This is brilliant! So true about "mindfulness". I'm so sick of improvised yoga& meditation teachers telling people how to meditate when they have no clue about it. It can actually be harmful for some individuals to practice incorrectly. It's time to put a remedy to this.
Nice to here that. I am a traditional Buddhist from sri Lankan. Please consider being practical and be aware of your intentions. for example ask your self " 1. what am I looking out of Buddhism ? 2. What is lord Buddha wanted to achieve when he left his kings-hood? 3. are they matching? if you do not focus on this kind of intention based searching withing your self, it will not be a happy ending.
My goodness, I gave a talk to my clients in mindfulness TODAY, about the exact same thing! And now I watch this! I have felt so alone for years in this view of mindfulness as first and foremost discerning, and finally today I decided to put it into words and actually felt quite brave, so this felt was sooo good to Watch! #syncronicity #flow
McDonald's version of mindfulness mixes up shamatha(calm) and vipasanna (insight) meditation. Buddhist give being mindful, being selfless and being compassionate equal importance. No point practising just concentration meditation to improve focus and continue to do unethical things just more effectively.
Look up neurofeedback, specifically NeurOptimal neurofeedback. It has produced huge results for me. Also look up the upcoming Sana pain, sleep and anxiety device, sana.io/
The point on Western mindfulness leaving out Buddhist ethics is good. You should be mindful of 'Right Thinking', 'Right Speech', etc (Eightfold Path), not just using mindfulness to alleviate stress.
If you don't know why you follow these Buddhist ethics, you're not doing any good. Ethics must come from insight and wisdom, not force or belief or faith.
Trying to find a Buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. The Buddha is your real body, your original mind. This mind has no form or characteristics, no tendons or bones. It's like space. You can't hold it. It's not the mind of materialists or nihilists. If you don't see your own miraculously aware nature, you'll never find a Buddha, even if you break your body into atoms. (The Zen teachings of Bodhidharma)
"In Dzogchen, mindfulness is rigpa, rigpa is mindfulness. ...That is the point of separating sem and rigpa... (non duality)" - Vajra Speech p.93 Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. I think this is the correct definition. Urgyen helped spread this word here I think and these watered down slang definitions just need to go away but we can keep the other definitions the word has, there's more definitions of Mindfulness in that book Vajra Speech for the context of Mahayana and Middle way.
The talk is useful . But I wonder what knowledge should we really focus on. Because there is some much to say because knowledge is infinite. But we don't have all the time . Therefore should I know something which should be a point of focus.
Buddha was once living at Kosambi in a wood of simsapa trees. He picked up a few leaves in his hand, and he asked the bhikkhus, ‘How do you conceive this, bhikkhus, which is more, the few leaves that I have picked up in my hand or those on the trees in the wood? ‘The leaves that the Blessed One has picked up in his hand are few, Lord; those in the wood are far more.’ ‘So too, bhikkhus, the things that I have known by direct knowledge are more; the things that I have told you are only a few. Why have I not told them? Because they bring no benefit, no advancement in the Holy Life, and because they do not lead to dispassion, to fading, to ceasing, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. That is why I have not told them. And what have I told you? This is suffering; this is the origin of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is the way leading to the cessation of suffering. That is what I have told you. Why have I told it? Because it brings benefit, and advancement in the Holy Life, and because it leads to dispassion, to fading, to ceasing, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. So bhikkhus, let your task be this: This is suffering; this is the origin of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is the way leading to the cessation of suffering
So, if I'm understanding him correctly, he is claiming that the 'open monitoring' approach to mindfulness has little support in the Buddhist scriptures, but mindfulness as directed attention does?
Correct. Buddhist mindfulness has an element of taking the wholesome and removing the unwholesome. He discussed this with Bikkhu Bodhi who agreed that open awareness is not exactly a buddhist teaching although it can be helpful to understand the mind in some sense.
That is why I was bothered by "being present", there are too many things happening in present, no way to practice like this for beginner. I need a smaller range to focus on, which makes it shamatha.
