Results in No Time

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Copyright 1997 by Stephen Randall.

All rights reserved.


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Table of Contents

FORWARD ....................................................................vii

PREFACE

Revisioning Work........................................... ix

Needed: A Vision of Mastery ............................................. x

Context for the Text .......................................................... xi

CHAPTER 1

The Quest .........................................................1

Results-Oriented Optimal Workers .................................. 2

People-Oriented Optimal Workers ...................................3

The Possibility of a True Optimal Worker ..........................4

Another Prospect .................................................................5

CHAPTER 2

A Virtuous Lunch ............................................. 7

The Virtue of Timelessness................................................. 7

The Virtue of Unobstructed Flow .......................................9

The Best Results Appear in No Time ............................... 12

The Research Group .........................................................13

The Circle of Life ............................................................. 15

How It Works with Work .................................................. 17

The Power, Scope, and Precision of the Vision ................ 18
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CHAPTER 3

Making Time ..................................................21The Time Calling Exercise ............................................... 21

Setting Up Time Within a Moment?................................. 24

Making Time for TV......................................................... 24

CHAPTER 4

Dinner With a Choice of Views ......................29

Images of Linear Time ......................................................30The River of Time ..........................................................................30

The Conveyor Belt .................. ............... .............. ................ ......... 31

The Treadmill ................................................................................32

The Hourglass ...............................................................................33

Winning the Battle Against Time ..................................... 33

Seeing Through Times Persuasiveness ......................... 35

The Habit of Time .............................................................38

Unwitting Creativity .........................................................39

A Breakdown of the Centers............................................. 41SOTP Stops Us ................................................................. 42

SOTP Vs. SOT.................................................................. 44

A Timely Suggestion ........................................................47

CHAPTER 5

Looking Into the Eye of Time .........................51

First Session ......................................................................51

Second Session ................................................................. 53

Third Session ....................................................................55

Fourth Session ...................................................................55


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CHAPTER 6

Gambling With Deadline Pressure ................ 57A Race We Cant Win .......................................................60

Containing Whats Possible ..............................................65

Adding Breathing Exercise to Card Sorting .....................68

Not Buying Time ..............................................................71

The Next Episode ..............................................................74

CHAPTER 7

Roses Are On the Same Bush As the Thorns . 75

Self-Fulfilling Behavior ....................................................76

Neediness or Fulfillment?................................................. 78

Relieving Dependence on Particular Forms ..................... 80

The Next Episode.............................................................. 81

CHAPTER 8

Breakthrough Before Lunch ...........................83

A Critical Exploration .......................................................84

Where Is the Self? .............................................................86

Wholeness Happens ..........................................................87

No Negativity .................................................................92

Critical Performance Reviews ..........................................94
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CHAPTER 9

Seeing Through Seeking ..............................97

Seeking: Part of Linear Time ............................................98

Seeking Is Also Avoiding ...............................................101

Seeking Doesnt Go Anywhere ...................................... 103Non-Seeking Seekers...................................................... 104

Seeing Without Seeking.................................................. 105

Seeing the Approach ....................................................109

CHAPTER 10

Reversing Time ............................................ 111

Setting Up the Exercise.................................................... 111About Changing Perspective ..........................................115

CHAPTER 11

A Productive Feast of Virtues ...................... 117

A Productive Question.................................................... 118

Facets of the Diamond at the Heart ................................121

Continuous Improvement ...............................................122

Increasing Involvement ...................................................122

Lack of Virtue in Business ..............................................124

Long-Term Greater Work Capacity ................................125

Total Quality ...................................................................127

The Playing Field of Work ..............................................129
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APPENDIX

Reversing Temporal Structure .....................131

Setting Up the Exercise ...................................................131

Looking Back ..................................................................132

About Doing the Exercise............................................... 134Other Ways To Do the Exercise ......................................135

About Changing Perspective ..........................................136

BIBLIOGRAPHY .........................................................137

GLOSSARY ................................................................139

INDEX ........................................................................141


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Foreword

Connecting with Time

The quality of our lives is closely connected to our understanding of time. If

we are not well acquainted with times dynamic and how it connects to mindand senses, divisions and meanings, meditation and self-actualization, then

time runs our lives. To gain access to a deeper understanding of time, it seems

we must begin by keeping track of time. Gradually, through careful observa-

tion of time, awareness begins to deepen and experience grows richer and

more positive. This book offers ways to begin such an exploration by learning

how to pay attention to time, to use time well, and to see the connection

between the quality of our lives and our understanding of time.

To extract a real profit from time, awareness must deepen into time,

contacting and engaging each moment. This moment by moment adventure

begins to reveal the inner meaning of love, happiness, and creativity that weare all searching for. As we connect with the virtuous power of time that

manifests all features of experience, we recognize that time is our friend, our

parent, our destiny. If we do not cooperate with time, then it disappears

without so much as a kiss goodbye. If we embrace it, time gladly shares its

dynamic power and opens its treasury of meaning, enriching our lives beyond

all measure.

Tarthang Tulku

Odiyan USA

September 1997


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Preface

Revisioning Work

There seems to be a work1 crisis in the Western world. Old structures have

broken down: Organizations no longer have the same commitment to

employees; workers arent so faithful to their companies; business is less tied

to geography; hierarchies have flattened; people are working longer hours;

and the workforce is more diverse and flexible than ever.

1. In this book the word workis usually used in a broad sense, meaning a task that were

trying to accomplish. Its not just what were paid for.


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Preface: Revisioning Work

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Perhaps as part of this breakdown, workers have seriously considered why

theyre working, and how they want to work in the future. A great deal has been

written about these issues, but not much of it deals with the fundamentals: How

can work relate to our deepest human values? How can it help us realize our

full human potential? Can we bridge the gap between working for others and

working for ourselves? Can we bridge the gap between company time and

personal life?

0.1 Needed: A Vision of Mastery

We seem to need a new vision of workthat doesnt depend on any particular

structures for its meaning. We need a

vision that doesnt focus primarily on

the companys productivity and profit,

but guides us toward mastery and peak

performance in all aspects of work.

This vision should (1) lead to highest-

quality productivity, (2) foster fulfill-

ment and deep realization while

working, and (3) not be limited by use

of any particular objects, structures,styles, processes, or habits.

We wont significantly improve our

situation by another quick fixnew

government regulations or job

programs, another corporate reorgani-

zation, a new management style, or a

new type of performance appraisal. As

Matthew Fox says, Fiddling with

leaves is not going to cure an ailing tree;

just as one cures an ailing tree bytreating its roots, so we cure the crisis in

work by treating the root meaning and

purpose of work.2

2. Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work (San

Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), p. 3.


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Context for the Text

We need a vision of work that

doesnt depend on

any particular structures

for its meaning.

Results in No Time introduces a new vision of work, a vision that can support

discovery of deeply rooted virtue within ever-changing work environments.

Dialogs and exercises in this book explore these questions: How does our

workour ability to accomplish thingschange as we become masterful?

As we develop our potential, what happens to personal will, effort, and

control? As ones experience deepens, how does the experience of time

change? How does the experience of identity change? What happens to

desire, aversion, need, and fulfillment?

0.2 Context for the Text

It's difficult to identify and sort out the sources contributing to the ideas and

images portrayed in this book. However, some of the influences are quite

clear. The Time, Space, and Knowledge and Love of Knowledge books by

Tarthang Tulku have been the primary influence. These books and others that

strongly inspired me are listed in the bibliography. A great deal of what

appears in Results in No Time summarizes discoveries from workshops I

conducted over a five-year period with approximately fifteen hundred people.

