How Essential Is Single Pointed Contemplation (meditation) To Our Progress?

[rockyysdt]

How essential is single pointed contemplation (meditation) to our progress?

The Buddha gave us the tools (Dhamma) with which to improve our lives & eventually reach Nibbana.

Four Noble Truths:

There is suffering (dukha).

There is a cause of suffering (craving).

There is the cessation of suffering (nirvana).

There is the Eight Fold Path leading to the cessation of suffering

Eight Fold Path

1. Right Understanding
   
2. Right Thought
   
3. Right Speech
   
4. Right Action
   
5. Right Livelihood
   
6. Right Effort
   
7. Right Mindfulness
   
8. Right Concentration.
   

Naturally continuous Mindfulness allows us to observe what is happening so that we can steer our lives onto the correct path.

I personally find my level of concentration quite patchy at best.

Each day I resolve to continue my mindfulness but find myself living without mindful attention for the majority of the day.

The other thing I've noticed is that I'm full of habitual behaviors & subconscious conditioning which influence my thoughts, choices & behaviors, particularly in the heat of the moment.

Also, when I suffer from misfortune & pain, my negative thoughts & leanings can run rampant.

I've come to the opinion that regular substantial daily meditation (silent single pointed concentration on breathe) is essential to my progress.

I suspect that such experience brings about vital attributes such as improved concentration, deep calm, & profound level of experience, which give one the ability to truly understand & practice the four noble truths & eight fold path.

Without meditation ones heart may be in the right place but genuine progress may be parlous.

Do we need to regularly practice meditation in order to succeed?

What are your thoughts?

[phetaroi]

I have admitted here before that I am not typically a "meditator", although that is not to say that I never meditate.

I do, however, attempt to be more and more mindful during everyday life. This has led to a great change in my personality. I can remember years ago when I would be commuting and be stuck in a traffic jam, that I would be pounding the steering wheel and cursing. I can't conceive of that happening in my life now. Now I can lead myself into saying, "There is nothing to be done. Might as well shift my mind to something more productive or enjoyable." As a school principal I wasn't the "go for the jugular" type at all. I would almost always be mindful about how each decision and action would affect others. That doesn't mean I couldn't do what needed to be done. But virtually every decision was made after careful thought and analysis because I knew that what I would be doing would affect my clients (the kids), and my moral responsibility was to them.

I'm going to be a little vague here, but 5 years ago I was faced with a moral dilemma regarding how to handle an explosive situation regarding a non-relative with whom I had an extremely close (but non-sexual) bond. I could have protected myself and avoided a great deal of personal suffering by turning my back on the situation (the person and his misfortune)...and no one (even that person) would have blamed me; or I could do the morally right thing and help a person through the greatest challenge he would ever face in life (apart from death). Buddhism helped me in all of this because I had already learned to be mindful and analytic about situations. I went to key people in my life and profession and said, "Here's what I have to do and why," and then I did what I had to do. My health suffered tremendously...on the verge of heart attack and stroke...emergency room 8 times in 6 months. But I persevered. My job performance suffered because of judgments other people made about me which affected my ability to lead. Fortunately, I was nearing retirement and still had a great deal of support and loyalty, but the last 2-3 years of my work life were the worst in a 33 year career that had been remarkably successful. I won't say that I lost friends, but some friendships were strained and never recovered. I not only accepted, but welcomed the suffering because it was the only way to do the moral thing and help a person in extreme need. And now, when I look back, I can say with good conscience -- that was my finest hour. From beginning to end I was mindful of the suffering I was bringing on to myself, and it was that mindfulness that allowed me to make the best of a horrible situation.

I have read that there is a Mahayana tradition that believes it is more noble to not attempt to attain nirvanna, but rather stay "behind" and assist others.

Mindfulness got me through the biggest challenge of my life. Perhaps mindfulness is "meditation, jr.".

[fabianfred]

A nice story Phetaroi..... I congratulate you on taking a path which you knew would add to your suffering ...... anumodhana sadhu.

I think think you understand more than you often appear to by the questions you ask.

Concentration meditation and vipassana are different ends of the same stick...and both essential to progress. Even Arahants, who had done all which had to be done, and could be constantly mindful throughout the day, were advised by the Buddha to continue the practice of concentration meditation, to escape from the turmoils of everyday life. Basically they are just cruising along waiting for death to bring them their final escape from samsara.