I love Alan Wallace and bemoan the capitalization of meditation, but I would say that Buddhism is an incredibly diverse and pluralistic tradition that changes depending on its culture and time. Whereas some buddhists like Dr Wallace here would say that true buddhist mindfulness includes discernment, other practitioners who are well practiced and scholarly, particularly ones of the Zen tradition, would argue that true mindfulness is "non discerning" in a way and therefore ever expansive and non-dual. Also words are tricky when saying meditation is or is not... I get what he's trying to convey here that there is purpose and intent that is lost in modern mindfulness, but I wouldn't say that there's only one kind of mindfulness in buddhism and that all other interpretations are not truly buddhist. That to me seems more dogmatic and rather un-buddhist ;) do what helps you be liberated from the cycle of thoughts and selfishness. That is the buddhist way.
At the core of the Buddhist practice is selflessness, and the way mindfulness is being promoted in the west is purely for your own interest. Improve YOUR emotional health, improve YOUR focus... This is how the apps are selling them. Dont get me wrong, if the whole population start connecting more with themselves and others and enhance this connection through meditations, that's great! But if mindfulness is used it purely as a tool for your benefit regardless of others. Your practice is based upon selfish reasons. This is not buddhist. I think this is what he's criticising. I think he's right. Without the knowledge of buddhist ethics, or at least the fundamental Buddhist ideas, one cannot truly practice Buddhist mindfulness. And the mainstream mindfulness has nothing to do with this.
You're confusing the mindfulness of the path and the result of mindfulness practice which is nondual cognisance. AW is clearly using definitions straight from the sutras, as you can read for yourself. The sutras explain these concepts very extensively and in detail, starting from how to pracrice to what is the ultimate nature of mind. But you can't demolish relative reality by saying that ultimately it's empty, non dual, wherever. Form is emptiness and emptiness is form simultaneously and interdependently.
The popular definition of mindfulness is "just be aware without judging whatever you perceive" period. It helps people wind down, relax, de-stress, and definitely can bring about good change into one's life. But it leaves out the ethics and wisdom part, it doesn't encourage people to "discern" as AW put it, what is wholesome and unwholesome. In other words, it doesn't address the root of the problem of why we are stressed out in the first place, of why we have destructive emotions, delusions etc. Furthermore, it is often used as a tool to strengthen the causes of suffering and stress. Many people meditate so they can be relaxed and think more clearly so they can go achieve their goals better than before. For most people, thosr goals bring about suffering and destruction in oneself and others. CEOs of big companies love mindfulness but they don't want to hear anything about discipline (sila) such as not harming others. Even worse, it can become a tool of mindlessness and escapism. This kind of passive, "non-judgemental" mindfulness is a way of repressing the actively discerning quality of the mind. It can lead to blank States of "meditation", no numbness that is no different from the mind of cows when they graze grass. Ultimately it leads you no where because it didn't tackle the root problem of why experience all kinds of suffering.
I respect your attempt, but one place you mention about definitions in Buddhism. definitions are not permanent. thetas the definition of all definitions as per Buddhism. all those training are to understand that truth. beyond that there is a way of living, which depends on your surrounding and prime intention.
Buddhism itself is impermanent. Not a lot of Buddhists want to admit this. But today more than ever, Buddhism must prove itself flexible, because society is definitely not going to change for Buddhism! It's the other way around.
Presence of Mind ? How ridiculously wrong, the mind has no presence until mind means something else, I am tired of this "mind things" when no one can come with a correct definition of mind.
valar that’s a good definition of mindfulness, or smriti, but Argos Ron says no one can come up with a correct definition of mind (even though there is abundant Buddhist and Hindu literature on this, and probably a lot of Daoist, Christian, Islamic, Zoroastrian etc). Argos, you imply that there is a correct definition of mind, please tell.
I think western mindfulness is a cherry picked part of Buddhism for financial gain. It is only part of the whole. It is like hearing only the string section of an orchestra without the wind or percussion sections. But this is only my opinion.
I really like him, but he is overly committed to the Buddhist view to the exclusion of anything new. So many things are changing now in neurotechnology that could really help people struggling on the path, like I long have, that could help remove some of these huge barriers to entry or progress a great deal of us encounter when we are starting out on the path, and that can cost us many years of lost time. Alan had already spent 14 years as a monk, starting when he was 20 years old, by the time he became a layperson, so he had a huge leg up on 99% of us.
