Think not lightly of good, saying, “It will not come to me.”
Drop by drop is the water pot filled.
Likewise, the wise one, gathering it little by little,
fills oneself with good.
DHAMMAPADA 122
////////////THE NEGATIVITY BIAS On the other hand, stressful experiences tend to get woven into the nets of memory. This is the brain’s negativity bias, the product of evolution in harsh conditions. To simplify, our ancestors needed to get “carrots,” such as food, while avoiding “sticks,” such as predators. Both are important, but imagine living a million years ago: if you don’t get a carrot today, you’ll have a chance at one tomorrow. Yet if you don’t avoid every single stick today, whack, no more carrots forever
//////////////////Whatever your object is, try to remain steadily mindful of it. Be aware of the sense of applying attention to an object, like shifting a spotlight onto something. Also be aware of sustaining attention to an object—staying in touch with it continuously. For example, you can apply your attention to the beginning of an inhalation and sustain attention throughout its full course, and then apply and sustain attention to the exhalation…breath after breath. Especially if your aim in meditation is steadiness and concentration, it could help to monitor the very beginning of any distractions away from the object, and to disengage from these rapidly and return focus to the object. In effect, you can pay attention to attention—an aspect of metacognition.
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////////////THE NEGATIVITY BIAS On the other hand, stressful experiences tend to get woven into the nets of memory. This is the brain’s negativity bias, the product of evolution in harsh conditions. To simplify, our ancestors needed to get “carrots,” such as food, while avoiding “sticks,” such as predators. Both are important, but imagine living a million years ago: if you don’t get a carrot today, you’ll have a chance at one tomorrow. Yet if you don’t avoid every single stick today, whack, no more carrots forever
//////////////////Whatever your object is, try to remain steadily mindful of it. Be aware of the sense of applying attention to an object, like shifting a spotlight onto something. Also be aware of sustaining attention to an object—staying in touch with it continuously. For example, you can apply your attention to the beginning of an inhalation and sustain attention throughout its full course, and then apply and sustain attention to the exhalation…breath after breath. Especially if your aim in meditation is steadiness and concentration, it could help to monitor the very beginning of any distractions away from the object, and to disengage from these rapidly and return focus to the object. In effect, you can pay attention to attention—an aspect of metacognition.
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