Bodhipaksa's Blog, page 25

Should you be less trusting after midday?

Self-control has a physical basis, and our ability to self-regulate is diminished by tiredness. Therefore, a new study finds, we're more likely to lie in the afternoons.

Moral in the Morning, But Dishonest in the Afternoon – Association for Psychological Science

Our ability to exhibit self-control to avoid cheating or lying is significantly reduced over the course of a day, making us more likely to be dishonest in the afternoon than in the morning, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological …

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Published on October 30, 2013 06:35

Free Bibles!

This fundraiser to help rehouse the family of an atheist woman whose home was destroyed in the Oklahoma tornado has hilarious perks for donors. One of my favorites?

$25: Free Bible
For 25 dollar donations, we will leave a free Bible in the nightstand of your next hotel stay. Go ahead, take it. Its yours.

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Atheists Unite

Atheists unite and come together for our own community.

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Published on October 30, 2013 06:10

On the Way: New Google Glass

There's no word yet when Glass will be available to the public, but those of us who are already #glassexplorers are getting an upgrade later this year.

The earbud is very welcome, because audio on Glass is notoriously bad.

Reshared post from +Google Glass

Wow, lots of questions! We'd rather "show" than "tell" so here you go: the mono earbud, and the Glass that Explorers will be getting when they swap later this year.

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Published on October 29, 2013 15:33

Join the Urban Retreat, Nov 9–16

blazing like the sun - web logo An “urban retreat” is a week of online talks, teachings, led meditations, and other resources, all designed to help you practice the Buddha’s teachings effectively, as you go about your day.

From Saturday 9th to Saturday 16th November, an urban retreat will be taking place here online, and you are invited to join! The theme will be: “Blazing Like the Sun”: how can our hearts be more overflowing with kindness, compassion, confidence, and love of life? How can we find the “freedom of heart” that is loving-kindness?

Whichever level of experience you are at, each day there will be support here to help you engage with the meditation practice, and to incorporate it into your daily life. We’ll be posting material every day. It will be best to start on the Saturday and follow the retreat each day. But if you can’t do that, just join in when you can.

The Urban Retreat is an activity being run by the Triratna Buddhist Community, of which we’re a part. Participation is entirely free!

Much love,

Bodhipaksa

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Published on October 29, 2013 11:15

Three steps to mindful smoking

Photo copyright Rob DeWitt.Yesterday I wrote about using mindfulness to deal with the craving for tobacco. By coincidence, an old friend, Sagaracitta, has recently published an article on the same topic. It’s a long article, but it contains this handy suggestion for smoking with mindfulness (which I’ve slightly edited).

Before smoking

Scan through your body. Make a note of how you are feeling. Then contact your breath.
Without altering your breath, just be aware of three full cycles of your breathing.
Look at your cigarette packet. Read any warning labels. Just be aware of it.
Be aware of one full cycle of your breath. Notice any feelings that are arising.
Pick up the packet. Feel it. Smell it. Put it back down.
Be aware of one full cycle of your breath. Notice any feelings that are arising.
Pick up the packet. Take out a cigarette. Put the packet down with the cigarette lying on top.

Smoking

Be aware of one full cycle of your breath. Notice any feelings that are arising.
Pick up the cigarette. Feel it. Smell it. Put it back down.
Be aware of one full cycle of your breath. Notice any feelings that are arising.
Pick up the cigarette. Feel it. Smell it. Light it without inhaling.
Holding the cigarette, be aware of one full cycle of your breath. Notice any feelings that are arising.
Inhale slowly. Be aware of the sensations of inhaling. Feel the taste. Smell the smell.
Holding the cigarette, be aware of one full cycle of your breath. Notice any feelings that are arising.

put out your cigarette
Exhale slowly. Be aware of the sensations of inhaling. Feel the taste. Smell the smell.
Holding the cigarette, be aware of one full cycle of your breath. Notice any feelings that are arising.
Repeat until you are ready to put the cigarette out.
Notice how much you leave on the cigarette before you put it out.
And be aware of one full cycle of your breath before you finally stub it out.

put out your cigarette.

After smoking

Scan through your body. Make a note of how you are feeling. Then contact your breath.
Without altering your breath, just be aware of three full cycles of your breathing.
Make a mental note of how you found the practice

Why not try this and let us know how you get on?

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Published on October 29, 2013 05:30

Is your meditation smoking?

nuns smoking

When I was teaching meditation at the University of Montana I had a student called Connie who was very concerned about her smoking habit. In my youth I sometimes used to smoke roll-ups at parties and I sometimes even bought tobacco so I could make my own and not be cadging from other people all the time, but I never got addicted and so I had no experience I could share about giving up the evil weed. But I do encourage people to be mindful, and so I suggested that she really pay attention to the sensations and mental patterns that arose each time she was smoking a cigarette. It seemed like a long-shot, but it was all I had.

