When are Distractions not Distractions?

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The mind is easily distracted. No matter how hard we try to concentrate on a particular thought or task somehow the mind is pulled away by some other thought, some outside noise, or a fleeting feeling. Next thing we know we’re completely immersed in off-task thinking.

This is actually a natural adaptive process that allows us to stay alert and respond to changes in our world that might be threatening. In the wild this can aid survival. But this useful tendency becomes a frustrating difficulty in safe, modern contexts where concentration is required. Is there anything that we can do about it?

The first thing to recognize is that you are unlikely to win a war with your mind. These processes are automatic and inborn and not easily altered. So, ‘if you can’t beat em, join em.’ Let the mind do its thing. Let it respond to distractors, while not getting caught up in them, without becoming attached to them. Allow these automatic mental leaps to just happen and observe them. So, rather than be upset by our tendency to be distracted we are entertained by them.

In addition, they are lessons about the nature of our mind. We can learn from them. When distracted, simply reflect upon why this external stimulus was of significance to you; why this particular fleeting thought captured your minds attention. Sometimes it has no real significance. But, often it is a glimpse into unresolved issues. By simply watching and reflecting you open a window into your psyche.

Today’s Research News Article, “Electrophysiological Correlates of Long-Term Soto Zen Meditation.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4302970/

suggests how experienced meditators deal with distractions. The answer is that they don’t. They welcome distractions and simply observe them without holding on, without becoming attached. They in essence, do exactly what was suggested above. They don’t try to fight their mind, they simply adapt to it and not let mental machinations disturb them.

So, distractions are not distractions when we don’t grasp hold of them, when we just let them pass through like the sound of a bird chirp, being perceived but then letting it go. A key message is to accept things as they are. Distractions are simply part of how our mind works. Accept it that this is the case. Stop fighting it and you can make distractions your ally rather than your enemy. That’s what the best meditators do.

So, enjoy distractions and then they’re not distractions.

 

CMCS

We are born to be Mindful

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We normally think of mindfulness as something we do that has effects on our physiology and indeed developing mindfulness has been clearly shown to do just that. Most of these physiological effects are positive and enhance our health and well-being. We also tend to think that through our experience and learning, external events, we decide to begin to cultivate mindfulness through contemplative practice.

But, is it possible that in fact the physiology may in part determine our level of mindfulness, perhaps there are factors that affect mindfulness from both our environment and our physiology? Today’s Research News article “A Multivariate Twin Study Of Trait Mindfulness, Depressive Symptoms, And Anxiety Sensitivity”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4413043/pdf/da0032-0254.pdf

explores just that question. They show that a substantial amount of our mindfulness is due to our inheritance. Indeed, they find that the environment is also responsible, just as we thought, but surprisingly, so are our genes. In other words, mindfulness originates in both our environment and our physiology. In a sense, we are born to be mindful and our experiences shape our mindfulness from there.

In a modern environment, the influence of the environment on mindfulness is negative. That is, it shapes us not to be mindful. We learn to immerse ourselves in thought to the detriment of our awareness of the present moment. Nature endows us with mindfulness. We are programmed to be attentive to our immediate surroundings, but our culture intervenes to replace it with thinking, thinking, and thinking.

This is not the fault of our parents. In fact, today’s article demonstrates that our family environment, what they termed shared environment, has no influence whatsoever on our mindfulness. It is the influences outside of the family, our culture, which affects our degree of mindfulness. So, don’t blame your parents, blame the society and world that we’ve created for making us oblivious to our present moment.

The mindfulness movement, the current revolution of engagement in contemplative practice is hopefully the antidote bringing us back to our primal state of mindfulness, bringing us back also to our primal state of happiness.

CMCS

Dishabituation – A Key to Happiness

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One of the great impediments to attaining sustained happiness is the tendency that is built into all living creatures, to habituate; that is to ignore things that are repeated frequently. Habituation causes us to take thing for granted, to ignore the beauty that surrounds us, to stop seeing all of the wonderful things about the people we’re closest to, to not realize our own good health, and to miss the essence of our being.

Habituation can be demonstrated by simply repeating a simple stimulus such as an audible tap over and over again, initially we will notice it and may be curious and investigate it. But, as it continues we begin to ignore it, and eventually cease to hear it. In essence, anything that is common and usual stops getting our attention and eventually ceases to be perceived.

