Without a doubt, a greatly abused term.
Abused in the same manner as me having to watch fundamentalists of various shades misconstrue, misrepresent and get it all completely wrong their relentless IQ 70 takes.
One of the more significant crimes of the modern age has been empowering the hoi polloi to speak. The people, the automatons, feel they can have an opinion on everything, even when they know nothing and merely exist on autopilot. These are nothing but non-self-directed reactions that arise within their externally defined matrix of being, as wandering forces of nature.
Coming up against new environmental stimuli, like my nasty writings, set off a causal chain of sub-cortical mammalian reactions with nothing but “random monkey chirps” as the final outcome. And of course these simian chirps are always mistaken for wilful, knowledgable insight or analysis.
They've made no effort to know anything. A decadence in which the dysfunctional outbursts of ordinary people are free to poison the wellspring of knowledge and self-definition.
Without a doubt, regardless of people whinging about a broken education system, lack of intellectualism, not enough Jesus, or any number of similar appraisals, the true crime is not this; the true crime has been the empowerment of the masses and the massive and embarrassing overestimation the average person has of their abilities to reason and understand.
On twitter this has reached plague proportions. To the point that those who consider themselves special are the worst offenders. All I see are people who want to be seen as smart: to have tummy rubs. Write and article, get some likes. Who is working? Who is doing?
An offensive, excessive arrogance that ironically precludes such types from obtaining actual knowledge and experience in something - since they're too busy blabbering - having been educated, you see, on any number of matters they have zero experience and understanding of.
After all, I read a book once, and this doesn't comport with my books theory bro.
My book suited me and the way I am, despite me not knowing what I am (it’s a mystery why I liked it so much, why it appealed to me) and any form of knowledge or insight that seems to contradict the thing that I like to use to cover this crime scene up - well, that must be morally wrong in some way. Morally wrong.
Part of participating in this new mindfulness approach is simply being open. Open mind. Original face. A way of seeing that contradicts books and doesn't need books.
The great irony is that once you deepen this practice, or better yet, way of being, you will become receptive to all sorts of bursts of creativity and thought that you were too wound up to even have the opportunity for previously. You won’t care what’s fashionable amongst your friends, because your knowledge will be organic. Of the blood. We know this as a neurological fact - so you may as well get on board.
For this reason, I decided to develop something with 3 main goals that we will discuss later.
It took me many years to truly understand meditation or mindfulness myself. In the way it should be understood. In the way that it's meant to open you up to what's happening anyway. For this reason, it's nothing to be feared.
What it’s not
As I've alluded, the populace gets several things wrong about mindfulness, so let's say what it's not:
It's not merely relaxation or "clearing out cobwebs". Although there may be elements of this. We have benefits downstream of learning to relax - still, we are not oysters and meditation can be quite active, and can involve speaking and direction.
It isn't aiming at building "something that wasn't there before", as if you're an average Joe and through the dangers of sitting and breathing, something attached itself to your accidentally deficient brain stem, and suddenly it's demons! Demons bro! all the way down.
It is aimed at showing you something that's there now and is there all the time. This is, of course, the great misconception about mindfulness. It is also the assumption that a large part of the most pernicious, infuriating Twitter midwittery is based upon.
You will not lose yourself. If you do lose yourself, it's because you've intellectually determined that your self has been lost. Self-experience is hard-wired to some degree. In my opinion, what does happen is noticing the in-substantialness of this experience and experiencing the empirical or experiential re-contextualisation of this phenomenon.
Like a mirage in the desert, you think it's there, but it disappears when you get closer and look. The worst hysteria I've seen online usually involves born again or even funnier and academic - the worst type of human beings - who appear to be extremely high anxiety organisms. Thinking that there's something sacred and eternal that will disappear. Well, you see, it can't because it's not there like you think, and you can see this is the case, not just reason it out.
Mindfulness can be seen from a physiological point of view as having benefits. As result, we tend to develop expectations. It's best not to view it this way or to practice with any expectations. You'll probably struggle with this. This is why optimisation fag00ts must be corrected in how they present things. This is the great paradox of such practices, and we know my neuro-physiologically why such “paradoxes” exist in the practice itself . You'd understand the reasons if you've listened to the bio-individual podcast. Hilariously, Buddhists are often the worst offenders, indulging in words like "path" and "levels" as if playing a reality or spiritual video game. Such views will only cause enormous confusion and reduce whatever should happen. Just have no expectations.
Although mindfulness typically induces a relaxed autonomic tone, this doesn't mean it should be done in complete silence, in blackness, with no thought. Nor does awakening necessarily coincide with relaxation. As you will see, some of the best meditations are active. Traditions such as Rinzai or Dzogchen and even Advaita have what could be considered a species of direct active practice, which is to say they point towards an experience. The teacher is actively involved in inducing a shift of perception. Therefore, as you will see, you can "meditate" whilst being spoken to or directed.
It is for this reason that although we practice in sessions we need to understand that there is no difference between sitting and everyday life, there is no such thing as" meditation”. Practice isn't just a dedicated session after which everything returns to normal. No, yo
u're simply opening yourself to how life is outside your peculiar situation and contracted mentality in a concentrated fashion. In theory, this sense should be expanded into every waking moment.