The style of the text was inspired by The One-Minute Manager, by KennethBlanchard and Spencer Johnson.

The purpose ofResults in No Time is to provide an accessible entryway to a

powerful, long-range vision. However, the book is not intended as a quick fix,

nor does it thoroughly cover everything that it introduces. Understanding and

embodying aspects of the vision presented here can take years.


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Preface: Revisioning Work

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When you readResults in No Time, please dont read it the way we normally

read things. Be active. Watch with awareness what happens when you read it.

Relate the discussions to your life experiences. Question what you read: How

is this like what I've seen? Does this disagree with my experience? How does

it differ? Do the Time Out exercises and see what happens. Write down what

happens when you do the Time Outswriting can bring unexpected insight.

See whether this book can lead you on an adventurous discovery!

Steve Randall

November, 1997


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Chapter 1

The Quest

There was a man named Michael who liked to do his best in everything,

including his work. Michael was dedicated to finding out about excellence

and virtue.

His search had lasted several years. During this time he had travelled across

the Western world.

As part of his quest, he had talked to many individuals who were reputed to

be optimal workers1masters of all essential aspects of work.

1. In this book the word workis used in a broad sense, meaning a task that were trying to

accomplish. Its not just what were paid for. So a worker is simply someone who is trying

to accomplish something.


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Chapter 1: The Quest

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He had spoken with homemakers, construction workers, managers of large

corporations, artists, clerics, teachers, nurses, therapists, salespeople, secre-

taries, scientists, hotel managers, and clerks.

He had seen a broad spectrum of how people work. But he was still not

completely satisfied with what he saw.

1.1 Results-OrientedOptimal Workers

Most optimal workers he interviewed were employed in corporations, large

and small. They got excellent results in objective reality.

When Michael asked them about keys to their success, they replied: A focus

on results.Identifying priority goals and scheduling the work necessary to

reach the goals.Commitment to the corporation.Being proactive.

Most of their fellow workers thought they were the most productive workers

around. But some of their colleagues thought otherwise.

To Michael it was apparent that for these results-oriented workers, the preoccu-

pation with goals took a toll on their overall enjoyment of life.

They looked somewhat tired. These people got a lot done, yet their health

suffered in the process. And the chronic pressure they considered normal had

a negative effect on their relationships with co-workers, friends, and families.


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People-OrientedOptimal Workers

Although these peak performers had much to show for their efforts, their

preoccupation with results in external reality seemed to have its drawbacks.

1.2 People-OrientedOptimal Workers

Michael also met a few acknowledged optimal workers who were people

oriented. They were primarily concerned with improving their own and

others level of health and happiness.

He found that they were generally less admired than those who were results-

oriented. But they were recognized for exceptionally creative, caring, and

even heroic contributions in their fields. Often they were working in the arts,

education, the service sector, and in human resources departments of

corporations.

When Michael asked them about keys to their success, they replied: A

commitment to quality. Following intuition. Caring for others.

Service.Being aware of thoughts and feelings.

To these people, well-being and the quality of life was of utmost importance;

results were important but secondary.

Many of their fellow workers thought they were the most effective workers

around. Yet some of their colleagues thought otherwise.

To Michael it was clear that for these workers, their preoccupation with

internal realities took a toll on their level of productivity. Most of them

didn't have as much material progress to show for their efforts as those optimal

workers who were results-oriented.

Focusing on subjective reality seemed to have its drawbacks.


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1.3 The Possibility of a True Optimal Worker

All the peak performers that Michael had met were focused primarily on either

results or experiencethey were either outwardly directed or inwardly

directed.

He saw that both these approaches to work were only partially effective; neither

was without side-effects.

Time Out!

Heres a question for you, the reading explorer:

Of the people you have seen working in various organizations, which ones

are results-oriented and which are people-oriented? Do any individuals

somehow balance the two concerns? Make some notes about these people

in the space below.


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Another Prospect

He travelled home to Davenport tired and disappointed.

But something was still stirring inside him. He had a sense that there was, or

could be, another type of worker. He saw no reason why someone couldnt be

goal-oriented as well as concerned with their own and others well-being.

A true peak performer

would produce results

while improvingwell-being.

A true peak performer, he thought, would somehow be able to combine these

approaches, producing extraordinary results while improving health and well-

being.

He envisioned being a true optimal worker, integrating the two approaches

without suffering the drawbacks of either of them.

1.4 Another Prospect

One day Michael heard from an old friend about someone named Jed Adams,

who in recent years had earned quite a reputation as a masterful worker. Jed

Adams was a newspaper reporter who worked in Rock Island. He was well

known for being an unusually happy person, and he had a marvelous effect on

everyone around.

Jed was equally well known as the most efficient employee at his company.

Michael's friend said, I heard that Adams is so efficient that he can usually

turn a difficult situation around in no time at all. I guess that's why his co-

workers sometimes call him the timeless worker.

He travelled home to Davenport tired and disappointed.

But something was still stirring inside him. He had a sense that there was, or

could be, another type of worker. He saw no reason why someone couldn't be

goal-oriented as well as concerned with their own and others well-being.

A true peak performer

would produce results

while improvingwell-being.

A true peak performer, he thought, would somehow be able to combine these

approaches, producing extraordinary results while improving health and well-

being.

He envisioned being a true optimal worker, integrating the two approaches

without suffering the drawbacks of either of them.

0.1 Another Prospect

One day Michael heard from an old friend about someone named Jed Adams,

who in recent years had earned quite a reputation as a masterful worker. Jed

Adams was a newspaper reporter who worked in Rock Island. He was well

known for being an unusually happy person, and he had a marvelous effect on

everyone around.

Jed was equally well known as the most efficient employee at his company.

Michael's friend said, I heard that Adams is so efficient that he can usually

turn a difficult situation around in no time at all. I guess that's why his co-

workers sometimes call him the timeless worker.


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Michael wondered whether Adams was really any different from the other

optimal workers he had met. Well, he thought, maybe I should try to get

together with Adams. After all, it wouldnt require a long trip since he works

just across the river.

Michael called the newspaper to try to meet with Adams. The person answering

the phone said, So you want to talk to the timeless worker! I'll put you through

to him.

Michael thought, Timeless worker, eh? The phone rang again. There was a

click.

Jed Adams at your service.

A little stunned, Michael said, Hi, my name is Michael Stewart. I got your

name from a friend who said you might be a good person for me to meet. Ive

been interviewing people wholike meare interested in masterful work, and

might help me learn how to combine a results orientation with a concern for

health and well-being on the job.

Thats great, said Jed. Sounds like we have similar interests. Im one of a

group of local people who are researching masterful living. Want to talk over

lunch sometime?

Sure. Name the day.

How about noon on Thursday?

Great. Ill see you then. Thanks.

Michael was really intrigued now.


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Chapter 2

A Virtuous Lunch

2.1 The Virtue of Timelessness

At Jeds office, Michael introduced himself to Adams, took off his jacket, and

said, When I called the newspaper, the person at the switchboard called you

a timeless worker. Why is that?

Well, Jed replied, Im fascinated by timelessness, whether within work life

or not. Its a lodestar. A nonpersonal guide, a virtue1, an integral aspect of

masterful living. A facet of all peak experiences. My deepest experiences

always have a timeless quality, never a normal experience of time flowing.

With a bit of confusion, Michael said, They dont have an experience of time

flowing?

No, the best times are actually timelessnesses, occasions that have little

or no feeling of time passing relentlessly and out of control from past to

present to future.

Michael looked up toward the wall. Hmmm, Im not sure I ever really

thought about that.

