Slacker looking for a way to save time meditating

[Peter]

What Jon said is very true. You do not want to control the mind, you want it to do what it does, and just notice it.

When we lose focus it's because unconscious processes in our mind take over. We can't be conscious of the unconscious!

This is exactly it. That is also exactly what Culadasa teaches.

In addition to that.. My mind has a tendency to use 99% of its conscious resources to the thinking. This means there are no conscious resources left to be aware. I can deliberately dial it down, and use like 80% for the thinking, and 20% for being aware, but the thinking is a lot less focused, and effective. Furthermore, I can only keep that up for a short while, because my subconscious automatically dedicates the 99% back to the thinking.

Peter

[Gareth]

Fascinating discussion, chaps.

Like Peter, I don't feel like I have the ability to observe thinking while it is happening. As soon as I notice the thought - it's gone.

[Bert]

I really appreciate everyone's comments. What is encouraging is what Jon said, the mind quiets the more one meditates. Jom, did you mean that in an individual session it quiets, or over the span of weeks,months, years it quitens? My mind constantly brings up thoughts when I meditate, even if it is for two hours straight. If I knew that that the frequency of thoughts would decrease in the future, that would motivate me to continue. I just dont know if the more one meditates, if one just gets better at letting go of thoughts, or if they decrease, or both.

[Peter]

That is what grounding is for, Bert. But what you don't want to do, and what you said you do, is constantly switching between meditation objects after a few minutes. You said that you need to do that because you loose interest very quickly, but what you need to do, is examine this loosing of interest. Keeping focused on the meditation object is especially important if one isn't experienced yet.

Peter

[Bert]

At the Goenka retreat for ten hours a day for three days, I tried focusing on the area under my nose, but my mind kept on wandering. I will just have to do it longer.

[Peter]

What everybody is trying to say though, Bert, is that your mind will keep doing that. Have you read my signature? We are not trying to quiet the mind!

Peter

[JonW]

'...but my mind kept on wandering.'

That's what the mind does.
I speak to people who have been meditating for 40 years. Their minds still wander during meditation. They do what we all do. They notice that their minds have wandered and bring their attention to the breath.
This is NOT about stopping the mind.
Thoughts are not the problem. How we relate to thoughts can be problematic.
This is about noticing. Being aware. Being with our present moment experience. Not manipulating experience to achieve a certain mental state.
Just this.
Jon

[Bert]

Ok, I always thought that less thoughts would pop up in my head as the years went by, but that is not the case. It sounds like I will get better at not getting caught up in extraneous thoughts, though. Thank you.

[JonW]

'I always thought that less thoughts would pop up in my head as the years went by, but that is not the case.'

It might be the case. And it might not. Either way, it's not worth getting attached to.
Just practice with patience and be open-minded/open-hearted about where it will lead you to. The goals only get in the way of simply being.
Let go, let go, let go. Even let go of the idea of letting go.
Jon

[Peter]

Great advice, Jon!