#787: How to Be in The Present Moment — Guided Meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman

In recent years, meditation and mindfulness have swept across the West and become popular tools for everything from stress management to productivity, focus, and spiritual seeking. But amidst this excitement, say Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson, the facts have been distorted and the signal has been lost in the noise. In Altered Traits, they clarify what we do and don’t know about meditation—as well as what’s been overhyped.

In this guide, we’ll discuss how they define meditation, why it’s proved difficult to study, and what we know about its effects. We’ll also discuss what the research on meditation shows: that meditation alters traits, or produces lasting changes to your brain, behavior, and experience of life. Throughout the guide, we’ll comment on related research and perspectives, and we’ll broaden the authors’ discussion of traditional Buddhism, Buddhist terminology, and Buddhism in the West.

Do you struggle with anxiety, stress, or other strong emotions? Are you struggling to find time to relax in the busy modern world? If so, you could benefit from meditation: a practice that many people find helpful for reducing stress, sharpening focus, and getting their thoughts in order. People from all walks of life, both religious and secular, have practiced and written about meditation for thousands of years, and it continues to be a popular relaxation method today.

In Shortform’s Master Guide to choosing a meditation practice, we’ve gathered the best time-tested advice on meditation from some of its most respected experts and teachers, from yogis and Buddhist monks to present-day self-help experts like Jen Sincero and Julia Cameron. To help you find the meditation practice that’s right for you, we’ll explore the meditation practices of four major traditions: Buddhism, Hinduism (yoga), Christianity (prayer), and modern Western thought. We’ll close by offering some tips for incorporating meditation into a busy modern lifestyle.

The 21st century will bring changes and challenges unlike any humans have encountered before. Globalism and technological innovations are changing the structures of societies worldwide—and the changes are happening quickly. If people don’t face these challenges and help shape the future, the world could have a class of obsolete workers whose jobs have been automated and people could lose their ability to make their own decisions. In 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari highlights the biggest challenges in the modern world, and he offers advice on making sense of and navigating such transitional times.

In this summary, you'll learn how algorithms like Netflix movie recommendations are teaching you to distrust your own judgment, why religion can’t solve 21st-century challenges, and how automation will threaten the jobs of humans in every industry.

Many people frame meditation as a way to reduce stress, feel calm, or be more present—but according to the authors of The Mind Illuminated, these aren’t its main goals. Instead, they argue, meditation is primarily a way to train your mind so you can experience enlightenment: a mental state that provides freedom from suffering. By following the recommendations outlined in The Mind Illuminated, you can journey from novice meditator to enlightened meditator in 10 sequential stages.

In this guide, we’ll explore the authors’ advice for training your mind to reach enlightenment. We’ll compare their ideas about meditation to those of other experts, such as Bhante Gunaratana (Mindfulness in Plain English) and Jon Kabat-Zinn (Wherever You Go, There You Are). We’ll also supplement their insights with cultural, historical, and scientific context, and we’ll offer additional tips for meditating.

Do you get irritated, angry, anxious, or emotional more easily than you would like? Mindfulness meditation may be worth trying. Being mindful means observing your thoughts and emotions as they arise, without succumbing to your typical kneejerk reactions. You discover the roots of your anger, greed, and selfishness, and you learn to banish these psychic irritants. Ultimately, you become more at peace, and friendlier to other people.

Mindfulness in Plain English is an approachable introduction to mindfulness and meditation. These are practical tips and truly written in plain English with little spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Inside are practical tips on how to start meditating and deal with common problems.

Do you struggle with anxiety, stress, or other strong emotions? Are you struggling to find time to relax in the busy modern world? If so, you could benefit from meditation: a practice that many people find helpful for reducing stress, sharpening focus, and getting their thoughts in order. People from all walks of life, both religious and secular, have practiced and written about meditation for thousands of years, and it continues to be a popular relaxation method today.

In Shortform’s Master Guide to choosing a meditation practice, we’ve gathered the best time-tested advice on meditation from some of its most respected experts and teachers, from yogis and Buddhist monks to present-day self-help experts like Jen Sincero and Julia Cameron. To help you find the meditation practice that’s right for you, we’ll explore the meditation practices of four major traditions: Buddhism, Hinduism (yoga), Christianity (prayer), and modern Western thought. We’ll close by offering some tips for incorporating meditation into a busy modern lifestyle.

The Power of Now proposes that the only way to reach true peace and fulfillment is through being completely present in each moment you experience. There is a part of our mind, called the ego, that derails us by ruminating on the past, speculating about the future, clinging to our painful experiences, and insisting that we will be happy and fulfilled if we can just achieve this goal.

The Power of Now reveals that inner peace and happiness can’t be found in anything external, but rather must be found within by being present. Learn tips and methods for quieting your thoughts and fears to find fulfillment through presence.

The Wisdom of Insecurity is philosopher Alan Watts’s 1951 treatise on the origins of and solutions to modern anxieties. According to Watts, we feel anxious because the only constant in life is insecurity—which means that seeking security is futile. He says that based on Eastern philosophies, we should embrace a more realistic approach to life—one where we accept insecurity and live in the moment instead of worrying about the future.

In this guide, we’ll explain what insecurity is, why it makes you anxious, and how you’re exacerbating your anxiety. We’ll also discuss the best—and worst—ways to cope with insecurity, according to Watts, who prefers Eastern religious concepts like unity and mindfulness over Christianity, science, and consumerism. In our commentary, we’ll cover other experts’ perspectives on insecurity, dig more deeply into the spiritual concepts underpinning Watts’s argument, and explore ways to put Watts’s advice into practice.

Trauma can stem from abuse to a severe car accident to wartime combat—and cause a lifetime of flashbacks, nightmares, isolation, insomnia, hypervigilance, and rage. In The Body Keeps the Score, the author explores how diagnosing and treating trauma has evolved as new technologies, research, and fields of science emerged.

Trauma’s impact is not only mental, emotional, and neurological, but also physiological: Trauma rewires the brain to put people in a constant state of stress or numbness, leading to a host of physical problems.

In this summary, you’ll learn:

• Why trauma survivors feel like their trauma is never-ending
• How flashbacks make parts of the brain shut down and others to go into overdrive
• Why some trauma survivors can’t recognize themselves in the mirror
• How activities like choral singing, yoga, and theater can be therapeutic

Do you get irritated, angry, anxious, or emotional more easily than you would like? Mindfulness meditation may be worth trying. Being mindful means observing your thoughts and emotions as they arise, without succumbing to your typical kneejerk reactions. You discover the roots of your anger, greed, and selfishness, and you learn to banish these psychic irritants. Ultimately, you become more at peace, and friendlier to other people.

Mindfulness in Plain English is an approachable introduction to mindfulness and meditation. These are practical tips and truly written in plain English with little spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Inside are practical tips on how to start meditating and deal with common problems.

Many people frame meditation as a way to reduce stress, feel calm, or be more present—but according to the authors of The Mind Illuminated, these aren’t its main goals. Instead, they argue, meditation is primarily a way to train your mind so you can experience enlightenment: a mental state that provides freedom from suffering. By following the recommendations outlined in The Mind Illuminated, you can journey from novice meditator to enlightened meditator in 10 sequential stages.

In this guide, we’ll explore the authors’ advice for training your mind to reach enlightenment. We’ll compare their ideas about meditation to those of other experts, such as Bhante Gunaratana (Mindfulness in Plain English) and Jon Kabat-Zinn (Wherever You Go, There You Are). We’ll also supplement their insights with cultural, historical, and scientific context, and we’ll offer additional tips for meditating.