted to feel better! I told him that my experience was that this exercise, and, now, especially returning to the breath in daily life, has been making me feel better. I really don't believe it's possible to develop your focused attention and not feel better. I went into more detail on this in another recent post. But, John, your advice about this being a solitary practice and everyone's experience being different, came through to me loud and clear. I have taken that to heart. However, there are certain things that you and Carla have said in TJOLM, and right on this webinar, which does describe experiences everyone can expect, and I realize you are talking about general, and not specific experiences, and this was very helpful to me.

I truly believe, if a person is suffering, and I really absolutely get what you are saying about the difference between suffering and pain, as I have studied this type of thing for a long time, but, if a person is suffering, they will suffer less as they cultivate their focused attention. They will feel better. What I am saying I think this isn't a specific experience to me, but a general experience. After all, I've read a lot of the testimonials and this is something that people report.

I was the one who brought up the idea of being OK no matter what happens after the looking. I didn't really think John was saying that would keep us from dying! And I'm glad you cleared this up. Obviously if, when you die, you just cease to exist, you are automatically ok! But, if you continue on in some form, you will still be ok because of the looking. Not that it really matters, and I think dweilling on this things is a distraction unless you have some type of fear of physical death, but I have found seeker-types usually don't have that. I know your main point is that, in your physical life, you will eventually be ok no matter what.