You have to understand something. Dr. Alan B Wallace is EXTREMELY learned and accomplished on the Buddhist path. To have such knowledge and experience to only then witness a very watered down version of mindfulness which is currently very prevalent among many would inextricably irritate you.
These developments, among others: transtechlab.org/ www.cohack.life/ The impact of these innovations, as they mature, cannot be underestimated. And it needs to happen, if spirituality is ever going to reach enough people to change the world.
I am actually curious as to what you think. My basic criticism is his strict adherence to traditional means, which have failed a lot of people. They failed me.
valar Please listen at 5:55 and perhaps your idea of "Buddism" is not the same as his? I am struggling to find peace, and looking outside of the definitions and confines of everything, of all things, and it is teaching my mind and spirit to stay open to succeed, not fail. It's a long haul to find that inner bliss. I wish you well..
This is brilliant! So true about "mindfulness". I'm so sick of improvised yoga& meditation teachers telling people how to meditate when they have no clue about it. It can actually be harmful for some individuals to practice incorrectly. It's time to put a remedy to this.
I am new to Buddhism and I feel very grateful that I find myself drawn to it. Buddhism seems so wonderful.
Nice to here that. I am a traditional Buddhist from sri Lankan. Please consider being practical and be aware of your intentions. for example ask your self " 1. what am I looking out of Buddhism ?
2. What is lord Buddha wanted to achieve when he left his kings-hood?
3. are they matching?
if you do not focus on this kind of intention based searching withing your self, it will not be a happy ending.
Are you still new to Buddhism and does it still seem wonderfull to you?
I am curious!
Here’s a reminder to step back on the path, if you’ve wandered :)
@@Shmyrk i think once you really get in the path there is no way out, lol
Dr. Alan Wallace is one of the most eloquent contemporary interpreters of the Buddhadharma because of his erudition and practice.
Agree there - No panna and no sila, merely a mind training with an undefined goal
0:27 - So much respect and love for Dr. Wallace.
Four part of Mindfulness to Buddha
1) Kayanupassi
2) Vedananupassi
3) Chittanupassi
4) Dhammanupassi
My goodness, I gave a talk to my clients in mindfulness TODAY, about the exact same thing! And now I watch this! I have felt so alone for years in this view of mindfulness as first and foremost discerning, and finally today I decided to put it into words and actually felt quite brave, so this felt was sooo good to Watch! #syncronicity #flow
The same argument presented here is covered at length in a book called The Foundations of Mindfulness, by Eric Harrison, which I would recommend.
Love this guy 💙. I could listen to him every day 💚
McDonald's version of mindfulness mixes up shamatha(calm) and vipasanna (insight) meditation. Buddhist give being mindful, being selfless and being compassionate equal importance. No point practising just concentration meditation to improve focus and continue to do unethical things just more effectively.
Tot the same point, no reason to blow thousands of hours on both kinds of meditation when a machine could do it for you, much more quickly.
@@squamish4244 can machine meditate though, it's hibernate but meditation?
Look up neurofeedback, specifically NeurOptimal neurofeedback. It has produced huge results for me. Also look up the upcoming Sana pain, sleep and anxiety device, sana.io/
thanks for sharing Wisdom
The point on Western mindfulness leaving out Buddhist ethics is good. You should be mindful of 'Right Thinking', 'Right Speech', etc (Eightfold Path), not just using mindfulness to alleviate stress.
If you don't know why you follow these Buddhist ethics, you're not doing any good. Ethics must come from insight and wisdom, not force or belief or faith.
Words of wisdom which need to go viral.
Thanks a lot for all your books!
Superb!
Trying to find a Buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. The Buddha is your real body, your original mind. This mind has no form or characteristics, no tendons or bones. It's like space. You can't hold it. It's not the mind of materialists or nihilists. If you don't see your own miraculously aware nature, you'll never find a Buddha, even if you break your body into atoms.
(The Zen teachings of Bodhidharma)
"In Dzogchen, mindfulness is rigpa, rigpa is mindfulness. ...That is the point of separating sem and rigpa... (non duality)" - Vajra Speech p.93 Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. I think this is the correct definition. Urgyen helped spread this word here I think and these watered down slang definitions just need to go away but we can keep the other definitions the word has, there's more definitions of Mindfulness in that book Vajra Speech for the context of Mahayana and Middle way.
