Comments on: AWAKE http://www.puredoxyk.com/index.php/2009/06/25/awake/ Polyphasic Sleep and Better Thinking Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:23:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: scott http://www.puredoxyk.com/index.php/2009/06/25/awake/comment-page-1/#comment-39032 scott Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:50:51 +0000 http://www.puredoxyk.com/?p=1398#comment-39032 okay, yeah, that all makes a lot of sense -- it is interesting how these ideas feel like variations on a theme -- flow, Awareness and concentration -- it's like they are all aspects of each other and consequences of each other -- i think i will give it a try -- experiment with meditation to see how it affects my ability to acheive flow in writing -- and also to see what it does to my creativity... i'll let you know if it seems to have any impact... okay, yeah, that all makes a lot of sense — it is interesting how these ideas feel like variations on a theme — flow, Awareness and concentration — it’s like they are all aspects of each other and consequences of each other —

i think i will give it a try — experiment with meditation to see how it affects my ability to acheive flow in writing — and also to see what it does to my creativity…

i’ll let you know if it seems to have any impact…

]]> By: puredoxyk http://www.puredoxyk.com/index.php/2009/06/25/awake/comment-page-1/#comment-39025 puredoxyk Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:48:31 +0000 http://www.puredoxyk.com/?p=1398#comment-39025 Darn interesting question, Scott. I'll confess that raw productivity tends to be a secondary concern of mine -- though my writing would certainly benefit if I took it a bit more seriously, I imagine. So I'll try to answer your question in the spirit it was asked, but forgive me in advance if I'm clumsy about it, 'k? I do know what you mean by a "flow state", so that makes things easier. About this state, we can probably safely say that concentration plays a big part. No doubt, pursuing Awareness as a state of mind means developing one's concentration, so there's that. There's also the fact that, for many people, unconscious behavior gets in the way of both carving out writing-time, and settling down mentally to utilize it fully. Definitionally, Awareness lessens the grip of unconscious psychological constructs and the behavior they cause. I can say for certain that focusing on this moment is an incredibly useful thing for me to do, if I'm either trying to talk myself out of writing (or exercising, or what have you); or if I'm doing it halfheartedly -- by paying close attention to what's going on right now, within and without the ol' skull, I can often spot my own attempts to derail or distract myself. Awareness is really just focused self-referentiality, on a level, I suppose. The last thing you've made me ponder with this is creativity itself -- another major component of the flow state. Einstein famously said that the true answers, the real sparks of genius, happen after all the thinking has stopped, in the silence. Others have made similar claims, that the source of creativity is not thinking, but rather Mu -- the state of No-Mind that Zen Buddhists equate with awareness-of-the-moment. ...None of which is *proof*, but it does make me inclined to think that pursuing Awareness could be very helpful for a writer's (or any artist's) creativity, and that even if it isn't, it certainly couldn't hurt! I hope that provided either some answers, or some further good questions! Thanks! Darn interesting question, Scott. I’ll confess that raw productivity tends to be a secondary concern of mine — though my writing would certainly benefit if I took it a bit more seriously, I imagine. So I’ll try to answer your question in the spirit it was asked, but forgive me in advance if I’m clumsy about it, ‘k?

I do know what you mean by a “flow state”, so that makes things easier. About this state, we can probably safely say that concentration plays a big part. No doubt, pursuing Awareness as a state of mind means developing one’s concentration, so there’s that. There’s also the fact that, for many people, unconscious behavior gets in the way of both carving out writing-time, and settling down mentally to utilize it fully. Definitionally, Awareness lessens the grip of unconscious psychological constructs and the behavior they cause. I can say for certain that focusing on this moment is an incredibly useful thing for me to do, if I’m either trying to talk myself out of writing (or exercising, or what have you); or if I’m doing it halfheartedly — by paying close attention to what’s going on right now, within and without the ol’ skull, I can often spot my own attempts to derail or distract myself. Awareness is really just focused self-referentiality, on a level, I suppose.

The last thing you’ve made me ponder with this is creativity itself — another major component of the flow state. Einstein famously said that the true answers, the real sparks of genius, happen after all the thinking has stopped, in the silence. Others have made similar claims, that the source of creativity is not thinking, but rather Mu — the state of No-Mind that Zen Buddhists equate with awareness-of-the-moment. …None of which is *proof*, but it does make me inclined to think that pursuing Awareness could be very helpful for a writer’s (or any artist’s) creativity, and that even if it isn’t, it certainly couldn’t hurt!

I hope that provided either some answers, or some further good questions! Thanks!

]]> By: scott http://www.puredoxyk.com/index.php/2009/06/25/awake/comment-page-1/#comment-39021 scott Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:40:51 +0000 http://www.puredoxyk.com/?p=1398#comment-39021 do you think there is a relationship between samadhi/awareness and productivity/flow? i am a writer constantly seeking ways to improve my focus and/or drop into true flow states... ...i am not particularly interested (right now) in the philosophical, spiritual, contemplative aspects of increased awareness/meditation... ...but would be curious to know if you think there is a relationship between the experience of increased awareness and productivity/performance related flow? I mean it's easy to imagine that there is a small, general relationship between these two things... but I guess I am asking if you think pursuing Awareness would have a significant impact on one's ability to drop into a flow state? do you think there is a relationship between samadhi/awareness and productivity/flow? i am a writer constantly seeking ways to improve my focus and/or drop into true flow states…

…i am not particularly interested (right now) in the philosophical, spiritual, contemplative aspects of increased awareness/meditation…

…but would be curious to know if you think there is a relationship between the experience of increased awareness and productivity/performance related flow?

I mean it’s easy to imagine that there is a small, general relationship between these two things… but I guess I am asking if you think pursuing Awareness would have a significant impact on one’s ability to drop into a flow state?

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