THE FIVE STREAMS

What makes up this moment?

These are five ways to examine a moment, not five separate things you must locate. Notice what is clear and leave the rest open.

Body: Physical form and its felt qualities.
Feeling tone: Pleasant, unpleasant, or neither.
Recognition: Identifying a sound, object, or idea.
Intentions and reactions: Leaning toward action, avoidance, or continuation.
Conscious experience: The seeing, hearing, or knowing of what is present.

Try one small experiment.

Timing is approximate. Finish whenever you choose.

One moment, five questions · 3 min

Look within an ordinary reaction.

Notice. Choose a manageable moment, such as waiting for a reply.
Distinguish. Ask: what bodily experience, feeling tone, recognition, and intention are present? What is currently being consciously experienced?
Watch. Notice which distinctions are clear. Conscious experience here means seeing, hearing, or knowing this event, not a hidden observer.
Release. Set the categories down. You need not find five separate objects.

Recognition and intention · 1 min

Notice knowing what something is, then what you want to do.

Notice. Look at an ordinary object such as a cup.
Distinguish. Distinguish its visible appearance, recognizing “cup,” and any intention to pick it up.
Watch. Is every part equally apparent? Does recognizing it immediately lead to doing something?
Release. Leave the cup alone or use it. Finish with ordinary activity.

Notice what is already here.
Include a little more.
Listen for what changes.
And return when you choose.