Shinzen Young: Deep Concentration in Formal Meditation and Daily Life (Theory and Practice)

[bamboosa]

This man is an effin superhero. Best meditation teacher on the planet. Yes, that REM disturbed me a bit, I want to ask him about that, give me time. I believe that whatever he is doing with his eyes is somehow part of his technique.

[iampeeay01]

very informative video... thanks for sharing.. :)

[1988NickF]

He's good.

[Swamoez0rs]

I am currently 'trying' mindfulness meditation in an attempt to generate some peace in my head during a busy day and to improve my overall focus (I'm currently being tested for ADD). I lost my hearing on my left side and this makes concentrating much, much harder. If anyone has any tips on how to shift the focus of a meditation session to grow a bit of peace with this handicap, I'd really appreciate it.

[TheMo0z]

@Swamoez0rs

juggling.

(really... ;)

[listen2watidontsay]

why does he blink so much with his eyes closed? Is this an indication of un-relaxed eyes? Are visual going on on his brain?

[lilith2k4]

@listen2watidontsay he is probably on REM. rapid eye movement stage of sleep

[giametta88]

I love Shinzen's work and I listen to Science of Enlightenment daily. At the end of that work he states that he would love to see a generation of people into both science and meditation to create some leading edge breakthroughs. I am a Computer Science major looking to do just that. Thanks Shinzen for your amazing insight, leadership, and generosity. PS. I am currently working through some of those icky-sticky sensations that he discusses during my practice. It is TOUGH.

[cr34t0r1234]

@giametta88 hey I listen to science of enlightenment on daily basis too for about 4 months now :) I totally dig it. it is what my life is now. we should connect :) we got a lot to talk about :)

[saltyxx99]

Thank you Google :D

[Aprinsa]

Am I the only one who finds it really hard to CONCENTRATE on extremely long, slooooowwww talks on meditation and mindfulness? :P When I become a Zen master, then I'll finish listening to this. ;)

[cliffcox66]

@Aprinsa it is difficult for people who do not want to follow this pathway. But for those with the intent and desire to attain this path, every second is a treasure, and fascinating. The world moves so fast and people are on a different sync, so anything out of the world's pace holds no interest to those who are part of the fast paced world.

[PrimeConsciousness]

Your meditative mind is far more fast paced than it seems at first glance. Your meditative mind is a microcosm of the joyous, agonizing, perplexing and astonising world that unfolds with every second.

[cliffcox66]

@PrimeConsciousness Concur.

[overchuckk]

THANK YOU SO MUCH GOOGLE FOR HAVING SHINZEN YOUNG ON YOUR CHANNEL!!! I have been following Shinzen for many years. His teachings have changed my life for the better in many ways. Thank you Shinzen and Google.

[woodwhips]

I absolutely love Shinzen, I listened to "the science of meditation" about 10 times throughout highschool. You taught me what meditation is Shinzen.

[nomainreason]

wow.. if that's tech talk then google is full of wizard engineers :) 

[fisher30011987]

i luv google...

[chreko]

Unfortunately the speaker has not explained how to measure the basic concentration level. Does somebody know or could suggest how to measure the basic concentration level, so to monitor any progress? I heard that certain games could be useful, but I am grateful for any suggestions.

[T1Brit]

@chreko What you do is, get a thermometer and attach it to an i-pod, then stick it up your ass and wait for the i-pod to say "you're a genius chreko"

[gingerburney]

@chreko In the Buddhist tradition, there are nine levels of concentration (or "mental abidings"). The first four are measured by the length of time one can remain concentrated on the object. After that, one can remain on the object for the entire session, but the strength of the concentration alters and one's attention can still become split. More info is available online if you search for "the nine mental abidings".

[chreko]

@gingerburney thanks!

[lavedon]

@chreko For now--more trouble then it's worth. There are more and more affordable bio-feedback machines available, I personally own the GSR2 Galvanic skin response and the StarWars Force Trainer toy. Neither one is of high enough quality that I would recommend it, also there is a huge lag in response when it does work.

