{"id":2158,"date":"2025-01-09T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/?p=2158"},"modified":"2025-01-08T22:54:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T04:54:03","slug":"january-9-taming-the-mind-strategies-for-letting-go-of-what-doesnt-serve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/january-9-taming-the-mind-strategies-for-letting-go-of-what-doesnt-serve\/","title":{"rendered":"January 9 – Taming the Mind: Strategies for Letting Go of What Doesn’t Serve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dear Friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our next topic focuses on the second wise effort: abandoning unwholesome states that have arisen. Joseph Goldstein offers this: “Mindfulness of [the unwholesome states] is always the first strategy; if we’re not even aware that they are present, there’s not much possibility of abandoning them. Sometimes mindfulness itself is enough.” (Mindfulness<\/em>, page 393)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, some unwholesome states are tenacious and require additional strategies. The sutta The Removal of Distracting Thoughts<\/em><\/a> (MN20) outlines several methods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Using the Opposite as an Antidote<\/strong>: Refocus the mind on wholesome qualities, such as metta (goodwill) to counteract ill-will.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Reflecting with Hiri and Otappa<\/strong>: These qualities, often translated as “respect for self” and “respect for the wise,” invite us to consider how a wise person–or the wiser parts of ourselves–might respond. This approach works best when rooted in wise understanding, rather than in self-judgment or guilt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Deliberate Diversion of Attention<\/strong>: When overwhelmed by hindrances, we cab redirect attention to another object until the unwholesome state passes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Investigating Directly<\/strong>: Look closely at distracting thoughts, exploring their source and emotional underpinnings. For example, fear often lies beneath anger, or boredom might be beneath desire.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Forcible Suppression<\/strong>: As a last resort, for recurring unwholesome thoughts that persist despite the trying other strategies, we can bring a more determined state of mind. Joseph likens this to shooting down targets in an amusement park game–a playful but resolute approach. This is a way of saying, “That’s enough” with a mix of firmness, kindness, and a touch of humor.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    These strategies illustrate that meditation is an art. It requires understanding the ever-changing interplay of mental qualities, experimenting with techniques, and discovering what works in each moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How do you work with unwholesome states when they arise? Have you found particular methods or approaches helpful in your practice at different times? I would love to hear your reflections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With good wishes,
    Andrea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Dear Friends, Our next topic focuses on the second wise effort: abandoning unwholesome states that have arisen. Joseph Goldstein offers this: “Mindfulness of [the unwholesome states] is always the first strategy; if we’re not even aware that they are present, there’s not much possibility of abandoning them. Sometimes mindfulness itself is enough.” (Mindfulness, page 393) However, some unwholesome\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[372],"tags":[334,117],"class_list":["post-2158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jan-2025","tag-effort","tag-joseph-goldstein"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2158"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2159,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2158\/revisions\/2159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}