Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

Mindfulness


8th_wall

Recommended Posts

I can't decide on what precisely mindfulness about something is meant to entail.  Assume there is some object.  I then become mindful of it.  What does this mean?  I place my awareness, attention on it?  No.  I don't think it is as superficial as that.  Do you know it?  Understand it?  Realize it?  Mindfulness, as I presently understand it, is like magic.  One is able to be more or less mindful of something.  My understanding says that to be more mindful of some object is to more completely understand it at a single instant, more completely know it, more completely intone it.  The weirdness of the matter is that the object doesn't change at all.  Only your perception.  Ah, you say, it's just a shift in perception.  Well what precisely does that mean?  It is still exactly the same thing yet your perception of it is capable of shifting?

A shift in perception?  What sort of voodoo quackery is going on here.  You have some object, say "a".  Now you have a shift of perception of "a".  Sure you can describe the shift of perception but who cares?  The same object is different somehow.  But how precisely is it different?  I think that there exists no limit to the amount that one can know, understand, appreciate, etc. something.  To be as fully mindful of it as possible.  What precisely is it that fluctuates?  There seems to me to exist some sort of meta level regarding the appreciation of things.  It seems to me to be like magic.

A big question I have is is this magical shifting subjective?  Or is it objective?  We view the objective as absolute so perhaps the subjective "lens" somehow opens further to capture more completely the object.  What does it mean to gain a sort of higher resolution appreciate of something?  The thought that there exists no limit to the resolution one can scroll down to is fascinating to me.

Mindfulness.  What the hell is going on here?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just picture a Sea Sponge, and a Starfish in a cardboard box.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mindfulness-quote-Definition.jpg

I see a cup, I pour water in the cup, I drink the water, now I have to pee. 

Not so mindful.

I don't like that cup, I hate the bland taste of water, I still drank it, now I have to pee.

At least that's my take on it.

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

I can't decide on what precisely mindfulness about something is meant to entail.  Assume there is some object.  I then become mindful of it.  What does this mean?  I place my awareness, attention on it?  No.  I don't think it is as superficial as that.  Do you know it?  Understand it?  Realize it?  Mindfulness, as I presently understand it, is like magic.  One is able to be more or less mindful of something.  My understanding says that to be more mindful of some object is to more completely understand it at a single instant, more completely know it, more completely intone it.  The weirdness of the matter is that the object doesn't change at all.  Only your perception.  Ah, you say, it's just a shift in perception.  Well what precisely does that mean?  It is still exactly the same thing yet your perception of it is capable of shifting?

A shift in perception?  What sort of voodoo quackery is going on here.  You have some object, say "a".  Now you have a shift of perception of "a".  Sure you can describe the shift of perception but who cares?  The same object is different somehow.  But how precisely is it different?  I think that there exists no limit to the amount that one can know, understand, appreciate, etc. something.  To be as fully mindful of it as possible.  What precisely is it that fluctuates?  There seems to me to exist some sort of meta level regarding the appreciation of things.  It seems to me to be like magic.

A big question I have is is this magical shifting subjective?  Or is it objective?  We view the objective as absolute so perhaps the subjective "lens" somehow opens further to capture more completely the object.  What does it mean to gain a sort of higher resolution appreciate of something?  The thought that there exists no limit to the resolution one can scroll down to is fascinating to me.

Mindfulness.  What the hell is going on here?

Next time you experience sadness, anger, stress, panic or anxiety observe your thinking processes. You will be able to identify three distinct types of thinking process:

1. The negative emotion itself - Mindfulness is firstly about simply observing and experiencing the negative emotion.

2. The desire to end the negative emotion - Mindfulness then teaches you that trying to resist, ignore and silence the negative emotion keeps it going. So instead of this you limit yourself to simply observing and experiencing the negative emotion.

3. The search for why you're experiencing the negative emotion along with planning, plotting and fantasizing about how to stop and prevent it from re-occurring (or even get revenge) - Mindfulness teaches you that if you travel from 1 to 2 to 3 then at this third stage these thinking processes you now engage in make your sadness, anger, stress, panic or anxiety worse.

So mindfulness is when you are taught to experience and observe negative emotions. And then not to try to end it, or to rationalize why it is occurring, or to think about how to stop and preventing it reoccurring (or even get revenge). Just let the negative emotion run its course in your mind while experiencing and observing it.

