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I'm not to keen on the article. I'm a 2 year frequent meditator who has been studying Tibetan buddhism and learning from monks. This doesn't mean I'm correct, i

I'm not to keen on the article. I'm a 2 year frequent meditator who has been studying Tibetan buddhism and learning from monks. This doesn't mean I'm correct, it's just some background. I also have Adhd. I don't feel he exaplains himself well in the article and just states what he claims are facts. 'It's a state free of greed, hatred delusion' etc etc. Some of these are emotions and I certainly can concentrate well when feeling strong emotions. 'Can only max out concerntration for a short time'. (not direct quote) I'd question this because of flow where an individual can loose themselves for hours on end on one thing. And what about Adhd hyperfocus? The inability to switch task and move on. That takes power. Sure, mindfulness and concentration are different. I've found my concentration had become much better since engaging in mindfulness. But for me personally, concentration isn't willpower in all tasks. Some it is, some it takes willpower to move myself away, sometimes it's linked to my ability to let go of distraction (I prefer the word attraction).

aaimnr 11y ago
I agree with your second point, real concentration doesn't require lot of force to sustain, actually it requires much less force than regular mind wandering. In regard to you first question, he's right - if you're interested look up topic of "Five Mental Hindrances" - when you reach really deep state of concentration (called Jhana) you drop all of these. Which means that if you still feel any strong emotions, you still have some work to do as the mind is not stable. Stability and calmness of the mind are very important factors of right concentration, however it's not immediately obvious, as the english word 'concentration' has lot of these forceful connotations. That's why there's lot of people criticizing translation Pali term Samadhi as Concentration and suggest using 'unification', 'centeredness' etc instead.
- LifeQuestioner 11y ago
  Thanks for that added information, i'll check those out! Question, would enjoyment be an emotion or pleasure? Thus these could enable a person to maintain more concentration because they're happy/having fun/ Perhaps these do not fit into the "strong" emotions category. Edit: so reading the 5 hinderances is interesting. I guess I was thinking the author was suggesting "all emotions" and using those three(hate, etc) as examples rather than there being a select few "negative emotions" which can hinder concentration. Thanks!
  - aaimnr 11y ago
    There are actually some wholesome mental states that are conducive to concentration. The most notorious are piti (translated as rapture, joy) and sukha (content, pleasure). Listen to this guy, may be useful http://dharmatreasure.org/piti-joy/ http://dharmatreasure.org/piti-joy/ (his superb book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0990847705 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0990847705 ).

aaimnr 11y ago

I agree with your second point, real concentration doesn't require lot of force to sustain, actually it requires much less force than regular mind wandering. In regard to you first question, he's right - if you're interested look up topic of "Five Mental Hindrances" - when you reach really deep state of concentration (called Jhana) you drop all of these. Which means that if you still feel any strong emotions, you still have some work to do as the mind is not stable. Stability and calmness of the mind are very important factors of right concentration, however it's not immediately obvious, as the english word 'concentration' has lot of these forceful connotations. That's why there's lot of people criticizing translation Pali term Samadhi as Concentration and suggest using 'unification', 'centeredness' etc instead.

LifeQuestioner 11y ago
Thanks for that added information, i'll check those out! Question, would enjoyment be an emotion or pleasure? Thus these could enable a person to maintain more concentration because they're happy/having fun/ Perhaps these do not fit into the "strong" emotions category. Edit: so reading the 5 hinderances is interesting. I guess I was thinking the author was suggesting "all emotions" and using those three(hate, etc) as examples rather than there being a select few "negative emotions" which can hinder concentration. Thanks!
- aaimnr 11y ago
  There are actually some wholesome mental states that are conducive to concentration. The most notorious are piti (translated as rapture, joy) and sukha (content, pleasure). Listen to this guy, may be useful http://dharmatreasure.org/piti-joy/ http://dharmatreasure.org/piti-joy/ (his superb book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0990847705 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0990847705 ).