Pretty much as the title suggests: does it harm to meditate before sleeping? For me if I meditate seriously my mind is swept over with awakeness. as a consequence when I go to sleep I remain awake for sometime and keep thinking useless thoughts. so it kind of hinders my sleep. Is there a good practice or should meditation before sleep be avoided?

In the context of the historical and doctrinal development of mindfulness, how did the concept of "sati" in early Buddhist texts evolve into the contemporary practice of mindfulness? What are the key teachings and scriptures within the Pāli Canon that highlight this evolution, and how have these ancient principles been adapted or transformed in modern psychological and therapeutic frameworks?

Recently, I came across a [Scientific American article](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-improve-prospective-memory-the-ability-to-remember-to-remember/) on prospective memory (PM). I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between PM and mindfulness as below: 1. Both have significant impact on our well-being. Failure to be mindful just like failure to remember or carry out a future intention have a direct impact on our happiness. 2. Both mindfulness and PM deals with the future. In the case of mindfulness, one needs to keep the Dharma in mind and apply it to whatever circumstances (involving thoughts, speech or actions) that may arises. 3. The quality of both are affected by alcohol consumption. So, could mindfulness be a form of PM? I suppose one way is to measure PM quality in practitioners of mindfulness to see if there is a positive correlation. If there is a positive correlation, could this also be [an objective measurement](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/brain-impairment/article/abs/memory-for-intentions-screening-test-psychometric-properties-and-clinical-evidence/2AE5CD8ACE6252CC3E83B6B894053C75) w.r.t the quality of a person’s mindfulness?

For quite some time now, no matter what innocuous thing I do my mind can randomly wonder to some past experience for no reason at all other than a common bond between the memory and present action or experience. A few examples: - I am making a cup of tea and my mind wanders to a conversation I had 15 years ago with a person about brewing a cup of tea. - I make some food and my mind wanders to a person I once cooked food with a decade ago. - I am walking and see leaves on the ground and my mind wanders to a memory of my youth 3 decades ago when I played with leaves. My main practice is a form of mindfulness and observation of any klesha and applying an antidote on its arrival. When these thoughts arise I stop them instantly. The issue is that they can happen randomly at at any time, and that I do not know their cause or how to stop them from arising. Why is this? Is this part of the root poison of desire, to desire to be "I/me" and the memories of the past reinforcing this, clinging? Is it a by product of the mind-stream (past/present/future) that cannot be avoided? Is this something that all beings suffer from up to or even after arhantship? Of course I can bring up a memory for context on command. My mind was not always so calm. It was once unruly and I was able to be completely controlled by kleshas. In the above situations, the memories are not being commanded as well as I am not being controlled by kleshas. I am not asking for personal advice on how to deal with it, because in a more conventional sense it is just a simple distraction that I as a practitioner apply an antidote and alleviate. Is this wandering usual, what is its cause, and can it be completely eradicated? My mind is not defiled by any sort of strong klesha. These do not seem like general defilements. They are short lived, 2 seconds and I am back to sati of the present moment, but this has been going on for so long now. I feel either this is something I would need to do something specific to eradicate (I do not know what) or it is something that others also experience frequently and is just part of the samsaric experience. Something not to be concerned about.

Usually Sati is translated as Mindfulness, but according to the Wikipedia entry, Mindfulness is described as follows: >Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the practice of meditation and other training. The term "mindfulness" is a translation of the Pali term sati, which is a significant element of Buddhist traditions. According to suttacentral's entry, Sati is defined as memory, recognition, consciousness, intentness of mind, wakefulness of mind etc. My question is then, is it a mistake to call Sati Mindfulness, since Minsfulness means awareness. Now Sati is always used with his close companion sampajañña, which in turn makes the attention always directed to moral attitudes etc., whereas "mainstream mindfulness" just observes inner and outer phenomena with an open, curious and beginners mind. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness https://suttacentral.net/search?query=sati

How does mindfulness lead to jhana? How does contemplating the four frames - body, mind, feelings, dhamma (phenomena) lead to jhana? Is mindfulness the first jhana (Vitarka-vicāra )?

A Wikipedia article about Sati uses the word "upassanā" > According to Grzegorz Polak, the four upassanā have been misunderstood by the developing Buddhist tradition, ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(Buddhism) However, I could not find the word in Pali dictionary and a Google search did not explain the term. The term 'nupassana' however is found on Google but neither in Pali dictionar . There is upasana in Sanskrit. What is this term upassana or nupassana and where is it used?

Is trying to find causes of everything not a good practise? Isn't having rational mind a good thing? I know that the Lord Buddha advised us to not to think about beginning of life. Because it make us crazy. There may be some other things like this. I realize that this thinking causes me to loose sati. Why that thing happen? How long does it exists? etc. Most of these thinking causes to stuck at a loop. It feels like it wastes lot of energy for nonsense. But I have fear of stopping this. Do I have to just stop thinking and let it go? Do I have to forget things without knowing causes of it? How do I select what to think and what not to think? How this affects sati? What Lord Buddha said about this? How should I handle this rationality?

