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Mindfulness

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Helpmehelptheworld

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Sep 8, 2015
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101
Honestly just looking for sources of all kinds for meditation and to get a better hold on my brains ability to think and focus. Would love if people could throw out sources and material of all kinds :)



Enlight (hehe) me please
 
Trying hard at it. The first main thing is to stop the inner chatter or constant internal dialogues. All the negative thought-forms and emotions that accompany them.
 
We used to call it 'taking notice of what's going on around you, now'.

But then we never charged anyone $50 an hour for that piece of wisdom.
 
Helpmehelptheworld said:
..to get a better hold on my brains ability to think and focus.
Click to expand...

Remove all the limiting factors: Drugs, alcohol, poor diet, poor sleep, poor exercise routine, and so forth.. should also include over reliance on gadgets, excessive screen time. Removing stress and staying relaxed helps psychologically too.. less internal clutter = more efficient computer.

Do: If you want to increase concentration and focus, then that's what you need to do. Play sudoku games in the newspaper, puzzles, learn maths if you're not great at it.. or if you're more hands on, a skill like wood working, or an instrument, activity.. it depends on your nature. The point being you do that task for 5, then 10, then 20, then 30, 60, 2 hours etc.

If you want a good brain/computer, then you have to put it to use and remove any limiting factors that impede its performance. Other than that, there are no magic pills or meditation.
 
The Power of Now

have not read it for a while but will give some insight and tools that might help you to be more 'present'.

alasdair
 
Iuno, I just feel like mindfulness requires like active search. You can do things positively and work towards something but like you need to actually be concious of what you are workign towards?

Meditation is like set time where you are actively and consciously striving towards it right? iuno.
 
Meditation can be used for all sorts of things if you do it right. Like getting into trance-states, recharging your brain and nervous system, clearing blockages in the energy-centers, raising your vibration, and getting in touch with spiritual beings. But it can take time to learn it well enough that it works for you.
 
OP, your best bet for meditations would probably be visualization ones, if your goal is focus. The idea is to generate an image or concept in your mind and focus exclusively on that, to the preclusion of all other influences and distractions. In Buddism they call it single-pointed meditation. In their tradition they focus on a concept, a suttra, a bodhisattva, etc... but you don't have to do that. It does help though if the point of focus is something positive or promotes higher values, because you'll be focusing on that for lengthy periods of time and it will influence your general consciousness.

However, usually people can't focus because they are ungrounded, and they're not grounded because they overuse their minds, have improper diet, exercise, or too many distractions. I don't think that concentration meditations are the solution for such people but rather emptiness meditations which stop the mind completely. These are more restful. Sometimes focus is hard because there's underlying exhaustion and an inability to let go. It's only by being able to witness mind that you realize what is extraneous and then take steps to stop it.
 
StoneHappyMonday said:
We used to call it 'taking notice of what's going on around you, now'.

But then we never charged anyone $50 an hour for that piece of wisdom.
Click to expand...

Are you being sarcastic or has the whole concept of meditation gone right over your head?

Also, there is a big problem with mindfulness meditation that isn't discussed nearly often enough. It is an extremely powerful form of meditation, but has been made so accessible now that practically everyone can do it and gain skill in it much faster than has been possible before, and there have been many reports of this going terribly wrong . It can actually trigger and intensify the very feelings that it's supposed to reduce, and has left a growing number of people permanently feeling depersonalized and alienated, possibly permanently.
 
^I think he's being sarcastic. Or obtuse or something.

-=SS=- said:
Remove all the limiting factors: Drugs, alcohol, poor diet, poor sleep, poor exercise routine, and so forth.. should also include over reliance on gadgets, excessive screen time. Removing stress and staying relaxed helps psychologically too.. less internal clutter = more efficient computer.
Click to expand...

