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When we focus we do not really focus. For example, while we eat, we get all kinds of thoughts, and we can easily get lost in them. Planning about the future, t

by firtoz 4y ago

When we focus we do not really focus. For example, while we eat, we get all kinds of thoughts, and we can easily get lost in them. Planning about the future, thinking about the past. We can get lost in our mind and our thoughts carry us around. This is our default mode. With meditation, we can learn to focus on what we are doing much more precisely than "typical" focus that we think is focusing, but the typical one we consider mainly "what we think our body is actively doing". We do not typically consider what's going on in the mind. With meditation, we can learn to let go of the thoughts in our mind, so that we do not get dragged around this way or that way easily. Training the mind is a skill that one learns over months and years. When I meditate, I deliberately let the thoughts pass, and every session of meditation trains me to automatically be able to do it during my daily activities. So when I am eating, I am only eating, with my body, but also my mind. When I am relaxing, I am truly relaxing. When I am thinking about something, I am truly thinking about only that thing.

aristofun 4y ago
> When we focus we do not really focus. How do you know that? How do you measure and decide if you focus enough?
- toxicFork 4y ago
  You can measure how many times you get distracted, and how far do you get dragged. This is very easy to do during meditation.
  - aristofun 4y ago
    Yes, but who decides the standard here? I am distracted 5 times a minute. Is it good enough or should I continue practicing? And in the end - why is this a bad thing, to be distracted? If it’s in our nature in the first place? I’m not being sarcastic - I truly want to know the deep answers from someone knowledgeable, but didn’t find any answers yet.
    - toxicFork 4y ago
      You decide what you are comfortable with :) however in general we can roughly decide if someone is struggling or not. There are no "right and deep answers" for questions like this.
      - aristofun 4y ago
        It comes down to “why do I need to decide at all in the first place?” So why?
        toxicFork 4y ago
        I see that you too are interested in philosophy ;) Everyone has their reason to be interested in meditation. The original Buddha was simply "not satisfied" and wanted to know why. So he discovered the causes and effects and removers of dissatisfaction in itself. Part of his discovery that dissatisfaction comes from within, from all of the thoughts that poke us, especially when we let them to affect us. Mindfulness meditation is only part of the puzzle of Buddhism.
        aristofun 4y ago
        I’m not trying to be philosophical here. I’m trying to find those personal specific seeds that drove people to meditation. Judging by the comments here - there are not that much. Most just repeat common mass media Knowledge about meditation. Although some comments feel deeply personal, this is why I try to find more evidence, not just put a label on this meditation thing.
        toxicFork 4y ago
        My seed was very personal too. I had been overly self critical most of my life, and that made me unhappy. Additionally, I had a friend tell me that I had "too much ego". I did some research on "how to reduce your ego", and Buddhism appeared on my radar. I explored deeper, and started practicing. It showed me not to get too attached to a lot of the thoughts that I was very attached to. I was also very attached to a particular kind of self worth. I realised that I did have too much ego, not necessarily like the typical form of narcissism, but I was still too "self-centred", except instead of the "self-loving" narcissism, I was the "self-blaming" kind. With meditation I learned not to pay too much attention to some of the thoughts, which helped calm me down. My complete solution did involve more than meditation, though, I went to therapy as well. Meditation feels more like a kind of "supplement" rather than a cure-all, tbh.
rhn_mk1 4y ago
> we can learn to focus on what we are doing much more precisely than "typical" focus that we think is focusing Is that different from the kind of focus during strenuous exercise?
- toxicFork 4y ago
  During some kind of exercise, or anything that gets you into the "flow zone", is not really that different indeed.

by firtoz 4y ago

aristofun 4y ago

> When we focus we do not really focus. How do you know that? How do you measure and decide if you focus enough?

toxicFork 4y ago
You can measure how many times you get distracted, and how far do you get dragged. This is very easy to do during meditation.
- aristofun 4y ago
  Yes, but who decides the standard here? I am distracted 5 times a minute. Is it good enough or should I continue practicing? And in the end - why is this a bad thing, to be distracted? If it’s in our nature in the first place? I’m not being sarcastic - I truly want to know the deep answers from someone knowledgeable, but didn’t find any answers yet.
  - toxicFork 4y ago
    You decide what you are comfortable with :) however in general we can roughly decide if someone is struggling or not. There are no "right and deep answers" for questions like this.
    - aristofun 4y ago
      It comes down to “why do I need to decide at all in the first place?” So why?
      - toxicFork 4y ago
        I see that you too are interested in philosophy ;) Everyone has their reason to be interested in meditation. The original Buddha was simply "not satisfied" and wanted to know why. So he discovered the causes and effects and removers of dissatisfaction in itself. Part of his discovery that dissatisfaction comes from within, from all of the thoughts that poke us, especially when we let them to affect us. Mindfulness meditation is only part of the puzzle of Buddhism.
        aristofun 4y ago
        I’m not trying to be philosophical here. I’m trying to find those personal specific seeds that drove people to meditation. Judging by the comments here - there are not that much. Most just repeat common mass media Knowledge about meditation. Although some comments feel deeply personal, this is why I try to find more evidence, not just put a label on this meditation thing.
        toxicFork 4y ago
        My seed was very personal too. I had been overly self critical most of my life, and that made me unhappy. Additionally, I had a friend tell me that I had "too much ego". I did some research on "how to reduce your ego", and Buddhism appeared on my radar. I explored deeper, and started practicing. It showed me not to get too attached to a lot of the thoughts that I was very attached to. I was also very attached to a particular kind of self worth. I realised that I did have too much ego, not necessarily like the typical form of narcissism, but I was still too "self-centred", except instead of the "self-loving" narcissism, I was the "self-blaming" kind. With meditation I learned not to pay too much attention to some of the thoughts, which helped calm me down. My complete solution did involve more than meditation, though, I went to therapy as well. Meditation feels more like a kind of "supplement" rather than a cure-all, tbh.

rhn_mk1 4y ago

> we can learn to focus on what we are doing much more precisely than "typical" focus that we think is focusing Is that different from the kind of focus during strenuous exercise?

toxicFork 4y ago
During some kind of exercise, or anything that gets you into the "flow zone", is not really that different indeed.