I might get downvoted for this, but I'm not suggesting it without prior research and caution: a psychedelic experience.

It's not for everyone and should only be done if you've done your own research and preparation. That said, it can be a truly profound introspective experience that really allows you to see into yourself. And it can be deeply healing. I learned many lessons, but my 50% of my trip was the most terrifying experience I've ever had, so again, be careful.

Micheal Pollan - How to Change Your Mind - this might be a good book if you're interested.

What is psychological, and what is spiritual? I don't know if there is a clear delineation. Something like stream entry is a religious term but arguably is used by those who are not Buddhists as it has a clear meaning.

TMI uses the assumption that meditation works with the brain to cause structural/functional changes in the brain. Reading up on Sam Harris could help you explore this topic more. I have also found this book enlightening on this topic as well.

Lucid dreaming can absolutely be used for the benefit of your practice. Dream yoga is huge in some (maybe all, I’m not sure) Tibetan lineages, to the point where you haven’t mastered meditation until you can do all your waking meditations just as easily in the dream state. Working with the dream state is a great way to strengthen your first-hand knowledge of emptiness and the illusory nature of formations.

Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep by Andrew Holecek is a pretty good book for understanding what’s possible practice-wise from dream and sleep yoga. It gets progressively more advanced as the book progresses.

As far as how it relates to jhāna, I don’t know. I have found that entering the jhānas in the lucid state is easier for me than in the waking state (meaning that I can slip into it with a simple intention, as easily as floating in a lucid dream), although maintaining lucidity for very long after entering is pretty difficult. I expect there’s some overlap, but I’m not entirely sure what. It hasn’t really helped my ability to enter it in the waking state yet.

Absolutely, though not box breathing. I follow the pattern laid out in this book, which is basically keeping the ratio 1:2:pause, in versus out. So while meditating I'll do 3 seconds in, 6 seconds out, 1 second pause. It's been a game changer tbh and especially helps when off the cushion. Reprogramming my mind and the way I breathe. If I'm doing basically anything at all challenging or stressful, controlling my breathing gets my parasympathetic activity up, which promotes critical thinking, which helps with awareness. I can verify this effect with data since I wear an Oura ring which tracks HRV, a strong signal for parasympathetic vs sympathetic activation.

Phenomenal book btw.

What is neuroscience?

> Neuroscience (or neurobiology) is the scientific study of the nervous system.[1] It is a multidisciplinary branch of biology,[2] that deals with the anatomy, biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology of neurons and neural circuits. It also draws upon other fields, with the most obvious being pharmacology, psychology, and medicine.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

And here is his PhD dissertation.

I think this is all much ado about nothing.

The texts that have served me most directly are actually from Western philosophy:

Plato's Gorgias: No other text that I have encountered is as potent in breaking down any of one's logical arguments against doing good works or developing discipline of mind. This is a great preparation for sila, because you need to be convinced that they are worth doing for their own sake (and not just because they will make meditation easier) before you can make real progress.

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: This is the best philosophical work ever written in terms of understanding the principles of how ethics work. More importantly, it is also an amazing practical guide for determining your predispositions and mapping out your location on each axis of the various virtues/vices. In addition, he gives excellent metrics, via the pleasure response, for being able to determine if you are unrestrained, merely self-restrained, or if you are genuinely cultivating a virtuous mean. He goes through and shows how and why virtue (combined with true leisure and meditation/contemplation) leads to increased happiness.

I strongly recommend the Joe Sachs translation from the Attic Greek, because other latinate translations make it falsely sound like Aristotle wants us to develop habits rather than to mindfully help active conditions. Too many people get lost in the apparent complexity of this book and lose sight of the fact that it was designed to be practical more than simply theoretical.

TMI definitely seems more detailed than Mindfulness in Plain English. In my personal experience, the book turned my meditation practice from a chore into something that delivered life-changing results. Of course, I'm also a student of Culadasa, so really I'm talking about that more than the book, but the book itself was a big deal—I read it in several retreats that I did with Culadasa before it was published.

I would not recommend that you just read the book. Use it as a handbook, keep referring to it, particularly to the stage you are at. Be honest with yourself about what stage you're at: don't anticipate, and also don't be overly modest. Either way will slow you down, because you'll do the wrong practices.

Use this subreddit as a resource. Ask your questions. Tell us how it's going. That's what we're here for.

So yes, definitely, I'd recommend the book, and I think it does deliver on what it promises.

You're welcome.

It's very similar to this. I cant find the actual stool I have. It was a gift and I think it came from etsy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OYA374I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yRV-FbMR3KEFT

> Culadasa is also employing many holistic treatments, including far infrared sauna, ozone treatments, ketogenic diet, detoxification protocols, and leading edge herbal formulations for cancer.

This list is mostly woo.

Far infrared sauna appears to be ineffective, ozone therapy appears to be actually outright bad for you (people have died and doctors have been prosecuted for it), ketogenic diet probably won't hurt anything as long as he's getting needed nutrients and calories, detoxification protocols (unclear what exactly this means), herbal formulations for cancer is just another word for untested, unrefined drugs (plants contain substances within them that interact with our body - in essence, drugs. These drugs can interact in unexpected ways with other plants or tested drugs that he may be taking and they also usually contain a bunch of other chemicals as well that have unknown effects since the active ingredient hasn't been refined out as it is in tested drugs).

I don't think Culadasa is going to suddenly be filled with intense desire to "try anything" but rather that it's very difficult as a patient to have the energy to critically think about all treatment options, especially when being constantly bombarded by credulous people with the plethora of quack cancer treatments that exist.