How about you, Michael? What is the quality of time or timelessness within

the best episodes of your life?

1. Virtue can be defined as a valued quality, or a valued facet of experience.


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Chapter 2: A Virtuous Lunch

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Time Out!Heres a question for you, the reading explorer:

How would you respond to Jeds question? What is the quality of time or

timelessness within the best episodes of your life? Recall three peak

experiences and make some notes about the quality of time or timeless-

ness in each.


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The Virtue of Unobstructed Flow

Michael sorted through a number of memorable occasions, then settled on

one: I recall being at the beach one wonderfully warm vacation day, lying

peacefully on my blanket, just listening to the waves and watching the clouds.

I was really relaxed, not a care in the world. I was just there, unaware of time,

not feeling pressured by what was next on the schedule.

So you werent aware of time passing?

No, said Michael between munches on his sandwich. Or at least not

mucheven though I was probably there for hours.

Jed opened a small refrigerator in the corner of his office. Would you like

something to drink?

Yes, thanks. One of those mineral waters would be great.

2.2 The Virtue of Unobstructed Flow

Another memorable high experience drew Michaels attention. There was

another occasion when I was working at the bank, preparing documents for

the end-of-year tax filing. I had a great deal to do, but I got into it, and after

a while it just seemed like everything went by itself. Everything fell in line,

with no effort on my part. It was exhilarating.


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Were you aware of time passing? Jed asked.

Well, Im not sure. There was a lot of activity,2 but I wasnt struggling against

some momentum of time the way I often do. And there was no sense of past,

present, or future.

Can you say more?

2. In the examples of peak experience that youthe readerthought of, did you conclude that

time passed quickly? If so, consider this: Did time really flow quickly, or was it only after

some uninterrupted activity during which there was no feeling of time that you came out of the

activity, looked at a clock, remembered when you started, and then interpreted that 'the time'

must have flown?


Have you had the feeling when working on something that it took no

effort? That it just flowed with its own kind of momentum? Make some

notes about any such experiences.

Time Out!


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The Virtue of Unobstructed Flow

Things flowed in a way that was enjoyable and exhilarating, rather than with

the typical anxiety and pressure. Maybe I was so engrossed in what was

happening that there was no room for time.

And you said things went effortlessly?

Yes, as if I wasnt there. And as if the usual resistance in getting things done

just wasnt there.

Your experience reminds me of the eye of a hurricane. A hurricane can give

the appearance that a lot is happening, yet there is no disturbance within the

whirlwind of activitylike nothing is happening.

A hurricane can give the

appearance that a lot is

happening, yet there is no

disturbance within.

Thats a good analogy. I wasnt struggling with my work in the typical race

against time. There was no one disturbed within the whirlwind of tax

preparation.

So, Michael, if we understand the word timeless to mean without the

common feeling of time flowing from past to present to future, then even

though this peak experience of yours had lots of action, it looks like an

example of timeless activity.

I guess so.

Your two examples match what everyone else Ive talked to has said. The

best times of life seem to have a timeless facet. The usual friction of time

just isnt there. In addition, the second example illustrates another virtue,

which the people in our research group call unobstructed flow.


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You mean the effortless, uncontrolled energy of the check sorting? Michael

asked.

Exactly. Adams took a drink.

2.3 The Best Results Appear in No Time

But getting back to your original question of why some co-workers call me a

timeless worker, said Adams, as weve discussed, the best of everything

seems to be timeless. And that includes my best work. When I'm at my best, I

don't experience time passing. And I talk about this so much around here that

they call me a timeless worker.

I see.

Did you notice that plaque? Jed pointed to the side wall.

Michael squinted and read aloud: When working, you get the best results in

no time.

Jed leaned back in his seat. This guiding principle has been very useful for

some of us here. If we notice a sense of time flowing in the background of expe-

rience, we know that our work is not optimal, not what it could be.

When working,

you get

the best results

in no time!


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The Research Group

Michael looked a little puzzled. What does the word best mean in this

principle?

Best means having the highest productivity, the highest quality of product,

and the greatest sense of well-being.

And by no time you mean no time the way we normally experience it?

Yes.

2.4 The Research Group

This may seem like a strange question, Michael said, but do you consider

yourself a results-oriented worker or a people-oriented worker?

I do want to produce results, and high-quality results too. But thats far from

all. Im interested in excellence, virtuosity in all aspects and times of my life,

including health and well-being.

Maybe you are what I call an optimal worker, someone who balances

results with a concern for the quality of ones experience.

Let me show you something. Jed opened a desk drawer, took out a sheet of

paper, and handed it to Michael. As I mentioned before, I have a group of

close friends who are very dedicated to improving all aspects of their lives.

Weve been researching, writing, discussing, and testing things for years.

Most of our inquiry has been centered around the questions on that page.3

Jed continued. To explore these questions we read widely, observe experi-

ence, discuss things, try things out, and make changes.

These questions seem important for all of us, Michael remarked, even if

we dont explore them in an organized way as your group is doing.

3. The questions are on the next page.


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1. What happens to personal will, effort, and control

as one develops?

2. Whats the source or cause of things? How does

experience arise? How do answers to these ques-

tions change as one changes?

3. How does the experience of accomplishing things

change as we excel?

4. How does the experience of space, boundaries,

objects, and the world change as we become more

virtuous?

5. How do personal space and mind change?

6. How does identity change?

7. Where does knowing happen?

8. What happens to the content of knowing?

9. What happens to our typical fragmentation of

being? How do health and wholeness arise?

10. What happens to desire, need, and fulfillment as

we come to live life to the fullest?

11. How does the experience of time change?

12. How does the perception of reality seem to change

as one matures?


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The Circle of Life

2.5 The Circle of Life

Of course there are many more questions that can be asked about human

development, but these twelve have served us well. You and I have been

inquiring about question #1 and especially #11. Adams took another paper

out of his file drawer and put it on the desk.

Thats called the Circle of Life?4

Yes. Its a portrayal of what happens in life as our ordinary existence trans-

forms to masterful living. We dont think this diagram is the final word on

virtue or excellence, but it represents our findings so far.

Each radius of the circle has a number from 1 to 12, so the radii seem to

correspond to the twelve questions, Michael observed.

Right, Michael, and other radiior dimensions, as we also call themcould

be used to represent other useful questions besides these twelve.

Why are there two sets of words, one set near the center and one near the

outside?

Jed pointed to the figure. The central part of the circle represents different

facets of a fairly enlightened perspective, while the periphery representsaspects of our usual Western cultural view.

So looking at the part of radius #1 near the periphery, I see that self-effort

and controlling are aspects of our typical cultural view.

Right.

And near the center, on dimension #1, it looks like unobstructed flow and

no controlling represent parts of a fairly enlightened view?

Yes. And our trip toward mastery in life can be imagined as moving fromthe periphery of the circle toward the virtues at the center, including moving

from the outer point of radius #1 toward the center.

4. See the diagram on the next page.


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1Flow

4Objective

Space

3Accomplishment

2Creativity

12Feelingof reality

10

Need andfulfillment

7Locus ofknowing 6

Identity

5Mentalspace

8Content

of knowing

9Well-being

11Feelingof time

comprehensive

creativity

nonlimited clock time,

nondirected goal-

awareness

container space,

dimensioned space

undivided space,

nonextended space

merging,

mind meld

separate self,

owner of experience

positionless

knowing

categorizing,

dichotomizing

clear awareness,

luminous content

fragmentation wholeness,

integration

nondeficient

appreciation,

fulfillment

timelessness

perceiving substance

dimensionless

appearance

self-consciousness,

private space,

personal space

selflessness,

ownerless happening

and knowing

mental understanding,localized knowing

goal-oriented,

limiting capacity,

seeking completion

habit,

sameness

self-effort,

struggling,

controlling,

resistance,

will power,discipline

linear time,

constant flow of time,

past, present, future separate

seeking,

neediness

unobstructed flow,

no controlling,

coordination

A Circle of Life


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How It Works with Work

Then is the virtue unobstructed flow something like the answer to ques-

tion #1?