If you did this for several hours everyday you would notice cognitive changes in yourself after a few days. Or you can do an hour per week in which case it takes up to 2 months. You are rewiring your brain by limiting yourself to number 1 whenever you experience a negative emotion.

The amygdala part of your brain handles your emotions and it actually grows in response to them making you better at feeling them. This is bad if they are negative emotions. There is an off switch which is when you establish control over the amygdala using your hippocampus. Mindfulness is not only teaching how to do that but your hippocampus grows and your amygdala shrinks in response to it. So you become better at dealing with your emotions over time.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is mindfulness keeping a healthy balance of mind? The Buddha says the mind goes from extreme to extreme. Is there a median of balance wherein the mind just observes and watches its own reactions? I think mindfulness is being aware objectively of the state of our mind.

You are what you think. You are the state of your mind at every moment. What state of mind do we want to be in? When you watch your mind you gain knowledge of yourself. We all loose our balance at times, but only when we realize we have become unbalanced can we regain our natural balance of mind.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

I can't decide on what precisely mindfulness about something is meant to entail.

That depends, are you talking about the term generally ?  The reason I ask is it can be a specific daoist term , a topic of much debate on a daoist forum I frequent . 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 Assume there is some object.  I then become mindful of it.  What does this mean?  I place my awareness, attention on it?

Thats a good starting point ;   " Ding  literally means "decide; settle; stabilize; definite; firm; solid"   (see italics quote below ) 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 No.  I don't think it is as superficial as that.  Do you know it?  Understand it?  Realize it?

Thats good, Work on those three  next .

OR

Guan  basically means "look at (carefully); watch; observe; view; scrutinize" .  Cun  usually means "exist; be present; live; survive; remain"

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 

 Mindfulness, as I presently understand it, is like magic.  One is able to be more or less mindful of something.  My understanding says that to be more mindful of some object is to more completely understand it at a single instant, more completely know it, more completely intone it.

I think the 'single instant' thing comes later, at first, one might need to work 'through the levels' ; approach each level of looking at it consecutively . Over time, an instant comprehension may come, some never get this , but that is okay, as the 'consecutive' approach leads to the same place .

The Sufis say that to really know something, you have to see it / understand it  7 different ways .  One model of 7 is the planets; they can provide 7 ways  of looking at , or expressing one thing.  (There is also various models using various numbers ;  Unity, duality, trinity .... 4 or 5 elements, 7 planets, 10 sephiroth, 12 signs, 32 paths, 64 hexagrams .... ) 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 The weirdness of the matter is that the object doesn't change at all.  Only your perception.  Ah, you say, it's just a shift in perception.  Well what precisely does that mean?  It is still exactly the same thing yet your perception of it is capable of shifting?

I would say a 'widening of perception' and through that seeing the connectivity of things, how they can affect each other .  A microscope is great for looking at micro organisms, but not at ecological interactions in environment ,  a telescope is good for looking in detail at a small section of far away cosmos, but all the info coming in needs to be stitched together for a cosmological view.

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

A shift in perception?  What sort of voodoo quackery is going on here.

Nah .....  its just  'focus' of perception .    And its different for all , before any training ..... some people walk along looking at their feet, some take in the view, the sky, the sights and sounds, the smells the .... 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 You have some object, say "a".  Now you have a shift of perception of "a".  Sure you can describe the shift of perception but who cares?  The same object is different somehow.  But how precisely is it different?

It is being looked at (hopefully)  within context of its holistic relationships with everything else .  Its one way of understanding it .  

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 I think that there exists no limit to the amount that one can know, understand, appreciate, etc. something.  To be as fully mindful of it as possible.  What precisely is it that fluctuates?

'Focus' .   

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 There seems to me to exist some sort of meta level regarding the appreciation of things.  It seems to me to be like magic.

Not sure what you mean, but I am thinking of the level where  'things change '.  In 'the middle'  where we are (due to our 'point of reference' ) perceptions, interactions and laws seem  specific. But go beyond that level 'down' into sub atomic, things shift , we enter the 'quantum worlds'  physical laws seem flexible and different .  Similar to when we go really large view , astrophysics .....   the Universe was generated by .... nothing  ...  ? 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

A big question I have is is this magical shifting subjective?  Or is it objective?

