Chapter 3 Flashcards
What are the three key factors for why we meditate?
The three key factors are enjoyment, interest and a sense of purpose.
ENJOYMENT:
* Effortless concentration and enjoyment, it’s natural and not forced, and it’s free.
INTEREST:
* Approach each practice as an opportunity to learn more about yourself, asking yourself various questions. Engage your interest and curiosity, exploring your experience.
SENSE OF PURPOSE:
* If you have a strong sense of purpose you can sometimes do things even if your enjoyment and motivation go AWOL.
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What is the aim of mindfulness of breathing?
The aim is not to focus our mind on our breathing. The real purpose is to change our mind; to develop serenity, concentration and other fulfilling ways to be. Paying attention to the breath is just a means of enabling us to develop these mental qualities.
In fact, there are times when it is good to let go of the breath completely, in order to attend to other aspects of your experience, if that helps you to deepen the calm and clarity of your mind.
Page 44-45
What are the two types of concentration?
One type of concentration is a thin, narrow concentration, usually achieved through will power. This can be enjoyable up to a point, but it’s not very stable.
The other form of concentration is a more natural one in which, rather than shutting out aspects of your experience, the experiences all flow easily together to support your focus. This looks more like a pyramid, with a solid base and where the stone at the apex is supported by the rest of the structure.
Page 46
Effective meditation involves breadth and focus: what is meant by these?
Breadth involves your overall awareness of what is happening with yourself in the meditation, which provides the context for your concentration. For example, focus on the breath always happens within the wider context of your total experience - your awareness of your surroundings, your physical posture, your feelings, what you are telling yourself, and so on.
Focus is homing in on your objective of concentration, which here is your breath (although it can be other things in different meditation styles).
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How do you know when to broaden your awareness to take in more of your overall experience to take in more of your overall experience and when to focus more on your breathing?
- You can really only learn this from trial and error since meditation is an art.
- Rather than diving straight into focusing on the breath, first take in your total situation: where you’re sitting, your posture, how your body feels, your thoughts and feelings, your level of interest in the meditation.
- Then make adjustments, so that you’re giving yourself the best context in which to focus.
- Once you’ve done this, you’ll be in a much better position to five your full attention to the breath.
INSERT ASH’S NOTES on breadth and focus
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Why “step back” during a meditation?
- Stepping back during meditation gives you a chance to ‘course correct’ and improve the quality of your meditation practice.
- A good time to step back is between the end of one stage and the beginning of the next.
- You can step back for a few seconds and check how things are going: for example, how is your posture? Level of engagement? Internal state? Energy? Emotional landscape (restless, calm, settled, etc.)?
- This can be done very quickly, it’s a kind of course correction.
- Other times it can be done is: any time you’re lacking energy; when you want to go deeper into meditation; even in a “good” meditation when you’re feeling extremely good and engaged.
- You don’t have to do this slavishly - if you’re having an excellent meditation, by all means, just be with it.
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What is meant by balanced effort?
Balanced effort is about finding the “right” or “friendly” amount of effort, or the appropriate amount of effort, to put into meditation practice.
There’s a point between not trying too hard and not trying hard enough. You need to play with the two extremes a little until you find that point at which you are comfortable with the amount of energy you are using, to feel light and aware, but also calm and relaxed. Finding this requires you to develop a subtle awareness of what is going on in your body and mind.
We basically need to do this every time we meditate.
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What are the two types of energy we work with in meditation?
There are two main obstacles to meditation and as meditators we need to learn how to handle them.
The first obstacle is when distractions cause an increase in energy during meditation. For example, feeling angry, annoyed, day dreaming, physically restless, mentally anxious.
The second obstacle is when energy is being taken away from your meditation, ie energy decreasing. For example, feeling heavy, tired, listless, sluggish, usually as a result of what you have been doing prior to the meditation (but not necessarily).
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How do we work to calm or energise ourselves in meditation?
CALMING:
When you have too much energy you need to calm yourself down because you are too much in your head, getting distracted, etc.
To do this, you need to bring the energy down lower in your body. For example:
* you can anchor your attention in your belly or take a few deeper breaths into your abdomen.
* Or focus your attention on the out-breath, with a sense of letting go and relaxing.
* Another way is to imagine all the tension and excess energy flowing down through your body deep into the ground.
ENERGISING:
This means going higher or faster and focusing on the in-breath. So when you’re feeling dull and tired, it’s better to concentrate on the breath high up in the body:
* perhaps taking a few deep breaths into your upper chest or briefly breathing more lightly and quickly.
* Pay particular attention to the in-breath and the sense of your body expanding and taking in energy as you breath in.
* Light is very energising so you could imagine yourself inhaling light with each breath.
* You could even open your eyes or focus them on a candle for a while.
How does doubt and uncertainty affect you meditation and what can you do about it?
Doubt, uncertainty and unclarity have an undermining effect on your meditation practice and prevents you from making a wholehearted effort.
To address this you need to:
* Recommit yourself, perhaps giving it five more minutes and then stop if it’s not working.
* Remind yourself of the reasons and benefits of meditation.
* Read something that re-inspires you to practice.
* Sometimes there are deeper issues involved, genuine issues, and you need to examine these in meditation. Spend a few minutes concentrating on the breath and then turn your mind to your question, bringing your intuition and reason into play.
* If it’s still a problem, you may need to find a trusted teacher to talk to.
What are “awareness mini-breaks”?
This is when you focus on the breath outside of formal meditation sessions. You can do it anywhere, any time, for as long or as short as you like (2 sec - 5 min), in the midst of your everyday life. They help you to maintain a deeper, calmer state of mind.
Times you could practice awareness mini-breaks include:
* any time you are waiting, such as traffic jams, bus stops, standing in line at the supermarket, etc.
* when you’re switching between activities, such as when you stop for a drink while your computer boots up, or before you answer the phone.
* while walking - in this instance, you will often find that your breath falls into rhythm with your movement.
These awareness mini-breaks make a real difference because they allow you to stop, come to your senses and feel the breath. There are endless possibilities for using the breath to calm and centre yourself during the day. However they are not a substitute for regular, more formal sits.
