Mind Training Through Mindful Awareness and Disengagement
TL;DR
- Training the mind involves repeatedly returning to an object of attention after distraction, akin to training a puppy, where the act of returning itself is the core of the practice.
- Cultivating a state of "relaxed alertness" balances mindfulness by preventing over-efforting and spacing out, allowing for an effortless yet connected awareness of experience.
- Noticing subtle "rushing" or a "toppling forward" energy, even when moving slowly, signals a loss of present-moment grounding and indicates a state of being "more or less mindful."
- Recognizing unwholesome mental patterns, such as delusion or ignorance, by saying "Mara, I see you," effectively disengages from them, leading to freedom and a lighter perspective.
- The "undercurrent of thoughts" acts as a subtle, often unnoticed soundtrack to life, reconditioning the mind and reinforcing self-identity, making awareness of it crucial for deeper presence.
- Understanding that the mind is "ridiculous" and has "no pride" fosters a liberating spaciousness and sense of humor, enabling one to observe mental activity without being caught by it.
- Ignorance of impermanence is identified as the root condition for unskillful mental patterns; recognizing the momentary nature of phenomena cultivates wisdom that deconditions clinging and aversion.
Deep Dive
The human mind is inherently "ridiculous" and prone to delusion, but through specific Buddhist phrases and mindful practice, individuals can train this unruly mind to achieve greater equanimity and freedom. These phrases act as intuitive "hacks" that help practitioners disengage from unhelpful thought patterns and cultivate a more present and balanced state of awareness.
The core implication of Joseph Goldstein's teachings is that the mind's chaotic nature is not an obstacle to meditation but rather the very terrain upon which training occurs. The repeated act of noticing distraction and gently returning to an object of focus, encapsulated by the phrase "just begin again," is the fundamental mechanism for training the mind. This process normalizes the experience of distraction, reframing it not as a failure but as the practice itself, thereby mitigating self-judgment. Similarly, the instruction "sit and know you're sitting" establishes a simple, yet profound, foundation for awareness. This phrase invites a state of "relaxed alertness," a delicate balance that counteracts both over-efforting and disengagement. The ability to maintain this equipoise is not a static achievement but a continuous adjustment, akin to a high-wire acrobat constantly recalibrating.
Second-order implications emerge when considering the subtle ways the mind operates outside formal meditation. Goldstein introduces the concept of "more or less mindful" or "casual" awareness, where background thoughts and a subtle sense of "rushing" can indicate a loss of presence. This "undercurrent of thoughts," likened to a movie's background soundtrack, can manipulate emotions and recondition the mind without conscious awareness. Recognizing this undercurrent, or the "thieves of meditation," is crucial because these seemingly minor mental events reinforce self-referential patterns and contribute to moods and anxieties. The phrase "Mara, I see you," representing the recognition of delusion or unwholesome patterns, allows for their release by seeing through them rather than being caught. This recognition is amplified by a sense of humor and the understanding that "the mind has no pride," meaning it will engage in any behavior, both ridiculous and sublime. Ultimately, the root of these mental machinations is identified as ignorance, a lack of experiential understanding of impermanence. By cultivating wisdom through mindfulness and seeing the changing, arising-and-passing nature of phenomena, individuals can decondition clinging and craving, leading to a more liberated and less "ridiculous" experience of life.
Action Items
- Audit mind states: Identify 3-5 common "thieves of meditation" (e.g., undercurrent of thoughts, self-reference) to understand their impact on presence.
- Implement "just begin again" practice: For 5-10 instances of distraction during daily tasks, consciously return focus to the present moment with gentleness.
- Track "rushing" signals: For 3-5 daily activities, note subtle feelings of leaning into the next moment as an indicator of less-than-mindful attention.
- Practice "Mara, I see you": When unwholesome thought patterns arise, acknowledge them with a sense of humor and detachment to reduce identification.
- Evaluate "relaxed, not casual" balance: Intermittently check attention quality during 2-3 activities to ensure alertness without over-efforting or spacing out.
Key Quotes
"You may have noticed that your mind is often out of control it's populated by racing thoughts habitual neuroses ancient grudges i could go on so what can be done about this today as mentioned i'm going to talk to one of my favorite people also one of the most prominent meditation teachers in the west joseph goldstein about how ridiculous our minds are and by the way that's a word he uses a lot to describe the mind ridiculous so we're going to talk about how ridiculous the mind is and we're going to talk about some very compelling ways to train these unruly minds"
Dan Harris introduces Joseph Goldstein by highlighting the common experience of an unruly mind. He sets the stage for a discussion on how "ridiculous" the mind can be and introduces Goldstein as a prominent meditation teacher who will offer ways to train it. This framing suggests the podcast will explore practical methods for managing mental states.
"I managed to convince joseph to co author a book with me this book will not be out for several years but it's going to be a compilation of the phrases that joseph uses while he's teaching meditation and buddhism these are pithy catchy phrases that are as joseph says kind of like hacks for working with your mind"
Dan Harris explains his collaboration with Joseph Goldstein on a forthcoming book. He describes the book's content as a compilation of "hacks" or pithy phrases Goldstein uses in his meditation and Buddhist teachings. This indicates the podcast episodes will serve as a preview and foundation for this larger project.