Great question .  I dont see it as 'magical' as such ... ( I suppose one could call it a 'magical exercise' ), I think the shift is subjective but it opens one more to a more  objective viewpoint - where one can see other possibilities (because you are searching for them .... "Oh man, I only came up with 5 ways of understanding this thing ... I gotta find another 7 ! " )   ... other than , havin one idea or 'attachment ' in mind and searching and sifting for a model to fit that . 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 We view the objective as absolute so perhaps the subjective "lens" somehow opens further to capture more completely the object.

yes, but I would add     and its 'relationships' .

 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 What does it mean to gain a sort of higher resolution appreciate of something?

Higher and wider, I would say ....  it means , if applied rightly ,  one  gains a more balanced information and knowledge , if that has a firm base, it can then lead one to a better understanding  (of how to apply that knowledge )  and also  wisdom  ( knowing what the effects will be when the knowledge is applied via understanding ) , so as best to achieve an aim, comprehension, action . 

 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

 The thought that there exists no limit to the resolution one can scroll down to is fascinating to me.

Plank constant  ?   Or maybe it's like a fractal ? 

13 hours ago, PsiSeeker said:

Mindfulness.  What the hell is going on here?

Sort of ... roughly , like this  ;

 

" Ding  literally means "decide; settle; stabilize; definite; firm; solid" and early scholars such as Xuanzang used it to translate Sanskrit samadhi "deep meditative contemplation" in Chinese Buddhist texts. In this sense, Kohn (2008c:358) renders ding as "intent contemplation" or "perfect absorption." The Zuowanglun has a section called Taiding 泰定 "intense concentration"

Guan  basically means "look at (carefully); watch; observe; view; scrutinize" (and names the Yijing Hexagram 20 Guan "Viewing"). Guan became the Daoist technical term for "monastery; abbey", exemplified by Louguan 樓觀 "Tiered Abbey" temple, designating "Observation Tower", which was a major Daoist center from the 5th through 7th centuries (see Louguantai). Kohn (2008d:452) says the word guan, "intimates the role of Taoist sacred sites as places of contact with celestial beings and observation of the stars." Tang Dynasty (618–907) Daoist masters developed guan "observation" meditation from Tiantai Buddhist zhiguan 止觀 "cessation and insight" meditation, corresponding to śamatha-vipaśyanā – the two basic types of Buddhist meditation are samatha "calm abiding; stabilizing meditation" and vipassanā "clear observation; analysis". Kohn (2008d:453) explains, "The two words indicate the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation: zhi is a concentrative exercise that achieves one-pointedness of mind or "cessation" of all thoughts and mental activities, while guan is a practice of open acceptance of sensory data, interpreted according to Buddhist doctrine as a form of "insight" or wisdom." Guan meditators would seek to merge individual consciousness into emptiness and attain unity with the Dao.

Cun  usually means "exist; be present; live; survive; remain", but has a sense of "to cause to exist; to make present" in the Daoist meditation technique, which both the Shangqing School and Lingbao Schools popularized. "

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daoist_meditation

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would assume it to be the opposite of mindlessness, which can be found, e.g., at a soccer riot !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ahhhh ... humans,  mostly delightful in polite society ......  but    a mob of them running on some sort of instinctual catharsis ? 

 

Let me off this planet !  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You may find value in the words of Shunryu Suzuki...

 

Edited by quiXilver
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, RabidMongoose said:

Next time you experience sadness, anger, stress, panic or anxiety observe your thinking processes. You will be able to identify three distinct types of thinking process:

1. The negative emotion itself - Mindfulness is firstly about simply observing and experiencing the negative emotion.

2. The desire to end the negative emotion - Mindfulness then teaches you that trying to resist, ignore and silence the negative emotion keeps it going. So instead of this you limit yourself to simply observing and experiencing the negative emotion.

3. The search for why you're experiencing the negative emotion along with planning, plotting and fantasizing about how to stop and prevent it from re-occurring (or even get revenge) - Mindfulness teaches you that if you travel from 1 to 2 to 3 then at this third stage these thinking processes you now engage in make your sadness, anger, stress, panic or anxiety worse.