This very simple process, although useful for the survival of the species, becomes a problem in our lives. Because we habituate to it we take our jobs for granted and loose the excitement and pleasure that we had when we first began the job. If we live in or commute through a beautiful environment we habituate to it and cease to observe and take pleasure in its beauty.

We are so used to our significant others that we stop seeing all the wonderful characteristics that attracted us to them in the first place and begin to take them for granted. We come to take our health for granted unless it is compromised. The sage Thich Nhat Hahn cautions us to be grateful for our non tooth ache. We habituate and take it for granted and don’t notice what a blessing that is.

From a spiritual viewpoint, one of the most significant aspects of our existence is our awareness. Not what we’re aware of, but the entity that is being aware. It’s always there. So we habituate to it and stop noticing it. Most contemplative practices are designed to try to overcome this habituation and induce a renewed awareness of awareness.

It is clear that habituation interferes with our appreciating life, with our ability to continuously see the beauty around us and in us with fresh eyes. As a result we’re driven to constantly seek out new and different experiences in order to feel happy. What a shame, as happiness is always present, we’ve just habituated to it.

Is there a way to overcome habituation? The technical term is dishabituation. The science of mindfulness has yielded answers. Today’s Research News article “More Meditation, Less Habituation? The Effect of Mindfulness Practice on the Acoustic Startle Reflex.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4422735/
https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1019645078059418/?type=1&theater

indicates that mindfulness interferes with the habituation process. It allows us to react to repeated stimuli for a longer period.

It is not surprising then that contemplative practice leads to greater happiness. It interferes with habituation and lets us appreciate and enjoy the good things that have always surrounded us but that we’ve habituated to.

So, practice mindfulness and be joyful with what is right in front of you right here, right now!

CMCS

Age Healthily – Mindfulness

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The aging process involves a progressive deterioration of the body, but paradoxically not the emotions. Although aging often is characterized by bereavement and loneliness, in fact the elderly have less negative emotions than younger people. Mindfulness is another positive characteristic of aging, with the elderly higher in mindfulness than younger people.

In today’s Research News article “Mindful attention and awareness mediate the association between age and negative affect.”

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1019217861435473/?type=1&theater

the relationship between the lower negative emotions and higher mindfulness in the elderly is explored. It is shown that the increased mindfulness is the mediator between aging and the lower negative affect. This mediation is independent of the individual’s personality or their current quality of life. So, the fact that in aging mindfulness increases appears to explain why there a fewer negative emotions.

Why would mindfulness increase with age? As we get older in many ways life gets less complicated. Our children are grown and on their own, reducing parental worries and financial stresses. Our jobs have been mastered and our careers are either stabilized or over, reducing the fear and anxiety over competence, advancement, etc. not to mention the stress of occasional relocation. Also, there are fewer demands and our lives become less busy. In addition, our relationships have stabilized with less interpersonal friction.

Of course, new and different problems and worries emerge as we age, particularly revolving around health, but on balance, there are less things to occupy our minds with the elderly. This frees the mind to focus more on the present moment, making us more mindful.

Why would mindfulness be associated with lower levels of the negative emotions of fear, shame, hostility, nervousness, and upset. Most of these negative emotions involve thoughts about the past or the future. Fear, nervousness, and shame are concerns about the future, while hostility and upset result from past events. Obviously if our awareness is focused on the present moment, removing ruminations about the past and projections into the future, then we’ve removed the sources of the negative emotions, producing much lower levels.

Another equally viable explanation is a reverse causation. That is that the association between mindfulness and lower negative emotions is due not to mindfulness lowering these emotions, but to lower levels of these emotions increasing mindfulness. Indeed, all of the life changes and simplifications reviewed above would be expected to lead to lower levels of negative emotions. Without fear, upset, nervousness, shame or hostility the mind is liberated to be more engaged in what is occurring right now, ergo increased mindfulness.

Regardless of the explanation, aging is not necessarily a negative experience. There are obviously negative things occurring in aging particularly with bereavement, loneliness, and health issues. But, there are very positive aspects to aging including less negative feelings and more present moment awareness.

So, relax be mindful and enjoy the positive sides of aging.