Unless someone has trained and studied to understand and actively avoid the problematic heuristics the human brain comes pre-programmed with, it's very difficult or near impossible for even the most intelligent (emotional or otherwise) people to avoid erroneous thinking.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills by Stephen Novella are two excellent resources for critical thinking.

I was going to mention Tejaniya as his “style” really fits with reading (and everything else) ... his latest book is on Amazon for $1.99 kindle at the moment, we’ll worth even if you have all his free ones: When Awareness Becomes Natural: A Guide to Cultivating Mindfulness in Everyday Life https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IDZGT9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rC.4AbRVT2HK9

Why don't you just buy the book? It's like $16. Here, let me Amazon it for you.

The book will change your life. If you can't find $16 for the book - you likely wouldn't have the dedication to follow through anyway so you shouldn't bother getting it at all.

Many similarities to what happened to me toward the end of this post. I was advised to read the "Was that Emptiness?" chapter of Daniel Ingram's Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha and compare my experience. I wouldn't state that I definitely had a cessation or fruitions -- it seems that even people with years of experience make mistakes there -- but there have been a lot of positive changes since that time that have continued to deepen. So much so that after a few days, I stopped caring what it was, and was able to focus on practicing on and off the cushion in ways that further my progress toward a more mindful, less dukkha-y life.

Congrats on whatever happened! Onward! :D

For a lot of people that seems to be the case. Many people here on the subreddit have (reportedly) Awakened in a few years. I think a few years is a reasonably short period of time compared to some people who practice for decades. He never said retreats were not required. He in fact says in the book that one or two retreats a year is probably necessary.

As for his professional credentials, he has a phd and taught neuroscience at at least one Canadian university that I know of.

John Yates was "transformed" to Culadasa in the same way that many Buddhists are. They take the precepts in a dedication a ceremony and are given a Dharma name by their teacher. I'm not sure what you were trying to say with that but there's nothing sinister or underhanded about it.

As for his work being derivative, everything in modern Buddhism is and he's never claimed otherwise. He stated clearly in the book that his work is based on the work of Kamalashila and Asanga. The stages of meditation are ancient. The Dalai Lama also wrote a book on them: https://www.amazon.ca/Stages-Meditation-Dalai-Lama/dp/1559391979

Allan Wallace's book is very similar but also based on those traditional sources. In TMI, the work on the sub-minds and (mind model in general) as well as lots of other things in the interludes are not found in Attention Revolution and are, as far as I have found, not found in any other book on meditation. (For those interested, the mind system model is based on Minsky's Society of Mind.)

Also, Culadasa's synthesis of Therevada and Mayahana techniques in the order he proposes is original as far as I can tell.

Finally, if we're talking about honesty and transparency, I've noticed you swoop in every few months and vaguely criticize Culadasa and his work and then later delete your account. Then you rinse and repeat. If you have something you know or want to say about the man, then go ahead and spit it out.

I think there's a very good podcast episode on 10% happier with mingyur rinpoche. https://player.fm/series/10-happier-with-dan-harris/27-mingyur-rinpoche

In it he talks about how you need to "make friends with panic". "Panic" being panic attacks but could just as well be replaced with fear. He also talks about a few different strategies to approach the fear/panic. Right now you are trying to make the fear go away and that can feed the fear. You need to practice relaxing around the fear. You don't have to do this all at once, but you do really want to progressively get more comfortable with the sensations of fear. One could use metta practice to accomplish some of this. Practice sending metta to the sensations of fear, to the thoughts of primordial fear, to yourself who is experiencing fear, to all kinds of people/beings that experience fear on a regular basis, etc. Listen to the podcast episode, it's really good stuff.

Not sure, but here's his PhD.

He said he taught neuroscience and physiology at Universities of Calgary & British Columbia. I think that is what he's referring to as his experience. I'll see if I can find more info.

> I don't know. I'll try to find more information. I did find his master's thesis. That validates some of his claims, though it doesn't relate to meditation.

Here's the PhD and seems legit. Except he claims training in 'brain science' and none of these relate to neuroscience and there appear to be no papers he's authored/co-authored on neuroscience.

I think death is kind of a taboo subject in western cultures, so there may be some bad conditioning associated with it. We actively try not to think about it very much. We celebrate young and beautiful and push old and wrinkly and dead away. So you may be right for some people. That's why I said try. If it makes you worse of, don't do it.

With that said, there is a study that seems to confirm what some meditators have found out - thinking about death actually makes you happier.

Hi there,

I'm so sorry to hear about this and I empathize. I lost someone very dear to me it has turned my world upside down. It has been literally come face to face with my worst nightmare.

I highly recommend doing some grief work. Better if you can do it with a professional counsellor (as I have). If you want to look into some helpful texts on your own then anything Alan Wolfeldt wrote is wonderful and I usually use this 10 touchstones framework with my own clients: https://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Your-Grief-Essential-Touchstones/dp/1879651351

For a Dharma perspective I recommend the following: https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product/mindfully-facing-disease-and-death-compassionate-advice-from-early-buddhist-texts/

Be gentle with yourself. Your practice will naturally be affected by this loss so any time at all you spend meditating is fine. When the time comes your practice will engage you again.

In my own case, my practice has been very difficult but it has also been a refuge and I have continued to make "progress" in the TMI framework. I would say that, in hindsight, my practice has actually been deeper and richer because of the full contact with the pain of loss even though it's been less consistent and slower.

I wish you healing and peace, my friend.

