My meditation journal

[Matt Y]

You're welcome Peter (and Jon).

I actually pay a lot of attention when insights pop up in meditation and have no hesitation in doing my best to remember them, even if that means stopping right then and there and making a note.

I think insights are important (and they're also very easy to forget).

A psychologist once told me to trust that I would remember what I needed to; but I didn't take his advice.
My view is that an insight is useless if you don't remember it, and not much use if you don't act upon it.
So I write my insights down, then make sure I put them into practice in my life (and, like you Jon, in my teaching).

joe_the_meditator looks like he's following instructions from Culadasa's book 'The Mind Illuminated'. That approach is a little too prescriptive for my liking, but it seems to me that it's a useful reflection Joe is doing.

Jason Siff's book 'Unlearning Meditation' has a variety of journal entries and provides some good examples of how they've helped his students.

[Peter]

Thanks a lot Matt. I'll check out that book, and will give journaling a try. Always felt like it could be very helpful, but never came around to it. I became more convinced when I did group mediations and had to reflect to the group afterwards. It heightened my awareness during the meditations and it made me more contemplative, thus made me more insightful. I guess journaling can do the same.

I'll report back on the forum after a while about my experiences with it.

[JonW]

Well said, fellers.
I'm not in any way suggesting that Joe's approach is wrong, by the way. Simply raising a few concerns.
As meditators I think we need to be careful that structure in practice doesn't become stricture. If we turn meditation into yet another attempt to manipulate experience in order to meet some specific end, then we run the risk of losing that all-important receptive fluidity, that openness to whatever emerges, that beginner's mind.
I realise that Joe isn't necessarily talking about mindfulness practice, at least not the JKZ model. His starting point is Culadasa who is not my cup of cocoa. I find Culadasa's approach unnecessarily complicated, too rigid, and too laden with concepts.
Matt raises some excellent points about 'insight', a part of mindfulness that is not talked about nearly enough. But, from my own experience, I realise the importance of differentiating between insight/perception and the aggregation of concepts. The line between genuine insight and excessive rationalisation can be a perilously thin one.
Concepts can provide a useful way in but, ultimately, they are no way through. They are no substitute for the aliveness of the sensory realm, the immediacy of present moment experience. If we become too attached to concepts, we risk missing out on some (or even all) of the vitality of the unfolding moment, our engagement with ourselves and the world around us.
All that said, thanks to Joe for kick-starting a very interesting thread.
All good things,
Jon

[Peter]

Very well spoken, Jon. I feel the same about it all.

About, Culadasa's book: initially I thought it was great, but after some time it felt wrong to me too. Exactly because of the things you said. It does however have some profound knowledge.

Interesting topic indeed.

[Peter]

I'm also very curious if and how Joe thinks that it effects him that his journaling can be read by anyone. I can imagine that it would make the ego a bit more dominant.

[JonW]

A quote from Alex Buchan springs to mind:
'The problem with the acquisition of knowledge is that we invariably identify with our knowledge, and this acts in very subtle ways to block us from experiencing things in an open, unpredetermined way.'

[Gareth]

Apologies for my lack of depth, but this topic feels a little too much for my poorly brain. I'll leave it to you meditation aficionados to debate.

For what it's worth, journaling is not really my thing. I find it to be just another reason to be out of the present moment - I would rather be meditating. Also, my hands don't work so well these days, and any kind of writing can be a frustrating experience.

A point was raised (I think by Matt) about insights that crop up during meditation, and I I would agree completely that its worth stopping your meditation and jotting something down (I keep my phone close to me for this purpose). Nothing more frustrating than having a marvellous idea that you have forgotten by the end of the meditation.

[Peter]

A quote from Alex Buchan springs to mind:
'The problem with the acquisition of knowledge is that we invariably identify with our knowledge, and this acts in very subtle ways to block us from experiencing things in an open, unpredetermined way.'

Nice one, Jon. I agree, on the other hand knowledge can also help us putting things in perspective. I guess Johan Cruyff said it best when he said "elk nadeel heb z'n voordeel" ('every disadvantage has its advantage')

[Peter]

No lack of dept from you Gareth. On the contrary.

The great thing is for us all to discover what works best for us, what brings us closed to our true being. Which is different for everybody.

[JonW]

Ah, yes. Cruyff. My favourite philosopher.
If anyone asks for a definition of being 'in the moment', just show them an Ajax video from the mid-70s.