Mindfulness or vipassana, is meant to be practiced as often as possible, throughout the day. The formal meditation sessions of sitting and walking, whilst important, are not the main target. They are just practice in being mindful, whilst sitting and walking, so that then we can bring this mindfulness into ordinary daily activities. Simple ordinary tasks which do not require much thought are best....washing dishes, washing the car (wax on, wax off), sweeping, etc.

Some people mistakenly believe that the formal sessions are all there is...... they might say "I'm going to do a couple of hours meditation..." which is very good, but what about the other 22 hours of the day....... do we just spend them unmindfully like any other person?

A musician practices their scales and upon their instrument for a few hours each day........ but they do not only practice and never play any music. In a similar way, the formal sessions are merely practice in mindfulness, to be used during other times in the day.

Only an Arahant can be truly mindful every waking minute...but the rest of us are just trying our best. We might start to remember to be mindful for a while...perhaps five minutes at a time..... a couple of times a day... then forget to be mindful. But as we practice we get better and our mindfulness becomes stronger, so that the five minutes might increase to ten, and the couple of times a day to half a dozen times a day... so that the period of mindfulness will gradually increase, closing the gaps. In this way we shall attain Stream-entry long before mindfulness is constant all day long.

[fabianfred]

Mindfulness (Vipassana) is the Buddha's system of meditation taught in his Satipathana Sutta (the Four Foundations of Mindfulness).

What i have understood from the teachings is that.....

Concentration meditation is practiced is practiced in many religions, by many spiritual seekers, in all ages, but by itself is not the way to Nibbana.

Since Nibbana is only reached by a Buddha or those who follow his teachings, and Vipassana is only taught by a Buddha, Nibbana is only reached by the practice of vipassana.

Mindfulness is the true heart of all the Buddha's teachings.

Since Practice is important rather than mere study, by keeping the precepts and being mindful we are doing all that is necessary.

[phetaroi]

A nice story Phetaroi..... I congratulate you on taking a path which you knew would add to your suffering ...... anumodhana sadhu.

I think think you understand more than you often appear to by the questions you ask.

...

Some people mistakenly believe that the formal sessions are all there is...... they might say "I'm going to do a couple of hours meditation..." which is very good, but what about the other 22 hours of the day....... do we just spend them unmindfully like any other person?

Thanks for the compliment...I think. I'm certainly not an intellectual, but there are many levels on which to communicate. Sometimes the KISS method is enough. For example, on this forum I may state a disagreement with something that is (in my view) accepted by some without enough thought (I often stress that I see things like this as "faith"). I can simply say, "I don't agree with X because...and then write a sentence or two. Or I could go on for a page. Either way, I'm likely to get about the same responses, and it's the responses that are valuable and help me learn. Other times I may just be playing devil's advocate.

In terms of being mindful the other 24 hours of the day. This isn't mindfulness, but I don't enjoy having my mind at full rest. When I listen to music with the headphones on...I really listen...to specific instruments, to the how the singer is presenting his performance. On a much lower level, if home, I never just sit on the john; I usually read a book; I often joke that it's my library. I guess these silly examples of keeping the mind active and involved even when doing mundane things is why I don't find it very difficult to be mindful about the things that matter. Now, whether or not mindfulness always takes us in the right direction...well, that's another matter. After all, I've known a couple of people who spend hours a day meditating...and they're nuts!

[phetaroi]

Since Nibbana is only reached by a Buddha or those who follow his teachings, and Vipassana is only taught by a Buddha, Nibbana is only reached by the practice of vipassana.

This is most likely a religious exclusionary device that is no different than religious exclusionary devices used by (and this is just the best example) born-again Christians.

[fabianfred]

Since Nibbana is only reached by a Buddha or those who follow his teachings, and Vipassana is only taught by a Buddha, Nibbana is only reached by the practice of vipassana.

This is most likely a religious exclusionary device that is no different than religious exclusionary devices used by (and this is just the best example) born-again Christians.

You are right...it does sound very much like that.

I don't think it is put that way quite so directly in the scriptures..... but my own conclusion from the following....

Buddhas are rare.

During the long periods between Buddhas...in the darkness of ignorance....Nirvana and the path to it is unknown.

Only Buddhas can become self-enlightened...having no teacher...and they then teach about Nirvana and how to achieve it.

Buddhas are rare because of the extremely long and difficult task of perfecting themselves during their long sojourn as Boddhisattvas.

When asked if the teachings of other teachers could lead one to nirvana the Buddha answered....yes..... If their teachings include the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path........ but only Buddhas teach these.

