Can you clarify whether the ideal goal is to focus solely on the sensation of the breath (blocking other thoughts), or just to have your attention on that even if other thoughts are going by in the background? I have had almost no success trying to do the former, but some with the latter.
Can you clarify whether the ideal goal is to focus solely on the sensation of the breath (blocking other thoughts), or just to have your attention on that even if other thoughts are going by in the background?
The latter. I tried to make this clear with my use of “see through” in the post:
After practicing for some time (hours, days, or months) you should be able to “see through” arising thoughts and emotions without getting “stuck to” them. Demanding thoughts and emotions will arise, and by “seeing through” them you maintain your observation of the breath as they continue (unattended to) in your peripheral awareness.
I may have overestimated how long it takes people to be able to practice “seeing through”.
Okay. That’s what I thought you meant, but it wasn’t quite explicit either here or in MPE (but implied in both). Thanks.
I dunno how long it takes in general; before starting to try vipassana I had already practiced examining my emotions and their reasons a fair bit (mostly because of Nonviolent Communication, which outright requires it).
This is a problem in Buddhism. All misery begins in desire is akin to their prime directive. Which leads directly to a paradox isomorphic to the Cretan Paradox. To desire to rid oneself of desire is specifically a desire. Metabolizing this contradiction somehow is essential to practicing Buddhism, and incidentally, is totally irrational.
To be less abstract and address your problem directly, what you must intend on is emptying your mind. Quench the monkey mind and you will quench your most troubling desires. The reason the breath is so useful in this regard is it your main bodily function which is subconsciously controlled that you can exercise some conscious control over. (There are strict limits; you cannot consciously stop breathing and maintain consciousness—you will pass out and begin breathing.) If you have problems concentrating on nothing but your breathing, I have devised a cheat which I am sure at least one of my meditation teachers would whack me on the top of my trapezius with a stick if he was standing behind me reading this while I type: count the breaths. Concentrating on breathing + counting may be a sufficient density of objects to completely occupy you; it works great for me when concentrating solely on breathing will not. This also bypasses the need for a timer. Count a hundred breaths. There’s your beginner’s meditation time interval.
Jack Kornfeld has a useful analogy. He likens it to house training a puppy with newspapers on the floor. When the puppy strays off the newspapers, you gently bring the puppy back onto the newspapers. This is how to treat your own conscious thoughts when they wander from your breath. Gently bring your consciousness back to your breath like it is a stupid innocent puppy.
Nitpicking and flowery language aside, I gather that your suggestion is that the goal is to not think of anything else. That this is true is not clear to me from the instructions I have read; it seems more like zen. The counting technique you say you’d get whacked for is also explicitly suggested in the book recommended near the top of this post.
Can you clarify whether the ideal goal is to focus solely on the sensation of the breath (blocking other thoughts), or just to have your attention on that even if other thoughts are going by in the background? I have had almost no success trying to do the former, but some with the latter.
The latter. I tried to make this clear with my use of “see through” in the post:
I may have overestimated how long it takes people to be able to practice “seeing through”.
Okay. That’s what I thought you meant, but it wasn’t quite explicit either here or in MPE (but implied in both). Thanks.
I dunno how long it takes in general; before starting to try vipassana I had already practiced examining my emotions and their reasons a fair bit (mostly because of Nonviolent Communication, which outright requires it).
This is a problem in Buddhism. All misery begins in desire is akin to their prime directive. Which leads directly to a paradox isomorphic to the Cretan Paradox. To desire to rid oneself of desire is specifically a desire. Metabolizing this contradiction somehow is essential to practicing Buddhism, and incidentally, is totally irrational.
To be less abstract and address your problem directly, what you must intend on is emptying your mind. Quench the monkey mind and you will quench your most troubling desires. The reason the breath is so useful in this regard is it your main bodily function which is subconsciously controlled that you can exercise some conscious control over. (There are strict limits; you cannot consciously stop breathing and maintain consciousness—you will pass out and begin breathing.) If you have problems concentrating on nothing but your breathing, I have devised a cheat which I am sure at least one of my meditation teachers would whack me on the top of my trapezius with a stick if he was standing behind me reading this while I type: count the breaths. Concentrating on breathing + counting may be a sufficient density of objects to completely occupy you; it works great for me when concentrating solely on breathing will not. This also bypasses the need for a timer. Count a hundred breaths. There’s your beginner’s meditation time interval.
Jack Kornfeld has a useful analogy. He likens it to house training a puppy with newspapers on the floor. When the puppy strays off the newspapers, you gently bring the puppy back onto the newspapers. This is how to treat your own conscious thoughts when they wander from your breath. Gently bring your consciousness back to your breath like it is a stupid innocent puppy.
Nitpicking and flowery language aside, I gather that your suggestion is that the goal is to not think of anything else. That this is true is not clear to me from the instructions I have read; it seems more like zen. The counting technique you say you’d get whacked for is also explicitly suggested in the book recommended near the top of this post.