Sam Harris

The sense of self is a highly evolved program that helps the physical organism survive and reproduce.
It emerges and exists entirely within its own conceptual overlay.
It is the function of the illusory self to seek those things that benefit the organism.
It imagines that by stilling the thought stream (which in fact is its only realm) it will reduce the accumulation of stress that is in fact the essence of life itself.
Those who lean to the esoteric will imagine that by meditating they will attain some sort of ultimate understanding and spend their life in what is commonly called “enlightenment”.
Only a conceptual mind would come up with a plan to still itself.
And a still mind is like a still wind….....neither exist.
Meditate if you must….use whatever method seems to work….but know you are spinning your own wheels.
There is nothing that can be improved in an entity that doesn’t even exist.

toombaru - 12 May 2011 08:57 PM

And a still mind is like a still wind….....neither exist.

Wind is just the name we give to air moving with sufficient force and direction to be perceptible.  Even when the force of air movement is below the threshold of perception, the air is still moving.  There is no such thing as still air - it is only relatively less agitated.

The same applies to the mind.

Stuarte - 13 May 2011 08:28 AM

toombaru - 12 May 2011 08:57 PM

And a still mind is like a still wind….....neither exist.

Wind is just the name we give to air moving with sufficient force and direction to be perceptible.  Even when the force of air movement is below the threshold of perception, the air is still moving.  There is no such thing as still air - it is only relatively less agitated.

The same applies to the mind.

Yes.
“Wind” IS its movement.
“Mind” IS its tension.