
Buddhism and Happiness: Sitting Quietly, Doing Something - rblion
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/sitting-quietly-doing-something/#more-7137
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akozak
It seems like Neuroscientists and Buddhists keep agreeing on things.

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JonathanFields
Yup, though Buddhists seem to have a few thousand year lead. Hopefully if
won't take a few thousand more years to make the leap from neuroscientists to
the general population.

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blizkreeg
Some of you here must meditate.

What is the form of meditation you practice? Can you elaborate a little so the
novice could benefit?

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wallfly
My beliefs and meditation-prayer practices are according to the Christian
Faith, but "sitting quietly, doing something" is an apt description whether
it's Buddhist meditation or Christian mental prayer (a Western form of
meditation).

I am happy to share with readers here the most excellent compendium of the
Ignatian method of Christian mental prayer that I have ever encountered:

\- Fifth Treatise: On the Excellency of Prayer

<http://www.holynamesoftware.org/OnPrayer.pdf>

The following essay is a real treasure too:

\- The Practice of Lectio Divina

[https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AdgpYJu8XEUoZGRxc2Z6cWtfM...](https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AdgpYJu8XEUoZGRxc2Z6cWtfMmNyMmt3M2Yy&hl=en)

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locopati
I'd also highly recommend Thomas Merton's 'New Seeds of Contemplation', which
though written by a Trappist monk and grounded in Christian philosophy applies
to contemplative practice in any tradition.

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lincolnn
In the beginning, you will want to train your attention, a practice called
"samatha" which will allow you to concentrate for a extended periods of time
with single pointed attention. After being able to concentrate on a single
point such as your breath or a mantra, you will be able to do cool stuff with
insight meditation. It's also important to keep a daily sitting routine. I
meditate for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 at night. Every month I try to
do a 4 hour sit on a Sunday morning. Find a teacher or a sangha. Check out
many different lineages. I tried Soto Zen, Rinzai Zen, and even Vedanta before
ending at Tibetan buddhism.

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brianwillis
Four hours? Your bladder must be made out of steel.

What value to you get in return for this significant investment of time? I've
been curious about meditation for a while, but never really understood the
benefits. Every time I've tried it, I've walked away cranky and uncomfortable.

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michael_dorfman
Where have you tried it? If you're really curious, I'd recommend a weekend
retreat as a good way to give you a taste of what the benefits are. Practicing
on your own is fine, once you know what you're doing, but until you do, it's
much easier to get instruction in person and practice with a group.

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brianwillis
I've tried it at home, on my own. You're right about the value of getting
instruction in person. I'll look into it.

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JonathanFields
Turning the Mind Into an Ally - is a great book to ease your way into a
mindfulness practice. Great, practical, real-world, without being preachy.
<http://amzn.to/90fIv1>

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gawker
While I don't necessarily meditate per se, I do chant everyday. I follow a
sect of Buddhism known as Nichiren Buddhism. Basically, the chanting helps to
elevate our life conditions so that we're able to face any challenges in our
daily lives. You focus on changing your attitude/thinking so that you affect
your environment and not the other way around. Buddha in Your Mirror
([http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Your-Mirror-Practical-
Buddhism/...](http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Your-Mirror-Practical-
Buddhism/dp/0967469783/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290098664&sr=8-1)) and
Buddha in Daily Life ([http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Daily-Life-Introduction-
Daishon...](http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Daily-Life-Introduction-
Daishonin/dp/071267456X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290098703&sr=1-1)) are
2 interesting books that I'd recommend if anyone's interested.

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johnm
'When Rinpoche told my wife that he was being billed as “the happiest man in
the world,” he laughed as though that were the funniest joke he’d ever heard.'

Well, at least he gets it.

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bh42
This is a brain chemistry self-hack, and I am not sure it's a good thing.

Also I know a few people who are neither Buddhists nor super smart but have
managed to perform this self-hack.

The human brain is plastic enough and if you try hard enough for a long enough
time you can cause some very drastic shifts in function.

This _might_ be a good thing, but I doubt it.

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unicornporn
Zazen, just do it.