So mindfulness is when you are taught to experience and observe negative emotions. And then not to try to end it, or to rationalize why it is occurring, or to think about how to stop and preventing it reoccurring (or even get revenge). Just let the negative emotion run its course in your mind while experiencing and observing it.

If you did this for several hours everyday you would notice cognitive changes in yourself after a few days. Or you can do an hour per week in which case it takes up to 2 months. You are rewiring your brain by limiting yourself to number 1 whenever you experience a negative emotion.

The amygdala part of your brain handles your emotions and it actually grows in response to them making you better at feeling them. This is bad if they are negative emotions. There is an off switch which is when you establish control over the amygdala using your hippocampus. Mindfulness is not only teaching how to do that but your hippocampus grows and your amygdala shrinks in response to it. So you become better at dealing with your emotions over time.

Why negative emotions in particular?  I thought you could be mindful of anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, StarMountainKid said:

Is mindfulness keeping a healthy balance of mind? The Buddha says the mind goes from extreme to extreme. Is there a median of balance wherein the mind just observes and watches its own reactions? I think mindfulness is being aware objectively of the state of our mind.

You are what you think. You are the state of your mind at every moment. What state of mind do we want to be in? When you watch your mind you gain knowledge of yourself. We all loose our balance at times, but only when we realize we have become unbalanced can we regain our natural balance of mind.

 

Hmm, so this is painting mindfulness as a state of existence instead of a way of being.  Is it both?  It's being aware but to my mind it is being aware in a very particular way.  This particularness seems to have several layers associated with it when engaged with it.

I think when you watch your mind in a particular sort of way you gain knowledge.  How do we gain balance through observation?  I think there is an effort of will initially one must apply to "see" (observe) in a particular way to cause insight and then the realization of balance.  What is going on that causes observing, or seeing something, the own mind, an object, whatever that causes these things to come about?  I don't know, this all seems like magic to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, back to earth said:

That depends, are you talking about the term generally ?  The reason I ask is it can be a specific daoist term , a topic of much debate on a daoist forum I frequent . 

Thats a good starting point ;   " Ding  literally means "decide; settle; stabilize; definite; firm; solid"   (see italics quote below ) 

Thats good, Work on those three  next .

OR

Guan  basically means "look at (carefully); watch; observe; view; scrutinize" .  Cun  usually means "exist; be present; live; survive; remain"

I think the 'single instant' thing comes later, at first, one might need to work 'through the levels' ; approach each level of looking at it consecutively . Over time, an instant comprehension may come, some never get this , but that is okay, as the 'consecutive' approach leads to the same place .

The Sufis say that to really know something, you have to see it / understand it  7 different ways .  One model of 7 is the planets; they can provide 7 ways  of looking at , or expressing one thing.  (There is also various models using various numbers ;  Unity, duality, trinity .... 4 or 5 elements, 7 planets, 10 sephiroth, 12 signs, 32 paths, 64 hexagrams .... ) 

I would say a 'widening of perception' and through that seeing the connectivity of things, how they can affect each other .  A microscope is great for looking at micro organisms, but not at ecological interactions in environment ,  a telescope is good for looking in detail at a small section of far away cosmos, but all the info coming in needs to be stitched together for a cosmological view.

Nah .....  its just  'focus' of perception .    And its different for all , before any training ..... some people walk along looking at their feet, some take in the view, the sky, the sights and sounds, the smells the .... 

It is being looked at (hopefully)  within context of its holistic relationships with everything else .  Its one way of understanding it .  

'Focus' .   

Not sure what you mean, but I am thinking of the level where  'things change '.  In 'the middle'  where we are (due to our 'point of reference' ) perceptions, interactions and laws seem  specific. But go beyond that level 'down' into sub atomic, things shift , we enter the 'quantum worlds'  physical laws seem flexible and different .  Similar to when we go really large view , astrophysics .....   the Universe was generated by .... nothing  ...  ? 

Great question .  I dont see it as 'magical' as such ... ( I suppose one could call it a 'magical exercise' ), I think the shift is subjective but it opens one more to a more  objective viewpoint - where one can see other possibilities (because you are searching for them .... "Oh man, I only came up with 5 ways of understanding this thing ... I gotta find another 7 ! " )   ... other than , havin one idea or 'attachment ' in mind and searching and sifting for a model to fit that . 

yes, but I would add     and its 'relationships' .

