|
Post by silver on Dec 14, 2014 21:23:24 GMT -5
Silver: "Mindfulness" has two usual meanings. The first is what E. describes--becoming aware of what's going on in the mind and how mind affects perception and understanding. Mindfulness, as a practice, is silently watching whatever is happening, which includes any thoughts that may occur. While practicing mindfulness, which is both a Vipassana and Buddhist meditation, one simply watches without trying to reach any conclusions or make any judgments ABOUT what is happening. If the mind starts to judge, for example, then that activity is watched in the same way as everything else. In this way detachment from thoughts begins to occur, and one learns not to follow thoughts down infinite numbers of rabbit holes. The goal of such practice, like most meditation practices, is to bring one into a state of psychological presence and to free one from the mind's usual shenanigans. The practice has been likened to standing in a train station and watching trains of thoughts go by without jumping on board. When someone first tries this sort of meditation, she may have a thought and subsequently "wake up" fifteen minutes later with the realization that she followed the thought (jumped on board a train). She then returns to the train station, metaphorically speaking, and simply watches. After several months of this practice, she may be able to watch thought trains go through the station (appear and disappear) without following them, or, only following them for a few seconds. After learning to stay in the station and watch thoughts, a koan usually arises--"Who is watching all of this?" This question is capable of generating a significant realization, because the watcher isn't who we THINK it is. The way I've been utilizing mindfulness is more in the form of 'beginning' meditation -- focusing on a variety of available sounds or my breathing, for the same purpose of not letting my mind 'land' on any particular thought, even if a whole bunch of thoughts happen, I just let them play through with the goal as it were is not to place any importance on them. I'm not placing any importance at all, currently, on concerning myself with the 'who's watching this?' or who am I or what am I - it just doesn't concern me at all. What has happened, is that new insights about old issues are able to come to the fore, which is fantastic.
|
|
|
Post by enigma on Dec 14, 2014 22:56:16 GMT -5
Mindfullness is what some of us have been pointing you toward here for years. What it means is 'being conscious'. I've found there's too many people (one is too many) pointing in every which way and it's just too confusing to glean anything much from your guys's pointing. About the only measurable bit of helpfulness has been in the form of mainly Reefs on the old BP thread because I needed a strong bit of jostling before I could come to realize there's always a different way of looking at things. Cool.
|
|
|
Post by lolly on Dec 15, 2014 1:24:17 GMT -5
Silver: "Mindfulness" has two usual meanings. The first is what E. describes--becoming aware of what's going on in the mind and how mind affects perception and understanding. Mindfulness, as a practice, is silently watching whatever is happening, which includes any thoughts that may occur. While practicing mindfulness, which is both a Vipassana and Buddhist meditation, one simply watches without trying to reach any conclusions or make any judgments ABOUT what is happening. If the mind starts to judge, for example, then that activity is watched in the same way as everything else. In this way detachment from thoughts begins to occur, and one learns not to follow thoughts down infinite numbers of rabbit holes. The goal of such practice, like most meditation practices, is to bring one into a state of psychological presence and to free one from the mind's usual shenanigans. The practice has been likened to standing in a train station and watching trains of thoughts go by without jumping on board. When someone first tries this sort of meditation, she may have a thought and subsequently "wake up" fifteen minutes later with the realization that she followed the thought (jumped on board a train). She then returns to the train station, metaphorically speaking, and simply watches. After several months of this practice, she may be able to watch thought trains go through the station (appear and disappear) without following them, or, only following them for a few seconds. After learning to stay in the station and watch thoughts, a koan usually arises--"Who is watching all of this?" This question is capable of generating a significant realization, because the watcher isn't who we THINK it is. The way I've been utilizing mindfulness is more in the form of 'beginning' meditation -- focusing on a variety of available sounds or my breathing, for the same purpose of not letting my mind 'land' on any particular thought, even if a whole bunch of thoughts happen, I just let them play through with the goal as it were is not to place any importance on them. I'm not placing any importance at all, currently, on concerning myself with the 'who's watching this?' or who am I or what am I - it just doesn't concern me at all. What has happened, is that new insights about old issues are able to come to the fore, which is fantastic. That is fantastic
|
|
|
Post by steven on Dec 16, 2014 3:08:07 GMT -5
Silver: "Mindfulness" has two usual meanings. The first is what E. describes--becoming aware of what's going on in the mind and how mind affects perception and understanding. Mindfulness, as a practice, is silently watching whatever is happening, which includes any thoughts that may occur. While practicing mindfulness, which is both a Vipassana and Buddhist meditation, one simply watches without trying to reach any conclusions or make any judgments ABOUT what is happening. If the mind starts to judge, for example, then that activity is watched in the same way as everything else. In this way detachment from thoughts begins to occur, and one learns not to follow thoughts down infinite numbers of rabbit holes. The goal of such practice, like most meditation practices, is to bring one into a state of psychological presence and to free one from the mind's usual shenanigans. The practice has been likened to standing in a train station and watching trains of thoughts go by without jumping on board. When someone first tries this sort of meditation, she may have a thought and subsequently "wake up" fifteen minutes later with the realization that she followed the thought (jumped on board a train). She then returns to the train station, metaphorically speaking, and simply watches. After several months of this practice, she may be able to watch thought trains go through the station (appear and disappear) without following them, or, only following them for a few seconds. After learning to stay in the station and watch thoughts, a koan usually arises--"Who is watching all of this?" This question is capable of generating a significant realization, because the watcher isn't who we THINK it is. The way I've been utilizing mindfulness is more in the form of 'beginning' meditation -- focusing on a variety of available sounds or my breathing, for the same purpose of not letting my mind 'land' on any particular thought, even if a whole bunch of thoughts happen, I just let them play through with the goal as it were is not to place any importance on them. I'm not placing any importance at all, currently, on concerning myself with the 'who's watching this?' or who am I or what am I - it just doesn't concern me at all. What has happened, is that new insights about old issues are able to come to the fore, which is fantastic. Meditation is a kind of deepening of your conciousness, paradoxically this usually occurs by narrowing and focussing your attention on something... Whenever you expand or deepen your conciousness, it sheds a whole new light on what you experienced before, just as the maturity of adulthood can shed a whole new light on emotions and experiences you had as a child. Have a wonder-full time with it :-)
|
|
|
Post by silver on Dec 16, 2014 11:28:18 GMT -5
The way I've been utilizing mindfulness is more in the form of 'beginning' meditation -- focusing on a variety of available sounds or my breathing, for the same purpose of not letting my mind 'land' on any particular thought, even if a whole bunch of thoughts happen, I just let them play through with the goal as it were is not to place any importance on them. I'm not placing any importance at all, currently, on concerning myself with the 'who's watching this?' or who am I or what am I - it just doesn't concern me at all. What has happened, is that new insights about old issues are able to come to the fore, which is fantastic. Meditation is a subs kind of deepening of your conciousness, paradoxically this usually occurs by narrowing and focussing your attention on something... Whenever you expand or deepen your conciousness, it sheds a whole new light on what you experienced before, just as the maturity of adulthood can shed a whole new light on emotions and experiences you had as a child. Have a wonder-full time with it :-) Yes, that's evident in my most recent dreams and when I wake up, new insights are right there - especially this morning - it was amazing! Thanks, I will.
|
|