CMCS

Fascinating boredom

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“When you pay attention to boredom it gets unbelievably interesting.” Jon Kabat-Zinn

Boredom is abhorred by most human beings. In fact, we’d much rather be stressed than bored. Its even been proposed to be responsible for thrill seeking and even pathological gambling. While People are more prone to boredom generally do worse in a wide variety of aspects of their lives, including career, education, and autonomy. In other words, boredom has negative effects on our lives and as such is a much more important phenomenon than general acknowledged.

But, what is it? Boredom is defined as “the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest.” In fact there appears to be five different types identified by Thomas Goetz, INDIFFERENT (appear relaxed, calm, and withdrawn), APATHETIC (show little arousal and a lot of aversion), CALIBRATING (thoughts wander and something that differs is desired), REACTANT (aroused and with a lot of negative emotions), and SEARCHING (negative feelings and a creeping, disagreeable restlessness).

Thus boredom would appear to be a very noxious state that is to be avoided. But, if we make it part of our contemplative practice it can actually be hugely beneficial and we can learn a great deal about ourselves and our minds.

When you’re feeling bored, look at it deeply and honestly. It is a pointer to your suffering. As we’ve previously discussed suffering results from a desire for things to be different than they are. This is exactly true for boredom. It results from us wanting things to be different. So, looking carefully at what is wrong with the present moment can be very revealing. A great sage once asked his bored student “what’s missing from this very moment?” Ask yourself this same question.

If we look deeply we will find that this very moment is rich and lacks nothing. What we will see is that boredom emanates from our minds desire for stimulation, as it appears to believe that happiness and joy are elsewhere. But looking closely we can see that they are right her, right now. In other words boredom can lead to a recognition of the wonder and happiness that is ever present.

So, be fascinated with boredom. Use it as a gateway to understanding how your mind is preventing your happiness.

CMCS

“I am That” 2 – implications for everyday life.

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In a previous post the well know phrase “I am that” originating with Nisargadatta Marajah was interpreted to indicate that there is no “I” or “that.” They are one. They are exactly the same thing as all other things. There is no distinction. Although this is a deep spiritual teaching, it also has implications for our everyday lives.

If indeed everything is the same and simply an expression of the whole inseparable reality then everything should treated with great reverence. We should have as much regard for garbage as we have for ourselves. In fact, a notable characteristic of Zen Masters is that they gladly engage is mundane and seemingly distasteful tasks such as cleaning floors and toilets with the same joy and reverence that they treat meditation. If everything is one then there is no distinction between good and bad things or between engaging and distasteful activities.

This also holds true for other people. If we are all one then there is no reason to act toward anyone any different from anyone else. The Great Commandment ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ makes perfect sense as your neighbor is yourself.

Acting negatively or destructively toward anything or anyone degrades the whole which includes the self. It makes no sense to do so. It is in essence self-injurious to harm a flea. The environment deserves the same reverence as people as there is no distinction between the two. To cut down rain forests is equivalent to amputating a leg they are equally injurious to the singular one.

In most spiritual teachings love is a focus. We are told to love our neighbor and even our enemy. If they and us are one, of course we should love them all. To the sage, the oneness of all things is the essence of love. Everything is love. The first Great Commandment to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ also makes sense as everything is the Devine and everything is love.

So, the teaching of ‘I am that’ is the foundation upon which most spiritual teachings rest. I we truly accept that ‘I am that’ then we will live our lives very differently, with reverence, love, and respect for everything.

“I am that”

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This well-known phrase originated from the sage Nisargadatta Maharaj. When he was young his Guru ordered him to attend to the sense ‘I am’ and to give attention to nothing else. He embraced that instruction totally and devoted himself to meditating upon it. Upon awakening he recognized “I am that.”

This simple phrase summarizes the core of most awakening experiences, seeing all as one. In this oneness experience the individual disappears and everything is seen as contained in pure awareness which is the one thing. “I am that” actually doesn’t recognize an “I” or a “that.” They are one. So, what we refer to as “I” is exactly the same thing as all other things or “that”. There is no distinction.

This is a seminal teaching. It’s so simple that its profoundness can be missed. Meditate on that, the I am-ness, the sense that is behind the senses, the awareness that is the very core of our being. Perhaps, just perhaps, that “you are that” will reveal itself.

Mission Creep

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Many of us including myself began a contemplative practice for secular reasons. These include, reducing stress, treatment of a physical or psychological ailments, or physical fitness. For myself, I began meditation solely to improve my ability to appreciate my immediate (present moment) experience.