Sometimes, I caught me on talking in mind. Sometimes my tongue moves according to it. Sometimes I talk to myself. This feels very fast and hard to control. There also intuition like thinking. For a example, to move a hand we don't have to say to move. Also I can read a book without moving the tongue. (mind talking) This feels very calm. I like to be in this state. When I want start a work, I need to make my mind silent. What is going on here?

Recently, I started to be aware of my actions as stated in Sathipattana sutta. Today, I was aware about my movements when I moving a object. And I placed it in a wrong place. This happened multiple times. Before this practise, I aware about where to put the object but not movements. But today, the opposite. What am I doing wrong here?

Does speed of body movements affects the mind? Do we have to slow down our actions to have a better sati? It feels it does affects. But are there any sutta about this? How that works?

I would like a clarification regarding the terms Yoniso Manasikāra and Sammā sati with Sampajaññā. Is the meaning of these two: 1. the same, 2. totally different, 3. somewhat similar with certain differences, or, 4. are they used in different situations with contextual differences in meaning?

In daily Life, I always trying to focus on single good thought so no space for bad. When I did something, I tend to analyse it wether it is good or bad. It is deep most of the time because I am trying to follow five precepts. It seems like I am doing nothing wrong. So I trying to understand deeper clingings (klesha) that are not visible to outside. Most of the time, I am stuck in a loop. But, I recently realize that I'm living in a different world. I am far away from the real world. I was trying to improve samadhi but it weaken the sati. Trying to have a single thought feels heavy to mind. Focus on environment feels calm/less heavy/simple. So How am I improve the situation? I think I have some kind of fear of doing something wrong. Focusing on something good prevent coming wrong thoughts to mind. I heard these kind of advices from monks. But this prevent having sati. Should I have a general idea of good/bad deeds and stop trying to have a single thought always so I can be aware about the environment (have sati)? Have a specific time for a day to reflect about deeds did during the day. Are there any sutta which contrast sati and samadhi?

Did Lord Buddha tell something about this ? (Relationship between sati and memory) There was a monk in Buddha's time who is enlightened but didn't have a strong memory. To be enlightened, some has to have a strong sati.

Dearest friends, seeking to clarify my fragmentary understanding of these matters, I would very much appreciate your comments on the distinction between **Sati** *Mindfulness* and **Yonisomanasikara** *Attention by way of the Matrix*. Warmhearted, grateful thanks for you taking the time to offer some help.

What are the characteristics of a person with zero sati and a person with higher level of sati ? How does this level of sati affects day to day life ? What does it really mean to have sati ?

To develop sati, we should meditate. So, what should I avoid to maintain sati?

I never felt asleep,When I am watching TV.But when I am studying or listening to *Dhamma*, **sometimes** I have felt asleep. What may be the cause of this ? But I can say, if I am falling asleep while watching TV,it is because of tiredness. How can we stop become sleepy by developing *Sati*? ( I read the advice from *Lord Buddha* to *Arahant Moggollana* to overcome sleepiness.But I need to know the cause of sleepiness and how to prevent it before it arises)

Why work on one thing at a time according to the buddhism ? Did Lord Buddha advise us to do that ? Are there any deep desires in multi-tasking ? (Like wanting to gain more in short amount of time) **Edit:** I mean by "doing one thing at a time" is working on 2 different subjects at the same time(Without finishing the first work) . Ex: practising samatha and vipassana together, learning maths and arts at the same time. **Edit:** Example for "not doing one thing at a time" : Started to write a book yesterday. Whithout finishing it, starting to write an another book today.

*Anapanasati* is usually described as "mindfulness of breathing" but I've seen a member of this site describing it as "mindfulness with breathing". *Sati* or mindfulness (as seen in the parable of the bowl filled to the brim with oil, of SN 47.20 ) is keeping the mind on the task, and not allowing the mind to become distracted. What is the simplest version of *anapanasati*? I found a very simple instruction set in SN 54.3 (quoted below). There may be other suttas too. But I find this description from SN 54.3 insufficient and requires elaboration. While breathing, what is it that one is mindful of? Is one mindful of the breath, or mindful of something else? The sutta states: "They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’" What does "breathe in observing letting go" and "breathe out observing letting go" mean? Letting go of what? Do you let go, or do you observe the letting go? How do you observe the letting go (rather than letting go)? What is the simplest instruction for the practice of *anapanasati*? Especially for people who are not well-versed in the teachings and maybe even non-Buddhist? Such people may not have the patience for lengthy and complicated instructions. From SN 54.3 : > “Mendicants, when mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated > it’s very fruitful and beneficial. And how is mindfulness of breathing > developed and cultivated to be very fruitful and beneficial? > > It’s when a mendicant has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a > tree, or to an empty hut. They sit down cross-legged, with their body > straight, and establish mindfulness right there. > > Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. … > > They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They > practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’ > > Mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated in this way, > is very fruitful and beneficial.”