Comments on: Zen Meditation Really Does Clear the Mind http://blendingzen.org/blog/2008/09/08/zen-meditation-really-does-clear-the-mind/ Sun, 01 Aug 2010 16:58:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Wayne http://blendingzen.org/blog/2008/09/08/zen-meditation-really-does-clear-the-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-379 Wayne Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:19:54 +0000 http://blendingzen.org/blog/?p=174#comment-379 That's a pretty cool study.    " Think of not thinking"  is not so non nonsensical.   The way my teacher put it,  what is going on in Zazen  is  you are using your natural habit of analysis to actively analyze nothing. So, you really don't stop thinking at all. That’s a pretty cool study.    ” Think of not thinking”  is not so non nonsensical.   The way my teacher put it,  what is going on in Zazen  is  you are using your natural habit of analysis to actively analyze nothing.
So, you really don’t stop thinking at all.

]]> By: greenfrog http://blendingzen.org/blog/2008/09/08/zen-meditation-really-does-clear-the-mind/comment-page-1/#comment-374 greenfrog Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:47:03 +0000 http://blendingzen.org/blog/?p=174#comment-374 Interesting.  I've read descriptions of meditation as a practice of reducing or eliminating thoughts that occur, and that more practiced meditation leads to fewer thoughts arising. My experience (so far, of course) is not that fewer thoughts arise, but rather that I entertain fewer thoughts and for less time than I used to.  Perhaps fewer thoughts are occurring to me, as well, though the periods when I simply rest in awareness without thoughts arising are relatively brief.  I'm not sure I'd say fewer discrete thought-strands arise, but because they have, on average, shorter duration, there's more time when my mind is clear than there was previously. Of course, it may be that as I proceed, I find more validation for the "fewer thoughts" theory. Interesting.  I’ve read descriptions of meditation as a practice of reducing or eliminating thoughts that occur, and that more practiced meditation leads to fewer thoughts arising.

My experience (so far, of course) is not that fewer thoughts arise, but rather that I entertain fewer thoughts and for less time than I used to.  Perhaps fewer thoughts are occurring to me, as well, though the periods when I simply rest in awareness without thoughts arising are relatively brief.  I’m not sure I’d say fewer discrete thought-strands arise, but because they have, on average, shorter duration, there’s more time when my mind is clear than there was previously.

Of course, it may be that as I proceed, I find more validation for the “fewer thoughts” theory.

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