But, no matter what the initial reason, contemplative practice seems to turn more and more toward spirituality. It seems almost impossible to frequently quiet the mind and not eventually begin to confront the basic issues of existence. Calming the mental chatter reveals a mysterious inner world of existence, leading inexorably to questioning the nature of that world and the ultimate reality underlying it. The constant thinking and mental chatter obscures this fundamental reality

So, there is frequently a mission creep of contemplative practice. For me, it’s crept to a deep spiritual practice. Where has it led for you?

Meditation Concentration and Happiness

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“Meditation leads to concentration, concentration leads to understanding, and understanding leads to happiness” Thich Nhat Hahn

This wonderful quote from the modern day sage Thich Nhat Hahn is a wonderful pithy description of the benefits of contemplative practice. I believe it is helpful, however, to change the word “concentration” to “mindfulness”. This better represents how meditation helps us concentrate on the present moment just as it is, without judgement, leaving the past behind and future yet to be.

Mindfulness allows us to view our experience and not put labels on it, not make assumptions about it, not relate it to past experiences, and not project it into the future. Rather mindfulness lets us experience everything around and within us exactly as it is arising and falling away from moment to moment. Understanding is simply seeing things exactly as they are without the minds colorations and interpretations. This can lead to much deeper insights, but meditation can still lead to a surface level of understanding, that is quite useful in moving to the next step.

Simply being able to see other people as they are without judgement will generate understanding and compassion. The person is neither good nor bad, kind nor unkind, attractive nor ugly, smart nor stupid, opinionated nor open, etc. They are simply a human being doing the best they can, given their biology and conditioning. This is a revolutionary understanding that changes our entire perspective on others and can lead to a radically different approach to interacting with them. This insight can also lead to a radical adjustment to how we view ourselves.

This understanding produced by meditatively induced mindfulness leads automatically to happiness. Removing the judging mind, that is constantly on the lookout for problems and threats to be solved, allows one to see the beauty and wonder of existence. It reveals the profound mystery that is life. It induces unrelenting gratefulness for the grace we have received. It is impossible not to be happy under these conditions. This happiness is not a peak or ecstatic happiness, but rather a deep and fulfilling satisfaction with all that is. How wonderful is that?

Please keep in mind that nothing is ever this easy. Thich Nhat Hahn is simply providing the outline of the meditative journey. As everyone who has embarked on this journey will attest, the trip is a convoluted roller coaster ride. Lots of difficulties arise along the way. But persevere and slowly, sometimes at glacial speed, we progress in the journey.

So, meditate and know that true happiness awaits if you pursue the path with patience and dedication.

CMCS

Meditating to Music

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I was recently asked if meditating with music playing was helpful in deepening the meditation. Many people find meditating to music a satisfying and pleasant experience. But is this a good idea if your goal is to attain the fruits of meditation.

The underlying notion of most contemplative practices and meditation in particular is to quiet the mind and bring awareness to the present moment. By quieting the mind is meant to reduce or stop the internal conversation, the mental chatter. If not stop it at least not become enmeshed in it, rather watching it as observing a bird fly past.

Obviously music that has lyrics will almost automatically engage listening and thinking about the content. It is possible to allow the words to just pass through awareness without thought or analysis. Advanced meditators can do this, but, this is very difficult. For most people lyrics in music will interfere with meditation. I would recommend avoiding it.

Music that does not contain lyrics is a more complex case. There is neuropsychological evidence that music engages the same neural systems involved in speech processing. So, music may be likened to a form of non-symbolic speech. When envisioned in this way it suggests that even music without lyrics may be detrimental to meditation.

Music also may be highly engaging. Awareness becomes totally occupied with the music itself, a completely external stimulus. This interferes with observing the present moment in regards to internal and other external stimuli. So, it would be detrimental to any open monitoring form of meditation.

Meditation with music appears to heighten the enjoyment of the music and is very pleasant. As such, it can be viewed as a distractor which allows one to escape ones present moment experience. So, it would seem reasonable to conclude that listening to music while meditating would enhance the appreciation of the music, but interfere with meditation.

This conclusion is probably true for the vast majority of meditators. But, like everything, it probably isn’t for some, particularly highly practiced meditators who can remain unattached to the music. This is quite difficult.

So, the recommendation is to enjoy music and enjoy meditation, but not at the same time.

CMCS