Yes, in a way.5 The answers at the center are what weve found to be central

to living all of life to the fullestwhat you might call optimal living or

virtuous living. And all these central features taken together might be called

our vision for living masterfully.

Then this vision includes timelessness, dimensionless appearance, unob-

structed flow, comprehensive creativity, and so on, all the way around the

center?

Exactly. And just as we can imagine more radii than the twelve weve got

here, on additional radii there might be additional virtues. Jed leaned back in

his chair.

2.6 How It Works with Work

How does all this relate to work? asked Michael.

What is represented on the circle is different facets of perspectives. Now

given any workor any other activity, for that matterthat work can be done

with many different perspectives.

Can you give me an example?

Ok. You can sort checks with a view thats timeless, or you can race against

time while sorting checks. The timeless facet is here at the center, Jed said,

pointing to the inner part of dimension #11, while racing against time is part

oflinear time, a feature near the periphery.

All right, I think I understand. This circle depicts how we do things and not

what we do?

5. But of course the answerto any question is different from embodimentof the virtue that the

answer represents.


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Yes, thats a pretty good way to put it.6 Anything can be done with lots of

different world-views, whose features are presented on the circle.

2.7 The Power, Scope, and Precision of the Vision

Looking down at the circle, Michael discovered several interesting words near

the center. Here I see fulfillment, wholeness, and integration, which are

ideals of a people-oriented worker. He started to wonder whether he had found

a true optimal worker, someone able to get results while improving well-being.

Michael scanned the other parts at the center. Im not familiar with these other

virtues. He looked up at Jed. Im starting to suspect that theres more to

optimal work than simply balancing results with well-being. Maybe lumping

everything into these two categoriesresults and well-beingis too crude.

Dimension #9 offers us some help in improving well-being, and dimension #3

helps optimize the way that we work on something. Working with only these

two dimensions, however, does not provide the same precision and comprehen-

siveness thats available by using all twelve whenever possible.

I was beginning to think something along those lines.

The optimal way to improve

anything is to facilitate

improvement along all twelve of

these dimensions.

6. Michaels statement seems to presume that a doeris always at center stage in focal settings.

But as we develop, the doer becomes less and less pronounced.


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The Power, Scope, and Precision of the Vision

Our groups hypothesis is that the optimal way to improve anything, whether

work or not, is to facilitate improvement along all twelve of these dimensions

whenever opportunities present themselves.7

That is a much more comprehensive concept of progress than the focus on

results that is so highly touted these days. Michael continued, You said

earlier that even more than twelve dimensions might be identified?

Yes, and we suspect that if further research reveals a greater number of

important dimensions, progress could be even more direct and precise.

Well, Ive got lots of difficulty with time. Id like to learn more about #11,

the dimension marked with timelessness and the usual experience oflinear

time. How would you describe linear time?

Id love to get into that, Michael, but my lunch hour is over. Why dont you

take this . . . . Jed opens another desk drawer. Heres a cassette tape that

should give you some feeling for what we mean by linear time.

Ill listen to it.

We can discuss these things more if you like. How about at dinner next

Tuesday?

I think that would be just fine. Where should we meet?

Theres a great Italian place with a beautiful view of the river not far from

here. Want to meet here at the office at 5:30pm?

Sure. Ill see you then. Thanks, Jed.

Thank you, Michael. Take care.

7. Perhaps its best to consider statements like this to be provisionally true hypotheses: In

each model . . . there is a place that remains impenetrable. The limited knowledge allowed

within the model is positioned in a specific way . . . . Tarthang Tulku,Love of Knowledge

(Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1987), p. 134.


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21

Chapter 3

Making Time

At home that evening, after the kids went to bed, Michael went into the den

and put the cassette that Jed had given him into his tape player.

3.1 The Time Calling Exercise

He started the tape and sat down in his favorite chair.

Soon a voice announced, This cassette tape should give you some feeling for

the Western cultural view of time, which we call linear time. The tapecontains a short exercise that can demonstrate how your perspective on time

gets set up within a moment.

At the end of the exercise youll be asked to write some notes, so now it

would be helpful to get a notepad and something to write with.

The voice continued: During this exercise I'm going to say some words and

phrases about time. Just attend to your experience and see what thoughts and

feelings you associate with the phrases I say. Its most helpful to pay partic-

ular attention tofeelings of time.

The voice began saying a series of phrases about time. There was a phrase

followed by a short period of silence, then another phrase, another silence, and

so on:

An hour ago . . .


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Chapter 3: Making Time

22

One hour from now . . .

Early this morning . . .

Later this evening . . .

Yesterday . . .

Tomorrow . . .

Last Monday . . .

Next Monday . . .

Two weeks ago . . .

Two weeks from now . . .

Last month . . .

Next month . . .

Last winter . . .

Next winter . . .

Last year . . .

Next year . . .

Five years ago . . .

Five years from now . . .

Ten years ago . . .

Ten years from now . . .

OK, the voice said, thats the end of the series of phrases. Now please write

some notes about your experience. Your feelings of time are especially

noteworthy.


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The Time Calling Exercise

Time Out!Its unlikely that youll get whats available with this exercise just by

reading. You can either ask a friend to read the phrases to you, or make

your own cassette recording of the time calling exercise.

Whether a friend reads the phrases to you or you make a tape, make sure

that consecutive phrases are separated by from seven to ten seconds of

silence. This silent period will allow an experience of linear time to set

up.

As the phrases are read, do you notice how past, present, and future get set

up in your experience? You can make notes on the exercise in the space

below.


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3.2 Setting Up Time Within a Moment?

Michael thought about what happened. That was very interesting. But I

wonder what he meant by feelings of time? . . .

Well, I did notice a feeling of swinging back and forth from one phrase to the

next. There was a phrase; then there was a swing toward the past as I thought of

something; there was a phrase about the future; then there was a swing toward

the future as another image came to mind; and so on. Back and forth, along a

line. . . . Maybe thats what they mean by linear time. . . . It was almost like

watching a tennis match while standing near the net. . . .

I never noticed a feeling of time swinging into place like that before. Thisexercise has definitely given me a better awareness of thefeeling of time.

The voice came on again: As the phrases were read, did you notice how past,

present, and future got set up in your experience within a moment? It might be

helpful to make some notes about this.

Michael pondered. How past, present, and future got set up within a moment?

. . . What does that mean? . . . There was an image about the past, then some-

thing about the future. . . . But what could it mean that they get set up within a

moment? . . . It was interesting how each phrase evoked a swing into a past or

future that sort of came out of nowhere. . . . Maybe it had something to do withcoming out of nowhere.

Walking around that evening, Michael noticed an unusual fluidity in his expe-

rience. He also felt that somehow past and future didnt seem so removed, or

separate from the present. I wonder if these experiences have something to do

with the exercise, he thought.

3.3 Making Time for TV

The following evening, Michael was at home finishing up a report for work the

next day. The writing was going really well. This is great, he thought. At

this rate Ill be done in another twenty or thirty minutes.


