Letters To Seneca – Letter 25
Dear Seneca,
A few days ago we discussed Kapil’s alternate perspective on prescriptions. His stance is unique due to his preference toward understanding and not “how-to”, if you want to get somewhere you’ll figure it out once you have a strong understanding of the current situation.
At first, I was skeptical of this perspective, but recently I’ve begun to witness this in practice. Let me provide some context…
Roughly 8 years ago I started meditating for 10 to 20 minutes every morning, which has been almost daily throughout the entire timeframe. I remember the first 3 to 4 years I observed tangible improvements in my awareness of myself and others, but the back half of those 8 years turned into a meaningless ritual. I would sit down to think about the upcoming day, not focusing on my breath at all.
It was as if I lost interest or belief in the benefits of meditation, but kept repeating this ritual. Things have changed in the previous 3-weeks.
Now, I’m focused on reading books, listening to podcasts, and reflecting on the ideas to better understand my relationship with my mind and how to interact with it throughout the day. Additionally, by naming my mind “Alfred” it’s much easier to dissociate. This approach is by far the most effective I’ve stumbled across.
Today I catch Alfred (my mind) running off in different directions more than I have ever before. This feels like an internal breakthrough. Even though Alfred (my mind) still runs the show most of the time, I’m slowly getting better at observing his behaviors and counteracting them through observation.
Previous me would’ve never imagined that by understanding and observation, you’re able to make this much internal progress. I’m curious to see how things unfold as I gather more understanding and ability to observe.
Farewell.