Understand mindfulness as being composed of specific attentional skills: concentration (directed attention), clarity (noticing texture), and equanimity (not fighting with experience).
Learn to identify and notice when specific attentional qualities like concentration, clarity, and equanimity are activated in your experience to accelerate your meditation development.
Practice equanimity by allowing yourself to fully experience feelings and sensations without inner struggle, which can lead to those patterns emptying out and losing their motivating power.
Pay attention to and open yourself to your experience with equanimity to work through and empty out neurotic patterns, reducing their power to motivate you.
Pay close attention to the texture of your experience, including thoughts, body sensations, and sounds, to increase its resolution and understand how subtle sensations drive you.
Practice directing your attention to what you want to focus on, understanding that concentration is about chosen direction, not necessarily narrowness.
Approach meditation with a playful attitude, framing it as an exploration rather than a difficult grind or chore.
Understand meditation as a dual process of exploration (discovering inner workings) and training (changing who you are), recognizing both aspects in your practice.
Approach your practice playfully, cognitively reframing how you relate to the world and actively boosting or lowering specific inner qualities like a DJ.
Intentionally adjust your inner qualities to make life more fun, increase fulfillment, enhance your capacity to respond to challenges, and become a better friend.
Engage in ‘bottom-up’ practices like focusing on the breath, consistently returning to it whenever distracted, to slowly build up your concentration and focus.
Engage in ’top-down’ practices by instantaneously deciding in the moment to experience reality in a slightly new way, such as reframing your mental set.
Practice adopting the mental set that ’life is fundamentally friendly’ and that ‘reality likes you,’ consistently trying to feel and embody this perspective even if it initially feels like faking it.
Recognize that you already operate from inherited assumptions about reality, and consciously choose to adopt new, more beneficial mental sets to reshape your experience.
Simply stop and take a moment to look at your inner experience, as this act of observation can open up fascinating insights and areas of learning.
Challenge the assumption that your current ‘human condition’ and neurotic patterns are fixed; recognize that practice allows for change and transformation.
Develop a ’nerdy curiosity’ about the workings of your own mind to better understand your inner experience and how it operates.
Bravely sit with yourself and face your inner experience, rather than constantly trying to escape or avoid it, to foster self-understanding.
Actively seek out and spend time with other people who are interested in meditation or with teachers to normalize the practice and strengthen your resolve.
Engage in deep and meaningful conversations about your meditation practice or ‘being alive’ with others, as this can significantly advance your understanding and progress.
Continuously update your conceptual model of what’s happening in your practice as your experience deepens, allowing for a two-way relationship between understanding and experience.
Attend a meditation retreat to gain direct experience and understanding of the core principles and benefits of meditation.
Through concentrated meditation, observe the constant, moment-to-moment changing nature (impermanence) of your experience, seeing it as ‘pixels vibrating in and out of existence.’
Recognize that your model of reality is constructed by the brain, as noticing this constructedness can be liberating and allow you to live with greater ease.
Practice letting go of fixations on how things ‘have to be’ or trying to control every aspect of your experience, embracing that ’things are just coming and going.’
Engage in practices that reduce mental noise, leading to a better signal-to-noise ratio and enabling clearer, more effective critical decision-making.
Engage in consistent practice to reduce internal discord, allowing your mind and body to align more, thereby reducing internal conflict.
Focus on the practical goal of becoming a ‘better human,’ reducing suffering, and finding more fulfillment in your life through consistent effort.
Seek out teachers or resources that explain complex concepts, such as the dynamics of consciousness, in a rigorous and understandable way that resonates with your experience.
Explore different meditation techniques to find those that best suit your individual temperament and specific struggles, as not all practices work for everyone.
Experiment with various meditation modalities—such as working with the body, sound, surrendering practices, or disciplined approaches—to discover what resonates most with you.
If you are experiencing suffering or simply curious, explore different practices to find one that genuinely works for you and addresses your specific needs.
Recognize and value any deliberate self-work you are already doing in your life, even if it’s not formally labeled as ‘meditation,’ as these efforts are also contributing to your growth.
If a particular meditation practice isn’t effectively addressing a specific pattern or struggle, be open to exploring and switching to a different modality.
Consider meditation as a complement to existing self-improvement efforts or as a new tool to address specific challenges, rather than a sole ’elixir.’
Do not get overly fixated on the ‘special effects’ or unique claims of any single spiritual or contemplative path, as this can distract from the broader goal of living a more fulfilled life.
Actively seek out resources that clarify confusing or misconceived concepts within meditation and spiritual practices to deepen your understanding.
Reflect on your personal fixations and evaluate whether they are truly beneficial for you in the long term, recognizing that many may not be.
Approach personal growth and ’enlightenment’ not as a final destination to be achieved, but as a continuous direction or continuum to move along.
Read books about the mind to gain understanding of your inner experience, especially when trying to comprehend changes or challenges within yourself.
Broaden your understanding of awareness by seeking out and reading descriptions of inner experience from diverse fields like science and literature.
Engage in extensive reading about the mind and neuroscience to explore and understand various aspects of consciousness.
Consider seeing a psychotherapist to help you become more grounded and sane, as a complementary approach to self-improvement.
As you deepen your meditation practice, observe the constant inner negotiation, push-and-pull, gripping, and friction you have with your experience.
Engage in meditation practice to allow your mind to ‘cool out’ for a bit, revealing a calmer and alternative way of being.
Develop an experiential understanding of what it feels like to be concentrated, clear, and equanimous, making mindfulness a tangible taste rather than an abstract concept.
Pay attention to your experience to notice the subtle ‘weird tension’ that is often present within it.
Sit on retreat for an extended period, maintaining deep concentration on your present experience, to gain profound insights into the nature of reality.
Experiment with changing your mental set, such as deciding to see everyone around you as ’the Buddha,’ and observe how this playful reframing alters your perception and experience.
Engage in conversations about your personal experience with knowledgeable individuals to help identify potential areas for growth and targeted practice.
Avoid practicing meditation in isolation, as this can lead to feelings of doubt and isolation about your progress and the worth of the practice.
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