I'm sorry if my posts come across as preachy...... I am not very good at explaining myself and do not have the skill with words which some others have.....

Somebody once said..."I know what i know, you know what you know, I don't know what you know, and you don't know what i know"

[sabaijai]

The Pali canon does not offer a definitive answer to the question, and hence there are varying opinions on how necessary samatha (concentration) and jhana (absorption) attainments are. Most teachers say they are complementary to satipatthana, as fabianfred pointed out.

Abhidhammists, however, believe that samatha and jhana are neither sufficient nor necessary for sati and the development pañña (wisdom), which arise only with the direct understanding of nama (mentality) and rupa (form). In this context, samatha or any sort of meditation is simply another activity which has to be developed with kusala citta (skilful mind) accompanied by pañña. If during concentration practice these aren't present, it's considered wrong concentration, ie outside the eightfold path. Practicing samatha without these factors is putting the horse before the cart, so to speak.

From Nina van Gorkom, a prominent Abhidhammist: "If someone sits and tries to concentrate without any understanding, there is wrong concentration. People may erroneously take for jhana what is only lobha (attachment)."

[phetaroi]

Buddhas are rare.

During the long periods between Buddhas...in the darkness of ignorance....

Only Buddhas can become self-enlightened...

I'm sorry if my posts come across as preachy

Oh, oh. Now you've really gone and done it.

I can find no historical record of "the long periods between Buddhas", so just as many Buddhists will say that since they can't determine if there was a god or how the universe was created they won't bring that into their thinking, I'm not going to bring into my thinking something for which there is no evidence. Even our evidence about the life of Buddha is sketchy, but there's enough of a trail that it's a confirmed historical fact. Before that? I am not aware of any historical evidence of a previous Buddha...or a future Buddha. Can there even be a historical evidence of the future, or is that an oxymoron?

And as to "only Buddhas can become self-enlightened"...I am open to that possibility...but it sounds so much like the magic Christians attribute to Jesus (as one example).

Now, I never said you were preachy. Although in other places I have probably admitted that I can be overbearing.

[jlanguage]

Hi rockyysdt

Do you know Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Myanmar ? He is considered to be one of the leading Buddhist Jhana teachers alive today.

You could find an answer to your question in the free downloadable texts below.

Knowing and Seeing by Pa Auk Sayadaw

Teaching &Training by Bhikkhu Moneyya (a student of Pa Auk Sayadaw)

Sorry,I am not allowed to post URL. So if you like, just google and you can soon locate them on the net.

[fabianfred]

In matters of the spirit, or religion, you can really cripple yourself by always demanding proof or evidence....... many say that the evidence is to be found only by meditation and insight...

Paccatham veditabo vinyuhiiti ..... only to be know by oneself

The boddhisatva Prince Siddhartha left home to search for the answer to the cycle of birth, sickness, old-age, death ....seeking the state of non-birth...nibbana is sometimes called the 'deathless' because if there is no birth there can be no suffering and death.

He did not go through that long time in order to simply tell people to be good and get to heaven. Even during the periods when there is no Buddha, some beings will be good and get reborn in the heaven realms. but they have not escaped the prison of Samsara.

In the Vinaya Mah?vagga it says that when the Buddha

was about to teach the Dhamma, he thought, “This truth

that I have realised is very profound. Though it is sublime

and conducive to inner peace, it is hard to understand.

Since it is subtle and not accessible to mere intellect and

logic, it can be realised only by the wise.”

"O bhikkhus, should any person maintain the Four Arousings of Mindfulness in this manner for seven years, then by him one of two fruitions is proper to be expected: Knowledge (arahantship) here and now; or, if some form of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning (the Third Stage of Supramundane Fulfillment).

"O bhikkhus, let alone seven years. Should a person maintain these Four Arousings of Mindfulness, in this manner, for six years... for five years... four years... three years... two years... one year, then by him one of two fruitions is proper to be expected: knowledge here and now; or, if some form of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.

"O bhikkhus, let alone a year. Should any person maintain these Four Arousings of Mindfulness, in the manner, for seven months, then by him one of two fruitions is proper to be expected: Knowledge here and now; or, if some form of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.

"O bhikkhus, let alone seven months. Should any person maintain these Four Arousings of Mindfulness in this manner for six months... five months... four months... three months... two months... one month... half-a-month, then, by him one of two fruitions is proper to be expected: Knowledge here and now; or, if some form of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.

