[Herring]

http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

That's what works for me. It's not at all involved, just concentrate on breathing. When the mind wanders, just pause & (non-judgmentally) go back to observing the breath.

Of course YMMV, but I find half an hour a day is enough.

[dpapathanasiou]

"It's not at all involved, just concentrate on breathing. When the mind wanders, just pause & (non-judgmentally) go back to observing the breath."

That's the same method "Happy to Burn" describes, but I still find it a case of "easier said than done", and difficult to do.

[rjurney]

That is the case, and that is the point. It is very hard, in fact impossible to do for more than a few seconds without practice. Which is the problem you are solving by practicing. If you can make yourself just sit there, not scolding yourself as you drift, but always returning to silence and the breath, you can go longer and longer without thinking.

Its just like physical exercise - repetition makes you better. And just like physical exercise, it makes your entire life better.

[dpapathanasiou]

Right, and that's why I thought to comment about "It's not at all involved" - it is that involved.

[Herring]

I think I read somewhere in the book that concentration isn't all that important (& in fact you don't want to develop it too far). You're mostly trying to observe yourself lightly, & to catch yourself.