 

Higher and wider, I would say ....  it means , if applied rightly ,  one  gains a more balanced information and knowledge , if that has a firm base, it can then lead one to a better understanding  (of how to apply that knowledge )  and also  wisdom  ( knowing what the effects will be when the knowledge is applied via understanding ) , so as best to achieve an aim, comprehension, action . 

 

Plank constant  ?   Or maybe it's like a fractal ? 

Sort of ... roughly , like this  ;

 

" Ding  literally means "decide; settle; stabilize; definite; firm; solid" and early scholars such as Xuanzang used it to translate Sanskrit samadhi "deep meditative contemplation" in Chinese Buddhist texts. In this sense, Kohn (2008c:358) renders ding as "intent contemplation" or "perfect absorption." The Zuowanglun has a section called Taiding 泰定 "intense concentration"

Guan  basically means "look at (carefully); watch; observe; view; scrutinize" (and names the Yijing Hexagram 20 Guan "Viewing"). Guan became the Daoist technical term for "monastery; abbey", exemplified by Louguan 樓觀 "Tiered Abbey" temple, designating "Observation Tower", which was a major Daoist center from the 5th through 7th centuries (see Louguantai). Kohn (2008d:452) says the word guan, "intimates the role of Taoist sacred sites as places of contact with celestial beings and observation of the stars." Tang Dynasty (618–907) Daoist masters developed guan "observation" meditation from Tiantai Buddhist zhiguan 止觀 "cessation and insight" meditation, corresponding to śamatha-vipaśyanā – the two basic types of Buddhist meditation are samatha "calm abiding; stabilizing meditation" and vipassanā "clear observation; analysis". Kohn (2008d:453) explains, "The two words indicate the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation: zhi is a concentrative exercise that achieves one-pointedness of mind or "cessation" of all thoughts and mental activities, while guan is a practice of open acceptance of sensory data, interpreted according to Buddhist doctrine as a form of "insight" or wisdom." Guan meditators would seek to merge individual consciousness into emptiness and attain unity with the Dao.

Cun  usually means "exist; be present; live; survive; remain", but has a sense of "to cause to exist; to make present" in the Daoist meditation technique, which both the Shangqing School and Lingbao Schools popularized. "

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daoist_meditation

So there is both the placing of awareness on some object and holding onto it and then the act of actually pondering some object.  Like...  Thinking about it?  Wondering about its relationships and its place in the world?  I get confused by this.  There is meditation where one "sees" or "experiences" with no thought and then there is meditation where one has all the thought related to a particular thread one is pursuing?

Two different ways to gaining a particular sort of insight?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mindfulness is a word, and not that hard to understand, unless we want to give it a special meaning for people who go ommmmmmmmm...............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Habitat said:

Mindfulness is a word, and not that hard to understand, unless we want to give it a special meaning for people who go ommmmmmmmm...............

I'm testing my understanding :P.  So tell me good sir.  What precisely is it to you?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me, if we are mindful of something, it means having it at the forefront of our mind, even to the exclusion of all else. But there may be a "cute" meaning that evades me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, PsiSeeker said:

So there is both the placing of awareness on some object and holding onto it and then the act of actually pondering some object.  Like...  Thinking about it?  Wondering about its relationships and its place in the world?  I get confused by this.  There is meditation where one "sees" or "experiences" with no thought and then there is meditation where one has all the thought related to a particular thread one is pursuing?

Two different ways to gaining a particular sort of insight?

That's close to my take on the the two different main types of meditation .... lets call it it active and passive mind .

" There is meditation where one "sees" or "experiences" with no thought "  With this , it reminds me of an 'austere practice' one might sit in a room, bland, with one single object and try to think on that, and nothing else .  Or even, think of nothing, just be 'being'.  This is more of a practice to control thought and stop it from wandering all over the place .  Concentration.  Mind directed by will, not 'whim' . 

