Practice Library

Four Kinds of Intelligence for Optimal Mental Health and Balance

D1S3 - William James on Attention, and the Shamatha Project

Lama Alan · 67 minutes

William James held that each of us chooses, by our ways of attending, what sort of universe we appear to inhabit. Lama Alan turns that on narcissism and on low self-esteem, and on why a materialist and a contemplative find different things obviously real. James also thought sustained attention a fixed trait; the three month Shamatha Project, with seventy subjects, showed otherwise. Relaxation supports stability, stability supports vividness, and skipping a step ends in burnout.

Consciousness and science Depression and low mood Emotional balance Habits and change Relaxation Self-criticism and shame Stress and burnout Shamatha (calm abiding)

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