The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science

by Culadasa (John Yates)

Interrupted Attention and Overcoming Mind-Wandering

Practice Goals for Stage Two

work smart, not hard,

You will learn to work smart, not hard, using finesse, patience, and positive reinforcement rather than willpower.

you’re just becoming aware of what’s always been going on in the mind.

There are two primary goals for Stage Two:

shortening the periods of mind-wandering, and sustaining attention on the breath for longer periods.

mind-wandering with positive re...

achieve longer intervals of sustained attention by learning to actively engage with the breath.

The obstacles at this Stage are forgetting, mind-wandering, monkey-mind, and impatience.

Forgetting

Mind-Wandering

forgetting

mind-wandering

Stage...

Forgetting means we forget the meditation object, as well as our intention ...

Mind-wandering is what happens after we’ve forgotten what we were doing: the mind will wander from thought to thought...

“wak...

to what is ha...

distractions

Alternating attention

Interest and importance are judged according to the perceived ability to increase pleasure or decrease pain, cause happiness or unhappiness, or improve or threaten your physical well-being. When something captures attention, the breath is abandoned and forgetting happens.

This kind of mind-wandering is the main obstacle you’ll work on at this Stage.

spontaneously moving attention

forgetting and mind-wandering

By cultivating stable attention, meditation calms the wandering mind and creates inner peace. When attention is accompanied by greater awareness, we have strong mindfulness, meaning we can refocus and stabilize our attention wherever and whenever it’s needed. Awakening from Mind-Wandering

“wake up”

unconscious

consciously

During meditation, however, if you return to the breath as soon as you realize you’ve lost it, you’ll miss a key opportunity for training the mind.

introspective awareness

Train your mind through positive feedback. Savor the sense of being more fully conscious and present than when you were lost in mind-wandering.

consciousness

unconsciously?

“waki...

Savor the sense of being more fully conscious and present. Cherish your epiphany and encourage yo...

Conscious intention and affirmation powerfully influence our un...

By valuing this moment, you’re training the mind through positive reinforcement to wake you up...

unconscious

If negative emotions do arise, simply notice them and let them come, let them be, and let them go

Consistent, immediate positive reinforcement is far more effective than self-punishment.

As you keep repeating this technique, introspective awareness will eventually intervene before you completely forget the meditation object (the goal of Stage Three).

Over time, introspective awareness will grow so strong that it’s always present, and you’ll never lose the meditation object as your focus of attention (the goal of Stage Four).

introspective awareness.

Directing and Redirecting Attention

You want to continuously cultivate your ability to intentionally direct attention to any object you choose, regardless of its intrinsic interest. You do this by redirecting attention, over and over again, back to the meditation object whenever it wanders.

Intentionally redirecting attention, repeated often, trains your unconscious to do it automatically. Eventually, other things no longer capture your attention.

your conscious intention to redirect attention, repeated often enough, will gradually train your unconscious to do it automatically and almost instantly.

Sustaining Attention on the Meditation Object

try identifying the exact moment the in-breath starts and the exact moment it ends. Likewise, try noticing the exact moment the out-breath begins and ends.