With your limiting factors, do you suggest entirely eliminating them or just reducing/using sparingly...? Of course, I mean drugs.

alasdairm said:
The Power of Now

have not read it for a while but will give some insight and tools that might help you to be more 'present'.

alasdair
Click to expand...

Good call. I found that book to be interesting and useful. I have always wanted a sudden realisation like Eckhart Tolle had in his late 20's. I'm still waiting... :\ The idea of being in the present is pretty much the heart of meditation. Its useful to know that one doesn't need to be in lotus posture, in eyesclosed silence to be present.

On that note, I'd also recommend the book "Be here now" by Ram Daas. Despite having a fair dose of groovyspeak, its quite profound. Plus I love the aesthetic of it. :)
 
Helpmehelptheworld said:
Honestly just looking for sources of all kinds for meditation and to get a better hold on my brains ability to think and focus. Would love if people could throw out sources and material of all kinds :)



Enlight (hehe) me please
Click to expand...

I like to suggest to start with with Lama Yeshe teachings , then Ajah Sumedho and lastly Ajah Chah as most direct and basic. Though like Rio said, it can be true that too much too fast can make you kinda depressed because its in a way scary and fascinating the things that come up from you subconsciousness that you have to face before proceeding.
 
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Becoming unreactive to my thoughts doesn't quite cut it when my thoughts are causing me acute distress. The walking meditation is one of my favorites when my energies are all over the place and there is a disconnection in my being. Fuck that disconnection, the little things matter. Bring it back to the basics and learn to take pleasure in that.

I'll try my best to distill what's important to me but a quick google search will give you lots insights from expert walking meditators. This should give you enough of an idea of what it entails though and why you would bother. Basically walk at a very leisurely pace, eyes open, aware of your surroundings but not focused on them and tune into your own body walking. Your goal is to be as present with it as you can. Don't be a robot and go into automatic mode; notice everything you can and stay focused on the task at hand. You make each motion as deliberate and harmonious as you can. Humble yourself. Learn to walk like it's the most important thing in the world. We've all become so jaded and contextually rigid. Last time you experienced any real joy from walking you were probably a toddler. Allow yourself to take pleasure in this again. If it helps to get started try this role-playing exercise: imagine you're in a stadium with thousands of eyes on you all engrossed by your every move because of all the people on the planet, you have mastered the art of walking better than anyone else. No time to sit there and get lost in adulation though, they came to see a demonstration. Show them how it's done. Synchronize your being to the motion of it. Resonate with it. Get in the zone with it. Get to the point where you can stop thinking about the individual components of it and a felt perception of it arises. Be the superposition of all those awarenesses. When you feel it, well, it's as valid a spiritual experience as any. When you feel it take a second to appreciate it, don't forget what it feels like. Remind yourself you can go here any time you want and what you've accomplishes applies to anything in life. The rest is all just an exercise in context.
 
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Foreigner said:
OP, your best bet for meditations would probably be visualization ones, if your goal is focus. The idea is to generate an image or concept in your mind and focus exclusively on that, to the preclusion of all other influences and distractions. In Buddism they call it single-pointed meditation. In their tradition they focus on a concept, a suttra, a bodhisattva, etc... but you don't have to do that. It does help though if the point of focus is something positive or promotes higher values, because you'll be focusing on that for lengthy periods of time and it will influence your general consciousness.

However, usually people can't focus because they are ungrounded, and they're not grounded because they overuse their minds, have improper diet, exercise, or too many distractions. I don't think that concentration meditations are the solution for such people but rather emptiness meditations which stop the mind completely. These are more restful. Sometimes focus is hard because there's underlying exhaustion and an inability to let go. It's only by being able to witness mind that you realize what is extraneous and then take steps to stop it.
Click to expand...


That's pretty spot on man. I'll try it. Does it matter if you are sitting or standing or laying down? Srs.
 
Levelsbeyond, dunno if it will actually work but I like how you are describing it. I'll give it a shot for shits and gigs at the very least. Annoying to walk with winter around tbh.
 
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