Learning about the concept
The objectives of mediation
- Reach a "mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state".
- other objectives:
- "improve focus by decreasing self-referential chatter"
- minimize "mind-wandering (aka spontaneous drift, shift of attention to 'something personal')
- minimize rumination (repetitive thought pattern where the mind becomes "stuck" on negative content) and
- minimize "self-talk" (Self-Talk/inner speech; Can be positive/encouraging, why do they think that's a bad thing ?)
- Meditation aims to move you from being inside the story (identification) to being the observer of the story (meta-awareness)
- "By observing thoughts as neutral mental events—like clouds passing or cars on a road—the narrator loses its power to trigger intense stress or emotional reactions"
- Meditation allows you to "sit in the audience" and watch the narrator perform without feeling compelled to follow every instruction"
- its a "Pause button" - "meditation creates "gaps" between thoughts" ... so you get the ability to choose/decide what is important and what is not important. I's the practice of '"cognitive distancing"—viewing thoughts as external events in the mind rather than as absolute truths.'
Techniques are broadly classified into focused (or concentrative) and open monitoring (or mindfulness) methods.
- focused (or concentrative) meditation. "voluntary, sustained attention on a chosen focal point." Focal point can be "breath, a mantra, a candle flame, or a specific sound. Method "When the mind wanders, the practitioner gently redirects it to the anchor. This "mental gym session" strengthens the prefrontal cortex and improves error detection."
- open monitoring (or mindfulness) meditation "Instead of suppressing or following a thought, the meditator acts as a detached observer, allowing experiences to arise and pass like clouds in the sky."
| Goal/aspect | Focused Meditation (FA) | Open monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Scope | Spotlight: Narrow and selective focus on a single object. | Floodlight: Broad and inclusive awareness of all experiences. |
| Primary Goal | Sustaining attention and developing concentration. | Non-reactive monitoring of thoughts, feelings, and sensations. |
| Reaction to Distraction | Redirecting focus back to the chosen anchor (e.g., breath). | Observing the distraction as it arises and passes without judgment. |
| Cognitive Benefit | Strengthens convergent thinking (finding a single correct solution). (Convergent thinking is: Narrowing down to a single, correct solution, Logical, systematic, and linear, Emphasizes accuracy, speed, and efficiency, Active evaluation to filter out weak ideas) | Enhances divergent thinking (generating many creative ideas). (divergent thinking is: Expanding outward to generate multiple possibilities, Spontaneous, free-flowing, and non-linear, Emphasizes quantity, originality, and novelty, Deferred judgment to encourage "outside the box" ideas.) |
| Neural Signature: | Associated with beta and gamma brainwave activity. --- Beta waves. (12–38 Hz): the "workhorse" waves of the brain, dominant during alert wakefulness, active thinking, and logical problem-solving --- Gamma Waves (30–100+ Hz): , associated with peak concentration, high-level information processing, and "binding" sensory inputs into a unified experience. | Characterized by theta brainwave activity. --- Frequency (4–8 Hz) occur during light sleep, deep relaxation, and vivid imagery, theta waves indicate a state of "meta-awareness" where one monitors internal mental processes without active attachment. They facilitate access to ...intuition, and creative insight. |
so the objective of mediation is to silence the "internal narrator" ?
The goal is to change your relationship with that narrator. Meditation aims to move you from being inside the story (identification) to being the observer of the story (meta-awareness).
- De-fanging the Voice: By observing thoughts as neutral mental events—like clouds passing or cars on a road—the narrator loses its power to trigger intense stress or emotional reactions.
- The Actor vs. The Audience: Without meditation, you are like an actor lost in a play, believing the script is your reality. Meditation allows you to "sit in the audience" and watch
Does this changed relationship wit the inner narrator result in a loss of motivation?
Says the effect is
- Reduced Extrinsic Drive: Practitioners often feel less driven by external rewards (money, status) or the avoidance of guilt and shame.
- Enhanced Intrinsic Drive: By quieting the inner critic, meditation helps individuals identify and pursue autonomous goals—those aligned with their core values and genuine interests.
how is meditation connected with stoicism?
Stoicism has practice of prosochē (meaning "attention" or "vigilance", self-awareness directed toward one’s rational faculty (prohairesis))
'It is the constant guarding of the self from false impressions and unexamined impulses. Unlike modern “mindfulness,” prosochē is not a passive awareness / not a non-judgmental awareness. but active moral alertness. It is the vigilant attention of a rational being aware of its cosmic role. A watchman of the soul, always guarding the citadel within.'
Similarity with meditation as 'the "Stoic Pause": This practice creates a gap between a stimulus and a reaction, allowing reason to intervene before an emotion takes hold.'
Prosoche also has a common theme with Mindfulness :
- Present-Moment Awareness: Like mindfulness, prosochē requires anchoring oneself in the "here and now" (hic et nunc), refusing to let the mind drift into past regrets or future anxieties.
- Self-Monitoring: It involves a detached observation of "impressions"—the thoughts and feelings that enter the mind—much like the non-reactive stance of open monitoring.
- the previously mentioned 'pause' button.
Maybe writing these gists is also a form of meditation, who knows...
The 'Pause button' is really helpful. It works against manipulators. Attempts to manipulate use the trick to elicit an immediate response, which is sign of weakness on the part of the 'subject of manipulation'. This moment is their entry point. FUD - fear, uncertainty and doubt is a tactic, which is based on the trick of surprise attack, in order to maximize the effect.
By being able to press the 'Pause button' you act against them. I think this is a pretty important insight: occasionally stop and listen, wait before you react - otherwise the bad actors can overwhelm you (and they actually count on an immediate reaction to their 'surprises')
Maybe the best thing is to act like a queuing system (Nice intuitive intro to queing theory ) - so as to maintain a separate queue for negative incoming information. This queue should have a lower priority, so the input will be processed a bit latter, giving the self more time to prepare for the hit. In some way that is similar to Zaphod Beeblebrox's peril sensitive sunglasses - but this insight gives you an improved model, the Joo Janta 300!
Sort of like the "pinball wizard' youtube link
He stands like a statue, becomes part of the machine
Feeling all the bumpers, always playing clean
Plays by intuition, the digit counters fall
That deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball
Pete Townshend says that inspiration for the 'deaf dumb and blind kid' was Meher Baba.
Summing up all these cultural references: Mediation used to be quite a deal, before they started to frame it as 'mindfulness' (it seems that 'mindfulness' is not quite as inspiring, compared to insights based on traditional thought...)