Check out the book Reaching the Animal Mind. Even just the first few chapters are amazing. I found reading it felt like metta.

> But I think it's the information that was the real killer. It's not like people in Buddha's time were able to order a bunch of high quality books from Amazon and connect to TMI reddit with their questions.

Surprised I had to go through so many comments before I found this. Above all else, this is the key difference. Having proper strategy and mental models for a skill is incredibly important. You can be totally motivated to drive accross NYC, but if someone gives you a map of LA, all your motivation is going to be quite irrelevant.

Another subtle point that no one really hit on is diet. The Buddha and his monks had to beg for food. The food back then likely was not as high quality as the food today. I have a diet that is highly optimized for cognition. That is a form of "technology" that has not existed previously in human history. People will argue that humans in the past ate better because the food was less processed. To the contrary though, there is a difference between your food being "unprocessed", and getting a highly optimized balance of nutritional diversity that is optimal for peak neuro-transmitter secretion.

The Mind Illuminated. The author is John Yates (Culadasa).

Just in case you need more info, here is a link to the Amazon store.

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Complete-Meditation-Integrating/dp/0990847705

I did the course at home and it introduced me to mindfulness and meditation. I think it is a fantastic introduction to mindfulness for the purpose of dealing with issues.

My opinion from completing the course is that it teaches you the basics and the meditations are similar. I think you may not experience anything new during the actual practice, however the theory and science behind it is worth reading as opposed to following the meditations for 8 weeks.

I found my everyday mindfulness following the course was not strong and all attempts to remember to be mindful seemed fruitless. After normal practice over many months I find it spills over into my day naturally.

I think you could pick up a lot of info just by reading Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams (MBSR) and for all-day long mindfulness perhaps When Awareness Becomes Natural by Sayadaw U Tejaniya which I found very helpful. I always found it very tiring all day, Tejaniya pointed out if it tires one is putting too much effort into it eg "I see the door knob, I touch the door knob, I know it" job done, you have been mindful, should not take effort. Not to forget Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

I had already been meditating for a few years, albeit with no proper instruction beyond Mindfulness in Plain English. I didn't really know if it was helping me, but suffering is a great motivator. Once I got The Mind Illuminated, it didn't take long, about two months, before I was into Stage 4. I now hover around Stage 3 - 5.

I think Stage 4 in particular takes awhile - you begin to make behaviour modifications in your life that can have huge ramifications for your practice and mind. You begin to know when you're acting from craving vs. right action or virtue, and so in the past few months I've stopped smoking weed and broken up with a person that was quite clearly now toxic for me. Meditating lets me know what I'm actually feeling, and why. I count this as a form of purification. It also helps to stabilize attention if your mind isn't all over the place from drug use or stress from dating someone that's mentally unwell. There are just some examples of how circumstance can delay or speed things up.

The most important thing is being grateful to do the work, for whatever stage you're at. It's the foundation for the next one, and if you don't have it, it could cause trouble. Right now I've had a persistent sinus infection that results in constant head pain. I have to finesse the situation every session. But it's just what's going on. I'm sure once it's resolved (been months now) it will be easier, but it seems there will always be something that has the potential to create the Hindrances. But there are "some ropes that look like snakes."

In short, in my experience, practicing virtue and mindfulness in daily life will speed things up. If you're already doing both, huzzah!

Regarding jhanas, it would surprise me if Culadasa didn't have more information on it somewhere on the internet. His yahoo group name even has jhana in it. :)

Having said that, I know that Leigh Brasington has some good information for jhanas that can be accessed by lay people.

There are so many great books though, and I have barely read any of them. Some that are on my reading list: Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (Daniel Ingram), something from Shinzen Young, , Joy on Demand, Radical Acceptance, The Boddhisatva's Brain, I am that, {Zen mind, Beginner's mind}, and uh... Maybe that's enough. My reading list is already way too long, I don't want to spread the decease. :)

You will have to read the book. It is called The Mind Illuminated

The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501156985/ref=cm_sw_r_sm_apa_glt_fabc_6XVQTN68AESJ39ZGTDTT

This has also been mentioned already, but if you aren’t sitting on a zafu, you should get one before you try to decide whether Burmese is going to work for you or not. I don’t think I could sit comfortably in that position without one for more than 30 minutes. I bought mine on Amazon for about $40, which seemed silly at the time, but I have put about 700 hours on mine so far, and it doesn’t show any signs of wear at all. I was just thinking the other day how much I appreciate that cushion. 😁 Here it is. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E97H8UE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cg2YCb9AZEJP8

Have a look at the sidebar, my friend! This is the book folks are talking about here, though we do talk about meditation & Buddhism in general and other things too.

The Sub's Wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/wiki/index

Amazon link for the book: https://www.amazon.ca/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mind+illuminated&qid=1596174008&sr=8-1

Meditation Assistant is free and has a field for notes that will pop up when the sit is complete. I've never tried long notes though.

There's also a community option where it'll post your time and notes for others to see, if that feature is enabled. I don't remember if the community feature is opt-in or opt-out though, so if you use the app you might want to check your profile settings first.

Have you heard about QuietMind on Android? It's made by a redditor (/u/ragoneio) and for me it's already the perfect companion app for TMI. And it's even open source! You should get in touch with them.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ragone.io.quietmind&hl=en_US

https://github.com/ragone/QuietMind

I assume that you mean an audio book for TMI? Here you go, on Amazon: TMI Audio Book

​

I found that I could also borrow and download a copy of the audio book version for free on Hoopla, one of the apps that many libraries in the U.S. use, but availability might be dependent on your district library's account.

