Attention without tension

["David Yeh" <ldreamr@...>]

Hey all,

I'm working on the first thought discipline exercise. It's a bit 
overwhelming to me. I can disengage pretty well from my thoughts 
when I sit down to meditate with the thought control, but then when 
I jump back into the fray in my daily life, it seems that I just get 
overrun. Any attempt to make my thoughts run only along certain 
lines backfires and makes me even more unfocused. Force and tension 
seem to be my habitual ways of getting myself in line, but those 
only go so far.

I keep hearing that the mind should be coaxed, not forced, and that 
focusing should ultimately be done without tension; but I don't have 
a clear sense of how to get there. Any tips?


Thanks,
David