As for the book, obvious there is an entire mountain range of books on various sorts of mindfulness, which I tend not to bother with, as there is sufficient Islamic guidance on these matters. However, from time to time I enjoy reading philosophy/guidance from different traditions as it makes me consider my own beliefs and values. Indeed there is a lot of overlap here. Just as Islam teaches that you should be careful about what you see, hear and say and the company you keep, so Koike talks about the senses as gateways. Emergence: the self is not there to be discovered and explored, the self emerges from the system and routine we put in place. The avenues of exploration we allow to subject our bodies through using any form that stimulates our senses actually starts shaping our preferences, beliefs, decisions and modes of thinking. I have been struggling with the question of whether there is a master algorithm that controls our brain or whether that algorithm is an illusion, whether it can be replaced rather than refined and updated, the data doesn’t conform to it, it BUILDS it and the amount of data we process is immeasurable so we become in a CONSTANT STATE OF FLUX with no fundamental engine to control us. HOW UNSETTLING ?! When I awaken, one of my goals is to be more mindful as my morning begins. That’s why I read books like this as part of my ‘ Voyage of the Dawn Reader’ series, to encourage open awareness and acceptance, before my day invariably turns to shit. Consider, though, these words from the Platform Sutra of the Seventh Century Chinese Chan (Zen) master, Hui Neng:

So we don’t want to—nor are we able to–put an end to thinking. That said, there are benefits to intentionally practicing what I call “Not-Thinking.” Discursive thinking—the constant stream of one thought after another—is a deeply ingrained habit. It’s so ingrained that we often start thinking just to occupy our minds! But even during our waking hours, the mind needs to rest now and then. The practice of Not-Thinking is restful, calming, and restorative. According to Buddhist teacher, Ayya Khema: negative thoughts have a much stronger impact on our brain than a mild, gentle sense of happiness [...]’ I imagine all my trivial concerns and opinions just blowing right out of my mind, leaving me free to experience the world without the burden of analyzing every moment of my experience. When I do this, I can feel my mind relax and, just like Ayya Khema said would happen, a feeling of contentment arises. 5. Let the world speak for itself.The brain] deludes you into believing that the sense of anxiety you get from painful stimuli feels good, and it rewrites what should be uncomfortable as a sense of pleasure.’

The four emotions that nurture happiness in Buddhism: Joy, Kindness, Compassion and Equanimity [the state of eliminating anger and confusion] Thinking about not thinking only means we are doing more thinking and it isn’t going to prevent us from thinking’ Jeg finner meditativ praksis - på tvers av alle religioner og livssyn - svært interessant. Hvilke innsikter/betraktninger gjør man gjennom år med målrettet introspeksjon? Vi må derimot alltid ha i bakhodet et meditasjon er en ferdighet, en aktivitet, som igjen er preget av språket og det teoretiske rammeverket man velger som kontekst for introspeksjonen. Det er ikke en kongevei til sannhet. Dette er tydligere i for eksempel kristen meditasjonspaksis hvor målet ofte er å komme nærmere Gud, eller komme nærmere Guds sanne natur; de bruker ofte veldig like teknikker som i østlige religioner og livssyn. Awareness: That’s the big one, the main main take away of the book told in the simplest form and described in one significant term is AWARENESS. The author is a strong advocate of meditation, as he should be and the main gist is to be aware of every item, sound, visual, flavour and odour that we engage with fully and presently with as much focus that we can possibly cultivate. Do that and your entire mode of existence is altered, heightened and elevated. The book was suppose to tell me how to do that but its useless in that regard so may be, I might give meditation a go, or just try the do it quietly thing, i feel like i have a better chance at actively altering my pace, tone and mode of interaction with stimuli rather than meditate, but who knows. Ryunosuke talks a lot about Klesha’s which are something I haven’t heard of before. It’s basically a disturbing emotion, such as a fear or ignorance, which clouds our minds, and leads to unhealthy actions.One section in ‘The Practice of Not Thinking’ that resonated with me was when he wrote that 'pleasure doesn’t exist physically - it is an illusion that we experience pain reduces, and the brain interprets the absence of pain as pleasure. ‘ Writing Style It caught my eye in a bookstore. Also, my life has recently been a bit stressful, and I was looking for something other than ‘meditate more’ in terms of mindful living. If we didn’t give the body a rest at night, it wouldn’t function very long. The only time the mind can have a real rest is when it stops thinking and only experiences. Once verbalization stops for a moment not only is there quiet but there is a feeling of contentment. That quiet, peaceful space is the mind’s home. It can go home and relax just as we do after a day’s work when we relax the body in an easy chair. When we realise that our mind is but a slave to our brain’s reflexes, we can mount a revolution against the things that control us.’

Selective Data: we constantly rewrite our own history, our brain makes up stories and believes them. We need to remember that we cannot trust the fractions of information that have been curated to construct a memory from our past, as it will never be an accurate account. This can destabilise us or empower us to fine tune our ability to let go, be unbounded by our ever regenerating selves. I particularly like the section on discarding, which is very much about minimalism, and getting rid of what you don’t need. I had a look at my book shelves and filled a couple go bags, which I took to the local charity shops. An example of a Klesha is greed, such as a desire to be accepted and avoid being disliked. People commenting on this blog feeds my klesha to be liked, to have written something interesting. Seeing a comment reduces the pain, but it’s only temporary. (Don’t be leaving comments, it only feeds my Kleshas.) Dependant Arising’: every event occurs due to connections that exist beyond the flow of time, making every individual event interdependentIn ‘The Practice of Not Thinking’ He introduces various techniques, ranging from meditation to mindfulness exercises, to help you detach yourself from ‘thinking disease’ and reconnect with the present moment. It offers plenty of advice on how to bring mindfulness into your life by examining your actions and behaviour as you go about your day. How to control your body and your mind If you’ve read this blog before, you’ll know that I have a strong interest in books on meditation and mindfulness, so a lot of the book was covering familiar ground. It’s difficult to read any new perspectives on the subject, but I think applying techniques to modern living, as this book does, is the way to go.