One other thing that I just remembered. This is from Mindfulness in Plain English. At the beginning of the out-breath, simply set an intention to notice with clarity the precise moment when the out-breath stops. After you get that down, you can add in the same thing to the in-breath half-cycle.

Daniel Ingram's "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book" is controversial and can get pretty out there, but it's also the book that got me started on the path. Reading it has led me to lots of insight.

Daniel is also quoted in the blurbs inside the book.

You and I are in very similar places.

I don't know if you saw the other week but I stumbled across a paragraph in Bhante Henepola Gunaratana's book "Mindfulness in Plain English" that made a difference for me in being able to stick with the breath longer. [I recommend this book a lot as a nice supplement to TMI, BTW.] The trick is basically to simply intend to stay with the next half-breath, and that's it. So if you're breathing out, right before (in the pause before the out-breath), intend to stay with the out-breath until it's complete. And the same on the in-breath. For whatever reason, this really helped me out a lot. You could give it a try I suppose.

Regarding back pain, do you regularly adjust your posture when meditating? The tendency is to slump after a while. I find that periodically "pulling up" the spine to a straighter position (like they teach you to do in yoga classes) keeps me more energized and less dull.

> How long do you read for every day?

I actually "read" by listening, so I do it while exercising, commuting, etc. Gives me 2-3 hours daily, but I probably shouldn't try to meditate while driving ;-)

I'm certainly going to clear at least 30 minutes per day to practice, the question is which practice I should choose. The other main contender is Mindfulness in Plain English, but I started reading the book and felt it may not be quite the best fit. TMI's introduction got me more excited, but now I wonder how much of that is due to these attractive promises, and how many of these promises are actually realized. Hence this thread.

It is the Pali word for "knowledge" (EDIT: proper spelling is ñāṇa, pronounced nyana). It is the second of the 16 stages of insight leading to Stream Entry and after. Culadasa talks briefly about them here, where he translates it as "Knowledge by Discerning Conditionality":

http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/Meditation-and-Insight-III.pdf

A much more in-detail treatment is in Daniel Ingram's Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, dowloadable from here:

http://integrateddaniel.info/book/

I've been thinking a lot lately about what motivates me to keep practicing. This led to a lot of soul searching and eventually to a blog post on the "fruits of my practice" in my meditation blog. If you are interested in checking it out, you can find the whole post here: https://tinyurl.com/tm6cr8e . This is a short excerpt from the post:

>While I don't consider myself - and perhaps never will - awakened, I have noticed significant positive changes in my life that can be directly traced back to my meditative practice. These are the "fruits of my practice", so to speak. In what follows, I will share what I take to be the two biggest changes that have come about in my life as a result of my journey along this contemplative path. In broad strokes, the two changes are that and emotions are becoming (1) way more transparent, and (2) way less sticky. This, in turn, frees me from significant amounts of suffering. I'll try to unpack this.

The rest of the post fleshed out in a lot of detail what I mean by thoughts and emotions being more transparent and less sticky.

Putting pen to paper and fleshing out what I think the biggest changes that meditation has brought to my life was a really interesting thing to do. I'm more committed than ever to continue on this fantastic journey!

Much Metta to all!

Sayadaw U Tenjaniyas teachings are all about this.

https://www.amazon.com/When-Awareness-Becomes-Natural-Cultivating/dp/1611803071/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468122875&sr=8-1&keywords=when+awareness+becomes+natural&ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=bea8c88c-6f15-45fe-a3f1-27da0ebebbbd

I recently picked up 'Wake up to Your Life' which ia masterful work by Ken Mcleod (published 2001), which you can listen to free here. I was surprised to discover many of the same points that made TMI so useful, including similar stages of practice (though not as fine grained), the distinction between attention and awareness, specific antidotes to apply to roadblocks, and conceptual descriptions of how meditation transforms the mind. And I'm not even 1/3 of the way through the very long book. So TMI isn't unique in it's overall picture.

Where TMI is unique is in impersonalizing and mechanizing the process of meditative development. This both leaves out important dimensions of our being, and makes the book more accessible to total skeptics. In light of Culadasa's behavior, it's not surprising that the TMI approach is quite disembodied. The framing of TMI plays to our desire to acquire skills and improve ourselves, which is great yet needs to be outgrown at some point.

So see the TMI approach in it's context. It's a great contribution that is palatable to our culture and has inspired many people to take up a meditative path (myself included), but it is certainly not complete.

Maybe try a pair of these wedges. When you’re sitting on your cushion, put these flat on the floor behind you, and then push them under your cushion, which will raise your butt higher. Experiment with the height until you find the most comfortable height.

Yoga Foam Wedge Blocks (Pair) Soft Wrist Wedge, Supportive Foot Exercise Accessories, Balance, Strength, Stretch, Pilate, Fitness, Squat, Pushup, Plank, EVA Riser Block https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C3GMFN5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7GPCP7ZF21SSKQXDSHBG

My favourite resource: https://www.amazon.ca/Mindfully-Facing-Disease-Death-Compassionate/dp/1909314722/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HMU9CGGB57A&keywords=mindfully+facing+disease+and+death&qid=1653576947&sprefix=mindfully+facing+disease+and+death%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1

Christianity has a long and rich tradition of contemplative practice. Here you go: https://www.amazon.ca/Into-Silent-Land-Christian-Contemplation/dp/0195307607/ref=sr_1_2?crid=4FQ3T8FXB64V&keywords=into+the+silent+land&qid=1649278692&sprefix=into+the+silent+land%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-2

http://www.worldcat.org/title/structural-and-functional-changes-in-the-isolated-rat-heart-following-perfusion-with-catecholamines-their-metabolites-and-oxidation-products/oclc/184877865&referer=brief_results

This is his PhD. Also Sam Harris is a fraud

http://www.worldcat.org/title/structural-and-functional-changes-in-the-isolated-rat-heart-following-perfusion-with-catecholamines-their-metabolites-and-oxidation-products/oclc/184877865&referer=brief_results

His PhD - neuroscience

His PhD dissertation

The book you are looking for is The Master and His Emissary. It is a hefty read . The author has done plenty of interviews if you Google around. I was specifically recommended this book when studying with Dharma Treasure.