"So mostly these phrases have come up when i've been on retreat myself and doing my practice and somehow it just comes as a i don't know if this is the right expression exactly a little hack but it gets me unhooked from whatever i might be dealing with in the moment and just over these many years there've been a lot of really helpful phrases that come to mind that have a very impactful influence on my practice in terms of unhooking from someplace where i've been caught"
Joseph Goldstein explains the origin and function of the teaching phrases he uses. He describes them as intuitive "hacks" that arise during his own practice, helping him to disengage from difficult mental states. Goldstein emphasizes their impact on his practice by providing a means to break free from being "caught" in certain experiences.
"So in a way i i see that as being very inviting you said that when you wake up from distraction and begin again that's how you train the mind yes it is the coming back with the intention okay i'm going to just stay steady on the breath now it's kind of like training a puppy you want to train the puppy to sit okay little puppy okay kind of push its rump down sit and of course within five seconds it's up and running around again but you just sit up and running around sit at a certain point depending how smart the puppy is it'll get the idea oh the point is to stay seated you know or in the meditation the point is to stay steady on the object in this case it might be the breath so it's the coming back is the training of the mind"
Dan Harris reflects on Joseph Goldstein's teaching that "just begin again" is how the mind is trained. Goldstein confirms this, likening the process to training a puppy, where repeated gentle redirection is the key to learning. This highlights the iterative and patient nature of meditation practice.
"So the buddha did talk about okay what's the root condition for all of this and he said the root condition is ignorance that's it the bottom of it all as long as there's ignorance in the mind and that ignorance has many manifestations right so this is going to be a like a crib sheet of buddhist teachings just because of ignorance we're not necessarily attuned on an experiential level just to the process of momentary change that impermanence of course happens on every timescale can be macro it can be micro and in the meditation we just begin to refine our perception of change the changing nature of sensations of thoughts of that everything is just arising and passing very quickly"
Joseph Goldstein explains that ignorance is identified as the root condition for mental struggles in Buddhist teachings. He elaborates that this ignorance leads to a lack of attunement with the impermanent nature of reality, which meditation practice helps to refine. Goldstein connects this ignorance to a failure to experientially grasp the constant arising and passing of phenomena.
"Mind is the forerunner of all things that's a profound statement it's like everything we do and we feel and everything our whole life is experienced it's the manifestation of our minds and mind here just in the buddhist sense does not just mean thought or intellect in the buddhist sense mind is consciousness or awareness which really includes the whole heart mind so it includes all the emotions and different mind states so mind mind is in a very expansive sense when it says mind is the forerunner of all things so given that our whole lives are the manifestation of our minds what could be more interesting than really exploring everything it's doing"
Dan Harris quotes Joseph Goldstein stating "Mind is the forerunner of all things," emphasizing its profound implications. Harris interprets this to mean that our entire life experience is a manifestation of our minds, which in Buddhism encompasses consciousness and awareness broadly. He suggests that exploring the workings of this expansive mind is inherently interesting.
Resources
External Resources
Books
- "The Dhammapada" - Mentioned as a collection of Buddhist verses, with its first line stating "Mind is the forerunner of all things."
People
- Joseph Goldstein - Prominent meditation teacher, co-author of an upcoming book with Dan Harris, and leader of a free seven-day meditation challenge.
- Dan Harris - Host of the podcast, co-author of an upcoming book with Joseph Goldstein, and creator of the "10 Happier with Dan Harris" app.
- G - Joseph Goldstein's first meditation teacher in India, who taught the phrase "sit and know you're sitting."
- Manjushri - Joseph Goldstein's first teacher, described as a speedy individual who was deeply present.
- U Tejaniya - Burmese teacher who suggested asking "What's the attitude in the mind right now?" during meditation.
- Sādhaka Upandita - Burmese meditation master with whom Joseph Goldstein was on retreat in Australia.
- Chris Cuomo - Former colleague of Dan Harris, known for segments on ABC News using a black light in a hotel room.
- Buddha - Mentioned in relation to Buddhist teachings on ignorance, wisdom, and the nature of the mind.
- Nick Thorburn - Member of the band Islands, who wrote the theme music for the podcast.
Organizations & Institutions
- 10 Happier with Dan Harris - App created by Dan Harris, used for signing up for a meditation challenge.
- IMS (Insight Meditation Society) - Mentioned as the center where Joseph Goldstein was on retreat.
- Pod People - Company responsible for recording and engineering of the podcast.
- Islands - Band to which Nick Thorburn belongs.
Other Resources
- Buddhist earworms - Phrases used by Joseph Goldstein while teaching meditation and Buddhism.
- Meditation app craze - A trend mentioned in relation to people trying meditation.
- Dharma - Teachings of the Buddha.
- Factors of enlightenment - Also referred to as factors of awakening, which arise from wisdom.