02009-02-20 | Internet, Meditation
The Long Now Blog » We are programmed to be interrupted.
Wired has a great interview with an author named Maggie Jackson who has written a book about the neurobiological basis of attention and how it is affected by all the “lovely distractions” modern society provides. Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age describes three types of attention – orientation, a general sense of awareness, and executive. Her concern is that our modern technological culture is constantly distracting us – and that we like it. Scientific American just ran an article about a study with similar findings:
Results suggested that thinking fast made participants feel more elated, creative and, to a lesser degree, energetic and powerful.
That would seem another good reason for a person to meditate as a way to balance this distraction.
02009-02-02 | Uncategorized
A photo from this weekend.
Upaya Blog: Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.
Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass,or even in one drop of water.
– Zen Master Eihei Dogen
Continue reading the exchange between Roshi Joan, George Dreyfus, Al Kaszniak, John Dunne, and Evan Thompson regarding attention/awareness in concentrative meditation and receptive meditation.
