I used to prescribe narrow instructions for meditation when I talked about it. I don't think about it so narrowly anymore and I wanted to share a story about meeting people where they are.
I tried to persuade him that his mind in fact is like every other mind and capable of learning meditation. I appealed to ethos in that Theravada Buddhism takes into account objections like skeptical doubt, they are well characterized and remedied.
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Which was totally silly because it's my system and not his. And I dont need him to learn my system or to believe in it. There was an opportunity here to offer something practical on meditation without it being tethered to a tradition.
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I asked him if theres anything like a mantra in his tradition and he told me about the Amidah, a collection of 19 prayers he does daily ideally.
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When he goes through the Amidah, he rushes to get through, though he enjoys the intense feeling he gets from the opening and closing and gets a sense of gratitude from middle prayers.
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I suggested this: Treat the Amidah as an accordion file. Look into a middle prayer and spend time there, repeating it not as rote but as Evoking the sense of gratitude, trying to feel it through all senses in and moment by moment.
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There's a major attitude adjustment that goes into words said rote for tradition's sake and transforms it it into present, expansive, felt gratitude.
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It's very similar to the adjustment I made going from effortful, returning to sensation at the object from mind wandering going into effortless fascinated, interested, awareness naturally absorbed in sensation.
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End of conversation
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"Nasty little Buddhist"
Seeking via neuroscience and psychology informed dharma.