"O bhikkhus, let alone half-a-month. Should any person maintain these Four Arousings of Mindfulness in this manner for a week, then by him one of two fruitions is proper to be expected: Knowledge here and now; or, if some form of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.

"Because of this was it said: 'This is the only way, O bhikkhus, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of suffering and grief, for reaching the right path, for the attainment of Nibbana, namely, the Four Arousings of Mindfulness." - MN 10

[phetaroi]

In matters of the spirit, or religion, you can really cripple yourself by always demanding proof or evidence....... many say that the evidence is to be found only by meditation and insight...

Paccatham veditabo vinyuhiiti ..... only to be know by oneself

The boddhisatva Prince Siddhartha left home to search for the answer to the cycle of birth, sickness, old-age, death ....seeking the state of non-birth...nibbana is sometimes called the 'deathless' because if there is no birth there can be no suffering and death.

He did not go through that long time in order to simply tell people to be good and get to heaven. Even during the periods when there is no Buddha, some beings will be good and get reborn in the heaven realms. but they have not escaped the prison of Samsara.

In the Vinaya Mah?vagga it says that when the Buddha

was about to teach the Dhamma, he thought, “This truth

that I have realised is very profound.”

Fred, it could just as easily be said that "In matters of the spirit, or religion, you can really cripple yourself by always relying on what you have faith in."

As I have said before, I rely on faith and reality; the two things are sometimes the same and sometimes very different.

"...simply to tell people to be good and get to heaven." Simple? What do I recall about the eye of a needle?

I understand that Siddhartha felt his discoveries were very profound. Muslims believe and Mohammad believed that their/his beliefs are/were very profound. Christians and Jesus believe/believed that their/his beliefs are/were very profound. Pick a religious group -- even the crazies -- and find me one that doesn't believe that their beliefs are profound. Self-proclamation of profundity should always be very suspect.

I think the key difference between your perspective and mine is that you have full faith (and I use the term faith intentionally) in Buddha's teachings (although I might be curious how you sort out the differences among the various branches of Buddhism, which as we all know are not in agreement in many areas, but all believe that they are the correct group). I, on the other hand, lean toward the wisdom of Buddhism, and I remain open to various Buddhist beliefs and ideals that I have yet embraced or fully embraced, but I have not yet seen the evidence that makes me say that I buy it all hook, line, and sinker (so to speak).

Once again I find you using the Lord Buddha's own words to support (I was going to say prove) the Lord Buddha's beliefs. In my view, that is faulty logic. I have a particular belief about what happens at end of life because of a personal experience I had that was...hmmmm...stunning. But I will not say that, "this is true because I say it is true." When I share my belief and story with someone with whom I am very close and they ask me to interpret what I experienced, I always say something along the lines of, "Well, I think...." I do not say, "I know...."

If Siddhartha Gautama had simply accepted all that he was taught by the wise men of his day, we would not be talking about an unknown man named Siddhartha Gautama. He would have faded into virtually total obscurity, as all those other wise teachers did.

[rockyysdt]

"Because of this was it said: 'This is the only way, O bhikkhus, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of suffering and grief, for reaching the right path, for the attainment of Nibbana, namely, the Four Arousings of Mindfulness." - MN 10

Mindfulness is definitely the way Fred.

As has been said, meditation alone, without the triple gem may lead nowhere.

But how do we achieve an appropriate level (depth) of mindfulness other than through continuous practice?

And having observed ourselves through mindfulness how to we ensure we then make the correct decisions & react appropriately?

One of the steps in the Eight Fold Path, "concentration" appears to be an essential key.

I think that single pointed concentration gives us this ability.

In my experience, meditation can do more than improve my concentration.

I have experienced coming out of long meditation sessions feeling that only a short time has elapsed.

Successful sitting experiences can not only feel timeless but seem to sometimes infuse me with a profound feeling of calm and serenity.

I understand that there are many steps (milestones) one reaches by sitting.

Zen Buddhism focuses on meditation, one theory being that mindfulness will automatically follow as a consequence.

I'll continue my daily satipatthana, but support it with jhana & samatha.

Fred, I just wanted to ask.

Whilst in Mindfulness, how do you ensure that your thoughts are appropriate & your decisions are correct as a consequence of events you face?

When following the five precepts the obvious ones are clear cut, but there are many situations which are very gray.

For example:

I am a businessman & set a fee for my commerce.

If my fee is too high I am stealing from the poor.

There are countless situations which are colored by our habits, conditioning, & subconscious which affect our thoughts & decisions.