Measuring how long you can meditate before it's too much will be 1 way to monitor progress. I also prefer the Zen breath counting method over mindful method for this reason.

[00gavin]

Excellent talk.  Thanks.

[unruheGER]

thanks very much google. thats a great addition to the last talk

"Divide and Conquer: How the Essence of Mindfulness Parallels the Nuts and Bolts of Science"

I'd be happy to know more about actual practice and technique like he was talking about in the beginning part of the talk.

[lordjavathe3rd]

I really liked it. I understood it as desensitizing yourself and automatic reactions so that you could manually domesticate yourself to a structured mentality around your profession. I quite enjoyed the talk, thanks Google.

[DNAblues]

Another great session on medtiation . As one wgo lives in chronic pain, listening to and following such a lecture certainly helps. Thank you so much.

[someman7]

I must say this joke about putting meditation stuff in GoogleTechTalks has gotten mighty old.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 the brain is a technology, it's just a natural one. Meditation is a technology for the brain to engage relaxation and higher self control, which can also serve as a way for encouraging awareness of other peoples needs too. it's hardly a joke to strive for better self control. Maybe you're just kidding and the internet isn't fully conveying your humour. Maybe post a video.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux So psychiatrics is a kind of applied science you say? Too bad this guy isn't one. Really, I want to see tech here, not this.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux In other words: Neuroinformatics is a genuine tech talk. Eastern meditation techniques aren't.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 That could be true under a certain definition. If this has to be a technology talk it would clearly be a broader definition of technology in that sense, but Google does say right at the start of their talks that they cover cultural topics and such too. Plenty of people find meditation a valuable technique for focusing the mind. Diverse perspectives let us realise things we might not have considered before. I'm glad Google is comfortable stepping out an imagined corporate mold.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux That's "stepping out" in one direction only. There isn't a single "cultural" talk remotely associated with Christianity (and I would argue that the ratio of Christians here to those of any eastern religion is overwhelming). There are at least 13 videos of this kind besides this one. It's an agenda. I'm just saying (wouldn't be surprised if it was one man alone deciding to put this up).

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 oh I see, so maybe you feel excluded - that's understandable. Different spiritual schools of thought come at meditation, or prayer and self control in different ways. A simple methodology for breathing control is probably closer to the commonly perceived Buddhist definition than Christian ones which are probably mentally closer to Prayer for most people, that's just the luck of the draw - I wouldn't take offense at it.It's important to not let labels get in the way. I doubt an agenda.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux I only explained why your second explanation for this being here is also not plausible. And I think it's sensible to assume a person who uploads/decides what goes here prefers meditation techniques over other "cultural" things. It's still not a tech talk though.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 It's too easy for our ego to get in the way justifying one thing over another. Islam over Christianity or Christianity over Buddhism, apples over oranges. Is it possible to come at it from an abundance mindset rather than a scarcity mindset?As in, rather than seeing there to be a limit to how many videos and approaches there can be and what topics or philosophies can be covered, perhaps it's possible to consider the great variety that is still possible, and already there and elsewhere

[someman7]

@VirianFlux These videos do not belong here. Period.

Also, as a hint (unrelated to what we have been discussing) - if everything is good then there's no evil. A lie cannot be as valid as the truth. And not everything is true.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 Absolutist doctrine is a form of fundamentalism. Well, I still disagree with "meditation videos don't belong here" because Google can fit in as many videos as they like there isn't a limit. I don't think you're really open to considering this very deeply so I'll just wish you a good day.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux

What use is there for a religion of which the definition is subject to opinions? If you'd know the truth, spirituality wouldn't be relative to you. Then your own reasoning wouldn't sound so logical to you either.

God is Love, and God is one. His son is the only real and trustworthy teacher.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 Whatever you believe formed this planet and mankind, created a broad array of philosophy, spirituality and religious disciplines. So while there may be use of subjective opinions on their own, there is more to learn through the integration of the rich diversity which is present. Just because spirituality may appear in relativistic ways doesn't mean it is not profoundly true on a deeper level of communion.

