Podcast Summary
Exploring the benefits of meditation practice: Meditation, particularly Vipassana or mindfulness meditation, offers numerous benefits for personal growth and well-being. Try it out using the free app from Joseph Goldstein and Dan Harris.
Learning from this conversation between Sam Harris and Joseph Goldstein on the Making Sense podcast is the importance and usefulness of meditation practice, specifically Vipassana or mindfulness meditation. The conversation, which is a response to listener questions from their previous discussion, does not follow a linear path but covers various aspects of meditation and its Buddhist context. Joseph, a distinguished Buddhist teacher, emphasizes the benefits of this practice and encourages listeners to try it out using the app designed by him and Dan Harris, which is available for free with a discount for subscribers of Sam Harris's podcast. Despite the Buddhist framework, the conversation remains accessible to those not familiar with Buddhism, as they define terms as they go along. Overall, the conversation underscores the value of meditation practice for personal growth and well-being.
Maintaining continuous awareness throughout the day: Practice undistracted awareness by recognizing distractions and returning to the present moment without effort, letting go of intentional focus and allowing awareness to be open and receptive.
The concept of "undistracted non-meditation" in Dzogchen practice is about maintaining a continuous, relaxed awareness throughout the day, not just during formal meditation sessions. This means recognizing when we're distracted and returning to the present moment without effort or striving. The term "non-meditation" doesn't mean not meditating at all, but rather letting go of intentional focus and allowing awareness to be open and receptive to whatever arises. The key to sustaining undistracted awareness is not only mindfulness but also the ability to distinguish between being casual and being relaxed in our attention. It's important to remember that everyone's meditation practice is unique, and the amount of formal practice required to achieve sufficient concentration varies from person to person. However, by cultivating undistracted awareness throughout the day, we can begin to experience stability and deeper understanding.
Deepening meditation practice through retreats: Regular daily practice is crucial, but retreats offer deeper understanding and connection to meditation. Retreats can reveal the difference between mindfulness and being lost in thought, and introduce the depth of walking meditation. Committing to mindfulness in daily life could lead to similar benefits.
Consistent daily meditation practice is essential, but intensive retreats can deepen your understanding and connection to the practice. The speaker shared their experience of practicing meditation for an hour a day before attending a 10-day retreat, where they finally understood the difference between being lost in thought and maintaining mindfulness. They also discovered the depth of walking meditation during their retreats. However, the speaker questioned whether they truly understood the importance of mindfulness during their daily activities before attending the retreat. The speaker suggests that committing to mindfulness in daily life could potentially lead to similar levels of concentration and subtlety as during retreats. Ultimately, the speaker emphasizes the importance of both consistent daily practice and intensive retreats for deepening one's meditation practice.
Walking meditation: Every step can be a mindfulness practice: Walking meditation builds momentum and stability in daily life, but focus and awareness in the present moment is crucial for deepening the practice
Mindfulness practice is not limited to sitting meditation, but can be applied to everyday activities, such as walking. The walking practice can help settle the mind and reveal the refined awareness in motion. By incorporating walking meditation into daily life, every step can become a mindfulness practice, building momentum and stability in meditation practice. However, it's important to note that distractions can interrupt the continuity of momentum or stability, requiring us to start fresh in our practice. So, instead of focusing on momentum, we can consider stability as the key factor in a daily meditation practice. Whether through sitting or walking meditation, maintaining focus and awareness in the present moment is crucial for deepening the practice.
Developing the skill of mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness strengthens focus and quickens return to present moment, deepening foundation for awareness and decision making.
Mindfulness is a skill that can be learned and developed over time, making it easier to achieve and sustain clarity and focus. The more practiced one becomes, the deeper the base of concentration or stability, allowing the mind to drop more easily into a state of mindfulness even after distractions. This skill of attentional regulation improves over time, enabling a quicker return to the present moment and a more decisive response to intense experiences, which can act as mindfulness alarms. Ultimately, mindfulness is not just about having more concentrated moments, but about building a deeper and more stable foundation for focus and awareness.
Cultivating Interest for Deeper Practice and Life Navigation: Maintaining interest in meditation practice and life's challenges can help navigate suffering and reactivity. Focus on present moment with curiosity and acceptance for greater resilience and mindfulness.
