The Power of Concentration

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/the-power-of-concentration.html

by bmac27 • 14 years ago

119 42 14 years ago

nytimes.com

guylhem• 14 years ago

TLDR: There is no need for pointless agitation.

Solve your problems the Feynman way: 1) think about the problem really hard 2) write down the solution

001sky• 14 years ago

1.1) Play Bongos occasionally / as appropriate

charlieflowers• 14 years ago

From the start, the article equates "concentration" and "mindfulness", with no backing for that assertion.

From everything I've heard, they are not the same thing. Concentrating on a crime scene you are not present at, for example, would mean your mind is not focused on the here and now -- in other words, concentration of the kind they're speaking of seems to be the exact opposite of mindfulness.

Cieplak• 14 years ago

In Buddhism, concentration and mindfulness are considered to be distinct concepts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path#Sam.C4.81d...

Herring• 14 years ago

The article equates them in the sense of "not being distracted" ... I think it's correct enough. You can work on them separately, or at the same time. Concentration practice develops mindfulness as a side effect, and vice versa. You can't get very far in meditation without both.

to answer GP's question, concentration requires the ability to notice distractions right as they pop up and avoid getting spun out.

novalis782• 14 years ago

Defined as distinct steps, but considered as leading to or supporting each other. Right mindfulness defines the environment in which mental happiness arises starts the process of deep concentration (or single mindedness citass'ekaggata):

"Samma-satissa samma-samadhi pahoti" - In him who has right mindfulness, right concentration progresses. [http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh171-p.html#T119]

Here is a link to a more experiential summary of this psychological interplay between effort->prolonged attention through retention (aka 'mindfulness', lit. sati) -> concentration:

http://theravadin.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/surfing-on-the-wa...

hosh7• 14 years ago

They are not concepts. They are different skills and practices that are related to each other. They are things to do or be, not things to think about.

hosh7• 14 years ago

Mindfulness and concentration are not the same thing, though they are related skills. You can't really do mindfulness without a little skill in concentration. They tend to be trained together and not always trained in a distinct way.

It's not exactly opposite, or opposite. "Concentrating on a crime scene" means you chose a crime scene as a concentration object. Any concentration object you choose will always appear to be a separate reality from the here and now. Mindfulness will (eventually, with practice) take you to non-duality where there are no opposites. Eh, difficult to explain, and for most people, this isn't important right now.

Mindfulness is pretty easy to describe in terms of what it is not. Mindfulness is not mindlessness. Mindlessness is letting the zombie eat out your brains. It's what happens when you walk out the front door and get to work or get to class and blanked out everything in between there. It's what happens when fear paralyzes you into impotency, and anger consumes you into saying something or doing something rash. It's entire possible to be mindful of the commute even though you've done it many times. It is possible to be mindful of the fear or anger as they happen.

This "emotional regulation" is far more important and significant than avoiding "multitasking". The latter is framed in default way people are conditioned into being more "productive". Being more productive won't help you feel happier about your life.

In any case, concentration is easier to learn and ince you need some skill in it to practice mindfulness, you might as well start there.

meric• 14 years ago

When you surrender your brain to a stream of thoughts, is that what you define as "mindlessness"?

donniezazen• 14 years ago

Mindfulness is accepting the noise and letting it go. On the other hand, concentration is an active effort or rather a fight against what takes our attention.

jpdoctor• 14 years ago

> From the start, the article equates "concentration" and "mindfulness", with no backing for that assertion.

The author is a PhD candidate in psychology. You were expecting science?

greenyoda• 14 years ago

"These effects make sense: the core of mindfulness is the ability to pay attention. That’s exactly what Holmes does when he taps together the tips of his fingers, or exhales a fine cloud of smoke. He is centering his attention on a single element. And somehow, despite the seeming pause in activity, he emerges, time and time again, far ahead of his energetic colleagues."

I'm not sure I trust scientific conclusions drawn from the behavior of a fictional character.

Permit• 14 years ago

The conclusions weren't drawn from the behavior of Holmes, but I agree in that I found the metaphor kind of distracting. Especially the lines:

>A quick survey will show that the paradox is illusory: Holmes is depressed when there is no target for his mental faculties. Give him a project, and balance is restored.

Perhaps I'm not familiar enough with the books.

pemulis• 14 years ago

I was confused by the extended metaphor, too, until I saw the notice at the bottom that the author is writing a book about how to think like Sherlock Holmes. It's useful when reading this kind of essay to find out what the author is selling, although it usually isn't this obvious.

