One of the toughest challenges in any kind of learning is that we have to go from not seeing something to seeing it. We generally don't relate to "the world" itself, but to our mental model of it ("This is a chair, a chair is for sitting in, it's upholstered in leather, that will feel nice if I sit in it, etc.). It saves a lot of time, but also tends to exclude new possibilities.
When we encounter a situation in which our mental models don't seem to be working — on in which our intentions aren't matching up with results — we need to look with new eyes. That can be really hard. How can you see something that is, effectively, not even there (at least according to our current mental model). Here are some ideas to help you do this.
Do a body scan: While considering your current view of the situation, scan your body for the sensations that are present while you're thinking about it. What tightens up? What goes numb? What do you notice, what are you ignoring? It helps to treat it as a real scan, moving your attention from the top of your head, through your body, to your feet.
Use don't-know mind: Remind yourself that no matter how much you do know, there is a lot you don't know about the situation. See if you can connect with a feeling of not-knowing, a kind of curious wonder — I call it "don't-know mind" — and regard the situation with that feeling in mind.
Cut: Hold in your awareness two things: the situation as you see it, and your own emotional reaction to it. Imagine these two things as though they are linked. Then mentally take a sharp sword and cut the link. Then look again.
Do an inventory: Search parties use a grid to ensure that they search all areas, including those areas nobody thinks are important. Your "grid" can be any conceptual model of the world that is intended to describe it entirely: for example the Six Realms, 10 Non-Virtuous Actions, 7 Deadly Sins, etc. Look at the situation and ask yourself how each of the items is present in it.
Pretend you're someone else: Simply taking a different point of view is helpful. If you're in a dispute, try arguing the other side. Or just imagine how other people, real or imagined, might view the situation. What would Donald Duck do? If the Queen were looking at this situation, what would she see?
Ask someone else: When imagination fails, you can always just go and get someone else's point of view by asking them.
Our patterns are not sentient, they have no real awareness, but they are a bit like mad androids in a sci-fi story. While we see things through the filter of our patterns, there is no possibility of growth. Fortunately, life has a way of surprising us into dropping our guard. These above ideas are ways you can drop your guard voluntarily, rather than waiting for surprises.
