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Hi learners,

Ever wondered if the secret to unlocking your mind's full potential is actually to quiet it down?

This week's Learn Letter is a post-silent meditation x inner bliss meta-reflection on the roles of our minds in our lives. No worries if you're looking for evidence-based strategies for making more of your mind (rather than transcending it) - we'll be back to the status quo in next week's edition. Ready? Here we go.

Much of my life was about control-performing tasks, making and following plans, and functioning mentally. Directing our minds toward thinking and problem-solving is beautiful. It can create wealth and "success," - but are all of these things enough to make a deeply beautiful life? What if there is another way to create a paradise within our soul?

Let's imagine you go to see a sunset with a friend.

As you lose yourself in its beauty, the friend speaks, "Look—how beautiful the clouds are." It is a gentle observation, yet it jolts you from your reverie. You nod in agreement, "Yes, the clouds are really beautiful today," but there's a hint of irritation in your voice, a crack in the moment's perfection.

You try to return to your silent marveling, to that deep well of inner peace that viewing such beauty can provide. But your friend speaks again, "And look, the colors tonight are particularly heart-warming." Again, you affirm, "Yes, they are," feeling a growing frustration. This friend, with their incessant need to articulate every nuance, pulls you away from just being, from experiencing the moment in its purest form.

Well, you might have guessed the irony of the situation: This friend, this constant companion dubbing every experience you have, is none other than your own mind—always with you, often protective and helpful, yet equally capable of pulling you away from the essence of life with its chatter.

So how do you calm your mind and just be? How can you access deep states of being and feel a sense of trust and knowing that goes beyond cognitive capabilities?

Many philosophers, gurus, and intellectuals throughout human history have pondered on the question of calming the mind to experience deeper states of knowing.

• Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (c. 480 to 400 BCE) explored how to overcome suffering and achieve a state of enlightenment, offering insight into deep meditation practices aimed at calming the mind and attaining insight into the nature of reality.
• Plato (c. 428/427-348/347 BCE) suggested that true knowledge comes from a form of recollection and deep contemplation, implying a calm and focused mind.​
• Patanjali (c. 2nd century BCE), an ancient Indian sage, wrote the foundation for classical Yoga, the "Yoga Sutras." The Sutras outline the eight limbs of Yoga, with a strong emphasis on meditation (Dhyana) as a means to calm the mind and achieve deeper states of consciousness.
• Laozi (c. 6th century BCE), the founder of Taoism and author of the "Tao Te Ching," emphasized meditation and mindfulness to quiet the mind so we can live with the universe's natural flow.
• Persian poet and Sufi mystic Rumi's (1207-1273) key idea was that silencing the chatter of the mind allows one to connect more deeply with the divine and the true self. "Silence is the language of God; all else is poor translation."
• More recently, Eckart Tolle (born 1948), a contemporary spiritual teacher, emphasized the power of present-moment awareness to transcend the thinking mind and achieve a state of inner peace and deeper understanding.

What are some feasible ways to practice calming the mind (without going into 10-day silent meditation retreats)? Here are things that have worked for me in the past:

• Ice Bathing: Immerse yourself in an ice bath to quiet your mind through the profound shock it delivers to your body. This practice helps you achieve a state of stillness, allowing you to be in the moment.
• Pranayama (particularly Bhastrika): Engage in just 2 minutes of hyperventilation to naturally pause your breathing (Kumbhaka), which can also quiet your mind. I've found that this serene state can last up to 1.5 minutes, a time during which thoughts cease to intrude.
• Explore Meditation with "The Direct Approach" by Stephan Bodian: This unique form of meditation moves beyond traditional mindfulness, guiding you to recognize and reside in your true nature at this very moment. It's a direct path to experiencing the present fully.
• Discover Self-Inquiry for Inner Peace: Inspired by the non-dual teachings of Advaita Vedanta and the wisdom of Ramana Maharshi, this practice invites you to explore the profound question, "Who am I?" By doing so, you can transcend the ego and tap into a deep sense of inner stillness.

Well,, there are many more (feel free to share if you have anything to recommend!). I've attempted to meditate less and focus on my wakefulness during the day, and it has been close to impossible without the formal sessions because they reorient me to knowing how awareness can feel.

May you have a wonderful rest of your day - and happy (mind-less) learning :)

Featured Articles

Here's a collection of articles I wrote or that I enjoyed reading. All links to my articles are friend links, so you can read them without having a Medium subscription.

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