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Making Time for TV

He got into it more, and things flowed even better. He got so involved in the

writing that he wasnt aware of time passing at all. It was an undistracted,

timeless experience. A peak experience. No divisions between past, present,

and future.

But at some point he got confused. Now what? I need a transition here. He

didnt know what would work.

Rather than face the confusion head on, and really pay attention to it, Michael

got distracted. He looked at the clock. Ten minutes to eight. . . . Ten minutes

to eight?! Our favorite show is on at eight!

Maybe I could do this after the show. . . . Sure, why not? Theres an hour

after the show when I could do this.

But Michael began to feel a little guilty. Hed be wasting time watching TV.

Especially when his work was going so well. Maybe I better just continue.

This is probably the best time to do this.


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26

In the living room he heard someone turn the TV on. Ill finish this later.

Michael went in to watch the show with his family.

Watching the show turned out to be enjoyable, but not as much as it usually was.

Before long, the first commercials were on. Was that fifteen minutes already?

Only forty-five minutes more, he thought, then its back to work.

Soon the show was half over, and he felt the postponed job closing in on him.

He definitely felt time passing. I wonder if this is the linear time on the

outside of the circle of life?

As the show went on, Michaels awareness remained divided. He was watching

TV, but every few minutes hed think about the writing. It was definitely not as

enjoyable as usual.

Before long the show ended. Michael said goodnight to his kids and went back

to work.


Have you had experiences like Michaels? Occasions when your aware-

ness was divided between present activities and anticipations of

something dreaded closing in on you from the future? Can you recall the

feeling of times pressure in those occasions? Make some notes about

these occasions in the space below.

Time Out!


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27

Making Time for TV

Having finished the report, Michael brushed his teeth. He told his wife Amy,

Its interesting how big a change there was in my experience of time tonight.

What happened? Amy asked.

Soon after I started writing the bank report I was engrossed, timelessly

involved. That went on for a while, till I stopped to watch the show. Then I

found myself really aware of time. Time was flowing and it felt like the job

was closing in on me.

That does sound like quite a big change, Amy said.

Yeah, in just a few minutes it went from timelessness to lots of anxiety and

pressure about time.

During the next few days, before meeting with Adams again, Michael was

more aware of time than usual.


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29

Chapter 4

Dinner With a Choice

of Views

Michael Stewart and Jed Adams sat down at their table in the restaurant. Soon

Michael spoke. As I said before we parted last time, Id like to learn more

about the dimension including timelessness and linear time. Would you

tell me what you mean by linear time out on the periphery of #11?

Linear time is a feature of our Western cultural view of things. This world-

view was apparently initiated by Newton some 300 years ago.1 It portrays

time as an absolute physical reality, and says that the passage of time is inde-pendent of consciousness.

What do you mean by, Time is independent of consciousness?

It doesnt matter what you think, feel, or do, or how you look at time, time

doesnt change as a result.

Michael thought a while. To me, that sounds like the way time should work.

If clock time was relative, it wouldnt be useful. A standard measurement of

time makes it possible to coordinate our activities by knowing what time it is

no matter where we are on the globe.

1. Larry Dossey, Space, Time & Medicine (Boston: Shambhala, 1982), p. 231.


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Chapter 4: Dinner With a Choice of Views

30

4.1 Images of Linear Time

I agree with you. But there is much more to time than clock times abstract

indexing of physical events. Time isnt just a conceptual structure. Its also a

felt experience. In fact, its a wide variety of experiences.

Yes. I did the cassette tape exercise a few times, and I saw how thinking about

the future or the past involves a kind of energy projecting back and forth along

a line. So its pretty clear to me now that time involves thesefeelingsnot just

thinking about what time it is.

The River of TimeI was hoping that the tape would clarify that. Jed looked out at the Missis-

sippi. In our culture most temporal experiences can be represented by four

metaphors. In the first, time is a river, and were caught in the current. We feel

out of control, helpless and unable to change time's relentless flow.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the number of things to do and keep up

with. Is that the kind of thing you mean?


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Images of Linear Time

Thats part of it, Jed replied. The linear time out on the periphery of #11 is

a kind of combination of the actual feeling we have of time slipping from one

moment to another, and all these feelingslike overwhelm and anxietythat

we have about time.

Your phrase slipping from one moment to another reminds me of an expe-

rience I had a few days ago. I was watching my favorite TV show, but I could

hardly enjoy the show because I just kept thinking about a report I had to

finish after the show was over. The feeling of time passing was really strong.

And when I was working on the report before the show began, I had one of

those great timeless experiences, too. The contrast between timelessness and

the river of time was stark.

The Conveyor Belt

So this river of time is one image of linear time, Jed continued. In a similar

image time is like a horizontal conveyor belt that moves from past to present

to future at the same unchangeable speed for all of us.2

2. Edward T. Hall, The Dance of Life (New York: Doubleday, 1983), pp. 78-9.


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And it doesnt matter what we think or feel or do?

Right. That impression is part of all these images of the linear view. With the

conveyor belt, as with the river of time, we feel out of control, helpless and

unable to change time's relentless movement. Anxiety and pressure about time

are facts of life.

Do these feelings seem unchangeable because we presume that time is inde-

pendent of us?

Yes. Then we can only try to adaptto time. It appears to us as unchangeable.

The Treadmill

They ordered from the menu, then Jed continued. Sometimes time's conveyor

seems like a treadmill that were on. Everythings boring and repetitious. It

feels like a drag. Maybe it even feels purposeless, like its not going anywhere.


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Winning the Battle Against Time

Im familiar with that. Sometimes it seems like the best I can do is keep up

with things. Its impossible to get ahead, but I cant get out of the rat race.

Yes, life can appear to be an endless series of challenges that we can't

escape.

Thats three different images of linear time. Any more? Michael asked as

the waiter brought bread to the table.

The Hourglass

Theres an hourglass metaphor. When were born were given an hourglass

full of the sands of time. With a normal hourglass, after the sand runs into thebottom half, we turn the hourglass upside down, and then we can measure out

more time. But it seems like our hourglasses are broken at the bottom. So the

sand runs out and we try to catch it, but it just slips through our fingers.

Im familiar with that feeling also. Its like times running out. We dont

have enough of it.

Right. Were anxious, and sometimes theres fearwe might even be afraid

of death. This image portrays very well our feeling that time is limited.

4.2 Winning the Battle Against Time

With all these views, time seems like an enemy, something were struggling

against, Michael observed.

Yes, the struggle or race against time is built into all these images of the

linear view.

This may be a dumb question, but do you see any way to win this battle?

No. But we have various tricks that we use to try to win. Procrastination is

one. Procrastinating is like swimming at right angles to the current in the river

of time, getting up on the bank, and then watching time roll by.


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But when I procrastinate, Michael said, as I did with my report the other

night, things get worse. I couldnt enjoy watching TV.

Yes, its impossible to enjoy things deeply without being fully involved. And

you also said it worsened your experience of time. Using the weapon of

procrastination in our struggle with time has drawbacks.

So that doesnt help. What about all the time management practices? Ive been

using them for years now, and theyve been helpful.

Yes, they can be helpful, even necessary. I use time management techniques

too, but by themselves they dont win the struggle against time.


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Seeing Through Times Persuasiveness

What do you mean?

Time management is usually done within the struggle with linear time. We

make our to-do lists, prioritize, delegate, look at papers only once, and so on

all while we feel pressure and anxiety about time flowing in the background.

Time management doesnt directly address ourfelt experience of struggling

with time.

Time management techniques

by themselves dont win thestruggle against time.

Could you say more?