Zelphyr• 14 years ago

The reference there is that when he wasn't on a case he had a sort-of mini breakdown during which he would use heroin (remember, it was thought to be a beneficial drug in the late 19th century) to calm himself.

sp332• 14 years ago

It's not drawn from Holmes, it's just illustrated with an example lots of people are familiar with.

pdog3• 14 years ago

Anyone have a guide on how to meditate to achieve mindfulness?

novalis782• 14 years ago

http://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Breath-Meditation-(Anapanasa... ... one example.

schaefer• 14 years ago

Try the book: Why Meditate: Working with Thoughts and Emotions By Matthieu Ricard ISBN-10: 1401926630 ISBN-13: 978-1401926632

Mr. Ricard also gave a TED talk on the topic of happiness: http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_ha...

hosh7• 14 years ago

So ... mindfulness isn't something you achieve. Don't worry too much about trying to figure out what "mindfulness" is and how to "achieve" it. I'm answering it as if the question were, "Anyone have a guide on how to meditate without getting lost in stories?"

There are lots and lots of guides, books, teachings. Buddhist methods tend to be very popular because many practitioners want to teach it in service of humanity and will put up with a lot of things from students.

Here's a small one I wrote, and someone asked me to post it onto Quora: http://www.quora.com/Meditation/Whats-a-nice-little-cheat-sh...

This is not complete or comprehensive. It shows you the first door and you an get fairly far with it. By the time you gain some skill in it, you would be able to find other guides to continue on.

If you like the Buddhist tradition, there are books like "Mindfulness in Plain English", available for free. I also liked "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha" but not everyone does, and it's considered fairly advanced. Advanced or not, the first couple chapters are worth reading. It too is also available for free online.

A method that is not of the Buddhist tradition (though influenced by it) is Dan Millman's "Way of the Peaceful Warrior." The book is written as a teaching story. If you want more of a step-by-step guide, Millman's "Everyday Enlightenment" will work.

omarchowdhury• 14 years ago

I'll add http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/

pdog3• 14 years ago

Not really. There are many different types of meditation: Samatha (Concentration), Vipassana (Insight), Zazen, Yoga, etc.

What's a guide for meditation that practices mindfulness?

crwls• 14 years ago

I recall Philip Rosedale say his preferred method was trying to deliberately count to 10,000 every single day.

Anyone have similar exercises or think this is practical?

countersixte• 14 years ago

I've found "Mindfulness in Plain English" to be quite helpful. http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

dhimes2• 14 years ago

It is excellent. He now has a follow-up book, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation that I've just started. It promises to take much more time to practice via the book's techniques.

stephth• 14 years ago

I'd recommend studying The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I tried to read a few books on the topic, and this is the first one that managed to catch my attention. It's straightforward and thorough, and he's very good at explaining things that are very hard to put words to. Mindfulness is the core of the book, meditation (as in exercises) is secondary. I think it's an outstanding introduction to the what and why of mindfulness, and a gentle intro to meditation. The audio book version is quite good to, he's an outstanding speaker, with a distinct voice. Look him up.

Anyone who often feels like the mind is a chaotic stream of thoughts and emotions that one can barely control might find this read quite useful. I wish I had read it twenty years earlier. That said I've met a couple people who couldn't latch onto it, so your mileage may vary.

QuantumGood• 14 years ago

If you want to start simple, http://miraclesinyourlife.org covers a basic mantra that has been around a long time.

boothead• 14 years ago

I'm signed up with getsomeheadspace.com. It's a progressive meditation course that progresses from 10 minutes a day.

twotimesposter2• 14 years ago

1. Find a quiet place.

2. Comfortably sit down, hands in your lap, keep the back straight.

3. Don't tense up. Breathe normally with eyes closed.

4. Be aware of the moment inhaling starts. (Important)

5. Be aware of the moment exhaling ends. (Important)

6. When you start thinking, mentally take note: "I'm thinking."

7. Refocus on breathing. (4 and 5)

8. When you get distracted by a sound, an itch, a cramp or smell, mentally take note: "I'm hearing, I have an itch, etc."

9. Refocus on breathing.

That's it. With time, your trained mind will naturally stop producing random thoughts and your day to day mindfulness will steadily increase.

Some tips:

- For beginners, counting inhale and exhale moments makes it easier. (1-inhale, exhale-1; 2-inhale exhale-2; etc) Stop at 7, restart from 1.

- If sitting meditation is too difficult at first, start with walking meditation. Instead of focusing on breathing, be aware of your stepping (left, right, left, right, etc.) Then sit and focus on breathing.

- Read up on Zazen.

andyjohnson0• 14 years ago

Thank you. The clarity of your explanation has inspired me to try this.

bambambazooka2• 14 years ago

does it work to do this in the morning after waking up?

S4M• 14 years ago

I find it a waste that the article gives a fictional character as the main example. Someone has a real life example of the benefits of mindfulness?

greggman• 14 years ago

This book has links to supposed real examples and studies. I don't have it handy and I didn't go read the studies.

http://www.siyli.org/read-the-book/

zxcdw• 14 years ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness_%28psychology%29#S...

There's plenty of stuff

The Power of Concentration

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