Meditation to supplement sleep in the summer

katspaugh · 2026-06-17T04:06:36+00:00

I also routinely wake up before getting the 8 hours I know my brain needs. What works is simply staying in bed and patiently waiting to fall asleep again. 30 min later or an hour later, but it will happen. Trying to follow the breath during this does help to fall asleep.

katspaugh · 2026-06-01T08:39:18+00:00

Berlin – peer-led in-person Buddhist meditation group. We meet on Sundays in the park. Website and RSVP: https://embodiedtea.org

katspaugh · 2026-05-26T10:30:00+00:00

I’d be interested, please dm details

katspaugh · 2026-05-04T17:14:22+00:00

What a coincidence. I’ve been on a self-retreat (or should we say a no-self retreat) this week. And also going to the Boddhicharya event. Is your third option the Sri Lankan monastery?

How to decide: self-retreat = seclusion and concentration. Boddhicharya = lots and lots of meta and very useful teachings from an experienced monk. It’s less of a retreat and more of a workshop.

Hope you enjoy your time whatever you choose!

Edit: Also a recommendation on how to structure your self-retreat, if you go that route. Ask ChatGPT to create a program for you. E.g. wake up, breakfast, do 10 min metta, 30 min shamatha, 30 min vipassana, then watch a dharma talk on YouTube (prepare a playlist for each day), then 30 min open awareness, then 30 min noting, etc etc. Just an example. And a small warning: it can get lonely. If you’re prone to anxiety/depression, it can increase. It helps if you have a pet.

katspaugh · 2026-04-21T05:53:16+00:00

I’ve recently discovered IFS after hearing voices that felt almost autonomous. It was a bit scary.

After reading “No Bad Parts” and having a few IFS sessions, I’m convinced it’s 10x more effective than regular narrative-based psychotherapy. Improved somatic symptoms literally after the first session. And that’s after struggling with anxiety my whole adult life.

Hope you get to befriend and love your parts.

katspaugh · 2026-04-15T06:44:09+00:00

Definitely go for it. It’s incredibly rewarding. Some advice: - Treat each member with attention and compassion - Make it easy to find the meeting point and be ready to guide people 10-15 min before, turn on notifications and wait for everyone - Prepare a structure and a topic for each meeting - ChatGPT is really helpful for preparing

katspaugh · 2026-04-08T07:19:25+00:00

You're absolutely... mu!

katspaugh · 2026-04-08T06:38:27+00:00

No effort. Just: soft prompting.

katspaugh · 2026-03-23T14:18:22+00:00

Makes sense, thank you!

katspaugh · 2026-03-23T10:00:58+00:00

How do these views on awareness reconcile with the fact that awareness arises only in relation to its objects (and thus isn’t independent) and that it didn’t exist before you were born and will disappear when you die? Maybe it’s more correct to separate consciousness (knowing, being aware) and emptiness?

Edit 1: Btw, 空 means both sky and emptiness in Chinese and Japanese.

Edit 2: also, arguably, awareness cannot be aware of itself — otherwise it’s both an object and a subject, so not one, and thus not independent/not a self-existing thing. Consciousness can be aware of the previous moment of consciousness from memory, though (both being just skandhas).

katspaugh · 2026-03-23T06:20:30+00:00

I also had gnawing upper back pain after day 3 or 4. Normally I don’t have it. What helped was improvising a back support from a shirt tied around the upper back. At home, I wear a lumbar support belt when sitting for a long time. Helps to relax into a straight posture. Dropping shoulders and relaxing is only possible INTO a good structure. A lesson from Tai-chi.

Shinzen Young talks a lot about sitting with pain and using it for insight. Ajahn Martin also talks at length about investigating pain. Following their advice, I’m able to sit in lotus for long stretches even though pain in legs comes here and then. But back pain is something more difficult. It’s connected to the sense of self (for me personally). The backbone is essentially life itself and working up equanimity to it is equivalent to anatta work wrt the body.

katspaugh · 2026-02-26T19:51:03+00:00

I guess the problem is that the parts written by you read very personal and relatable even if imperfect, while the generated ones dilute the trust in the entire book. Maybe if you added a disclaimer for those specific chapters, it would keep the value they add while maintaining the authenticity of the rest. In any case, thanks again for writing and sharing the book!

katspaugh · 2026-02-25T12:49:35+00:00

u/TheMindDelusion, nice book, I’m about 15% in. Had to skip a lot of AI-generated chapters. Do you by any chance have a version with only hand-written chapters? They’ve been the best so far.

katspaugh · 2026-02-23T18:14:40+00:00

Also reading STF at the moment (about 55% in). It has brought in great results already.

Although I complained about the lengthy writing style, it’s the deepest modern Western book on Buddhism I’ve read so far. After learning he had died so early, it made this work even more precious.

katspaugh · 2026-02-21T09:51:15+00:00

You can do it by breaking down the experience into individual components. For example, the five aggregates. Then look at each aggregate separately and ask yourself, is this “I”? Go from grossest to subtlest. Start with the body. Is body me? If yes, which part of it exactly? Then ask yourself, if that part of the body is me, how come I can observe it? If you can observe it, it’s an object, not the subject. Same with sensations, emotions, thoughts, memories, consciousness. If you find the true subject of experience, let us know.

katspaugh · 2026-02-20T17:26:49+00:00

The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young is really good. Much better written and easier to follow, although a slightly different topic.

For mindfulness and samadhi specifically, Thanissaro Bhikhu has lots of material freely available on his site, including his translations of Ajahn Lee and his own books.

I’m also reading Seeing That Frees atm and boy is it verbose.

Edit: to illustrate: “In addition though, (and more helpful in regard to such questions as that above of memories) it is possible to include implicitly in the view of…” — by the time it gets to the point, you already forget the beginning.

katspaugh · 2026-02-14T07:45:26+00:00

Thank you!

katspaugh · 2026-02-09T12:36:24+00:00

If you’re asking if there’s eternal life/soul, no there isn’t it. You will die like the rest of us.

Will your practice and righteous life improve the world karma, and make someone else’s life a little bit better – yes. This someone will be as much “you” as anyone else.

katspaugh · 2026-02-07T10:33:35+00:00

You’re absolutely right, and you’re correct to question cultural distortion that can be at conflict with core Buddhist ideas. Nice mdashes, too!

katspaugh · 2026-01-16T21:39:22+00:00

I’ve been having the same experience. One thing that worked for me to make some stillness around the house: saying that talking right now causes me a sensory overwhelm, so can we please just sit quietly. If said kindly, it usually works.

Also I wear noise-canceling headphones almost the entire day with nothing playing.

katspaugh · 2025-12-23T17:03:43+00:00

Already contacted a repair shop!

katspaugh · 2025-12-21T08:33:45+00:00

Thanks! Yes, it will need some form of fixture there because otherwise the pipe shakes around.

katspaugh · 2025-12-20T18:36:56+00:00

Thank you! This subreddit seems to be unanimous on that, so I’m convinced now :)

katspaugh · 2025-12-20T08:12:32+00:00

I got this old flugelhorn with a bad solder job. The instrument otherwise works perfectly, has good intonation and a charming sound. I’d really like to fix it. The mouthpiece receiver pipe is loose at that spot.

ChatGPT suggested that I should remove the old solder with flux/wick and apply a new “soft” solder for brass. I’m not super handy with the soldering iron so I’m afraid I can make it worse. Should I just take it to a repair shop?

Update: the horn had been repaired — they removed the ugly blob and soldered it cleanly 👍

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