The past few years, I've really enjoyed Flower (same company as Journey), Gone Home, Night in the Woods, and Wandersong. Itch.io also has an endless supply of interesting (if sometimes very crude) stuff.

I have aspirations to one day make a game inspired by meditative concepts at some point... have yet to nail down what exactly that would look like...

Emailed him. It probably wasn't his direct email so we'll see if he gets back to me. Found his master's thesis.

Sure. Here's the talks (you can see from the titles which ones are specifically about the energy body, but most use it as a tool for building piti).

Here's the transcripts of the talks. Ctrl+F "Orienting to This Jhana Retreat" to find where the jhana talk ones begin.

I've just decided to get into lucid dreaming to fix this problem. Lucid dreaming would really help remove the unpleasantness experienced in dreams.

This is the book I saw being the most recommended: https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Dream-Yoga-Audiobook/B00FPTTMJQ?ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=1HGD4R3DY4RAS3S5E6NP&

Mindfulness - A Beginner's Guide To Mindfulness To Improve Your Body, Mind, and Spirit

"Learn How to Relax and Improve Your Body, Mind, and Spirit Through Mindfulness" By practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes a day, you will be able to find contentment in life and relax during chaotic times
Stress is a large contributor to illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and other serious health conditions. With the problem of stress in mind, it is imperative to find a way to relieve stress and help manage other mental health problems.

With this video guide you will learn what mindfulness is and key techniques for becoming more mindful. As a result, you will learn how to improve your entire essence during these chaotic and challenging times.

Video Topics covered:

• 3 Reasons Mindfulness Helps You Grow as a Person 
• 3 Ways to be Mindful During a Chaotic Day at Work 
• 5 Reasons You Should Practice Mindfulness Today 
• How Mindfulness Improves Your Mind 
• How to Be Mindful Like a Pro in 3 Steps 
• How To Relax Your Body Through Mindfulness 
• Top 3 Mindfulness Practices For Calming The Body, Mind, And Soul 
• Top 3 Ways To Calm Your Mind Using Mindfulness 
• Top 4 Myths About Mindfulness To Stop Believing Today 
• Top 5 Ways To Become Mindful During Chaotic Times 

Learn More: Mindfulness - A Beginner's Guide To Mindfulness To Improve Your Body, Mind, and Spirit

Check out this podcast. They deal directly with what your talking about. This guy actually worked directly with culadasa.
https://castbox.fm/x/1n2md

Deconstructing yourself Episode with Douglas tataryn

Someone posted this in the sub last week (removed as OT): https://getpocket.com/explore/item/consciousness-isn-t-self-centered

Interesting read IMO. It appears to me that any theorizing about consciousness that doesn't take into account the fact that the self is a process, and a quite illusory/misleading one, is doomed to fail.

From what you've described it's a good sign, it means your own your way to developing the first jhana. From the way i've learned how to do it, once you get the feeling you've described and can stay there for at least a few minutes, you can start to really develop the piti and at some point it will turn into the first jhana. You'll know when your in the first jhana because the pleasure can be super intense the first time, to the point of being overwhelming. I really recommend listening to Rob Burbea's jhana retreat (transcript can be found here), I went from rarely getting any piti at all to now being able to reliably get into the first jhana.

I'm sure you probably already know this, but Rob Burbea's talks have been transcribed (and are available here, and here's the Reddit page), so I assume that user u/Flumflumeroo has some experience with all this and maybe knows the best software or techniques.

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to so thoroughly answer my question. I really appreciate that! I’ll definitely give your blog a read as well.

I’ve been in Stage 7 of TMI and I’ve noticed pleasant electric/tingling sensations around my jaws and cheeks. But at some point, it fades away as concentration becomes more subtle with the breath. I’m not sure if that’s considered piti or not, but lately I’ve been trying to tune into it more and enjoy the pleasantness of it all. So I think I’m in the right track to some extent, as I’m looking to develop the Jhanas.

Rob Burbea is indeed who I’m referencing. Here’s a link to the recorded retreat, and here’s a link to some of the written transcripts of his retreat talks. I believe a follower of his went through and started transcribing them all so they could be shared and read as an alternative to all the listening. But from what I’ve listened to so far, you both seem to really line up in a lot of ways.

I'd recommend checking out Rob Burbea's jhana retreat. Even if you don't think you're interested in jhana, I can virtually guarantee it can be helpful. Audio is here and transcript can be found here.

I really want to get a kneeling chair like the one in the link, but not necessary that one. some people might think of it as a lisa simpson chair lol.

i have back pain from a work injury a few years ago and i thought this might help a bit. I also thought it wouldn't be terrible for meditation either.

Have you ever tried a chair like this?

