Quote:Hephaestus Wrote:
I'm a non-active Quaker, so I am experienced about entering quiet ritualised relaxation/meditation, though it differs from Buddhist-style meditation, as it is shallower to allow inspiration
Maybe I should try to make a habit of deeper mindfulness meditation
And I’m no master meditator, however if you’ve already gotten a handle on quieting the mind you’re halfway there. Mindfulness is, foundationally, a practice to allow one the opportunity to interject within one’s internal monologue. If you already posess the capacity to guide and corral your emotions then you’re there. Don’t stop, keep going!
The other hand is concentration - one pointedness. Take some subject and focus entirely your attention upon it. Generally, it’s best to begin with mundane things such as simple shapes or even a dot on the wall. If mindfulness allows you to flow with your thoughts, concentration is the act of clearing space. It is horrendously difficult at first, in the beginning you may only manage a handful of seconds before a thought intrudes into your mind. In time those seconds become minutes of focus. It is extremly important that you do not strain - you cannot force the river’s run here!
By clear cutting this space in your consciousness you can begin to practice both contemplation (concentrating on a subject and mindfully guiding the stream of consciousness that vacuums into the empty space) and later inspiration (known as jnana yoga, where in the mind begins to act like some sort of biological quantum computer, knowing suddenly).