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I use meditation to deepen good thought "rivers". The way I see my mind is... something happens and triggers a thought which goes down the deepest "river". For example, I hear some bad news at work; my mind processes this trigger and goes down the deepest "river" leading me to a feeling of anxiety.
I use malloc and brk :-/
No it's not. It's strength training for your ability to direct your attention. Sleep is the garbage collection.
I like the strength training metaphor - there is even the notion of paramita [1], which are containers for virtues that you fill up over time (I find it quite wonderful to define virtue as the accumulation of past action, rather than some intrinsic quality). In particular, relating to "strength" are the paramitas of determination and will. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81
Just a note - meditation can have negative side effects: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/the-dark-k... This article, which has been submitted to HN before, investigates several severe reactions to meditation and the nonexistent research in, or even interest in researching, its downsides. Having a negative reaction to meditation is not surprising, if you think about it. Deep introspection can lead to…
I would argue that if introspection has such harmful side effects for a person that means the person's mental state was already in an artificial and damaged state. I think in most cases it is better to begin that introspection process and endure some temporary pain in order to work through the root issue rather than trying to put it off by avoiding it. In other words, avoiding introspection won't solve the problem.
It's actually pretty thoroughly documented in all the Buddhist commentaries that people can have a very shitty time with meditation.
Meditation is one of those things that people aren't allowed to not like. If you say you don't like it or it's not for you, you get overwhelmed and drowned out by the echo chamber.
Meditation is one of those things that people aren't allowed to not like. If you say you don't like it or it's not for you, you get overwhelmed and drowned out by the echo chamber.
Absolutely not. It's much easier to be chastised for criticizing someone's religion. Tell a meditator what they do is stupid, and you may actually have positive feelings intentionally directed at you (see compassion mediation).
That's a rather low bar, though.
I don't really meditate, but one thing I've found helpful is to make it a point to not purposefully distract myself from mindful thought. The truth is that we all have plenty of time for mindful thinking, even if we don't actually set aside time to sit with eyes closed in a "meditation" state. Think about how much time is spent just sitting on a train, or in line doing nothing. The instant impulse most of the time in…
"Mindfulness" as used in insight/mindfulness meditation / vipassana and similar schools of mediation does not refers to thinking about something.
Rather it refers to detached but focused observation (though you may observe your thoughts). The point is to instead of "following a train of thought", to get off it and watch it closely from the sideline, and let each train disappear into the distance.
What your use of "mindful thinking" sounds like to me (and I might be wrong and you may be thinking of exactly what mindfulness meditation tends to refer to), is focused attention on a train of thought. That's important too, but very, very different.
From the sounds of it you are certainly practising your concentration and willpower, and that is certainly valuable in itself, and if whatever you're doing works for you of course you should keep doing it.
But I'd like to suggst an experiment: Try to "detach" from your train of thought sometime, even if just a minute here and a minute there (a minute can be frustrating enough...). E.g. when out walking, try to purposefully clear your mind and fix your attention on just the path. Try to be present and quietly observe every detail without trying to verbalize any thoughts. Thoughts will pop up and distract you anyway. Just gently nudge them away, or observe them but try not to "follow it up" and just let it dissipate. When you lose focus, and notice (whether 5 seconds later or 10 minutes), just gently nudge your attention back.
The "game" is to note when you lose concentration and try to gradually lengthen the time span where you are just present, detached from your thought stream and just observing. As I've heard someone say: it's when you notice you lost concentration you're learning.
No it's not. It's strength training for your ability to direct your attention. Sleep is the garbage collection.
No it's not. It's strength training for your ability to direct your attention. Sleep is the garbage collection.
To each their own, for me it's neither garbage collection nor sleep. It's having an organized todo list that's been prioritized.