Scatterdness and Distraction and the Stress that they Engender.

Scatterdness and Distraction and the Stress that they Engender.

Any of us who feel stressed are no doubt subject to being scattered and distracted.

Scatterbrained is being overwhelmed with diverse thoughts, it differs from distraction because it originates internally, rather than externally. Scatterdness of mind, and distraction, are two of the “Twenty Unwholesome States of Mind” outlined by the Buddhist philosopher, Vasubandu.  Let’s examine them.

Most of us are guilty of planning more than we can possibly fulfill. The consequence is that when we set out to do something, other things vie for our attention, and we can no longer focus solely on our initial pursuit. Whenever we must juggle our priorities, we become stressed in the process. Our attention is scattered, and we cannot enjoy what we are doing.

Distraction differs from scatterdness because it does not arise from poor planning, but rather from the external pull of things and events, which cause an inability to make a clear choice amongst the options presented or resist them altogether.

Distraction is caused by a predisposition towards things and events. We habituate our mind to being, disposed towards attractive objects of various sorts, and activities by our thinking. These dispositions created by our thinking lay dormant until an external stimulus brings them to life.

Our musings during idle moments will demand our attention when what we have imagined presents itself in real time. That magazine we flipped through at the dentist office, making mental notes of our likes and dislikes, may be forgotten as our teeth get drilled, only to emerge when conditions arise that bring those mental notes into contact with the real thing. This causes distraction; we are distracted by things we unconsciously primed ourselves for.

Understanding scatterdness and distraction is important if we are to lead lives with less stress. If we understand that we create our own misery through our thinking, we can prevent it the same way. We inadvertently set traps for ourselves and later walk into them. Our predicament is wholly preventable, it only requires that we cultivate an awareness of how seemingly innocuous thoughts can take control when they solidify, causing us to become puppets whose strings are pulled by a puppeteer of our own making.

For the most part, both scatterdness and distraction can be prevented by a proactive approach wherein we strive to keep our mind engaged and free of idleness which is generally the source of all our ills. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” is very true. By preventing idleness, and keeping the mind engaged, we leave little room for the seeds of discontentment to take root.

Since we cannot always be doing things, we can engage the mind in meditation during our spare time. In fact, when asked when he meditates, the great saint Paramahansa Yogananda remarked, “during my idle time”. Emulating such a blessed figure is a good idea.

Generally, when we have idle time, we think of something to do with it, rather than think of how to do nothing with it and be engaged in that “doing nothing.” But, the aim of meditation is to learn how to become engaged the mind itself, without contriving it in any way. We only need to pick a simple form of meditation and do it when we are idle. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but this discomfort will gradually transform itself into an enthusiasm for meditation, a thirst for it that is almost uncanny (because there is interest, but no object of interest!).

Basically, what we are doing is subduing a mind that is projecting out, scatterdness, and anchoring a mind that is being pulled out, distraction, and engaging it, without any support. This leads to being content in our own skin.

There are external supports to all the above, the most important of which is associating with likeminded people. The people in our lives determine the quality of our lives more than we may realize. People bring us down or lift us up, and we do the same to others. Therefore, we should seek mutually beneficial companionship, for, while being uplifted is of course a source of happiness, uplifting others is equally so. If we can have harmonious, mutually supportive friendships, our way will be easier.

I hope I have said something that helps my reader make more sense of these two “unwholesome mental states”. This effort to write about them was in part stirred by my own interest to clarify my own mind about these “states”.  If you feel I have succeeded, please share this article with others.

Comments