Think You Suck at Meditation? This Conversation Could Help. | Ofosu Jones-Quartey
Ofosu Jones-Quartey, a meditation teacher, hip-hop artist, and author, discusses open-awareness meditation, how it helped him manage OCD, and the importance of self-compassion and "lowering the bar" in practice. He also shares insights on depersonalizing suffering and the value of authenticity.
Deep Dive Analysis
11 Topic Outline
Introduction to Open Awareness Meditation
Distinguishing Open Awareness from Concentration Practices
Ofosu's Personal Journey with OCD and Open Awareness
Practical Approaches to Open Awareness Meditation
Insights and Benefits of Open Awareness Practice
The Three Marks of Existence in Buddhist Philosophy
Self-Compassion and Lowering Expectations in Meditation
Ofosu's Music and Personal Story of Suffering
Depersonalizing Suffering and Collective Experience
Transforming Pain and Long-Term Self-Assessment
Expanding the Definition of Meditation Practice
7 Key Concepts
Open Awareness Meditation (Choiceless Awareness)
This meditation style involves not focusing on a single anchor like the breath, but instead allowing the entire flow of experience—thoughts, sensations, emotions, and sounds—to be the object of awareness without choosing or fixing on one thing. It is likened to taking a wide-angle photo of one's internal and external reality, embracing all that arises.
Concentration Practice (One-Pointedness)
This meditation style involves picking a specific anchor, such as the breath, body sensations, or loving-kindness phrases, and repeatedly returning attention to it when the mind wanders. The goal is often to achieve a state of non-distraction where the mind settles deeply with the chosen object of attention, narrowing the scope of focus.
Mental Noting
A technique used in meditation, often within open awareness, where one silently labels or whispers a brief description of what is currently arising in awareness (e.g., 'hearing,' 'thinking,' 'pleasant,' 'unpleasant'). This practice helps to stay present and observe experiences without getting lost in them, acting as a gentle anchor.
Impermanence (Anicca)
One of the three marks of existence in Buddhism, referring to the fundamental truth that everything in the universe, including thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, is constantly changing and impermanent. Recognizing this can be both terrifying and liberating, as even difficult states will pass.
Suffering (Dukkha)
Another mark of existence, which arises from clinging to or resisting things in a universe characterized by impermanence. It's the discomfort that comes from wanting things to be other than they are, rather than necessarily a dire or dour state.
Not-Self / Emptiness (Anatta)
The third mark of existence, meaning there is no fixed, independent, or permanent 'self' that can claim ownership of thoughts, feelings, or experiences. These are seen as impersonal phenomena, part of 'nature' playing itself out, which can be a comforting realization.
Equanimity
A state of generalized okayness or even-keeledness with whatever is happening, allowing one's peace to match the dynamism of life. It's about being with reality as it is, without clinging, aversion, or indifference, fostering a sense of inner spaciousness.
8 Questions Answered
Open awareness meditation, also known as choiceless awareness, involves being mindful of the entire flow of experience—thoughts, sensations, emotions, and sounds—without picking a single anchor. In contrast, concentration practices focus on one specific object, like the breath, aiming for one-pointed attention.
Individuals, particularly those with conditions like OCD, might find concentration practices restrictive and anxiety-inducing. Open awareness offers a less rigid approach, allowing for greater freedom and less self-judgment regarding wandering thoughts.
One effective method is to start with a brief concentration practice, such as a body scan or loving-kindness meditation, to help settle the mind, and then transition into open awareness. Using mental noting (silently labeling experiences like 'hearing' or 'thinking') can also help maintain presence.
This practice helps cultivate a sense of peace with the vastness of everyday experience, widens one's capacity to be with multiple simultaneous events, and fosters equanimity by revealing the impermanent and impersonal nature of all phenomena.
Meditation, especially open awareness, encourages a 'lowering of the bar' by emphasizing presence over achievement or perfection. It helps to dismantle perfectionism, allowing practitioners to accept each moment as complete without judging their performance or expecting specific outcomes.
By recognizing that personal suffering is often a manifestation of universal human conditions and conditioning, rather than solely an individual failing. Viewing suffering as a 'wave that moves through the human condition' can reduce its personal grip and foster a sense of shared experience.
For those with neurodiversity or conditions like OCD, traditional concentration practices can be challenging. Open awareness offers a more accommodating approach, reducing anxiety and self-judgment, and expanding the definition of 'practice' to include seeking additional mental health support as a skillful, compassionate response.
Instead of focusing on incremental daily assessments or expecting constant improvement, it's more beneficial to take a long-term view, reflecting on changes over several years. This allows for recognition of subtle shifts in patience, emotional regulation, and overall well-being, rather than judging individual sessions.
13 Actionable Insights
1. Drop Expectations in Meditation
Approach meditation without striving for specific outcomes or “perfection,” recognizing that “nothing to do, nowhere to go, it’s already here.” This non-striving attitude fosters self-compassion and allows the practice to unfold naturally.
2. Experiment with Open Awareness
If traditional concentration practices cause anxiety or feel like “hell,” experiment with open awareness meditation as a valid alternative. This approach can be a “lifeline” to continue practicing by removing the pressure of sticking to a single anchor.