Time management believes in the images of the river, conveyor, hourglass,

and treadmill. It usually presumes that the river of time really does flow

between past, present, and future, and theres nothing we can do to stop it. It

just offers us different ways to swim as were swept downstream by thecurrent.

Michael made a discouraged face. It sounds pretty futile.

By itself time management doesnt seem to provide much leverage in our

struggle. We dont get any closer to the center of the circle, no closer to time-

lessness. But as I said before, it can be very helpful if combined with ways of

dealing with linear time directly.

4.3 Seeing Through Times Persuasiveness

Well, if we cant win the battle against time, do we just resign ourselves to

endless struggling?


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No, and we dont need to give up either. Struggling and giving up still presume

that the images of the linear view are real. They still believe in the truth of

the images.

Theyre not true?

These are all more-or-less-convincing views, not the reality about time, or

the way things are, even though a built-in part of the images is the message

that this is the way time is, and it cant be changed.

What are our options?

If we recall our discussion of the timeless view, things felt effortless when

timeless. There was no struggle at all.

So linear times message that this struggle with time cant be changed is not

always true.

Right. During timelessnesses there is no friction.

Feelings that seem to bebuilt into the fabric of time

are simply convincing features

of the limiting linear images.

Jed rolled some spaghetti onto his fork and continued. And other feelings that

often seem to be so realistic or objectivebuilt into the fabric of timeare

also simply convincing aspects of these peripheral views. Feelings of anxiety,overwhelm, pressure, lack of control, fear of death, boredom, endless troubles,

and the sense of built-in limits to how much we can accomplishthese are not

facets of timelessnesses.

I guess youre right.


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Seeing Through Times Persuasiveness

Those convincing feelings are only features of the limiting linear images.

They are only signs of linear time.

Jed took a drink, then continued. So rather than being convinced by what

these feelings tell us of the truth about time, we might be able to see

through them.

Just ignore them?

No, that would still attribute a certain degree of reality to them. We canattend to them, but see through their apparent reality. Like theyre mirages.

Just recognize them for what they aresomewhat convincing presentations,

but not the way things are.

Then we move toward timelessness at the center of the circle?

Yes, graduallybut directlyand with hardly any effort. Its an easy,

natural approach.

That type of approach seems fitting, because it goes toward timelessness,

which doesnt involve efforting.

Good point, Michael. Jed raised his glass. Heres a toast to to your

becoming a virtuous worker!

Thanks, and mayyourvirtue increase!

anxiety

pressure

overwhelm

Lineartime


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4.4 The Habit of Time

Timelessness is a natural perspective. Little kids have no feeling of time

passing. We learn the habit of experiencing time a certain way, depending on

which culture we grow up in. Most of us in the West are so addicted to linear

time that we dont know it. Some Western cultures, howeverfor example,

some Native Americansdont learn to experience time the same way as the

rest of us.3

This suggests that our perspectives of time are at least somewhat flexible.

Michael leaned back and adjusted his napkin. Do you have any idea of how

our sense of time passing is created?

I can give a couple of examples that shed some light on the process. My wife

Becky and I were at the end of a wonderful weekend at a lake in Wisconsin. We

had both slowed down to the point where we just timelessly looked out on the

lake as the sun went down below a cloak of color. But she had to leave on a

business trip that evening. After she packed her bags, we said goodbye. I felt

very sad. But rather than deal with the sadness, I started thinking about when

wed be together again, a week later. As we put her things into the car I said, I

miss you already. And I actually did feel a bit as though she had already left.

Time slipped by quickly as I unsuccessfully tried to savor the last moments with

her.

Thats very much like the change from timelessness to linear time that I felt

when finishing my report a few days ago.

3. Edward T. Hall, The Dance of Life (New York: Doubleday, 1983), pp. 27-40.


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Unwitting Creativity

I think what happened was that I avoided the sadness, and then the repressed

sadness energy showed up as my intensified feeling of time passing.

So the sadness was somehow transformed into a feeling of time?4

I believe so. It seems that repressed energy like sadness doesnt just disap-

pear, it changes form.

4.5 Unwitting Creativity

Jed continued: Your example of procrastination is probably another good

example of how we create or intensify our SOTP.

SOTP?

Sorry, sense of time passing. Our group uses the phrase so much we abbre-

viate it to SOTP.

The waiter brought their coffee to the table, and Jed continued. Did you say

that before you procrastinated you were timelessly involved in your report

writing?

Right. I was engrossed, and there was no sense of time passing at all. No

conveyor and no sense of past, present, or future.

Then what happened?

I realized that my favorite TV program was coming on soon, and decided to

finish the job after the show.

What happened right before you started thinking about the TV show?

Not much. I got to a point in my writing where I was stuck.

How did you feel?

4. In addition, our feeling of space becomes more confining, and the sense of self seems more

separate and pronounced.


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I guess I was confused.

So its possible that rather than feel confused, you got distracted and started

thinking about the TV show.

I think youre right.

Then Jed summarized. So in my case it was sadness, in your case it was confu-

sion, but in either case there was some feeling that we didn t want to feel and

attend to. Rather than face the feeling, we started thinking about the future, a

better future. And soon we ended up being anxiously aware of time passing in

the background.

With a divided attention unable to fully appreciate what was right in front of

us, Michael added.

Before you procrastinated, there was no SOTP at all. There was no conveyor

belt at all, no feeling of past, present, and future. By procrastinating you created

the conveyor of time, or at least intensifed its flow.

The energy of the feeling that wedont like changes into the

experience of time passing.

So the energy of the feeling that we dont like is pushed away, and it changes

into the experience of time passing between past, present, and future?

Yes. The energy isnt lost, its just changed to a different form.

Can you say more about this change?


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A Breakdown of the Centers

4.6 A Breakdown of the Centers

We can look at it in terms of the head, throat, and heart energy centers.

Avoiding the feeling of confusion creates an imbalance in the flow of energy

through these three energy centers.5 The energy flow through the heart center

decreases, so we lose some contact with our sensations and feelings. As a

result we no longer have the natural fulfillment of full contact with feelings of

the heart.

So I dont enjoy the TV show as much as I could?

Right. And in my example, I have little success appreciating the last minutes

with my wife.

Jed continued. The energy flow through the head center increases, showing

up as a lot of labeling and thinking about our experience, trying to live in our

heads.

So Im watching TV, but once in a while I think about getting back to my

work.

And I am thinking about the next time my wife and I will be together.

The throat center becomes

agitatedthen we have the

experience of time with a

dissatisfied self

in the foreground.

5. Tarthang Tulku, Kum Nye Relaxation, Part I (Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1978), pp.

36-8.


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42

The waiter brought the bill to the table, and Jed picked it up and went on with

his explanation. The energy flow through the throat center, which is closely

associated with our SOTP, becomes agitated. So we then have the experience

of time flowing in the background between past, present, and future, with a

dissatisfied self in the foreground seeking some kind of satisfaction.

Perhaps by watching TV.

A good example. The self reaches out for satisfaction, looking to other people

to fulfill desires, or seeking out special things and activities. The self looks

forward to things, but then has difficulty fully appreciating them.

So the commonly perceived structure of time is actually a transformation of

energy that we dont like.

4.7 SOTP Stops Us

And I would go so far as to say that that repressed energy is all that constitutes

the common experience of time. The consensus of our research group is that

the sum total of our SOTP comes from having previously resisted these

energies.

Jed put his credit card on the table and continued. Its quite a remarkable

creation. Something that feels so real, yet is fabricated one small feeling at a

time.

Thats all there is to it? Theres no part of our SOTP that matches a standard

external flow of physical time? Isnt our internal flow somehow tracking a

real flow rate at which external events occur?