Daniel Ingram’s mind map of TMI is helpful for me. https://www.integrateddaniel.info/the-mind-illuminated-mind-map

I used the Rasterbator to print it out and taped it to my door. https://rasterbator.net/

I read this article and among other things it highlighted why my meditation took so long to start being enjoyable: I was chasing more and I see a lot of people here who seem like they're suffering from the endless need for self-improvement. Meditation is not about finding happiness, it's about finding truth, understanding and acceptance. Anyway, I enjoyed this article and thought I would share it with you.

Article: The disease of more

This is an online all day retreat or sitting. A group of us will get together tomorrow at 10am Eastern Time to meditate together for the whole day (10 to 6PM). We will sit for 45 minutes and then walk for 20 minutes. Rinse and repeat, with a break for lunch and a group dialogue from 5:15 to 6PM to debug and talk about our practice and our experience. These kinds of extended meditation periods are very helpful to build or keep momentum in one's practice.

We should commit to spending the time allotted for the online retreat in Noble Silence, abstaining from communicating with each other and with others, except during the group dialogue.

We will get together using zoom.us videoconferencing technology. If you want to join us tomorrow, please send me a direct message with contact info so that I can email you the link so that you can join us using zoom.us videoconferencing technology.

Thanks for your interest in joining tomorrow's all day sitting! If you want to join us, I will need your contact info so that I can email you the link so that you can join us using zoom.us videoconferencing technology. Feel free to send it to me via direct message, but please do so at your earliest convenience.

Thanks for the recommendation! I came to TMI through first looking for a solution to severe anxiety for my sister. I found "Unwinding Anxiety" (book and app) which has been helping her. The author is also a long-time practitioner of meditation and a clinical psychologist focusing on mindfulness practice to aid in addressing overwhelming anxiety:

https://www.amazon.com/Unwinding-Anxiety-Science-Shows-Cycles/dp/B08MHDHMRS/

I am coming to practice from a secular place too, dipping my toes into the spiritual side of with TMI. Books like this show me that perhaps there isn't any difference in what's being described at all.

I’m back to meditating after some kind of contagious illness swept through me and my family and completely knocked down my practice. I lost all focus and, frankly, will to meditate and then got really grumpy and “me”-focused for about two weeks, in addition to feeling tired and crappy. I revved up a narrative about major things I was unhappy with in life. It was unskillfulness at its best!

Thankfully I got back on track since yesterday, when I listened to my gut feeling that I was causing myself unnecessary suffering and that I fabricating most of these problems. Now I’m motivated to get back on the cushion.

I’ve listened to a book lately that is super helpful. It is “The Craving Mind” by Judson Brewer. It is a popular science / self-help book about bad habits and addiction that is that is covertly a mindfulness / Buddhism manual.

The author is, like Culadasa, is both a neuroscientist and a long-term meditator. But he spent most of his years in medical research performing concrete experiments using mindfulness to combat addictive behavior, including bad habits.

Oddly, in some ways this totally secular book has helped me understand some aspects of Buddhist practice that I didn’t understand before, because he spells it out in clear and science-based language for total novices and non-practitioners.

I find it this book offers a lot of relevant info for anyone practicing TMI.

https://www.amazon.com/Craving-Mind-Cigarettes-Smartphones-Hooked/dp/0300223242

I would recommend Ajahn Brahm's book Mindfulness, Bliss & Beyond he has whole sections on having Ill Will towards meditation and how to overcome it. I think if you don't let go of the ill will, things won't change. You will have for sure made 'progress' but it sounds like you are being held back from any changes you may want. One element he talks about is to build loving kindness towards your own breath, so you infuse the feeling into the breath. I have found this to be very useful some days and not so much other days.

One little trick I use for letting go is simply on the out breath to 'let go' of time, my views, thoughts and tied up feelings. This helps a lot some days and also not on others. Best of luck!

https://www.amazon.com.au/Mindfulness-Bliss-Beyond-Meditators-Handbook-ebook/dp/B003XKN6C8

If you're looking for something less naggy and more like a simple but featureful meditation timer/tracker, you could try Meditation Assistant. The best part is it's open source / free software!

(Just in case you're not familiar, free software means that it respects the basic freedoms of being able to inspect, learn from and modify software you run on your computers. Practically, this means the code of the application is available publicly, you can modify it if you have the know-how and you can share those modifications with others so that they too can benefit from it.)

>Awareness Watching Awareness

I'm sorry, you're right; the book is called differently. You can find it here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Direct-Means-Eternal-Bliss/dp/1937995895

Luckily the people here are wrong. But the proof always lies in the pudding, yes? Only you will be able to find the truth for yourself.

I've practiced a lot of the meditations according to the teachings of Theravada Buddhism until I realized that this would never lead to enlightenment and began searching for other paths. There is a reason why there are a lot of enlightened practitioners in the Vedanta community and not in the Buddhist ones... The one and only reason being that Buddhists turn their awareness towards objects and Vedantins toward the "Self", meaning awareness.

I don't think there are big differences for monks. Check out Dipa Ma's story e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Knee-Deep-Grace-Extraordinary-Teaching/dp/0963078461

She trained under Mahasi and his pupil Munindra. They also taught her all the jhanas and psychic powers. She allegedly attained the stage of anagami.

My deep sympathy and empathy to you. I highly recommend any of Alan Wolfelt's books. This guy gets it and I have used his material for myself and others. On the meditation front, I would say that my practice was an important refuge in my own grieving process; stages are not important but it's typical to find your practice may seem to have devolved somewhat (although I don't think that's the case at all).

