lee, i copy&#x2F;pasted one of my hn comments below, that describes my meditation.  there&#x27;s a lot of lingo in your link that i don&#x27;t understand.  can you comment on what i describe as stage 1 and 2 below, and if that is related to stream entry, etc.?<p>--<p>2009: 1 hr<p>2010: 30 min<p>2011-2014: 10 min<p>2015-present: 0-10 min<p>these are my daily averages. i have one rule: before I go to bed, I must assume the lotus position on the floor in front of my bed.<p>2015 was particularly a challenging year for me (startup problems), and it was all i could do to even assume the lotus position for a second. so for much of 2015 i really didn&#x27;t meditate, which was ironically when i probably needed it the most. such is my life.<p>it takes around 4 minutes for me to reach what i call stage 1. this is when all the normal chatter in your mind ceases and your breathing is synced (i&#x27;ve also noticed that it takes around 40 breaths, which is roughly 4 min, so sometimes for shits and giggles i just count to 40). after much trial and error i&#x27;ve noticed i don&#x27;t even need to do anything; it&#x27;s the mere passage of 4 minutes that gets me to stage 1.<p>thereafter is when the real effort begins. it is a constant effort to reach what i call stage 2, or what i consider the beginning of true mindfulness, which means you are neither thinking of the past nor the future. i would say i only enter stage 2 at seconds at a time, only to fall out again into stage 1 (usually by an intruding thought, and that thought is usually &quot;oh, i&#x27;ve got it!&quot;).<p>to be honest, i don&#x27;t know what the effects have been for me. i seriously don&#x27;t feel any different. anyway, how are we to separate the effects of meditation with the normal process of maturation or aging? am i getting calmer because of meditation or because i am getting older?<p>i take it on faith. faith in data and science. our personal experience with meditation cannot be the guide with which we measure it&#x27;s effectiveness, because subjective experience is exactly that. i liken it to flossing. i floss my teeth every day but still have worse gum recession than those who do not. my periodontist and dentist chalk it up to genetics, because that is the best they can conjecture based on the current science. we can measure flossing easily; without a brain scanner in our basement we cannot so measure effects of meditation. so from the research i take it on faith that the effects must be beneficial on my brain.