I dont believe so. The idea of a fixed or constant rate for time is simply part

of the linear view that we teach each other, as we discussed earlier. Scientists

have never discovered anything like a standard flow of time in nature.

6

In factthese days they say that time is relative to the observer.

6. Theflow of time is clearly an inappropriate concept for the description of the physical world

that has no past, present and future. Thomas Gold, Relativity and Time in The Encyclopedia

of Ignorance, ed. R. Duncan and M. Weston-Smith (New York: Pergamon, 1977), p. 100.


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SOTP Stops Us

Michael was silent awhile. "Thats very interesting. I guess Ive always

thought that my SOTP somehow reflected the real, constant rate at which all

events happen.

"Yes, thats what we learn. Then we go even farther and teach that if our

SOTP doesn't closely match some imagined rate of events, it's faulty and

inaccurate.

I know what you mean. We use the phrase losing track of time to indicate

a kind of negligence when our SOTP doesnt accurately track the imagined

external flow of time.

Michael recalled the previous point. So the sum total of our SOTP is

repressed energy from having resisted things.

And unfortunately its carried forward to whatever were doing. So I think

we can say that our SOTP is a measure of how much were holding back from

whatever were doing, how much we feel separate from an activity.


Has it seemed that your sense of time passing reflects some kind ofstan-

dard or constant flow of external time? Make some notes about this.

Time Out!


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Is that another guiding principle?

Yes. SOTP measures how much youre separate from whats happening.

Another of the principles our research group has been using and testing. You

can see another version framed in some of the offices around the Quint-Cities:

SOTP stops us. Whenever we find ourselves living out a scenario where time

seems like a threat or a drag, the principle can remind us of other possibilities.

I guess it could remind us that our situation can be improved if we somehow

move toward timelessness.

Yes. Jed signed the charge slip.

On the other hand, if were always in timelessness, how can we meet dead-

lines, or make appointments and keep them? Especially people like you for

whom deadlines are a way of life?

4.8 SOTP Vs. SOT

Want to go outside there and take a look at the river?

Sure, said Michael.

SOTP measures

how much youre

separate from

whats happening.


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SOTP Vs. SOT

Theres a difference between our sense of time and our SOTP. I have a

great SOT, or sense of time. That is, I am good at guessing the position of the

clocks handswhat the clock time isand use the information to meet my

deadlines. But having a good sense of time doesn't mean that I mustfeel time

passing. Theres a difference between the actual sensation of time flowing

and thoughts about clock time that just index events of our lives.

"So you're saying that yourfeeling of time passing, or SOTP, is different from

your sense of time, which is just the ability to know the current clock time?

Time Out!


Do you notice any feeling of time passing from moment to moment?

Make a note about this.

Now without looking at a clock or watch, guess what time it is. How is

this guessing where the clocks hands are located different from the

feeling of time? Make some notes about the differences.


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Yes, Adams said. I heard about an open-heart surgeon who is probably time-

lessly involved as he concentrates on the extremely difficult surgery. Yet while

he concentrates it is necessary for him to know clock time so that he can move

from one operating room to another and coordinate his part of the work with

others who prepare the patients for him. While engrossed, and not aware of a

typically presumedflow of time, he can still tell time with only half a minute

margin of error, without consulting a watch.7

Thats amazing.

Maybe it shows what is possible for us. Michael, have you ever tried to

'program yourself to wake up at a certain time?

Yes. In fact, I was able to do that a couple of times.

So your sense of time seemed to work even though you had no feeling of time

passing while you slept?

I guess that's true.

It seems logical to conclude that your feeling of time passing must be different

from your sense of time.

Having a goodsense of time

doesnt mean that I must feel

time passing.

Michael pointed farther up the river. Those paddlewheel boats are beautiful.

Yes. Ever been on one?

7. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (New York: Harper

& Row, 1990), p. 66.


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A Timely Suggestion

No, said Michael.

Jed returned to the topic. Its important to recognize the difference between

our SOT and SOTP. SOTP is a measure of our lack of involvement; it shows

how separate we are from whatever were doing.

So ideally it will gradually disappear, or transform toward timelessness.

Yes. But our SOT is quite useful, and we should not confuse it with our

SOTP. If we do, we might try to ignore watches and clocks and stop thinking

about the past and future.

That would make it really hard to get along in modern society. Michael

summarized: So ideally we would keep or even improve our SOT while

dismantling our SOTP.

Exactly. And thats what seems to happen as we move to excellence, toward

the center of the circle of life.

Michael glanced at his watch. I need to leave in a few minutes to meet my

wife at the movie. Then Michael realized what had just happened. Thats

interesting. I had a good idea of what time it was in spite of being fairly time-

lessly absorbed in our dialoganother confirmation of the independence of

SOT and SOTP.

4.9 A Timely Suggestion

Got time for me to tell you about an exercise you can do at home? Jed asked.

Ive still got a few minutes. What is it?

Its an exercise that can further clarify the difference between SOT and

SOTP, as well as dismantle your SOTP a bit. I call it looking into the eye oftime.

What do I do?


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You watch the second hand of a clock, preferably a large clock that is a few

feet away from you. Keep a loose focus as you watch the hand move. Breathe

easily, gently, and smoothly through both nose and mouth, with the tip of your

tongue on the upper palate just in back of your front teeth.8

So I breathe smoothly and gently through the mouth and nose while watching

the second hand.

Yes. Watch for five minutes or so. As you continue, see if you can let the

breath become more and more even and continuous, without breaks or

jerkiness.

OK.

And here are some questions you might find interesting as you relax and

observe the movement: Does the SOTP change? If so, how? Does every

minute seem equally long? How are pressure and anxiety related to the flow of

time?

Ill see if I can recall those.

The next time we get together we could discuss your findings with this exper-

iment. Ive got a busy schedule the next two weeks. How about lunch on the

twenty-second?

Sure, back at your office again?

How about aboard that boat down there?

The Mississippi Queen?

Yes.

OK.

8. This breathing technique is described by Tarthang Tulku in Kum Nye Relaxation, Part I (Ber-

keley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1978), pp. 38-42.


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A Timely Suggestion

Time Out!Are youthe reading explorerready to try the exercise Jed suggested to

Michael? If so, make sure you have at least ten minutes when you wont

be interrupted or distracted, five minutes for watching the clock and five

minutes for thinking and writing.

Find a quiet place and set up a clock to watch, preferably a large clock that

is 7-8 feet away from where you will sit. You watch the second hand, and

concentrate loosely as you watch the hand move. Breathe easily, gently,

and smoothly through both nose and mouth, with the tip of your tongue onthe upper palate just in back of your front teeth.

Watch for five minutes or so. Before beginning, it can be helpful to set a

timer for five minutesa timer can relieve you of the need to track clock

time. As you continue, see if you can let the breath become more and more

even and continuous, without breaks or jerkinessthis is important!

As you relax and observe the movement you might explore these ques-

tions: Does the SOTP change? If so, how? Does every minute seem

equally long? How are pressure and anxiety related to the flow of time?

Make some notes about what happens.


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Chapter 5

Looking Into the Eye

of Time

5.1 First Session

Michael put a chair halfway across the room from the large clock in the den.

Then he set a timer for five minutes and sat down facing the clock.


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This is an unusual thing to do. Most of the time when I watch the clock Im

anxious, and Im doing something else. Well, lets get into it, he thought.

Jed said to breathe through the mouth and nose, very evenly. I heard that this

same type of breathing was used in Kum Nye practices,1 and in some martial

arts like Tai Chi.