Mindfulness is OK but it needs a good judge.

As well as concentration this is where I feel the insights gained in jhana & samatha support satipatthana.

[rockyysdt]

Hi rockyysdt

Do you know Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Myanmar ? He is considered to be one of the leading Buddhist Jhana teachers alive today.

You could find an answer to your question in the free down loadable texts below.

Knowing and Seeing by Pa Auk Sayadaw

Teaching &Training by Bhikkhu Moneyya (a student of Pa Auk Sayadaw)

Sorry,I am not allowed to post URL. So if you like, just google and you can soon locate them on the net.

Thanks JL.

I'll definitely seek his knowledge.

[fabianfred]

Being good... making merit and creating good karma can get us reborn in the heaven realms.... but we are still creating karma and stuck in samsara. The Buddha leads us out of samsara and stop producing new karma and the cause for rebirth.

He said " it is harder for a rich person to reach nirvana than it is for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle" (he said it first... JC copied him)

A businessman who overcharges is certainly cheating people and breaking the second precept.

If we are causing suffering to any being then we are breaking the precepts to some degree.

Mindfulness does not require thinking.... we are trying to stop thoughts.

[phetaroi]

He said " it is harder for a rich person to reach nirvana than it is for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle" (he said it first... JC copied him)

Mindfulness does not require thinking.... we are trying to stop thoughts.

This is not about competition between religions. We all know that Buddha predated Christ and that the two religions have many things in common.

"We"...is that a royal we? Not everyone may be at the same point and following exactly the same path. That doesn't mean that Buddhist principles cannot be beneficial to them.

[fabianfred]

I mentioned that because many people have heard the one attributed to Christ but not the one attributed to the Buddha.

In both Vipassana and concentration meditation the thoughts are the biggest distraction....and the hardest to get rid of.

If we are trying to be mindful in our daily lives, we are trying to be fully present in each moment and aware of what we are doing. Thinking is often just day-dreaming about the past or future....remembering....expecting....an unnecessary distraction.

[sabaijai]

Mindfulness does not require thinking.... we are trying to stop thoughts.

No trying, no stopping. Just being aware - that's mindfulness. Thoughts themselves are paramatta dhamma, as good an object for sati as anything else.

[rockyysdt]

Being good... making merit and creating good karma can get us reborn in the heaven realms.... but we are still creating karma and stuck in samsara. The Buddha leads us out of samsara and stop producing new karma and the cause for rebirth.

He said " it is harder for a rich person to reach nirvana than it is for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle" (he said it first... JC copied him)

A businessman who overcharges is certainly cheating people and breaking the second precept.

If we are causing suffering to any being then we are breaking the precepts to some degree.

Mindfulness does not require thinking.... we are trying to stop thoughts.

Yes definitely.

A businessman who overcharges is cheating people.

We all have different backgrounds, from the very poorest to the most rich.

Each of us will arrive at a different value for our business based on our conditioning, & subconscious beliefs.

My question was, how does Mindfulness alone help a cheat from cheating?

My suggestion was that silent meditation gives us insights so we can grow to be naturally fair & correct in karmic terms when being mindful.

Mindfulness is observing ourselves & our surroundings both physically & mentally without attachment.

But Mindfulness also allows us to observe ourselves as we really are which gives us an opportunity to change any negative traits we see.

This is what I meant by making choices to situations we observe when using mindfulness.

My question was:

Whilst in Mindfulness, how do you ensure that your thoughts are appropriate & your decisions are correct as a consequence of events you face?

or How does Mindfulness alone help you from over reacting & from becoming attached?

[phetaroi]

...

We all have different backgrounds, from the very poorest to the most rich.

Each of us will arrive at a different value for our business based on our conditioning, & subconscious beliefs.

My question was, how does Mindfulness alone help a cheat from cheating?

My suggestion was that silent meditation gives us insights so we can grow to be naturally fair & correct in karmic terms when being mindful.

Mindfulness is observing ourselves & our surroundings both physically & mentally without attachment.

But Mindfulness also allows us to observe ourselves as we really are which gives us an opportunity to change any negative traits we see.

This is what I meant by making choices to situations we observe when using mindfulness.

My question was:

Whilst in Mindfulness, how do you ensure that your thoughts are appropriate & your decisions are correct as a consequence of events you face?

or How does Mindfulness alone help you from over reacting & from becoming attached?

Interesting, Rocky.

Oh...a mindful cheat...don't want that!

