Being present is boring

General discussion, particularly exploring the Dharma in the modern world.
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Thishumanlife
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Being present is boring

Post by Thishumanlife »

My mind is often loud and racing, and I am seldom truly present. I have been practicing and it’s tough. However the other day, the mental chatter suddenly became quiet and I was simply looking at the trees on a walk. I felt calm and peaceful.

For just a few seconds.

And then the thoughts said: “This is being present? There are so many other things I’d rather be doing.”

I could not stay with the moment. There was a feeling of intense boredom and missing out on everything that needed to be done.

What is your experience? How do you overcome intense boredom or missing out?
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

You might just need to give yourself permission to stop. And if you don’t see the the purpose or the value in meditation, or the reason for meditation, then of course it will seem pointless. But that’s true about everything, isn’t it?

Ego wants to be entertained constantly. This restlessness is called dukkha which is usually translated as “suffering” in Buddhism. But suffering doesn’t necessarily mean agony. It also means, simply, always wanting to have something else, or always wanting to be doing something else.

The reason why boredom occurs is because of self-grasping. We constantly keep busy doing things because this reinforces the identity of “me” and “who I am”. As long as my mind is busy engaging with some external phenomena, that validates my existence.

But the Buddhist understanding is that these things are temporary distractions. And the whole point of the Buddhist teachings is that if we keep chasing after temporary, outward distractions (which are endless, by the way) we will never be satisfied. So, in meditation, we spend time instead directing our attention inward, looking at awareness itself. Awareness is always there.

If should actually come as a surprise to find that one cannot sit and basically do nothing for even 10 or 15 minutes. It might even be a little embarrassing. Nearly everyone who begins Buddhist meditation practice encounters boredom, distractions, and restlessness, because our minds are so used to constant stimuli overload that we cannot go for more than a few minutes without getting another dose of it.

In other words, we are addicted. And there is always something that needs to be done. Go fix or clean something. Go make money, go check TikTok or Twitter or Facebook because god forbid, otherwise we might miss something!

Eventually, if you keep a regular sitting practice, you will become friends with your own mind and can just sit there with it just as it is, without needing diversions. Then, meditation becomes very joyful. It’s like a vacation. You get some time off. Then, you may find that you are never bored. While standing in line or stuck in traffic or waiting at the airport, you are happy just to sit. It’s another opportunity to meditate for 5 minutes.

I used to fly a lot and it always cracked me up to see restless people waiting in the airport for their flight to board, and maybe they have an hour to wait, and they’d rush to the magazine stand and spend maybe $10 on books and magazines to fill up such a short period of time. And I thought, “if I said that if you could sit still and just relax for one hour, you’ll win $10” would they do it? We spend a lot of money and time being addicted to distractions.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
master of puppets
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by master of puppets »

PadmaVonSamba wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 2:34 pm We spend a lot of money and time being addicted to distractions.
Exactly, ı can't believe that how much money ı spend on those distractions; which take my money, time, health etc. etc. extra.

if you put down on a paper, point to an absolute fool.
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KathyLauren
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by KathyLauren »

Thishumanlife wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 5:09 am And then the thoughts said: “This is being present? There are so many other things I’d rather be doing.
This is clinging, the cause of suffering.

It is progress to be aware of it. That's good. That is all you have to do. Just sit and be aware of the clinging and how it is the cause of suffering. If your mind wanders into imagining the other things you would rather be doing, come back to just sitting and being aware of the boredom. Remind yourself that not following up on the desires can be a wholesome thing.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy
jimmi
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by jimmi »

KathyLauren wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 3:31 pm … come back to just sitting and being aware of the boredom.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy
Still boring. (Not saying that I disagree with your suggestion).
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

No matter what they eat,
woodpeckers find food boring.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
Miorita
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by Miorita »

Enter samadhi then!
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KeithA
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by KeithA »

Boredom is highly under-rated. 🙏
When walking, standing, sitting, lying down, speaking,
being silent, moving, being still.
At all times, in all places, without interruption - what is this?
One mind is infinite kalpas.