She reported that after taking up this suggestion she was smoking a lot less. It took her longer to smoke each cigarette, and she was less likely to light up again immediately after finishing one cigarette. I seem to recall that she said she was also more aware of the unpleasantness of smoking.

Anyway, I was reminded of that when I stumbled upon an anecdote where a smoker approaches a Buddhist monk for advice:

A young man who’s on retreat asks the head monk a question during their daily meditation interview.

“I experience a lot of craving for tobacco. Would it be okay if I smoke when I meditate?” he asks.

The head monk is shocked at the suggestion and gives the young man a stern lecture about the need to practice mindfulness.

The next day, the young man returns with another question.

“Since I spend a lot of time smoking, I was wondering, do you think it would be okay if when I am smoking, I smoke mindfully and turn it into a meditation practice?”

The head monk thought this was a very creative suggestion and gave the young man his blessing.

Of course, from one point of view the net result is the same, whether you smoke during meditation or meditate while smoking.

The reason this story works is because the word “meditation” is being used in two different ways. The monk is initially hearing the word meditation as referring to a formal activity in which an effort is being made to bring the mind to a point of concentration, and in which distracted mental states are being let go of. One of those distracted mental states that’s being let go of is craving, and so the idea of smoking during meditation is anathema. To smoke while meditating (in this sense) would mean giving in to craving rather than giving up craving.

The second time the smoker talks about meditation, he puts it in the context of daily activities, and the word means something more like “taking a mindful approach to whatever you do.”

If we’re going to do things that involve craving, such as smoking, then it’s a step forward to do it with more mindfulness. But it wouldn’t be a step forward to take something like sitting meditation and to introduce an activity such as smoking. Take meditation and add smoking, and you’re heading in the direction of craving. Take smoking and add meditation, and you’re heading in the direction of mindfulness and non-craving.

But does this work as a technique for reducing dependence on tobacco? Actually, it does. One person wrote to me from Australia to share his experience of working in a drug rehabilitation unit.

I have been teaching this technique in a group to help clients bring awareness to there smoking addiction, and behavioral dependance for the last 5 years. It has been highly successful with many people quitting and if not, certainly bringing a great deal of awareness to there behavior. We also apply this practice when we talk about how to change patterns of behavior in drug use.

And a recent study showed that meditation reduced tobacco consumption by 60%.

So if you’re a smoker, you might want to try being more mindful of the actions of smoking.

If you like my articles and want to support what we do here, click here to check out my books, guided meditation CDs, and MP3s.You might also want to be mindful of the cravings that lead to smoking. I’ve been working for months now at being mindful of the sensations of hunger, and it’s been a fascinating practice. I’ve learned that I used to treat the sensations of hunger as being a kind of emergency. At the first sensation of being hungry I’d feel the urgent need to go eat something. Now I treat hunger as just another sensation, and will often not eat until an hour or two of being mindful of my hunger pangs. And what’s really interesting is that when I’m mindful of my hunger it stops being unpleasant. Could this work for smoking as well? I don’t see why not.

If you’ve practiced mindfulness of smoking or mindfulness of craving nicotine, I’d love to hear from you.

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Published on October 28, 2013 07:38

"Reframing" may be bad for your health

Some interesting new research suggests that reframing (aka "cognitive reappraisal") can deepen depressive symptoms if the technique is applied to situations that are potentially under our control, such as a bad situation at work. However, for situations that are out of your control, like the death of a spouse, reframing does reduce depressive symptoms.

This is the first research showing a negative effect from reframing.

Keeping Emotions in Check May Not Always Benefit Psychological Health – Association for Psychological Science

Being able to regulate your emotions is important for well-being, but new research suggests that a common emotion regulation strategy called “cognitive reappraisal” may actually be harmful when it comes to stressors that are under our control. The study is published in Psychological Science, …

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Published on October 28, 2013 05:19

Slaves of the internet, unite!

"People who would consider it a bizarre breach of conduct to expect anyone to give them a haircut or a can of soda at no cost will ask you, with a straight face and a clear conscience, whether you wouldn’t be willing to write an essay or draw an illustration for them for nothing."

Of course part of the problem is that there is so much writing out there available free. Being a writer is like being a hairdresser in a place where anyone can get a free haircut just about anywhere. It might not be exactly the haircut you want, or from the hairdresser you'd prefer, but it gets you into the mindset that haircuts are, essentially, free.