3. Practice Open Awareness Meditation
Allow the flow of all experiences (thoughts, sensations, emotions, sounds) to be part of your awareness without choosing an anchor, clinging, rejecting, or ruminating. This practice offers freedom from constant mental struggle and helps make peace with the vastness of everyday experience.
4. Combine Concentration with Open Awareness
For beginning or intermediate meditators, start your session with a light concentration practice (e.g., body scan, breath awareness) to settle the mind, then transition into open awareness. This can help ease into choiceless attention and reduce distraction.
5. Utilize Mental Noting
When practicing open awareness, use “mental noting” by quietly labeling experiences (e.g., “hearing,” “thinking,” “pleasant,” “judgment”) to stay present and engaged without judgment. This technique helps maintain mindfulness without needing a fixed anchor.
6. Depersonalize Your Suffering
When experiencing suffering, consider it as a universal human experience rather than a personal attack, recognizing that “the pain that I was holding really wasn’t mine.” This perspective can liberate you from its grip by making it feel less personal.
7. Take Responsibility for Healing
Even if suffering is impersonal, take responsibility to heal from it and prevent its transmission to others. Make “even a small pivot towards something more liberated” through self-care and seeking additional help if needed.
8. Embrace Suffering Skillfully
Instead of resisting or adding to suffering with personal narratives, embrace and become fully aware of the experience by acknowledging “this sucks and I’m with it.” This intimate relationship allows suffering to change and pass naturally.
9. Investigate the Nature of Awareness
Beyond observing thoughts, feelings, and sensations, turn your attention to “what is knowing all of this.” Realize that a peaceful, vast, and stable quality of awareness underlies the tumult of experience, offering a deep source of peace.
10. Use U Tejaniya’s Awareness Prompts
During meditation, use prompts like “Am I aware?” to re-engage, “What’s the attitude in the mind right now?” to uncover underlying defilements, and “This is nature” to depersonalize experiences. These questions cultivate deeper insight and non-attachment.
11. Broaden Your Definition of Practice
View “practice” not just as formal meditation, but as “taking care of your life” by being aware and caring in all moments. This includes knowing what’s happening and responding skillfully, such as seeking additional mental health support.
12. Assess Progress Over Long Term
Counter self-criticism by assessing your progress over a longer period, such as five or ten years, rather than daily or monthly. This “long view” reveals meaningful, incremental improvements in your life’s trajectory.
13. Practice General Self-Kindness
Recognize that life’s inherent strangeness and difficulty are not your fault, and you didn’t sign up for it. Therefore, be nice to yourself, cool it down, be aware, take care of your life, and be kind to yourself.
9 Key Quotes
Open awareness has been described in a pithy way as like the meditation of no meditation or choiceless awareness.
Ofosu Jones-Quartey
In my open awareness practice, I'm working on allowing whatever it is to be what it is without clinging to it or rejecting it or ruminating about it.
Ofosu Jones-Quartey
If I'm suffering in any way, it just means there's something I'm not being mindful of.
Dan Harris
Meditation is where perfectionism comes to die.
Dan Harris
Turns out the pain that I was holding really wasn't mine.
Ofosu Jones-Quartey
If we don't transform pain, we will transmit this.
Ofosu Jones-Quartey
You don't really know how much you've changed until you look back at the last five years.
Ofosu Jones-Quartey
Mindfulness is a way to be aware and to care.
Ofosu Jones-Quartey
Life is strange and mysterious. You didn't make it strange and mysterious, and you didn't make it challenging. Now, we can all make it more challenging, but it's not your fault that life is weird and difficult.
Ofosu Jones-Quartey
3 Protocols
Open Awareness Meditation (Dan Harris's Suggested Approach)
Dan Harris- Start the meditation session with a concentration practice, such as a body scan or loving kindness, to focus and settle the mind.
- Once the mind is somewhat settled, open up the awareness to choiceless attention, being mindful of whatever arises.
- Use mental noting (e.g., 'hearing,' 'thinking,' 'pleasant,' 'unpleasant') as a gentle whisper in the mind to stay engaged with the present moment.
Open Awareness Meditation (Ofosu Jones-Quartey's Suggested Approach)
Ofosu Jones-Quartey- Begin by lightly noticing the breath, typically at the abdomen, holding attention gently.
- After a short period with the breath, drop into a more choiceless awareness, allowing the flow of all experiences (thoughts, sensations, sounds) to be present without choosing one specific focus.
- Experiment with either mental noting or a 'silent noting' approach, simply being aware of what's there without explicit labels, allowing space between observations.
Depersonalizing Suffering (Brother Phap Lin's Advice)
Brother Phap Lin (as recounted by Ofosu Jones-Quartey)- Consider the specific type of suffering you are experiencing.
- Reflect on all beings who have experienced similar suffering throughout history, around the world currently, and who will experience it in the future.
- Recognize that this broader perspective makes your personal experience of suffering feel less personal, as it is a wave moving through the human condition rather than solely your own burden.