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

by Culadasa (John Yates)

the part of the mind that sustains attention for more than a few moments works entirely unconsciously.

This is the very essence of meditation: we reprogram unconscious mental processes by repeating basic tasks over and over with a clear intention.

Attention can certainly be involved with brushing the fly away, as well as with other small things, like choosing what to eat next on your plate.

It’s a matter of evolution: selection pressures have favored spontaneously moving attention more strongly than stable attention.

Therefore, in each Stage, cultivate peace, contentment, happiness, and joy at every opportunity.

By using the breath as an anchor while you mindfully observe the mind, you’re “watching the mind while the mind watches the breath.” This is metacognitive introspective awareness,

With forgetting, there are no moments of attention with the breath as the object, only moments with distractions as the object. With gross distractions, there are more moments devoted to the distraction than to the breath. With subtle distractions, there are more moments devoted to the breath than to the distraction.

Even while moments of attention are focused exclusively on one thing, we can still have enough moments of peripheral awareness intermixed to remain mindful.

eventually leading to a new level of metacognitive introspective awareness. That is, you will be aware of your state of mind in every moment, even as you focus on the breath.