Finally, meditation does not have to be connected with religious observance. This is really just noticing how your mind works - that's it. Anyone indulging in any cope religious brand can do this and obtain the same insights. Religions have used it for their own purposes, some better than others, but you don't need to be a Hindu or Buddhist to understand how your mind works.
Again, I have nothing against traditions, but many of the so-called "secular materialists" are entirely correct; such practices have been successfully secularised, even if that's not my preference. That being said, some traditional systems remain pretty sophisticated in their offering. As an aside, I don't offer wisdom or morals here; that's up to you.
As you know, I have little interest in what morals people profess, always preferring to find out my own and their hypocrisy - this had always been far more interesting data to me.
Of course, some of the worst offenders of "not grokking meditation" are meditators. I've seen cases in which decades have been spent, and someone is non-the-wiser. This is one of the more humorous elements of this whole escapade. As we know, there are many stories even in the traditions of such things. I can confirm this is the case, having essentially not gotten it for well over a decade. Because this miscomprehension is indeed part of the process of mindfulness itself. and reducing this is what has motivated this series.
What's the point
?
This is a very reasonable question. What motivates us should always be evaluated in depth. I spoke the Kevin about this recently; it's a fundamental problem that people who go into this sort of thing perhaps don't truly understand why they do it.
This leads to all kinds of self-defeating outcomes. Indeed, the struggle that arises from being an explicit seeker is a problem.
I think it's worth spending a day or so to think and write down what you think is driving you. Are you in pain? Do you want to learn more? Are you driven by assumptions about what happens? Be honest with yourself because if successful, it will be coming up later anyway.
So a few of my own thoughts on this to kick you off:
Seeking
Being a "seeker" is something many proudly declare themselves as. It is, in fact, a massive problem for this kind of work. Some people continuously seek, compulsively and fruitlessly seek. These days, seeking is usually used to cover up pain with false virtue. Many people wear it as a badge of honour, differentiating themselves from those lower types who don't seek. But I seek, therefore I’m special, I want to be more - you see, not like the others.
This seeking precludes one from the attainment of the thing required to no longer want to seek. This seems like a paradox, but in practice, it isn't.
For the next 10 weeks, I will ask you to let go of any thought of seeking. If you call yourself that, write it on a bit of paper and set it alight.
Celebrate its destruction.
I agree with Kevin that, in a more general sense, seeking seems ingrained in the Western Soul. Nowadays, I like to differentiate this force as "expansion" and not "seeking". Seeking implies running away from something. Expansion implies integration.
Nevertheless, like most things, if it's out of control, it's like those old movies where the guy tries to pick up his hat and keeps kicking it away from himself.
Understanding Selfdom
I've argued to exhaustion why the sense of self is a massive problem for anyone who cares about not being a cock smoker. You can refer to my prior work, but the name of the game is contraction. Worn neural patterns. Reactivity in old and stupid ways. The culling of potential expansion. That's what self is, and we should refrain from feeling so special about it as we all seem to. We should see it for what it is, a poorly acculturated excess.
Part of clown twitters' apprehension about mindfulness is that if they do it, ZANG ZORK, the precious definitional self, will magically disappear and be replaced by something horrifying.
Firstly, I highly doubt any of them are talented enough to have this occur - but what I've noticed does occur in people is a realignment of seldom is simply a proper internal experience of what it is and what it isn't.
The practical outcome is that you're not subject to its worst excesses. The process lifts stress and frees up energy for other things - problems you were so confident were real, self-views and narratives simply dissipate.
This is a happy event!
Healf
If you've read my blog, I have provided a metric tonne of information on this. Although this series offers no specific practice for healf, there will be advice on breathing and other things. If studiously practised over time, the physical realignment can be profound since the regulation of autonomic reactivity shapes much of conscious experience. Well, all of it, really. It all sort of unfolds together.
Enlightenment & Understanding
Like Kevin, I hate the use of this E word. It implies supernatural events where someone evaporates into pure spirit, or has kundalini energy shoot our their ass or something. Now I'm not saying this does or doesn't happen - I would imagine if you spend 20 years in a cave doing this…well, I'm willing to entertain anything is possible.
Nonetheless, you can have awakening experiences of your own. And this leads to a great sense of fulfilment and happiness. And understanding.
Part of life is to be happy and to enjoy the game with lightness. This shouldn't be overlooked.
Finally
Many people in these circles are just happy reading and analysing. some new book with a new set of words and cliches. For me, this is the most tiresome thing imaginable. Because I can, not just think, but see - see how badly is misses the mark. This should be obvious from day to day life but apparently it isn’t. This is the propensity of imagination that we have as an animal.
Just take 5 and be honest with yourself. You’re just the same as you were before, regardless of what you read, right?
Same reactions. Same character. Maybe different words. Maybe you got older and were slightly less bad. But this still isn’t it. This isn’t what we mean.
Some of you will find this frustrating. The honest ones amongst you who really want to change: not just be like by your peers or write an article or a thread for a belly rub. But want something that can truly free you up.