Further embrace doesn't demand forgetting or ignorance, its sacred.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux The Truth created no lie. The Love created no evil. For these things we are responsible - and they are in reality separation from God. As st. Paul put it: "Test all, keep what is good. Not what I feel like, or even what I think is true, but what is really good. And the only standard, again, to judge this is the only reliable source - God Himself. With that I mean Jesus. No other school brings closer to Him.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 I agree humans are responsible for decontextualising god / spirit. Later you are referring to 5:21 Thessalonians ~"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.". Just before that it says ~"See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men." In context, it seems this is specifically referring to a consensus view of morality and ethics not merely exclusively accepting Jesus as the only source for good or truth.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux Then we agree that the Truth must be sought, and found. And only a narrow path suffices (and as we know, Jesus IS this "Way, Truth", and - also consequently - "Life") for spending Eternity in Father's arms.

As for morality: it's not generally shared among all people and all nations - pagans did a lot of things that only became barbaric with introduction of Christianity. Different cultures have different rules. We only arrive with imperfect conscience - we need His Spirit to grow.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 I don't think a narrow path is needed, neither do I recommend learning a mass of spiritual ways and trying to combine *everything* from all of them in a distracting, haphazard way, it is probably too hard to see what you may call God's truth in that but isolated teaching and lack of integration with other philosophies is dangerous and potentially 'evil' but focus is required, but with a commitment to open, integrative learning.In being committed to being literate, and open, IT emerges!

[someman7]

@VirianFlux Well Jesus thinks is needed, and I'll take His word over 6 billion people's, not just yours - anytime. Narrow is the path of Truth.

When you were little, and your father gave you water to drink did you not quench your thirst? Did you instead say: No, let me find water, I will explore what other people think - thinking you should know better than your father? Of course not, for you would've dehidrated way before you could investigate all things that aren't water.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 Being a little humble and absorbing complimentary philosophy isn't likely to cause us to starve, drown or be dehydrated. Quite the opposite, it is the great union of all men, women and children - no matter what random beliefs we're born into, which can save us. True understanding of 'God' or 'spirit' requires an open heart and an open mind. If you are a believer, then as a I ask for when you Pray to maybe consider being receptive to this union on earth, and the Good that is in it.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux I think we're done discussing the first part. There are no multiple contradictory truths.

Understanding of God and the Spirit (notice capital S) requres an open heart and mind to God. Not to another teacher of your choosing. If God says though shalt not kill then there is no point in discussing further with a pro-murder activist. Sure, listen to his arguments, but being open to accept murder is out of the question.

Oh, you might want to rephrase your last sentence.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 To many, Spirit and God are the same thing. Of course there certainly *appear* to be a lot of 'contradictory truths' simply because of how we use words and the degree of introspection that is *possible* for reasoning their meaning (or *willing* to be used), among different branches of a group's teaching, be it the human group or a Christian group or neuroscientists using different terms.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 Overcoming the supposed difference between Spirit and God is a good example of how we can move *from* a fickle understanding dominated by culturally specific human interpretation, *to* a deeper level of understanding of the divine, which has formed on this earth. To that end, beyond mere religious tolerance, is a spiritual opportunity for truly sacred understanding: in realising the *commonalities* from different approaches we are open to the truly broad and diverse nature of creation.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux Of course, the Holy Spirit is God, and I (my soul, my spirtual self) am a mere creation of His, distinct from Him and in need of His grace.

What's interesting is that by denying that you point out a difference between our belief systems, and claim mine is in the wrong and conditioned by men (although I follow the Son of God, and you follow your gurus).

Last, "commonalities" (ie intersection) is but a narrow view inversely proportional to the corresponding path (which is a wide one).

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 I didn't say that Spirit and God are actually separate! Maybe consider the consensus for a moment, together it is more rich than anything in any teaching. If two people can see God and the divine in a unified way, despite coming from two different perspectives, then we have a great ground to build on which can unite the planet - a sacred unity. This practice is as deep as the deepest teachings of Christianity, this is the glory. 

[someman7]

@VirianFlux Together it's contradictory. I thought we covered that.