A type of 'half way' practice is looking at the 'extensions' of the object'  ; say a candle, lit.  It may be permissible to meditate on its materials, where they cam from, where bees involved ,  can I calculate how long it will burn for .... are all within the range of the meditation.  How long will it burn for, and will it still be going and will I still be meditating  through dinner time .... I hope not  (  careful ! )   .....    because I would really like pizza for dinner,....(  - gong !   Lost it . )

Now one could go from here to 'passive' -  visualise all associations (even if valid) going into candle flame and burning .... if when no other arise, flame burns out, nothing .  'No thoughts'. 

OR 

From that point 'explore associations ' and utilise  them .  Two things come from this ; the western magical school systems of  ' occult associations'  and the 'religious aspects' of symbolic associations in ritual .  Here, in ritual, ceremony or rite , one floods and bombards the senses, so the active mind, on a multiple sensory level is seeing and hearing things, BUT they are all directing this mind to one end ...... IF ... the observer is versed in the associations .

(Some hold that the objects themselves contain some type of their own associated energy )

It would work something like this ;  the first way, a devote may sit in a room and think of nothing nor acknowledge nothing but Krishna .

The 2nd way would be some wild ceremony with costumes (of Krishna )  colourful ( ones that Krishna likes )  offerings  (acceptable to Krishna ) every where the wandering curious mind looks ; Krishna  Krishna Krishna .....   even if one wonders what is for dinner, it will be stuff Krishna likes too and be offered to Krishna first    :D  )   .... or Venus ; the temple for the Rite would have the idol, the incense of, Venus, the colours of Venus, Jewelry worn from the metals and stones of Venus , etc . 

 

Some say the first - 'austere ' 'passive'  method is best suited to the 'eastern mind' and the other to the western ...  ?   Mhe  . 

 

Image result for zen meditation

 

OR 

 

Related image

 

Edited by back to earth
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, PsiSeeker said:

Hmm, so this is painting mindfulness as a state of existence instead of a way of being.  Is it both?  It's being aware but to my mind it is being aware in a very particular way.  This particularness seems to have several layers associated with it when engaged with it.

I think when you watch your mind in a particular sort of way you gain knowledge.  How do we gain balance through observation?  I think there is an effort of will initially one must apply to "see" (observe) in a particular way to cause insight and then the realization of balance.  What is going on that causes observing, or seeing something, the own mind, an object, whatever that causes these things to come about?  I don't know, this all seems like magic to me.

In my view it's simple. Just being aware of yourself is enough. When you're angry, be aware of your anger. When you're happy, be aware of your happiness. We often loose ourselves especially in anger and negative feelings. We become our anger or negative feelings. We loose our healthy mental balance.

There's the phrase, "That guy's unbalanced!" indicating he's off into some extreme mental state. To pull ourselves back into equilibrium we just need to realize our extreme state of mind we've fallen into. We need to step back and take a look at ourselves, asking, "Wait a minute, where am I right now? Am I in a healthy, rational state of mind?"

All this can become complex and baffling if we don't keep it simple. Mindfulness for me is just observing one's self, one's emotions, one's moods, patterns of thought. There is no magic, no complex analysis to it and no special effort involved. It's understanding and accessing one's mental state clearly.

Our evolved brains are suppose to have self-awareness. When you know what you're doing, you're there, you're in the present moment aware of yourself.

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, StarMountainKid said:

In my view it's simple. Just being aware of yourself is enough. When you're angry, be aware of your anger. When you're happy, be aware of your happiness. We often loose ourselves especially in anger and negative feelings. We become our anger or negative feelings. We loose our healthy mental balance.

There's the phrase, "That guy's unbalanced!" indicating he's off into some extreme mental state. To pull ourselves back into equilibrium we just need to realize our extreme state of mind we've fallen into. We need to step back and take a look at ourselves, asking, "Wait a minute, where am I right now? Am I in a healthy, rational state of mind?"

All this can become complex and baffling if we don't keep it simple. Mindfulness for me is just observing one's self, one's emotions, one's moods, patterns of thought. There is no magic, no complex analysis to it and no special effort involved. It's understanding and accessing one's mental state clearly.

Our evolved brains are suppose to have self-awareness. When you know what you're doing, you're there, you're in the present moment aware of yourself.

 

 

That would be a kind of detachment ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Habitat said:

That would be a kind of detachment ?

