Meditation in the Time of Disruption
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Meditation in the Time of Disruption
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Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#2A practical benefit I see for meditation is being able to move through stressful situations faster. I still feel stress but I'm able to notice it faster and recover faster. The number of stressful situations per day is probably consistent, but I'm just spending less time recovering and processing them.
For me, practicing without a guided voice has been really helpful in this pursuit as it makes it easier to quickly meditate in or after a stressful moment without having to escape the situation.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#3A practical benefit I see for meditation is being able to move through stressful situations faster. I still feel stress but I'm able to notice it faster and recover faster. The number of stressful situations per day is probably consistent, but I'm just spending less time recovering and processing them. For me, practicing without a guided voice has been really helpful in this pursuit as it makes it easier to quickly m…
Same for me.
Someone - I don't remember who - made the analogy that life is like a fast moving river where you're pulled along by the currents of your thoughts, feelings & experiences. Meditation enables one to stand on the bank of the river and observe the current as opposed to being in the river and swept up by it.
I think a more accurate analogy is that you're always pulled into the river but meditation helps you get out of the river more quickly, stay on dry land a bit longer, before eventually being pulled back into the river again.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#4A man travels to live at a Buddhist monastery with the hopes of learning to become enlightened.
Upon arrival he meets the head monk and asks “How long will it take me to reach enlightenment?”
“Hmm...”, says the monk, “...perhaps 10 years.”
Feeling this was far too long to wait, the man replies: “But, what if I work twice as hard? Devote myself twice as much to the practice? How long then?”
“20 years,” replies the monk.
“What? I do not understand,” says the man. “If I’m willing to try even harder, surely that should mean I can attain enlightenment faster?”
To which the monk says, “I think for you it will probably require about 30 years.”
I heard this story during a talk from the Audio Dharma podcast. I don’t remember it exactly but this was the general gist of it. Felt relevant here.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#5A man travels to live at a Buddhist monastery with the hopes of learning to become enlightened. Upon arrival he meets the head monk and asks “How long will it take me to reach enlightenment?” “Hmm...”, says the monk, “...perhaps 10 years.” Feeling this was far too long to wait, the man replies: “But, what if I work twice as hard? Devote myself twice as much to the practice? How long then?” “20 years,” replies the mon…
I first heard this quote from David Carradine in the TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. Cain was telling this to his impatient teenage son. Both characters were monks in a Buddhist temple in California.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#6A practical benefit I see for meditation is being able to move through stressful situations faster. I still feel stress but I'm able to notice it faster and recover faster. The number of stressful situations per day is probably consistent, but I'm just spending less time recovering and processing them. For me, practicing without a guided voice has been really helpful in this pursuit as it makes it easier to quickly m…
Same for me. Someone - I don't remember who - made the analogy that life is like a fast moving river where you're pulled along by the currents of your thoughts, feelings & experiences. Meditation enables one to stand on the bank of the river and observe the current as opposed to being in the river and swept up by it. I think a more accurate analogy is that you're always pulled into the river but meditation helps you…
Interesting, reminds of Hermann Hesses Siddharta who found enlightenment after sitting on the bank of a river for some time.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#7I don't know how adequate the 10-minute sessions promised by apps like Headspace are in the long run. In my experience, a 20-minute session feels a lot more effective than 2 10-minute sessions, and so on for 40 minutes over 20 minutes, and so on.
I found Headspace and similar apps to be a good introduction to meditation for the first week or two, but they really are 'meditation lite' compared to reading some of the classics and sitting in unguided meditation for at least a 30-minute session everyday.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same for me. Someone - I don't remember who - made the analogy that life is like a fast moving river where you're pulled along by the currents of your thoughts, feelings & experiences. Meditation enables one to stand on the bank of the river and observe the current as opposed to being in the river and swept up by it. I think a more accurate analogy is that you're always pulled into the river but meditation helps you…
Interesting, reminds of Hermann Hesses Siddharta who found enlightenment after sitting on the bank of a river for some time.
The path he took to get to the river bank is equally important for him attaining enlightenment.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#9A practical benefit I see for meditation is being able to move through stressful situations faster. I still feel stress but I'm able to notice it faster and recover faster. The number of stressful situations per day is probably consistent, but I'm just spending less time recovering and processing them. For me, practicing without a guided voice has been really helpful in this pursuit as it makes it easier to quickly m…
Same for me. Someone - I don't remember who - made the analogy that life is like a fast moving river where you're pulled along by the currents of your thoughts, feelings & experiences. Meditation enables one to stand on the bank of the river and observe the current as opposed to being in the river and swept up by it. I think a more accurate analogy is that you're always pulled into the river but meditation helps you…
"Tell me, dear sir, how you crossed over the flood."
"I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place."
"But how, dear sir, did you cross over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place?"
"When I pushed forward, I was whirled about. When I stayed in place, I sank. And so I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place."
[The devata:]
At long last I see a brahman, totally unbound, who without pushing forward, without staying in place, has crossed over the entanglements of the world.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#10A man travels to live at a Buddhist monastery with the hopes of learning to become enlightened. Upon arrival he meets the head monk and asks “How long will it take me to reach enlightenment?” “Hmm...”, says the monk, “...perhaps 10 years.” Feeling this was far too long to wait, the man replies: “But, what if I work twice as hard? Devote myself twice as much to the practice? How long then?” “20 years,” replies the mon…
I heard a similar quote recently, I don't know the source:
"I meditate one hour every day, except when I'm busy; then I meditate two hours."