Maintaining a consistent meditation practice and developing the quality of interest can help us navigate moments of suffering and reactivity in our lives. Interest is a nonjudgmental and engaging attitude that can provoke attention and investigation, allowing us to untangle the knots of negative thoughts and emotions. It's important to drop unhelpful expectations, such as the belief that we need to be on retreat to have deep experiences or that negative emotions should no longer arise in our practice. Instead, we can focus on the "half life" of these emotions, recognizing that the duration and intensity of our reactions can make a significant difference in our overall well-being. Ultimately, by embracing the present moment with curiosity and acceptance, we can cultivate greater resilience and mindfulness in our daily lives.
Embrace negative emotions with delight and curiosity: Instead of judging negative emotions, adopt a mindset of delight and curiosity to investigate and respond effectively, both during meditation and daily life.
Our attitude towards negative emotions plays a significant role in our relationship with them. Instead of judging or feeling bad about them, we can adopt a mindset of delight and curiosity, which can lead to investigation and freedom. This applies not only during meditation but also in daily life, including intellectual discussions and creative work. While we may not be able to apply the same level of focused mindfulness during these activities, we can still maintain a general mindfulness that allows us to recognize and respond to unwholesome states as they arise. This can help us stay engaged and productive while minimizing the negative impact of these emotions.
Experience the words of dharma through conversations: Engaging in mindful dharma conversations can lead to deeper understanding and clarity beyond meditation, providing a mirror to the experience of self-loss.
Engaging in a mindful dharma conversation or listening to a dharma talk can lead to enlightenment, as the Buddha suggested. Unlike analyzing or decoding texts, such conversations allow us to experience the words rather than just understand their meaning intellectually. This can lead to a clearer and more expansive awareness, even surpassing the clarity of meditation in some ways. The difference lies in the social nature of dharma conversations, which can serve as a clearer mirror to the experience of losing the illusion of self. Reading, on the other hand, can feel dull and lacking in clarity due to the focus on decoding meaning from text. The speaker emphasizes that this difference has been a significant factor in their own spiritual journey.
Mindstate of wanting leads to dissatisfaction: Awareness of wanting's cycle and cultivating ethical behaviors can help reduce suffering and deepen mindfulness
The mindstate of wanting itself can bring about a sense of unsatisfaction or dissatisfaction, a concept known as dukkha in Buddhism. We often mistake wanting for enjoyment, but in reality, it can lead to a cycle of focused wanting and dissatisfaction. Being aware of this process and mindfully waiting for the wanting to pass can lead to profound insights about the nature of the mind and help reduce suffering. Sila, or moral conduct, plays a crucial role in the development of mindfulness by helping us make wiser choices and break free from the grip of wanting. However, it's essential to avoid religious dogma when defining or arriving at the principles of sila. Instead, we can focus on cultivating ethical behaviors that promote well-being for ourselves and others, such as kindness, honesty, and non-harming. This approach allows us to integrate mindfulness practices into our daily lives and deepen our understanding of the mind.
Meditation doesn't guarantee wisdom or ethics: Meditation enhances focus but doesn't ensure ethical behavior or wisdom. Ethics are crucial for a meaningful spiritual practice.
While meditation can lead to great mental power and focus, it does not automatically guarantee wisdom or ethical behavior. Swami Muktananda, an accomplished meditator, serves as an example of someone who could have had impressive meditative abilities but still acted unethically. Concentration, the power of focus in meditation, only suppresses defilements during the practice itself. Wisdom, on the other hand, is essential for understanding the impermanent and empty nature of phenomena and living an ethical life. If meditation is taught without a deep consideration of ethics, the path can lead to unskillful and suffering-producing directions. The distinction between power and wisdom is crucial for a meaningful and fulfilling spiritual practice.
Buddhism, Warfare, and the Complex Role of Zen and Vajrayana: Despite their spiritual similarities, Zen and Vajrayana Buddhism have different approaches to warfare and violence. Zen influenced the kamikaze phenomenon during WW2, while modern Tibetan Buddhists practice self-immolation. Zen literature contains martial ethics, but Vajrayana emphasizes nonviolence and self-sacrifice.
The connection between Buddhism, specifically Zen and Vajrayana, and the use of violence in warfare is complex and multifaceted. During World War 2, Zen influenced the kamikaze phenomenon, with Zen masters advocating for this behavior. Conversely, in response to Chinese actions, modern Tibetan Buddhists have resorted to self-immolation instead of becoming suicide bombers, reflecting the different emphases in their respective traditions. While Zen literature contains martial ethics and analogies, there is little emphasis on compassion and ethical conduct. In contrast, Vajrayana Buddhism places a greater emphasis on nonviolence and self-sacrifice. This historical context underscores the importance of understanding the nuances of different Buddhist traditions and their potential influence on human behavior.
