Free will or lack of.......

[peatff]

4 hours ago, Billhook said:

Everyone on this thread "seems" to me to be a different individual, with a series of insights and thoughts that I do not think that I could have conceived.

So because you all "seem" to be different selves. why should I not be one too?

 

Always remember you are unique, just like everybody else  

 

Is a self like a mentalpiece where you put your stuff. (shelf and mantlepiece pun)

Edited December 28, 2017 by peatff

[the village idiot]

9 minutes ago, peatff said:

 

Always remember you are unique, just like everybody else  

 

Is a self like a mentalpiece where you put your stuff. (shelf and mantlepiece pun)

Yes, absolutely. The self is like a mantlepiece where you put your stuff. Love it!

My argument is that you are not choosing what to put on the shelf. Ornaments pop into place and sometimes they stay, sometimes they disappear back to Oxfam. The ornaments in place at any particular point of your life define who you think you are, but in reality (I would argue) you are actually the shelf. 

 

It is a unique and concious shelf who's grain patterns ripple in response to the ornaments and everything else it interacts with, but a shelf none the less.

[the village idiot]

Mindfulness meditation practice.

 

1.Sit comfortably but upright.

2.Close your eyes (not compulsary but it helps)

3.Focus purely on the sensation of the breath wherever you feel it strongest

4.Repeat step 3 over and over and over again for the duration of your practice time.

 

The directions for this method of mindfulness meditation are very simple. The practice, as you will find, is somewhat more taxing.

 

Focusing purely on the breath without thinking about anything else. Easy, right? Try it. If you can do just 30 seconds you are some kind of wizard.

[Gary Prentice]

37 minutes ago, the village idiot said:

Focusing purely on the breath without thinking about anything else. Easy, right? Try it. If you can do just 30 seconds you are some kind of wizard.

I googled 'how to meditate' at half three this morning - I don't sleep well. 

 

 

No self realisation but it got me back to sleep

Edited December 28, 2017 by Gary Prentice

[the village idiot]

Before getting too deep into this it is important to point out that I am a woodsman, not a meditation teacher.

 

I see no issue in giving my thoughts on what meditation is, an introduction to the techniques, and my interpretations of the results. This all comes from what I have read about the subject and my own personal experience as a novice.

 

If this thread kindles an interest, it is well worth going on your own research journey. There are 100's of books on the subject and 1000's of blogs etc written by people more qualified than me.

 

Always be mindful though that it is the practice of meditation itself that leads to the changes occuring. Understanding it logically can certainly be beneficial but it only gets you so far. To have a mind that is skilfull in observing itself working, you have to train it.

[the village idiot]

10 minutes ago, Gary Prentice said:

I googled 'how to meditate' at half three this morning - I don't sleep well. 

 

 

No self realisation but it got me back to sleep

Hi Gary.

 

A very common misconception of meditation is that it is for relaxation, to clear the mind of thoughts. The practice of meditation is actually an active process. You are not trying to stop thoughts, you are ultimately trying to develop the levels of concentration necessary to notice when thoughts arive in conciousness. This is hard work!

[Stubby]

2 hours ago, the village idiot said:

She played a very big role in knitting together your current sense of self Stubby, so why not?

She has been dead 10 years but that wont stop her

[the village idiot]

When you first start a mindfulness meditation practice you invariably find that you can't focus on purely the sensation of the breath for more than a few moments. Other thoughts automatically arive and you are swept away on them. Some time later you remember that you are trying to focus purely on the breath, so you start again. Unfortunately exactly the same thing happens, you get distracted by thought over and over and over again.

 

This leads most people to conclude that they can't meditate, their minds are too full of clutter. The crucial point to take on board here is that this constant thinking is not a barrier to mindfulness. Everyone experiences exactly the same thing, even experienced meditators. The gold in the dung heap of rumination is the exact point in the cycle of thinking that you realise you have been lost in thought. Mindfulness meditation is all about training your mind to notice when it is thinking.

 

In terms of the actual practice. When you notice that you are no longer focussed on the breath (this will happen many many many times), don't beat yourself up. Just gently acknowledge that you have been lost in thought and return to focussing on the breath.

[the village idiot]

As with any skill you are trying to develop, it is crucial to practice.

 

If you want to give mindfulness meditation a go you really need to come at it with an attitude of determination to do the practice, and curiousness as to what you might be uncovered.

 

Try and set aside a certain period each day (even just 10 minutes will be beneficial) to sit (or lie down if you are not sleepy) and gently pay attention to the breath, non judgementally bringing your attention back whenever you notice it has wondered.

 

Notice how you feel after your meditation sessions.

 

You are not going to suddenly extinguish the sense of self after day three, and aiming to do so will destroy any aspiration you have to become more mindful. Regardless of whether you label a meditation session as having been good or bad, if you managed to notice you were lost in thought and returned your attention to the breath (however many times) you are doing the practice. Your brain will be silently and slowly rewiring itself in the background, and bit by bit you will find the practice becomes easier and your progress will accelerate.

 

Many people find that guided meditation practice really helps as an introduction. There are quite a few apps for this, Headspace being the most well known and most highly regarded. These apps also help with discipline as they remind you to practice each day.

[WesD]

I’ll set 10 minutes aside later and give this a whirl, I’m always open minded I’ll report back later mind you (pun intended) it will be tonight when I get 10 mins to myself if I tried it now on breath 3 I’d be interrupted with Daaaaaad never mind thoughts!