If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This • Hacker News Board

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#21

Post by demigod » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:02 PM UTC

When I meditate concentrating on my breath,my mind interferes with my breathing and it becomes uncomfortable if I dont relax

I believe this acts as some negative feedback for the control freak self inside me. Every time I exert unnecessary control it becomes uncomfortable.

Meditating long enough may show me that the mind will wander in its own ways regardless of what I maybe doing at the moment, and its best for me to let it wander on its own ways and focus on what I am doing. Thus helping me understand that all the thoughts about ego, and judgements is just come process on the sidelines, and different from the core of me, the core that is focused on what I am doing.

This is the impression I have of where meditation is taking me.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#22

Post by yresnob » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:06 PM UTC

Read Pragmatic thinking and Learning for good explanation as well.. Meditation improves focus... this is not based on reports or data but from my own experience. That is always the best proof for me.. trying it myself.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#23

Post by bennesvig » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:09 PM UTC

KirinDave wrote: post #8

Wait. Wait wait wait. > Research shows that an ability to resist urges will improve your relationships, increase your dependability, and raise your performance... Great. Yes. Impulse control is key. Delayed gratification is part of how we define higher intelligence. Meditation has what do with this, exactly? > How [does meditation help]? By increasing your capacity to resist distracting urges. This entire article is…

Willpower is a muscle. By wanting to do things, but focusing on meditation, you're building up your willpower muscle.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#24

Post by webwanderings » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:09 PM UTC

jonsen wrote: post #19

zoul wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s better to let yourself to be swallowed whole by your current activity (be it just doing the dishes) than to continue in the endless chatter of your mind. Doing the dishes can be fun if you pay attention to the textures, temperatures, smells and sounds. You can plan your future later, giving it full attention again. That’s the idea.

Your subconscious mind is still planning your future. And it may do better when not disturbed by your attention.

Good line of thinking, I happen to agree, hence I believe it is better to stay in the here-now with whatever activity one does at any given moment.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#25

Post by prawks » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:13 PM UTC

zoul wrote: post #12

jemfinch wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, this is hard for me to understand. You seem to be saying--and I apologize if I misinterpret you--that it is better to focus on dishwashing than to use otherwise idle mental time to plan one's future. Is that really the case? What gains could one expect from focusing on dishwashing, only to take time away from some other activity to plan one's future?

It’s better to let yourself to be swallowed whole by your current activity (be it just doing the dishes) than to continue in the endless chatter of your mind. Doing the dishes can be fun if you pay attention to the textures, temperatures, smells and sounds. You can plan your future later, giving it full attention again. That’s the idea.

Doing the dishes can be fun if you pay attention to the textures, temperatures, smells and sounds.

I can't wait to do the dishes when I get home today.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#26

Post by dchest » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:16 PM UTC

bennesvig wrote: post #23

KirinDave wrote: post #8

Wait. Wait wait wait. > Research shows that an ability to resist urges will improve your relationships, increase your dependability, and raise your performance... Great. Yes. Impulse control is key. Delayed gratification is part of how we define higher intelligence. Meditation has what do with this, exactly? > How [does meditation help]? By increasing your capacity to resist distracting urges. This entire article is…

Willpower is a muscle. By wanting to do things, but focusing on meditation, you're building up your willpower muscle.

This is an analogy, it may be true or false.

Download speed is a muscle. By downloading more files you're building up your download speed.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#27

Post by ricvg » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:16 PM UTC

I highly recommend to take a 10 days retreat in a Vipassana[1] meditation center. I know that 10 days is a lot to ask but in my opinion is well worth the effort.

I've been there twice in the past three years. I thought that I understood everything the first time. Boy, was I wrong.

[1] http://www.dhamma.org/

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#28

Post by pyre » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:17 PM UTC

tryitnow wrote: post #18

What about comparative effectiveness? For example, if we did an experiment where we started subjects on the following regimes, which would have the greatest effects on impulse control: 1) Learning to program (assuming the subject is not already a coder 2) meditation 3) aerobic exercise Then we would have to figure out ways to measure "impulse control." Such a study would have a lot more credibility than the author's…

I'm curious why you seem to be indirectly asserting that learning to program and/or aerobic exercise will have some effect on impulse control.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#29

Post by dschiptsov » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:17 PM UTC

Oh, come on. Meditation is not the way to "exercise willpower muscle" (running is the way to do so).

Meditation is the way to learn that your flow of thoughts is not you, it is mere side-effect, a smoke from an engine, a screen-saver, or just idle-running.

Yes, the practice of meditation is beneficial for will-power and self-control, but it is not the goal.) Goal is realization that what you think you are, is just a running total of all previous conditioning, and the ''real you'' could be "seen" is in an instant between two thoughts.

Any good ''eastern'' teacher will tell you that.

Re: If You're Too Busy to Meditate, Read This

#30

Post by crux » Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 6:18 PM UTC

jemfinch wrote: post #7

webwanderings wrote: post #2

The misconception about meditation is that it requires one to give up everything and sit silently. This is not true in its entirety as it depends on how one interprets the word "meditation". The meditation does not necessarily require you to give up one thing for the sake of another. The goal of the meditation is to "be in awareness" and you can achieve this same goal by being alert and aware with any activity your f…

Sorry, this is hard for me to understand. You seem to be saying--and I apologize if I misinterpret you--that it is better to focus on dishwashing than to use otherwise idle mental time to plan one's future. Is that really the case? What gains could one expect from focusing on dishwashing, only to take time away from some other activity to plan one's future?

In my experience, the sort of effort you put in and the work that you do in planning in this multitasking, unfocused mode is not nearly as immediately urgent or productive as it feels at the time. If you are able to cultivate a degree of concentration and mindfulness, then when the time is appropriate you are able to consider whatever matter actually demands your consideration, and respond with sound judgment and openness.

EDIT: Perhaps more to the point, many of the useful decisions or notions that might have arisen from thinking about the future or the past while washing dishes tend in my experience to arise more or less of their own accord, in their own time. Much of the mind tends to think itself once you let it.