Here's my favourite book of Wolfelt's but all his stuff is outstanding: https://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Your-Grief-Essential-Touchstones/dp/1879651351

with warm wishes for your healing.

Its basically about how to use mindfulness to cope with stress. Jon Kabat-Zinn and this book really kicked off the mindfulness movement. And if you're looking to use meditation for managing your mental health, this would be a great place to start.

What I do when I'm considering a book is go on Amazon and look at the Kindle version of the book because they give you a free preview.

Just click the book icon and it'll open up.
https://www.amazon.com/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Revised-Illness-ebook/dp/B00C4BA3UK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=full+catastrophe+living&qid=1610841677&sprefix=full+ca&sr=8-1

The Mind Illuminated, the book upon which this subreddit is based.

I'm so sorry for your pain. Losing a member of your family that way is just such an awful experience. I lost a parent earlier this year and it rocked my world. I took meditation as I could when I could; it did help me somewhat but don't push it.

I like Analayo's book on the subject: Mindfully facing disease and dying

May your sorrow be lifted when the time is right.

Edit: more relevant information

Links to the two people mentioned early on in the first video for their research:

Jeffrey Martin's website

Here is an amazon link to Robert Boyle's book.

Where did you get the information about the copyright restrictions and what is this about? Both the German and American Amazon web pages list the guide as available in January 2018.

Check out this free eBook on Amazon, The Essence of Buddhism:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essence-Buddhism-David-Tuffley-ebook/dp/B0057H0HTU/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+essence+of+buddhism&qid=1561656953&s=gateway&sr=8-2

You can get the Kindle app for your phone or computer if you don't have a Kindle.

It's a very clear and concise guide to the essence/core of Buddhism, particularly the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path.

It's short - only 24 pages!

​

You're going to get a different answer from different people for the variety of questions you have included.

Buddhists may have different aspirations, relationships, views about love, etc.

​

Try to see how meditation has influenced your personal answers to these questions, since you began your practice, up until now. I think you will find that some answers change as your meditation practice grows and you learn more about Buddhism and its teachings :)

The Eight-fold path in particular has direct suggestions for how one should behave. You can begin with them for expanding your spirituality into your lifestyle.

Sounds like you and I sit the same way. It honestly took me a couple months of daily sits before my mid-back muscles got accustomed to it. It was painful and discouraging for the first month, but I could tell after a month that it was slowly getting better and better. Now I can sit Burmese for 2 hours+ without much discomfort.

Do you sit on a zafu? That was a huge help for me as far as comfort in meditation. I think mine was $40 on Amazon...I'll post a link if I can find it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N39UKQG?aaxitk=E.4KbShYVWKAiuFv3w01rA&pd_rd_i=B01N39UKQG&pf_rd_p=44fc3e0f-4b9e-4ed8-b33b-363a7257163d&hsa_cr_id=2345076710901&sb-ci-n=asinImage&sb-ci-v=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F315Dbxw4r7L.jpg&sb-ci-a=B01N39UKQG&th=1&psc=1

If you get one like this, try sitting just on the front 1/3 of the cushion, and sort of wiggle your butt side to side when you first sit down, which will move the "stuffing" toward the back of the cushion, behind where you're sitting. This makes sort of a ramp, with the thinner part of the ramp under your butt, and the taller side of the ramp behind you. I learned that from a YouTube video, and it helped my back a TON.

You might try walking meditation instead of sitting. Also, speaking from long experience with severe PTSD myself, it may be that a metta-based practice may be more suitable for you, e.g., Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM). A good introductory booklet to TWIM is here (pdf, also available from Amazon).

Yeah, I'm convinced that it helps me with clarity and memory. Also look into Rhodiola Rosea which is a great nootropic/adaptogen for alertness, concentration and positive mood.

Rhodiola Rosea Supplement 600mg - 120 Capsules Siberian Root Extract 3% Rosavins & 1% Salidroside - Pure Maximum Strength Powder - 300mg Vegan Pills for Stress Relief, Mood, Focus & Energy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NANEVDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_y21KFb7C0QVK1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Try amazon smile to donate to a charity of your choice automatically at no cost to you!
https://smile.amazon.com/Break-Through-Pain-Step-Step/dp/B001CB6A0A
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I agree with the gamification bit, the app I use shows you total hours and sessions and that's been a good motivator lately

Hi,

I will just put it here,

Recently found out interesting book which i feel is complementary to TMI practice:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202

​

It gave me extra view how to enjoy meditation and everyday life.

My favourite recommendation: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1609618955/?coliid=I2RZNQLUECAMO9&colid=F4RXD9IXEQ7I&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Includes links to guided meditations in the book. Wonderful program.

I think there are such individuals but that the ones who are in public view would never claim 3rd path or Arhantship. I also think that it's likely that most people who achieve third path are never (widely) publicly known (although presumably greatly venerated in their communities/monasteries).

Some examples of people I think were at least third path are Dipa Ma, Ayya Khema, Achan Chaa, Sunlun Sayadaw. Of course, I also consider myself as being totally unqualified to make such a determination. But they were people who seem likely candidates. To segue onto my final points I'll add that two of the people I just mentioned were illiterate.

Regarding your final paragraph, there is also the danger of turning these simple ideas into fantastical intellectual exercises. It is, as I understand it, entirely possible for the body to be thirsty or need to be relieved without tanha (craving) being involved. But it must be experienced to be understood. (How do you explain the taste of honey to someone?) In fact, Dogen wrote in great detail how going to the toilet can be an expression of Buddha-nature; I cannot do better than point you to his works on these kinds of practical daily activities like cooking, eating, washing the body, etc.

