Just as You Have the Impulse - Stop
झगितीच्छां समुत्पन्नाम् अवलोक्य शमं नयेत् । यत एव समुद्भूता ततस् तत्रैव लीयते ॥
jhagitīcchāṃ samutpannām avalokya śamaṃ nayet | yata eva samudbhūtā tatas tatraiva līyate ||
VBT Verse 96
The Sutra
"Just as you have the impulse to do something, Stop."
Paul Reps translation, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957)
Understanding
The most radical Stop technique. At the exact moment an impulse arises to do something - anything - freeze. Stop completely. Not a second later, but at the very instant of impulse. In this sudden stop, the energy that was about to flow outward into action rebounds inward. This creates an inner explosion of awareness. Gurdjieff later used this same technique, calling it "The Stop Exercise."
Original Sanskrit
झगितीच्छां समुत्पन्नाम् अवलोक्य शमं नयेत् । यत एव समुद्भूता ततस् तत्रैव लीयते ॥
jhagitīcchāṃ samutpannām avalokya śamaṃ nayet | yata eva samudbhūtā tatas tatraiva līyate ||
Vijnanabhairava Verse 96 (Technique 25 of 112)
How to Practice
Go about your daily activities with a background alertness for impulses.
The moment you feel an impulse - to reach for your phone, to speak, to stand up, to eat - STOP.
Freeze your body completely. Do not complete the action. Hold the posture you are in.
Feel the energy of the impulse with nowhere to go. It vibrates, intensifies, then transforms.
The stop must be total and immediate. Even a half-second delay weakens the effect.
After 10-30 seconds of total stop, release and continue normally.
Practice randomly throughout the day. The surprise element is essential.
Duration
10-30 seconds per stop, multiple times daily
Best Time
Random moments throughout the day
Related Techniques
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