Great 💝
❤❤❤
The talk is useful . But I wonder what knowledge should we really focus on. Because there is some much to say because knowledge is infinite. But we don't have all the time . Therefore should I know something which should be a point of focus.
Buddha was once living at Kosambi in a wood of simsapa trees. He picked up a few leaves in his hand, and he asked the bhikkhus, ‘How do you conceive this, bhikkhus, which is more, the few leaves that I have picked up in my hand or those on the trees in the wood?
‘The leaves that the Blessed One has picked up in his hand are few, Lord; those in the wood are far more.’
‘So too, bhikkhus, the things that I have known by direct knowledge are more; the things that I have told you are only a few. Why have I not told them? Because they bring no benefit, no advancement in the Holy Life, and because they do not lead to dispassion, to fading, to ceasing, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. That is why I have not told them. And what have I told you? This is suffering; this is the origin of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is the way leading to the cessation of suffering. That is what I have told you. Why have I told it? Because it brings benefit, and advancement in the Holy Life, and because it leads to dispassion, to fading, to ceasing, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. So bhikkhus, let your task be this: This is suffering; this is the origin of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is the way leading to the cessation of suffering
So, if I'm understanding him correctly, he is claiming that the 'open monitoring' approach to mindfulness has little support in the Buddhist scriptures, but mindfulness as directed attention does?
Correct. Buddhist mindfulness has an element of taking the wholesome and removing the unwholesome. He discussed this with Bikkhu Bodhi who agreed that open awareness is not exactly a buddhist teaching although it can be helpful to understand the mind in some sense.
That is why I was bothered by "being present", there are too many things happening in present, no way to practice like this for beginner. I need a smaller range to focus on, which makes it shamatha.
I want to hear him and Sam Harris debate this topic. It would be interesting.
They would disagree on so many things but also agree on some things.
They already have, in 2011, in an exchange of articles. It got kinda nasty. They both have egos to defend. We all do, until we're enlightened.`
I love Alan Wallace and bemoan the capitalization of meditation, but I would say that Buddhism is an incredibly diverse and pluralistic tradition that changes depending on its culture and time. Whereas some buddhists like Dr Wallace here would say that true buddhist mindfulness includes discernment, other practitioners who are well practiced and scholarly, particularly ones of the Zen tradition, would argue that true mindfulness is "non discerning" in a way and therefore ever expansive and non-dual. Also words are tricky when saying meditation is or is not... I get what he's trying to convey here that there is purpose and intent that is lost in modern mindfulness, but I wouldn't say that there's only one kind of mindfulness in buddhism and that all other interpretations are not truly buddhist. That to me seems more dogmatic and rather un-buddhist ;) do what helps you be liberated from the cycle of thoughts and selfishness. That is the buddhist way.
At the core of the Buddhist practice is selflessness, and the way mindfulness is being promoted in the west is purely for your own interest. Improve YOUR emotional health, improve YOUR focus...
This is how the apps are selling them.
Dont get me wrong, if the whole population start connecting more with themselves and others and enhance this connection through meditations, that's great!
But if mindfulness is used it purely as a tool for your benefit regardless of others. Your practice is based upon selfish reasons. This is not buddhist.
I think this is what he's criticising.
I think he's right. Without the knowledge of buddhist ethics, or at least the fundamental Buddhist ideas, one cannot truly practice Buddhist mindfulness. And the mainstream mindfulness has nothing to do with this.
@@rohlay00 totally agree. thank you
You're confusing the mindfulness of the path and the result of mindfulness practice which is nondual cognisance. AW is clearly using definitions straight from the sutras, as you can read for yourself. The sutras explain these concepts very extensively and in detail, starting from how to pracrice to what is the ultimate nature of mind. But you can't demolish relative reality by saying that ultimately it's empty, non dual, wherever. Form is emptiness and emptiness is form simultaneously and interdependently.
I'm not fully understanding the differences in his definitions of "mindfulness" vs "discriminating mindfulness". Any in care to elaborate?
