First let us explore what we mean when we say:
“Know the way things are.”

The way things are in the present moment.

Most of our likes and dislikes come from the experience of the past.

For example: You know that you better not touch a candle flame - because you remember that once when you touched it, it was OUCH very, very hot and painful. Is that true? You dont want this to happen again. So you better keep at a safe distance. Very useful memory!

But, wouldn't it be sad, if you had run your life only by these memories of the past? Thats like being dead to new experience. You would miss the wonder of the present moment. You wouldn't be able to see the candle flame with fresh eyes. Right?

Now look at one of the candle flames. And while doing so, direct your awareness into your body. - Can you feel the body breathing? Can you feel the space around your heart? Can you watch with this openness?

Now watch the candle flame with this kind of open awareness. Just watch and notice the light that is alive...

Now still staying in open awareness, allow thought to come in. What happens?... - Is there any judgement?...
-positive judgement like”How beautiful!” or “Interesting, I like it?”...
-negative judgment, like: “How boring!” or “Thats rubbish!”...
-Is there associative memory like: “Oh at the bonfire last night...”

Thats the reality of thought. Thinking belongs, is part of the way things are. Nothing wrong with it. Importance is not to get lost in thought.

Can you notice the difference between being lost in thinking
and knowing thinking?

Being lost in thinking would be: you just think, think, think. One thought is leading to the next: “And when she said so and so, I was really hurt. Why does she have to be so mean to me? Tomorrow I will go to her and get even, I will say...” and so on and on. Right?

Knowing thinking would be: You stay centered in spacious awareness, feel the space around your breathing. Thought comes in: “She said...” Can you just allow these two words to appear in open space inside? And stop? “She”... pause...”Said”...pause. It is like the words lose power over you.

They are just words in space. Can you feel that?
This is how you thought the way thought is.
Like this can get stronger in your awareness, in your knowing, in your centre.

Now close your eyes. Direct your awareness towards the fingers of your left hand. Do your fingers touch something? How does that feel? Can you stay for a moment with this sensation? You may want to intensify the feeling by slightly moving your fingers over the ground. How is that?...

Now listen to what your mind says - invite thought in, to comment on your feeling:

Like it, don't like it, nothing special... or analysis like, thats my trousers, thats warm/ cold/ soft and so on... Just stay with these thoughts popping up in your mind. Watch them...

And do the same for another minute - just explore some surfaces of your own body with your fingers, eyes closed. And don't forget to stop in-between to know the way things are in the moment.

Now cover your eyes with the fingers of both hands. How does that feel? Open your eyes a bit and peep through your fingers. Now the seeing sense becomes more important. What do you see?

OK thats it.

Bring up the image of your favourite icecream in your awareness. Imagine the colours, the taste, the coolness, the melting,the wanting. Can you experience the whole memory of ice cream happening in the space of open awareness? That is the memory of ice cream when you know it is the way it is. All these sensations happen in awareness. You are aware of it.

Bring your attention inwards to the sensations of breathing. Breathing happens in spacious awareness.
Now silently count “one” into the inbreath, “two” into the outbreath. Can you be aware of the number and the breathing sensations?
Remember that your awareness is space in which sensations and thinking appear. Explore that with counting up to 10. - 1 on breathing in, 2 on breathing out and so forth.... stay spacious.
After 10 you can start again with 1. Can you maintain a sense of wonder while doing so? Do it for 10 minutes on your own. If you get lost in thought for a while, start again with 1 as soon as you catch yourself.

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