271–280 of 396 posts
When I was a homeless man, I used to go ride the bus to the end of the line, just hanging out in the seat, just waiting for it to stop and turn around, just trying to stay warm/cool. I used to walk around at night, walk and walk, because there were precious few places to sit down and rest, and I didn't want to arouse suspicion for loitering or trespassing, so I'd just walk until I was too tired. I used to hang out in…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your're being to literal without being literal enough! The "reality" that we experience is a predictive model of what we believe is about to happen. This is required because it takes a quite some time[1] for stimulus to be received and processed by our bodies! If we didn't have this predictive mechanism the universe would seem very strange indeed. But but because we hallucinate our reality we get the illusion that wh…
I am literally talking about the literature. Kuijpers, Harold JH, et al. "Meditation-induced psychosis." Psychopathology 40.6 (2007): 461-464.
Anyone have any recommendations for those of us without attention spans? I've always wanted to mediate, but after a few attempts, I have started to question if it's more possible for some to partake in than others.
Anyone have any recommendations for those of us without attention spans? I've always wanted to mediate, but after a few attempts, I have started to question if it's more possible for some to partake in than others.
It's from one book about dzogchen. Rephrasing it: "- Do you practice balancing? - Why would I do that? - So you can stand upright. - Am I not standing upright?" (while the newbie is still crawling)
Anyone have any recommendations for those of us without attention spans? I've always wanted to mediate, but after a few attempts, I have started to question if it's more possible for some to partake in than others.
I have done zazen over 20 years and know many people who have ADHD and do it a lot. You need less than a second attention span. What you need is the ability to bring mind back endlessly. It's like learning to juggle, picking up juggling pins from the ground again and again. "The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character and will." – Willia…
Based on my past experiences:
Every time I try, it's gone again so fast that that it's like an endless loop. And that's if I am conscious enough to catch it. Hell, my mind can wander for minutes at a time without me even realizing that I was supposed to be focusing on something else.
Not trying to argue against your recommendations, but I am really trying to dig deeper into the topic to figure out where the disconnect I am facing is.
The science as described involves primarily data gathered from direct observation of one’s own experience, rather than studying the external physical world.
This goes very contrary to the statistically driven science most people are familiar with, even though certain hypotheses, experiments and results can be observed in larger groups.
However, if the scientific method is applied rigorously to matters of the spirit it will yield great dividends.
I came to “spirituality” by means of almost rabid skepticism, and extreme distrust towards anything not “based in reality”, or measurable with instruments, slowly exploring and asking questions about the nature of reality.
This extreme skepticism is so important, as belief or faith is the enemy of knowing. I believe the western mind (one with developed rational thinking), when applied to areas on the frontiers of consciousness and reality is an extremely potent tool.
One can marry the logic and reason with intuition, emotion and introspection and go very far into the unknown, bringing back wisdom to enrich one’s own life, and the lives those one shares this knowledge with.
I believe that as a species we’re in the verge of discovering a whole new layer to what it means to be human conscious beings.
I’m not really sure if there is a point to this comment. Perhaps I am just excited to see spiritual inquiry happening in the mainstream, with structure and discipline.
I am sick of strict materialism, and just as sick of the ungrounded beliefs, taken in faith by people involved in the so-called “new age movement.”
Anyone have any recommendations for those of us without attention spans? I've always wanted to mediate, but after a few attempts, I have started to question if it's more possible for some to partake in than others.
You're going to be battling with your attention a lot in the beginning. I think just making a habit of it regardless and putting in the time is necessary. You could always go on a retreat — you'll have very limited options for distractions. It might sound like an extreme thing to do, and maybe it is, but I did it without much prior practice and got a lot out of it.
They would probably kick me out within 5 minutes of being there. That's what they used to do to me in classrooms when I was in my youth lol.
I'll be honest though, even if a retreat would work, that is honestly far more effort than I would be willing to spend for something that I have no idea if it's even worth the time, effort, and money.
I do appreciate the recommendation though, and since you went through the effort of replying to my request, I will at least look into as to not waste your time.
Anyone have any recommendations for those of us without attention spans? I've always wanted to mediate, but after a few attempts, I have started to question if it's more possible for some to partake in than others.
This might not help and might sound new age / abstract: meditation is not continuous focus, but is about choosing to focus, letting thoughts pass, and when you recognize you are distracted to consciously let the distracting thought go, and return to focusing on what you intended to.
I have always done this with things like reading, conversations, work, etc.. When distracted I have to refocus myself on whatever I was supposed to be focusing on. Is that some kind of quasi-mediation still or something else?
I’ve been meditating casually for almost 10 years, I couldn’t sit still for a minute when I started and can sit regularly for an hour now. I still have a lot of skepticism about the sensations that other meditators describe feeling, like jhanas and profound states of tranquility and whatnot. I have experienced deeper calmness and have made some insights about my brain (eg thoughts are like a sensor organ not unlike a…
Supernatural claims made by meditators that are obviously not true are what keep me from experimenting with meditation. I don't want to mess up my brain. I value it. All the senior meditators I know have some element of irrationality. The openness that meditation seems to promote seems to also promote a certain level of gullibility that I did not expect from them. Obviously, an out of body experience is not really tr…
> Now, as the research matures into controlled studies and meta-analyses, meditation is losing a bit of its luster. It’s beginning to look more like just another decently effective medical intervention. A 2021 systematic review of 44 meta-analyses found that mindfulness was mostly on par with cognitive behavioral therapy or antidepressants in terms of treatment effects (mindfulness was superior in a few categories, however, including treating depression and substance abuse).