/lit/ - Literature

>>15364193
Yes. Mindfulness from a Buddhist perspective is a combination of attention and memory. It can definitely be trained. There are plenty of methods to do so, the most basic being either meditation on the breath or focusing on a small, boring object like a pebble.

>>15364337
Have you tried it? If so what did you find it helpful?

>>15364455
I've been Buddhist for ~20 years. I strongly recommend it. The results of meditation for me have been slow to build up, but really have really paid off as they've compounded.
The emotional stability it can give you is really, really helpful.

>>15364193
Just try meditating and find out yourself. You sit and try not to think, don’t need the internet’s permission.

>>15364193
Yeah I would agree with this, when I get off the internet for long periods of time and meditate I feel much better about myself and am able to maintain concentration on things for longer

>>15364807

I have been just wanted to know if anyone had particular advice.

>>15364193
It worked for me, took a while though

>>15364193
I have two methods:
>Toilet Book--
Put the book in the bathroom, read as you shit. Takes longer but gets it done.
>Bedroom Book--
Put it on bedstand. Leave phone in the other room. Read book before sleep, go in an hour early.

>>15364193
Try Japa meditation.
Everyone shills mindfulness, but absorption is the real deal.
Chant and be happy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpwmhOc_7qg

>>15366116
Forgot to mention, I've done three rounds per day for many years now, feelsgoodman

>>15364193
>>15364455
Yea bro. Basically just direct your attention to your breath (naturally slip into slow, deep breaths but don't force it). Don't get angry when you fail instead keep training yourself to realise you're no longer doing it and then direct your attention back to it, until it becomes seamless. It's about consistent effort in directing your attention, not one-off impulse. You just repeat this until you get good at it and your executive functioning improves among many others things. If you do it properly and consistently, you will very quickly start entering a state of bliss/pleasure which you will increasingly become absorbed into. To be absorbed into it, the bliss needs to become the meditation object and you let the breath go.

Btw for active things like reading there is a limit to anyone's attention span. You see when you're reading you're in focused mode, when the quality of this starts to degrade or becomes impossible to maintain, it is time to take a break. When you take a break, making sure to relax and not start overthinking something, you go diffuse mode and process/rearrange what you've just read fully. Honestly, even if you are capable of it once you train a lot, I wouldn't push past 30mins or so if you're reading something in-depth. Obviously something like a fantasy novel can be read for hours with little loss.

>>15364193
Yeah, it works. Just do 20-40 minutes a day and you'll see short-term results immediately with long-term benefits increasing over time.

>>15366402
Is that you, Barbara Oakley?

>>15367180
Who?

>>15364193
Running 10k +. without music or anything. It's almost a form of meditation.

>>15364608
I want to get back into meditation, but sitting like that on the floor makes my back hurt and legs fall asleep. If I sit in a comfy chair, I tend to fall asleep after some minutes of meditating

>>15367180
Non-zombie af

>>15367828
A few tips which might work: Keep good posture - especially with your spine, keep eyes open and maybe look up a little, don't be in a warm room, don't meditate after a meal, sleep well enough, drink tea or coffee first.

>>15368841
That's the thing, I can manage to sit comfortable with my back, but I read you have to sit wit a straight spine and that gets tiring very fast. The legs fall asleep anyway tho

>>15367818
Not almost. It is.

>>15368892
Should be a very natural spine, not exaggerated. You can use a chair's back rest if you need to.

>>15368894
yeah and btw I'm not talking treadmill here, but running in parks, the woods, on the countryside , quiet roads and so on.

>>15364193
It will help you. I'd only suggest doing it if you're also interested in meditation for itself as well, because spending the time you would meditating reading, is gonna help just as much.

>t. 15 year meditator.

>>15364193
there is a language learning youtuber called mattvsjapan who comments frequently on the benefits of meditation when learning a new language. he had a video, now deleted, where he talked about how great it is once you reach a certain proficiency with it. basically you can focus for extended periods of time and he tells people to do it prior to studying. also says you'll notice and intuit things you may have otherwise missed due to your increased focus.

>>15367818
trail running is one of my favourite hobbies. trying to workup to 10k.

>>15368894
Yeah running gives me the best feeling of clear headedness after I finish my run that meditation comes close to but doesn't quite reach

>>15367818
yea long distance running especially when you struggle to keep running when you want to give up feels like i'm doing the same when i struggle to focus on a boring object only even more intense. i end up feeling like a new person but i don't think it really stacks long term it's just a way to get tension out of your system

>>15368898
Then why the FUCK do they say that you have to sit with your back FUCKING STRAIGHT? FUCK YOU YOU PIECE OF SHIT FUCKING ANSWER ME OR ILL FUCKING KILL YOU

>>15369610
i think it's just good for posture and when you sit long hours it's good to do to avoid back pain. you should sit straight when you're at the computer as well, but i don't think it should matter too much to meditation unless you're all sprawled up.

>>15369610
You don't need to do any posture shit with Japa, you can even sing mantra and dance like kirtan.
See >>15366116

>>15369610
you should keep your back straight without a rest, you'll get used to it after a while otherwise your a pussy

>>15369857
how is it different from concentrating on some visual object without using a chant? and are you treating it as speech or just making sounds

>>15369903
well, THAT FUCKING SUCKS THEN