The popular definition of mindfulness is "just be aware without judging whatever you perceive" period. It helps people wind down, relax, de-stress, and definitely can bring about good change into one's life. But it leaves out the ethics and wisdom part, it doesn't encourage people to "discern" as AW put it, what is wholesome and unwholesome. In other words, it doesn't address the root of the problem of why we are stressed out in the first place, of why we have destructive emotions, delusions etc. Furthermore, it is often used as a tool to strengthen the causes of suffering and stress. Many people meditate so they can be relaxed and think more clearly so they can go achieve their goals better than before. For most people, thosr goals bring about suffering and destruction in oneself and others. CEOs of big companies love mindfulness but they don't want to hear anything about discipline (sila) such as not harming others. Even worse, it can become a tool of mindlessness and escapism. This kind of passive, "non-judgemental" mindfulness is a way of repressing the actively discerning quality of the mind. It can lead to blank States of "meditation", no numbness that is no different from the mind of cows when they graze grass. Ultimately it leads you no where because it didn't tackle the root problem of why experience all kinds of suffering.
I really like him, but the italian translation for the title does not make any sense.
Why try so hard to describe a state of mind with words than just sitting and experiencing it
It's what intellectuals do. They overcomplicate simple things.
I respect your attempt, but one place you mention about definitions in Buddhism. definitions are not permanent. thetas the definition of all definitions as per Buddhism. all those training are to understand that truth. beyond that there is a way of living, which depends on your surrounding and prime intention.
Actually, definitions, being concepts, are permanent. Still they are not ultimate reality.
Buddhism itself is impermanent. Not a lot of Buddhists want to admit this. But today more than ever, Buddhism must prove itself flexible, because society is definitely not going to change for Buddhism! It's the other way around.
Siddhartha Gautama advised his followers not to rely upon the eloquence of words as the meaning can change over time.
He is just promoting Buddhism for no real reason. Truth is the truth. Why use the word Buddhist in it. It's unnecessary and limiting.
Presence of Mind ? How ridiculously wrong, the mind has no presence until mind means something else, I am tired of this "mind things" when no one can come with a correct definition of mind.
and what would this correct definition of mind be? There is no lack of buddhist literature on the topic, have you looked?
To maintain your attention on something.
valar that’s a good definition of mindfulness, or smriti, but Argos Ron says no one can come up with a correct definition of mind (even though there is abundant Buddhist and Hindu literature on this, and probably a lot of Daoist, Christian, Islamic, Zoroastrian etc). Argos, you imply that there is a correct definition of mind, please tell.
I think western mindfulness is a cherry picked part of Buddhism for financial gain. It is only part of the whole. It is like hearing only the string section of an orchestra without the wind or percussion sections. But this is only my opinion.
So western mindfulness is better?
Keep in mind that definitions can change over time. A western mind full of crap and confusion comes to mind.
Why does this guy claim to be the authority of Buddhism? He's not even a sotapanna.
I really like him, but he is overly committed to the Buddhist view to the exclusion of anything new.
So many things are changing now in neurotechnology that could really help people struggling on the path, like I long have, that could help remove some of these huge barriers to entry or progress a great deal of us encounter when we are starting out on the path, and that can cost us many years of lost time.
Alan had already spent 14 years as a monk, starting when he was 20 years old, by the time he became a layperson, so he had a huge leg up on 99% of us.
You have to understand something. Dr. Alan B Wallace is EXTREMELY learned and accomplished on the Buddhist path. To have such knowledge and experience to only then witness a very watered down version of mindfulness which is currently very prevalent among many would inextricably irritate you.
Your answers cues my interest. Where does he exclude?
These developments, among others:
transtechlab.org/
www.cohack.life/
The impact of these innovations, as they mature, cannot be underestimated. And it needs to happen, if spirituality is ever going to reach enough people to change the world.
I am actually curious as to what you think. My basic criticism is his strict adherence to traditional means, which have failed a lot of people. They failed me.
valar Please listen at 5:55 and perhaps your idea of "Buddism" is not the same as his? I am struggling to find peace, and looking outside of the definitions and confines of everything, of all things, and it is teaching my mind and spirit to stay open to succeed, not fail. It's a long haul to find that inner bliss. I wish you well..
oh ive got to say this so people buy my books