New Haven Zen Center
DharmaJunior
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by DharmaJunior »

For me it's a matter of not taking anything for granted. The other day I was walking upstairs carefully balancing a bowl of soup and thinking how amazing all the complicated processes that take place to accomplish this. How amazing life exists at all. We have eyes & ears; we can breathe; our hearts beat for us every moment.

I suppose the brain tends to filter out stuff gradually, so everything goes into autopilot. It's actually really useful in terms of sparing resources, but the downside can be mental sluggishness.

When meditation really clicks- well I was quite astounded- but before that for years I didn't know what the fuss was all about. Impermanence strikes as we're uprooted then we know better not to bank on anything, even things like ancient buildings and trees that outlast many generations of sentient life.
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Könchok Thrinley
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

KeithA wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 4:49 pm Boredom is highly under-rated. 🙏
:good:

Can't agree more. Once I locked myself out of my apartment while taking out the trash and had to wait for mum to open for me. It was the best 30 minutes of my life probably. With nothing to do but wait I could just be and that was the best most nourishing thing.

I'd say 30 minutes a boredom per day should be part of any healthy lifestyle.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

Boredom is a form of ignorance, it arises due to lack of presence. Feeling calm and peaceful is not always the same as being present, being present means you are just that - present and attentive to what is going on.

In this case the common instruction would be to simply notice the FOMO thought/feeling of boredom and continue being present.

It’s not really the thought or feeling that’s at issue, but the fact that you bought into them and stopped being present.

So on the positive side, you just got a front row seat to how samsara works.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
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Konchog Thogme Jampa
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by Konchog Thogme Jampa »

KeithA wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 4:49 pm Boredom is highly under-rated. 🙏
Boredom is the fertile ground for something interesting to happen
jimmi
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by jimmi »

Konchog Thogme Jampa wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 6:41 pm
KeithA wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 4:49 pm Boredom is highly under-rated. 🙏
Boredom is the fertile ground for something interesting to happen
Inclining boredom itself, if we leave out, renounce, let go of the interesting.
Thishumanlife
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by Thishumanlife »

Amazing responses!
anagarika
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by anagarika »

I´ll offer the following observation:

When dealing with boredom, try to ask yourself this: "Even if I don´t get any stimuli in the following few moments, will my being diminish?" It´s phrased very deliberately in such a silly manner (the word "being") because in my experience, this is the underlying concern of our mind/ego: That by getting something, our "being" will increase, and by not getting something it will diminish. It´s nothing but the good old bhava/vibhava tanha at play - i.e. the desire to become, to increase or modify our existence, or the desire to get rid of. If you really try to stay aware in the moment of boredom and quite consciously resist the impulse to do something, ask yourself again: "By foregoing the impulse to distract myself, has my being diminished?" You can also use other phrases such as: "If I don´t add anything to this moment, is there really anything missing?" etc.

You can work similarly with the sense desire part - if you want to have ice cream in the night, just ask yourself if your being will be increased by that.

It´s a very simple, yet very efficient method of inquiry.
jimmi
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Re: Being present is boring

Post by jimmi »

Thishumanlife wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 5:09 am My mind is often loud and racing, and I am seldom truly present. I have been practicing and it’s tough. However the other day, the mental chatter suddenly became quiet and I was simply looking at the trees on a walk. I felt calm and peaceful.

For just a few seconds.

And then the thoughts said: “This is being present? There are so many other things I’d rather be doing.”

I could not stay with the moment. There was a feeling of intense boredom and missing out on everything that needed to be done.

What is your experience? How do you overcome intense boredom or missing out?
Boredom, Dukkha, Dissatisfaction.
Welcome to Buddhist meditation.
We are all always truly present. Dukkha is truly present. One doesn’t overcome it. One faces it with courage, investigates it with curiosity, welcomes it with gratitude, experiences it with equanimity. Whether this boredom/dukkha/dissatisfaction stays or becomes something else or vanishes entirely is not really relevant to the practice and recognition of being truly present.
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