Three Mindfulness Strategies from Joseph Goldstein (2020)
This episode features Joseph Goldstein, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, discussing three meditation strategies: mindfulness of thinking, awareness of rushing, and gaining insight from everyday activities. He emphasizes noticing subtle thoughts and letting go of wanting.
Deep Dive Analysis
14 Topic Outline
Noticing Quickly Passing Thoughts in Daily Life
How Unnoticed Thoughts Condition Emotions
Mindfulness of Thinking: A Scalable Daily Practice
The Delusion-Wisdom Distinction in Thought Awareness
Background Thoughts as Background Music Analogy
Profound Insight from Ordinary Activities
Overcoming the Tendency to Lean into the Next Moment
“Nothing to Want”: The Essence of Meditative Practice
Interweaving Directed and Choiceless Awareness
“What is Being Known?”: A Framework for Open Awareness
Meditation Postures and the Role of Effort
The Importance of Reflecting on Motivation
Planting Seeds of Wholesome Thought
The Power of Formal Precepts and Intentions
8 Key Concepts
Quickly Passing Thoughts
These are thoughts lasting 15-30 seconds that often go unnoticed, causing one to be lost in their content without awareness of thinking. They subtly condition emotions and contribute to one's inner mental environment throughout the day.
Delusion vs. Wisdom (in thought awareness)
Delusion is being unmindfully lost in the story or content of a thought. Wisdom is the moment of becoming aware that one is thinking, recognizing the thought itself rather than just its content.
Background Thoughts as Background Music
This analogy describes how subtle, continuous background thoughts influence emotions in a similar way that background music in a TV show manipulates a viewer's feelings, often without conscious awareness of the influence.
Leaning into What's Coming Next
This is a common tendency in meditation where the mind anticipates and desires the next moment or a different experience, such as wanting a sensation to ease or an emotion to change, instead of fully engaging with the present moment as it is.
“Nothing to Want”
A profound insight derived from the understanding that 'whatever has the nature to arise will also pass away.' This concept encourages dropping back from entanglement in the meditative process, releasing desire for specific outcomes, and experiencing a momentary end of craving.
Interweaving Directed and Choiceless Awareness
A balanced approach to meditation practice that combines periods of making effort and directing the mind (e.g., focusing on breath, cultivating loving-kindness) with periods of allowing the mind to rest in open, effortless awareness (coasting).
Effort Creates Energy
This principle suggests that making an effort, even when feeling tired or distracted, can raise the energy level in the entire system, making it easier to then settle into a more effortless or choiceless state of awareness in meditation and life.
Bhavana (Cultivation)
The ancient word for meditation, which translates to cultivation, emphasizing that meditation is a process of repeatedly planting and nurturing seeds of wholesome thought and understanding over time, leading to tangible benefits in this life.
7 Questions Answered
Start by taking very short periods (e.g., five minutes) to observe quickly passing thoughts during ordinary activities like walking, showering, or washing dishes, without judgment, just noticing when you get lost in thought.
Unnoticed thoughts, even short and seemingly innocuous ones, subtly condition different emotions, creating an inner mental environment and influencing how you feel, much like background music in a movie.
Delusion is being lost in the content or story of a thought without awareness that you are thinking. Wisdom is the moment you become aware of the thought itself, recognizing it as 'thinking.'
Reflect on the phrase 'whatever has the nature to arise will also pass away, therefore there's nothing to want.' This can help the mind drop back from entanglement and release the desire for specific outcomes, leading to a momentary experience of non-craving.
Not necessarily; 'whatever works' is the principle. While upright postures can generate energy, relaxed positions like lying down are acceptable if the mind remains alert and doesn't become hazy or sleepy. It's about finding what helps you stay awake and aware.
Regularly reflect on your initial, altruistic motivations for the task. Realigning with the intention to be helpful or of service can shift your energy and make the process feel less exhausting, even if other motivations are also present.
Setting intentions or using reminders (like a note on your computer) plants powerful seeds of wholesome thought and acts as a 'mindfulness belt.' It serves as a reminder at critical moments, helping you align with your values and intentions, similar to formally taking ethical precepts.
12 Actionable Insights
1. Mindful of Passing Thoughts
Make it a practice throughout the day, especially during ordinary activities like walking or showering, to notice quickly passing thoughts (15-30 seconds) and whether you are aware of them or lost in their content. Start with short, five-minute periods, approaching it with humor and interest, as this reveals how thoughts subtly condition emotions and highlights the difference between delusion and wisdom.
2. Practice “Nothing to Want”
During meditation, use the phrase “whatever has the nature to arise will also pass away, therefore there’s nothing to want,” or simply “there’s nothing to want” (or “not wanting”) as a mantra. This practice helps the mind drop back from entanglement and subtle cravings, offering a momentary experience of freedom from suffering.