It is detachment in the sense that your emotions, moods and thoughts are just emotions, moods and thoughts. They are sort of 'extras' to your fundamental calm and peaceful mind. Being aware of yourself is the opposite of detachment in the sense that you're paying attention to yourself, to your own state of mind.. When emotions, various psychological states of mind, etc. take over, then you are detached from yourself.

In Aldous Huxley's novel, 'Island', all the macaws and parrots are taught to say one word, then set free into the jungle. When visitors stroll along the jungle paths they hear the birds saying, "Attention! Attention!" This suggests being attentive, attentive to your environment and attentive to yourself. This is mindfulness, in my view.

If we are not paying attention, we can become lost. It's just simple common sense.

.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Habitat said:

To me, if we are mindful of something, it means having it at the forefront of our mind, even to the exclusion of all else. But there may be a "cute" meaning that evades me.

Mindfulness is this.....

18 hours ago, XenoFish said:

Mindfulness-quote-Definition.jpg

 

It is a way of paying attention, similar to mediation. It is an excellent treatment for stress and is helpfull even in small micro doses.

To be mindful really is to focus on something. My understanding is it's when we focus on ourselves and everything around us, in detail.

Like this ......

Take time to recognise your breathing, in and out, listen to the sounds around you, feel the temperature of the air on your skin., what can you see, what can you hear, is your pulse slowing, breath in, and out, full long slow breaths.

This technique of mindfulness actually slows the heart rate, and reduced levels of cortisone in the body.

Meditation has real health benefits, and works even in these micro moments. Try it. It only needs to takes 2 minutes. You don't even have to be sitting down for it.

It's not just for people who say ommmm. It's great for heart patients and people with anxiety and depression too.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I'm too laid back as it is, Kismit. Blood pressure good. Never felt more relaxed, not that my health is perfect by any means.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Habitat said:

I think I'm too laid back as it is, Kismit. Blood pressure good. Never felt more relaxed, not that my health is perfect by any means.

It's still useful. Not magical, but useful.  And i find it quite an enjoyable experience. (Also laid back and low blood pressure) its really just about apreciating a moment.

Edited by Kismit
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, StarMountainKid said:

It is detachment in the sense that your emotions, moods and thoughts are just emotions, moods and thoughts. They are sort of 'extras' to your fundamental calm and peaceful mind. Being aware of yourself is the opposite of detachment in the sense that you're paying attention to yourself, to your own state of mind.. When emotions, various psychological states of mind, etc. take over, then you are detached from yourself.

In Aldous Huxley's novel, 'Island', all the macaws and parrots are taught to say one word, then set free into the jungle. When visitors stroll along the jungle paths they hear the birds saying, "Attention! Attention!" This suggests being attentive, attentive to your environment and attentive to yourself. This is mindfulness, in my view.

If we are not paying attention, we can become lost. It's just simple common sense.

To me it seems that something weird happens with attention and mindfulness.  It is possible to have greater or lesser degrees of them yet the object itself doesn't change.  Awareness can increase or decrease to encompass more of something or more in general.  You can have a greater pin pointed understanding of something that can change over time.  A deeper attention to subtleties.  A greater focus in on the aspects that constitutes something.  For me that is magic.  A never ending well of a thing without it actually changing.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, StarMountainKid said:

It is detachment in the sense that your emotions, moods and thoughts are just emotions, moods and thoughts. They are sort of 'extras' to your fundamental calm and peaceful mind. Being aware of yourself is the opposite of detachment in the sense that you're paying attention to yourself, to your own state of mind.. When emotions, various psychological states of mind, etc. take over, then you are detached from yourself.

In Aldous Huxley's novel, 'Island', all the macaws and parrots are taught to say one word, then set free into the jungle. When visitors stroll along the jungle paths they hear the birds saying, "Attention! Attention!" This suggests being attentive, attentive to your environment and attentive to yourself. This is mindfulness, in my view.

If we are not paying attention, we can become lost. It's just simple common sense.

To me it seems that something weird happens with attention and mindfulness.  It is possible to have greater or lesser degrees of them yet the object itself doesn't change.  Awareness can increase or decrease to encompass more of something or more in general.  You can have a greater pin pointed understanding of something that can change over time.  A deeper attention to subtleties.  A greater focus in on the aspects that constitutes something.  For me that is magic.  A never ending well of a thing without it actually changing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.