I concede that craving can be so subtle that (further along the path) it is missed which leads some people to mistakenly think they are third path or beyond. That's just my pet theory and probably this whole discussion is way above my pay-grade :)

If you're interested in reading more about the kinds of people who have been considered living masters in our lifetimes (i.e., the last century or so) then I highly recommend Living Dharma by Jack Kornfield. It was an eye-opening read for me. https://www.amazon.com/Living-Dharma-Teachings-Meditation-Instructions-dp-1590308328/dp/1590308328/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Unfortunately, it only covers Therevadan masters but it's an excellent start.

This is a link of you stating you rarely meditate: https://old.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/comments/hwxlw9/have_any_of_you_developed_siddhis_or_spiritual/fz2s410/?context=3

Here is a link to the book which you'd have to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1RMZTSV0WPLX7&dchild=1&keywords=the+mind+illuminated&qid=1595607144&sprefix=the+mind+ilu%2Caps%2C271&sr=8-2

You are good. ~~That's just a licensing issue due to different countries.~~

There is also one in German: https://smile.amazon.de/Handbuch-Meditation-Culadasa-John-Yates/dp/3442342155/

E: looks like it was republished in 2017 by Hay house. And now a third publisher by Atria Books. I was not quite correct regarding the licensing issue.

You can get some more information at these links:

The Sub's Wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMindIlluminated/wiki/index

Amazon link for the book: https://www.amazon.ca/Mind-Illuminated-Meditation-Integrating-Mindfulness/dp/1501156985/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mind+illuminated&qid=1596174008&sr=8-1

Links might be useful as I have not heard of any other publishers. This could be an issue of licensing issues in different countries.

Nonetheless, the publisher is Atria Books per this listing on Amazon, which is the correct one.

e: that is one of the publishers. I was being too bold.

Yeah, I'd suggest a simple book like this. It outlines basic daily mindfulness that a person can do. Great for getting things started!

https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Every-Step-Mindfulness-Everyday/dp/0553351397/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=everyday+mindfulness+thich&qid=1572270253&sr=8-2

Maybe you could try locking your phone, then that way you have less distractions in your space, try this app it locks your phone in a fun way:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iruss.mogivisions.procrastimatev1

Agreed. Daytime sleepiness is a definite sign you are not sleeping enough or well enough at night. it is true that sleep pressure builds over a period of 16 hours from the time you wake up. But if you are sleepy during the day and need caffeine to manage it, you're not sleeping enough.

If you want to understand why that is so critical, read this book. You will never see sleep the same way again. Or, if you don't have time to read the book, watch Joe Rogan's interview with Matthew Walker on The Joe Rogan Experience..

https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=78477646311922&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=why+we+sleep&qid=1569147331&sr=8-1

I got this a couple of weeks ago and it changed my life.

​

https://www.amazon.com/bonVIVO-Adjustable-Comfortable-Semi-Foldable-Meditation/dp/B07DL5PG74?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2&th=1

​

Back support, but no need for something to lean against a wall or furniture, since you can place it in middle of a room on top of zabuton. I just place the floor chair on top of my zabuton, sit cross legged, and use a couple of pillows to prop up my knees. It's way more comfortable than what you're currently doing, which is what I used to do.

Much Metta to you!

You should be able to do this by listening to the pickup artists who use 'fair' techniques that aren't outrightly manipulative. Mark Manson is one such man with one such book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Models-Attract-Women-Through-Honesty/dp/1463750358/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mark+manson+models&qid=1561658362&s=gateway&sr=8-1

If I may add a book recommendation:

Check out Robert Wright's "The Moral Animal". It's an evolutionary psychologists view on what's behind our perception of morality, especially around topics concerning sexual relations.

Imho a must read for anyone considering any kind of relationship (or already being in one).

Be well.

I also mostly practice around stage 4 but still found choiceless awareness very useful. The instruction I followed were from the following book... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlearning-Meditation-What-When-Instructions/dp/1590307526, In short, it's worth experimenting by letting whatever arises in meditation happen (even mind wandering and dullness), for me, it highlighted any aversion quite nicely by contrasting it with a mind that is fully accepting. I got to know the contracted and non-contracted mind and the process of going between them quite well. Anyway, just my 2 cents...

https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202

John Vervaeke on YouTube is great. Check out his videos. I especially like his series: Awakening from the Meaning Crisis.

I recently came across this book ( on Culadasa's recommended reading list) and I've found it very helpful for becoming more mindful of resistance throughout my day and trying to let go of it

https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Want-Feel-Like-Resistance/dp/0961475498/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=cheri+huber&qid=1553781952&s=gateway&sr=8-4

​

I think this book will help you answer that question: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486422380

Look for the common thread. Remember that no tradition, and no author, has the final word on The Truth.

As I mentioned to Killua, Reggie Ray's books are very good. "The Awakening Body" and "The Practice of Pure Awareness".

I don't think we covered it in any greater detail. For following a Metta-related method, I suggest TWIM..... you can find the instructions in the /r/streamentry beginner guide or in this book: https://www.amazon.ca/Path-Nibbana-Mindfulness-Loving-Kindness-Progresses/dp/1508808910?keywords=The+Path+to+Nibbana%3A+How+Mindfulness+of+Loving-Kindness+Progresses+through+the+Tranquil+Aware+Jhanas+to+Awakening&qid=1547594368&s=Books&amp...

Best to you!

He takes a meditative approach

https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Spirit-Practice-Moving-Stillness/dp/0671534807/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1546367341&sr=8-1