I mean not just meditation in the morning or setting specific time frame to practice, no. If you're serious, you probably know that you have to be constantly focused, especially in the case with koan, which is my case. I try to do Hua Tou(asking yourself a question like "Who am I?" constantly). I'm a student, and doing concentrating while doing mathematics seems impossible to me, and other things like that. So please, share your experience of practicing in this noisy, always moving and changing modern world.
They can get fresh air or take a glimpse of the sunshine at least.
Is it just aesthetic?
Before we invented electric lights and thus light pollution, every human on the planet saw the splendor of the Milky Way Galaxy in full every single night (barring clouds, of course)
Before we invented cars, these nice little boxes that keep us insulated from the natural world as we move about in it, moving around your environment meant paying attention to it, getting a good look at the landscape, the sky, the flora, the fauna
Consider how many people now live in big cities, where you can walk for miles and miles in any direction without coming across a single part of your environment that wasn't modified in some way by human hands
Consider how many people now spend essentially all of their free time staring at a screen, consuming content created by other humans through the little window in front of their eyes
People begin to get the idea that the natural world is unworthy of our attention. Why would I waste my time looking at the sky, or plants, or animals, or contemplating the intricacy of nature, when I can sit down and binge watch television, or play video games, or read about the latest developments in Donald Trump's twitter feed on my smartphone, and completely forget the fact that I am actually a part of nature?
Not to say that all of the natural world is beautiful - there are certainly ugly parts, and most of human history has been a non-stop struggle to survive, as is still the case for most animals on the planet. But the beauty of the natural world was also a prominent part of daily life until very, very recently.
Of course there are countless other factors at play here, but I just wonder if this is playing any part in the modern epidemic of mental unhealth...
Have you ever met an Amish person? Do you live near them? What do they act like? Do they all act similarly?
My story is the same as the story of mankind.
The two are inexorably interconnected as far as I am concerned. They cannot be separated because the very cores of their nature are entwined. After exploring so much land, researching so many concepts, meeting so many people, I am the best example of it anyway. There is no other human alive who has seen what I've seen. No other human alive who remembers what I can.
The human mind is impressive. I figured that out after the first dozen rebirths. Back there in the wilderness before I could even work myself to a stable living, dying was more common, after all. But what astonished me then was how I remembered it all. How I remember it all every single time I am born. From the moment of my birth, the memories dance through my mind. At first, it means nothing because the neural pathways have yet to be developed. But slowly and surely, I am able to experience my past lives.
I am able to learn from them. That is the most important part—and that is what has surprised me most about the continual cycle of life. As a hunter that was recycled into tribe after tribe, all I'd known were the most basic of strategies. The most basic of methods to manufacture tools of stone and bone. The most basic of patterns when it came to tracking wildlife across the savanna. Slowly though, that changed. My mind was able to adapt to the message that the universe was sending me time after time.
One can only die by starvation a handful of times before they end up wanting something different.
So instead, I did what humans supposedly do best. I learned. I adapted. I changed my tactics and used the information that was trapped in my head for some kind of progress.
Firstly it was noticing patterns with our prey. Then it was noticing tensions between people—between different tribes. And then it was doing everything I could to put those tensions to rest.
The going was difficult when I started out. Changing peoples' minds was as difficult a task back then as it is in modern times, after all. Harder, even, since these people hadn't known anything different. But eventually they came around. Eventually, they listened to what I was saying and let me solve problems one-by-one. And once the fruits of my labor started rolling in, they all saw the benefit at once.
More consistent food sources. Better collaboration between people. The increased connectivity even sparked innovation. The tribes began observing water as they explored new areas. They stud
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