Category Archives: Enlightenment

The Amygdala and Persistent Dark Mood

Posted on 24 March, 2021 by alfin2101

Surviving on the wild savannah without amygdalas would have been difficult for ancestral tribes of humans. But it is no picnic trying to be happy in modern hectic times with our amygdalas. Recent research by U. Miami psychologists published in … Continue reading →

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Is it a Trance? Or is it Meditation?

Posted on 12 March, 2021 by alfin2101

It makes a huge difference to your brain whether you are sitting there meditating, or whether you are just spinning your wheels in an aimless trance. Meditation enlarges your prefrontal cortex executive functions, boosts your hippocampal memory centers, grows your … Continue reading →

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I Was Trying to Daydream But My Mind Kept Wandering

Posted on 20 January, 2021 by alfin2101

By Emma, age 10 Daddy’s been teaching my step-mom Nadia and me how to meditate, but I’m not sure I completely get it. I keep asking him what I’m supposed to think about while I’m sitting there, but he says … Continue reading →

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This is Your Brain on Meditation

Posted on 17 January, 2021 by alfin2101

They tell you not to have any goal in mind when you choose to meditate. But that is not quite right. We humans have reasons for everything we do, and meditation is no different. In the case of modern westerners, … Continue reading →

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Nightmare on Meditation Street

Posted on 16 January, 2021 by alfin2101

Or, A Meditation on Nightmares… a progress report. It is neither a coincidence nor a sign of senility that this blog has been talking off and on about meditation for the past few weeks. This is precisely a time in … Continue reading →

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Gurus Without a Clue

Posted on 8 January, 2021 by alfin2101

Three anecdotes showing teachers of meditation in a sorry light: Anecdote One: A successful guru and meditation teacher was hired by the US Army to train its special forces operators to relax and think clearly, even while under the most … Continue reading →

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What Is This Meditation BS? by Valerie

Posted on 6 January, 2021 by alfin2101

Hi, readers! This is the preternaturally bright android Valerie checking in after a long holiday break. “Where does an android go for the holidays?”, you may ask. And I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you! Ha! … Continue reading →

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Meditation Demystified

Posted on 4 January, 2021 by alfin2101

Earlier in the attempt to demystify the process of enlightenment via meditation, we looked at two different ten-stage pathways to enlightenment. Now we will try to simplify the process even further, looking at the process first as a simpler 5 … Continue reading →

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Enlightenment in Discrete Stages: Paths to Bliss

Posted on 4 January, 2021 by alfin2101

To most people, meditation has almost no meaning. You sit on a pillow with your legs crossed for 20 to 40 minutes to achieve a state of dopey mindlessness — if you achieve anything at all. Every day, for years … Continue reading →

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Most People Get Into It for the Bliss

Posted on 3 January, 2021 by alfin2101

Shinzen Young acknowledges that there is plenty of bliss in the practice of awareness. But that is not the real objective. And that should make you very curious as to what is the real objective? Shinzen Young is both a … Continue reading →

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