It's always risky to judge others, but let me try on a situation I came up against. It was one of the scam artists that has actually been written about online, so I was prepared when he confronted me. And worst of all he does his little scam routine at a temple. He starts with "I am security for the temple. You are not allowed to take photos here." As I listened to his spiel I kept snapping photos...I even took photos of things that weren't interesting. He got angry because I wasn't following his script. Finally he began to tell me a place where I could go to buy something and I pulled a paper out of my pocket and said, "Stop. Look at this. Your photo on the internet. Everyone knows about you. You are not a security guard. If you are, take me to the abbot."

Now, what's my point? Mindfulness does help stop a "cheat" from cheating...or a murderer from murdering...or anything else. None of us is perfect and I think we all need to be mindful as we work on our imperfections. My scam artist may have been wearing a Buddhist amulet, but he was no Buddhist. I'm not the arbiter, of course, but the very least I would accept from a person who wants to be thought of as a Buddhist is that he has some level of real desire to make some progress in following the Eightfold Path. I believe there are bad and evil people in this world. I've met a few. I'm not saying they're unredeemable, but I'm saying under their present condition they're unredeemable.

I don't think Buddhism expects people to be perfect. I do think Buddhism expects people to make an effort to be mindful and attempt to follow the Eightfold Path (and more).

[sabaijai]

But how do we achieve an appropriate level (depth) of mindfulness other than through continuous practice?

One needs enough concentration for citta to know the paramattha dhamma of objects and perception, no more. That can occur in any position and at any time, once right view is attained through understanding dhamma.

The objective isn't to stop thoughts, even if that were possible. Thoughts come and go, as do physical sensations, smells and sounds, along with emotions and other cetasika.

As Allan Wallace has written: "The point of Buddhist meditation is not to stop thinking, for ... cultivation of insight clearly requires intelligent use of thought and discrimination. What needs to be stopped is conceptualisation that is compulsive, mechanical and unintelligent, that is, activity that is always fatiguing, usually pointless, and at times seriously harmful."

Even in nibbana, we must assume, thoughts arise, as the Buddha and arahants taught through discursive speech. Nama and rupa are still there but discerned for what they are.

"'The liberated mind (citta) that no longer clings' means Nibbāna" (Majjhima Nikaya 2-Att. 4.68).

[fabianfred]

Being mindful helps to create a buffer zone or blank space between perception and action. A normal 'knee-jerk' reaction such as feeling a mosquito on our arm and 'without thinking' slapping it, can be changed to our being aware of the mosquito and looking to see it, then blowing it away. This means mindfulness can certainly help us keep the precepts better by stopping and using wisdom before acting.

A successful thief or sniper may use mindfulness to help them...but that would be wrong intention.

The Buddha knew that he could only help a few beings....that many are not ready or willing to listen.... and they must be left to fare according to their karma...until they are ready.... maybe when some future Buddha comes or after a few more lives suffering in Samsara.

[khaowong1]

A nice story Phetaroi..... I congratulate you on taking a path which you knew would add to your suffering ...... anumodhana sadhu.

I think think you understand more than you often appear to by the questions you ask.

...

Some people mistakenly believe that the formal sessions are all there is...... they might say "I'm going to do a couple of hours meditation..." which is very good, but what about the other 22 hours of the day....... do we just spend them unmindfully like any other person?

Thanks for the compliment...I think. I'm certainly not an intellectual, but there are many levels on which to communicate. Sometimes the KISS method is enough. For example, on this forum I may state a disagreement with something that is (in my view) accepted by some without enough thought (I often stress that I see things like this as "faith"). I can simply say, "I don't agree with X because...and then write a sentence or two. Or I could go on for a page. Either way, I'm likely to get about the same responses, and it's the responses that are valuable and help me learn. Other times I may just be playing devil's advocate.

In terms of being mindful the other 24 hours of the day. This isn't mindfulness, but I don't enjoy having my mind at full rest. When I listen to music with the headphones on...I really listen...to specific instruments, to the how the singer is presenting his performance. On a much lower level, if home, I never just sit on the john; I usually read a book; I often joke that it's my library. I guess these silly examples of keeping the mind active and involved even when doing mundane things is why I don't find it very difficult to be mindful about the things that matter. Now, whether or not mindfulness always takes us in the right direction...well, that's another matter.

After all, I've known a couple of people who spend hours a day meditating...and they're nuts!

Luang Phor Ophasi comes to mind. and I love him.