3. Observe Background Influences
Become aware of subtle background influences, such as music or background thoughts, that condition your emotions without your conscious awareness. Noticing these influences, which function like background music to your life, can free your mind from unknowing mental reactions and create greater spaciousness for discernment and choice.
4. Practice “What Is Being Known?”
Hold the question “What is being known?” in your mind, moment after moment, during meditation or daily activities. This practice connects you to the arising moment, fostering a deep sense of the momentariness of phenomena and helping to reduce identification with the self.
5. Interweave Effort and Effortlessness
In your meditation practice, interweave periods of “directed awareness” (making effort, like focusing on a specific object or cultivating states) with “choiceless awareness” (effortless, open awareness). Develop an intuitive feel for which approach is helpful at a particular time, balancing focused effort with allowing things to unfold naturally.
6. Realign with Core Motivation
When feeling exhausted or stuck in an activity, pause to reflect on and realign with your initial, positive motivation for doing it. Consciously bringing to mind your purpose (e.g., helping others, making something awesome) can shift your energy and provide a cleaner, more sustainable drive.
7. Plant Seeds of Wholesome Thought
Regularly plant “seeds of wholesome thought” by setting positive intentions or repeating phrases (e.g., “May you be at ease” in metta practice) in the morning or throughout the day. Recognize the immense potential of these small, consistent actions to bear fruit and cultivate understanding over time.
8. Formally Articulate Intentions
Formally articulate your intentions or ethical precepts (e.g., daily, weekly) to yourself. This act plants a seed and creates a “mindfulness belt” that serves as a powerful reminder at critical moments, helping you pause and consider your actions before potentially breaking your stated values.
9. Effort Generates Energy
Understand that making an effort in practice (e.g., maintaining a formal posture, returning to a primary object) creates energy within the system. This increased energy and momentum can then make it easier to settle into a more effortless, choiceless awareness.
10. Practice “Nothing to Do”
Use phrases like “nothing to do, nowhere to go” or “nothing to do, nothing to be, nothing to have” as a mantra during meditation. This helps to release the tendency to “lean in” or “win at meditation,” allowing the process to unfold naturally without striving.
11. Experiment with Meditation Postures
Experiment with various meditation postures, including sitting upright, reclining, or lying down, to find what works best for you. The key is to maintain alertness; if a posture leads to drowsiness, try another that supports wakefulness and comfort.
12. Embrace “Cheesy” Practices for Freedom
Do not shy away from practices that might seem “cheesy” or overly simple, such as setting intentions or using repetitive phrases. Embracing these seemingly unsophisticated tools can be incredibly helpful and lead to greater freedom in your practice and life.
7 Key Quotes
Every time we're in these thoughts unmindfully, you know, it's like we're lost in the dream for that short period of time, it is creating an inner mental environment.
Joseph Goldstein
When we're lost in the story, unmindful, we don't know it, lost, that's delusion. In the moment of becoming aware, oh, thinking. So that's wisdom.
Joseph Goldstein
Our background thoughts are functioning almost exactly the same way as the background music to our lives.
Joseph Goldstein
Whatever has the nature to arise will also pass away. Therefore, there's nothing to want.
Joseph Goldstein
Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself.
Li Po (quoted by Joseph Goldstein)
Effort creates energy.
Joseph Goldstein
If you can't be cheesy, you can't be free.
Guest on the show (quoted by Dan Harris)
3 Protocols
Practice for Noticing Quickly Passing Thoughts
Joseph Goldstein- Choose a short period of time, like five minutes.
- Engage in an ordinary daily activity where you're not interacting with others (e.g., taking a shower, going for a walk, washing dishes).
- Keep an eye out for quickly passing thoughts that bubble up.
- Notice when you are lost in the content of these thoughts without being aware you are thinking.
- Observe how these thoughts, even subtle ones, might be conditioning your emotions.
- Repeat for other short periods throughout the day, building slowly.
Practice for Releasing Wanting in Meditation
Joseph Goldstein- Bring to mind the phrase: 'Whatever has the nature to arise will also pass away, therefore there's nothing to want.'
- Alternatively, use a shorter phrase like 'there's nothing to want' or 'not wanting.'
- Notice the momentary release from wanting, even for desires you didn't consciously know were present.
- Experiment with your own phrases that have a similar effect.
Motivation Re-alignment Practice
Joseph Goldstein- When feeling exhausted or overwhelmed by a task (e.g., writing a book), pause.
- Reflect on your initial, altruistic motivation for undertaking the task (e.g., to be helpful, to be of service).
- Realign with this core motivation.
- Observe if this shift in focus changes your energy or perspective.