Michael noticed some tension in his shoulders and relaxed it. Then he became

aware of breathing through nose and mouth, which was a new method for him.

The breathing feels a little unusual, but maybe Ill get used to it. . . .

Nothing interesting so far. he thought. He just saw a second hand going

around the way it always did.

Then he recalled the instructions. Im supposed to let the breathing slow down

a little, with each breath lasting longer than before. . . . Breathing is a little more

subtle in a way. . . . Theres still a kind of jumping back and forth between

noticing the second hand and attending to my breath. Maybe I can relax a little

more. . . .

Whoops. The hand seemed to jump five seconds there. I guess I lost track of

it for some reason. . . . Ugh, did I really think that? That reminds me of my

discussion with Jed about losing track of timewe feel we need to accurately

track some imagined external movement of time. I guess Im still stuck in that

perspective to some extent.

Well, the usual experience of tracking time is back, with myself sitting near the

typical conveyor belt of time moving from past to present to future. . . . But I m

not paying much attention to the breathing now, so Ill put a little more attention

on the breath and relax some more. . . . And gently focus on the movement of

the hand. . . .

Whoop, there I lost it again. In fact I lost the whole clock. . . . That was inter-

estingkind of like falling asleep. . . . Except that Ive been sitting here upright,

and I know that I didnt sleep. . . . At least not the way sleep usually feels. Butmy awareness was different somehow. . . . Whatever happened, Im back to

tracking time the normal way.

1. This breathing technique is described by Tarthang Tulku in Kum Nye Relaxation, Part I (Ber-

keley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1978), pp. 38-42.


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Second Session

The timer went off. Michael reached toward the desk for his notebook, then

wrote some notes about his experience: That five minutes went pretty fast.

Except of course for a couple of breaks in the middle where time didnt seem

to go at all. There was some insight about the belief that our SOTP is

supposed to track some kind of external time-flow. I found it was important

to just keep relaxing and balance awareness over both watching and

breathing.

5.2 Second Session

After watching the clock for a couple of minutes, Michaels breathing became

very even and regular, almost palpable. He wasnt trying to breath any certainway any more, and was hardly even aware of breathing as something separate

from the clock watching. . . .

He seemed able to just watch the second hand as a motion and not associate it

with time. The hand was just a thing moving timelessly in space.

Then a normal feeling of time returned. Wow. My breathing is a little

rougher, not so even. Maybe my breathing is closely related to the way I expe-

rience time.


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The timer went off. Michael reached for his notebook and wrote: Breathing

became very even, and almost palpable. Kind of nourishing somehow. Lost

track of breathing as a separate activity. Second hand was no longer a thing

and neither was the clock. There was just a motion, with no SOTP. Inter-

esting! Maybe thats why Jed calls this exercise looking into the eye of time.

It can be like the eye of a hurricane, where theres a combination of movement

and a feeling of no movement. Then normal time showed up. Quality of

breathing seemed related to experience of time. Perhaps my sense of myself as

a separate observer disappears when my SOTP disappears. And when time

returns, the observer returns, separate from a clock being watched.

My sense of myself as a separate

observer disappears when my

SOTP disappears.

As a result of his finding that breathing was closely related to his SOTP,

Michael tried to do the breathing through mouth and nose all day longexcept

when he was jogging, eating, talking, or sneezing.


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Third Session

5.3 Third Session

Lots of thoughts today. Hard to relax and slow down the breath. . . .

I wonder how much time is left. . . . The hands of the clock are very mean-

ingful to me now. Nothing interesting so far. . . . This reminds me of the

treadmill that Adams was talking about. Boring and repetitious. . . . I feel very

separate from the clock, and it definitely looks like a thing. . . .

Maybe if I focus more on the breathing. . . . And relax that tension behind my

eyes. . . . Now the breath is slowing. . . . Balance attention on hand. . . .

The timer went off. Wow. Those were some of the longest minutes Ive

spent doing this. He reached for the notebook and wrote: Hard to relax, lotsof thoughts. Very aware of regular SOTP, with myself separate from a thing

called a clock. Focused more on breath. Seems like the tension behind my

eyes was related to habitually looking outward for something.

5.4 Fourth Session

Over a couple of minutes Michaels breath became very even and regular,

almost shallow, as though he was hardly breathing. There was a deep sense

of relaxation, no anxiety at all. . . .

Then he came out of the concentration and commented: Its a little easier to

get relaxed each session. . . . Perhaps theres some kind of stability or balance

in my breathing as a result of practicing every day.


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Now to gently balance attention between breathing and movement of the hand.

. . .

There was a timelessnessfor who knows how long? Then there was a

tendency for the hand to emerge along with an observer. But noticing that

tendency made it possible to relax and let the structure of self-other-time

dissolve. . . .

The timer went off. Too bad that that periods over! Michael reached for the

notebook and wrote: I feel energized. Breath was very even, almost shallow.

Came out of it and commented, then balanced awareness over breath and move-

ment. A timelessness. Noticing how self and clock tended to emerge at poles

of clock watching activity made it possible to dissolve the subject-object

perspective and stay in an open space.


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Chapter 6

Gambling With

Deadline Pressure

Hi, Michael!

Hi, Jed. How are you?

Quite well, thanks. Shall we go aboard? I think theyre about ready to push

off.

Michael and Jed walked over the gangplank to the paddlewheeler. Once

seated inside the main dining room, Jed asked, Did you experiment with theexercise I gave you?

I sure did. And I made quite a few discoveries. But probably more impor-

tantly, it seems like my entire energy level has changed.

Really. Thats great.

And theres a feeling of balance that is somehow associated with the

breathing. Something I never experienced before. I have been doing the

breathing exercise all day long, as much as possible, and I think that the

balance results from that.

Terrific. I find the breathing provides a kind of unshakeable steadiness that

might be close to what youre calling balance. It seems to help me keep from

getting upset when emotion arises.


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During the sessions when I watched the clock there were lots of different expe-

riences. Sometimes it seemed like the second hand jumped five or ten seconds.

There were timeless periods where I could watch the motion without being

aware of any things like my self or a clock or a hand. There was just a kind

of merging of breath and motion. And there was one session when it felt like

the treadmill of time, boring and endless.

That is quite a range of experience, Adams remarked.

I saw clearly that every minute is not the same. They're almost all different.

Then I began to notice more subtle variations, as though I had a microscope that

would allow me to be aware of smaller and smaller intervals of clock time.

Yes, it seems that as we develop, were able to be aware of smaller and smaller

intervals of time, which means weve got greater capability and flexibility in

our actions.1

I also saw that I still presume that there is a constant, external march of time,and I want my sense of time passing to reflect that, to be accurate. It does

seem like we all should have the same sense of time passing.

1. Ralph H. Moon and Stephen Randall, eds.Dimensions of Thought: Current Explorations in

Time, Space, and Knowledge, Vol. I (Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1980), pp. 37-54.


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Yes. Did you notice anything about how the observer was related to the

sense of time passing?

Yes. When the experience was timeless, there was no observer. I wasnt

there; my usual self just sort of disappeared. There was just a very peaceful

spaciousness with some still movement of the breath and clock. It reminded

me of your description of the eye of the hurricane.

Thats one reason why I call the exercise looking into the eye of time. The

exercise can lead to that type of experience. An experience with a facet that

we might call positionless knowing, the virtue on dimension #7.

When the experience was

timeless, there was no observer.

Michael continued, Then after a whilewho knows how long?the

complete openness of the timelessness would sort of crystallize into the more

usual structure of the w

Results in No Time

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