Vipassana: 10 days of solitude and insights gained from it • Hacker News Board

Re: Vipassana: 10 days of solitude and insights gained from it

#91

Post by javajosh » Mon, Jan 21, 2013, 7:29 AM UTC

programnature wrote: post #8

While I'm glad the author got useful insights into conventional reality, the article sets a counterproductive tone about the point of the practice. Vipassana is about directly seeing impermanence, dissatisfaction, and lack of self in all sensations. The point of practice is to elevate your skill in seeing those. Because direct comprehension of the so-called three characteristics can reboot the mind in a way that is v…

>Spending your meditation time pondering your "issues" is the biggest rookie mistake you can make

This is worth repeating. This is a silent practice, and while thoughts may arise (and very interesting ones, too!) learning to let them go, and remain (mentally) silent was perhaps the biggest obstacle to progress for me personally. Not sure if mental silence is a cause or effect of meditation, but it's the closest thing to real happiness I've experienced.

Re: Vipassana: 10 days of solitude and insights gained from it

#92

Post by xk_id » Mon, Jan 21, 2013, 8:20 PM UTC

fusiongyro wrote: post #82

xk_id wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The only tangible harm is that it annoys people who attempt to apply logical reasoning to every situation and interaction, even where other human faculties are obviously more appropriate. You are applying logical reasoning at any given time. What varies only are the assumptions you're concsciously or unconsciously making about yourself and the world. As time passed by, humanity made various conscious and unconsciou…

And people call me crazy.

My advice is not to dismiss it so easily, and instead try to understand.

Re: Vipassana: 10 days of solitude and insights gained from it

#93

Post by fusiongyro » Mon, Jan 21, 2013, 11:30 PM UTC

xk_id wrote: post #92

fusiongyro wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And people call me crazy.

My advice is not to dismiss it so easily, and instead try to understand.

"As the brain is one connected whole, it is neurologically important that the cortical and thalamic processes remain coordinated."

You have two things you have to prove. One, that it is neurologically important that these processes remain coordinated. Two, that unscientific thoughts somehow cause them to become uncoordinated. I'd settle for any sort of proof that thinking unscientific thoughts has any sort of detectable physiological effect. From there, I'd want to see that the effect is meaningful.

I expect your definition of "logical" is gerrymandered to include certain kinds of illogical thinking of which you approve and ignore others. People engage in superstitious behavior constantly despite it being illogical, even after having the illogicalness of the behavior explained. This doesn't seem to cause them physical harm. Your allegation that people are always being logical seems incoherent in the face of your allegation that holding inconsistency in the mind is detrimental--either we can do it or we can't.

I'm not especially open to continuing the debate. If you have proof of whatever these effects are bring it, but I'm not otherwise interested in continuing a conversation about your weird pseudo-scientific mysticism. I'm happy you found something that works for you, I guess.