I'm trying to go to sleep so I'll keep this short, but HOW do you actually learn to meditate? I hear all this talk of it in left wing spaces, I know Breht from RevLeft is biiiig on it and some other non leftists I follow also advocate for it as a method of consciousness exploration so I've been thinking I should start doing something like it.

Are there good resources out there for this that aren't neolib corporate happiness woo? I've been freaking the fuck out lately about how we all gonn' die and climate change and The Fash (which must be bashed, or so I've been told) and I gotta try....something to get me to chill the fuck out. I may genuinely start a psychiatric medication soon but I'm really trying to get my life back on the rails, I really found a lot of the last two years traumatic for a variety of reasons so I'm trying to integrate additional healthy habits as well as getting back onto old ones that fell off

Also bonus points for lectures/podcasts on Eastern philosophy in general

  • Wertheimer [any]
    ·
    3 years ago

    I've been dabbling but haven't found an ideal introduction that isn't politically suspect. Jon Kabat-Zinn is a dubious character , despite his illustrious father-in-law. But even if there are iffy political implications - mindfulness being used to "accept" the status quo, or help you become a less stressed capitalist, or whathaveyou - the discipline is still worth exploring so as to not constantly freak the fuck out about how we're all gonna die.

    As for lectures on Eastern thought, these are available on Hoopla, if your local library uses that platform. Maybe some other audiobook streaming services, as well.

    https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/great-minds-of-the-eastern-intellectual-tradition

    https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/great-world-religions-hinduism

    And one on mindfulness that purports to be more science-oriented: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-positive-mind-mindfulness-and-the-science-of-happiness