And this practice falls miles short from any of the sacraments.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 It is true there is an apparent contradiction on one level. But Integral or Evolutionary or Unitarian Universalism or Pantheistic or Agape or biology of belief or the Golden Rule ALL show ways in which the commonalities could be seen to dominate. None of this need be felt to dismiss outright one teaching over another but there is a higher wisdom in the consensus reality steadily revealed by egotistical scientists trying to bash one theory against another ;D (good intent though!)

[someman7]

@VirianFlux My God outright rejects a notion of any other deity. Pantheism is impossible - there is one (1) God. I don't know why you are mentioning Agape - the love without any conditions is exactly what would urge me to convert someone, rather then see him die in sins. Golden rule also. And what does biology have to do with it? As for unitarian universalism, God taught Himself, and then built a Church. To pretend we can know better than Him is egotistical and outright sad.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux

Maybe consider reading "Death of a Guru" by Rabi Maharaj who was a brahman. Also "L' expérience interdite" (don't know if there's an english translation ) by Joseph-Marie Verlinde - a former personal secretary of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (known for TM), and now a Catholic priest - for a philosophical discussion on how the difference between Christianity and Eastern religions is that one is extroverted spirituality, and the other introverted - which makes them incompatible.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 For the sake of true consideration of what is sacred I have read up on the things you mention. It seems you are focusing on a person who was thought to engage somewhat deeply into a given tradition, and in not finding a deeper level of acceptance that they were expecting on some level,they rejected it and tried another tradition?There are many such examples in different directions like Michael Dowd who was a strict Evangelical Christian now deeply into Evolution, maybe read up too :)

[someman7]

@VirianFlux

Why do you say "I've read up on..."? You talk about one person, I talked about two. I am sure you haven't read either book. One was raised hindu, the other was "open" to eastern spirituality. Acceptance by whom? They just didn't find love in this "tradition" once they dug deeper.

The theory of evolution doesn't contradict Christianity - despite what some evangelicals would have you (and him) believe.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 In order to understand what you were referring to with depth reasonable for a youtube thread I read an entire translation of a French Wikipedia article on "L' expérience interdite" and I also read the English summary of "Death of a Guru" in full too. If you even did the same for Michael Dowd's wiki entry or payed attention to the sacred union I speak of, you might be aware he is still Christian and deeply into Evolution too. We must look between them beyond mere fault finding to love.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux Dowd seems to invent new things, but the whole of revelation necessary for salvation was delivered by Jesus upon his first coming. I think it's indicative that proponents from the article you mention are former Catholics.

Let me now put this to rest once and for all: There is no unity between the wicked and the good. Lest good become wicked (anything but "sacred unity") or wicked good (see II Corinthians 6:15 ).

Now you said you're open - read the books not just summaries "in full".

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 Interesting, have you read Michael Dowd's book - Thank God for Evolution? What might he have invented? Are you saying Michael Dowd is wicked? It's true Biblical literalists say that but progressive Christians get a lot from it.

Agape btw is a kind of pantheist / evolutionary approach to Christianity too, maybe check out agapelive.

[VirianFlux]

@someman7 There is a broad consensus of morality, and pain has a biological basis with mirror neurons. Treat others how you wish to be treated yourself. It's the Golden Rule! We must be mindful of thinking we have a monopoly on truth because it leads to arrogance. We must always be open and humble in spirit.

[someman7]

@VirianFlux This is not my way, this is the Way of the son of God. I just happen to be following Him, rather than those whose corpses rot or shall rot in the ground. There is nothing new under the Sun. A road to Rome doesn't lead around the stars. And only a fool thinks he can travel across the universe and thus find a better way to it.

You call it your way, but it only leads you farther away from your Home.

[vishizs]

google i love you sooo mcuh *mwah *mwah!!!

[cuntscab555]

picard got the better of him

[VirianFlux]

@cuntscab555 hahahahahaha

[jkchan22]

I wonder if there is a talk about "feel tension"

[eedahl]

Brilliant talk, thank you :-)