There may be some difference between what E. calls "noticing" and what I call "silent attending," but I don't know what it is. In my case every "breakthrough" of one or more illusions seemed to result from looking at the world in silence or from existential questioning (silently bearing in mind what I wanted to know).
On one occasion I suddenly NOTICED that a dominant repetitive thought was just a thought, and I NOTICED how the thought separated me from the truth of "what is." This noticing freed me from my previous attachment to that particular thought.
On another occasion, after some sustained silent attentiveness (several days), I NOTICED that a dominant set of thoughts had utterly disappeared, but the noticing was after the fact and seemingly had nothing to do with the disappearance.
On one occasion a strange existential question arose out of nowhere and dominated consciousness for thirty minutes before collapsing in resolution. When it collapsed, it carried with it other, more dominant, thoughts to which I had been unconsciously attached.
Silent empty presence, alone, would seem to be sufficient for dispelling all illusions.
Today, I do not ponder any existential questions, but quite often I will be hiking on a trail or driving somewhere in my car and suddenly "see" the answer to some koan that I once read about many years ago. Silence, alone, apparently leads to increasing clarity.
As I see it, most meditative practices are simply methods of attending the actual--of "being here now" and noticing "what is." The word "practice" can be interpreted negatively or positively. Most people unconsciously spend their time thinking. We could say that they "practice" thinking. I tell seekers to spend time ATA in order to break the thinking habit so that they can distinguish between the actual and the imaginary and thereby discover the truth that underlies the consensus trance.
My argument is with formal practices that engender the idea of personal progress. This is why I prefer prescribing the informal practice of ATA throughout the day. It removes the sense of specialness and the idea of "getting somewhere" other than here.
