What is this?

this is another technique that i find helpful in everyday practice, esp when something arises like an emotional reaction to a situation e.g. reacting to a statement that triggers our defense or anger or a physically painful situation e.g. dentist chair, injections, that demands a quick stepping out of our conditioned thinking to feeling the physical reality of the moment, no matter how painful it is, maybe physical discomfort in the body as e result of an emotion or real physcial pain. i think e spirit of this technique is to awaken an energy of investigation n curosity in the present moment...

we can't wake up simply by wishing to. without specific, ongoing effort we will continue to sleepwalk through our self-centered dream. Genuine awakening requires bringing attention repeatedly to the present moment of our life. one laserlike tool to help us do this is the practice of continually asking ourselves, "what is this?" Used in this way, the question becomes a koan, and as with all koans, the "answer" can never be conceptual. Don't try to analyze what the moment is about. instead, fully feel the texture of what your life truly is right now. the only real answer to the question, "what is this?" is your immediate experience itself.

~by Ezra Bayda extracted from his book "Saying Yes to Life"

the book "Saying Yes to Life" contains gems of wisdom ranging from page-long reflections to simple aphorisms that provides inspiration and invitation to go more deeply into the spiritual life...