tamhonkhoe.comConvergence 0 – Week 1: Pause
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This week: read three short passages slowly, practise for 10 minutes a day, and try pausing for one breath before you react in daily life.
1. Traditional teaching
The three traditions below differ deeply in what they believe. This week only places them side by side on one small act: stopping for a moment instead of being carried away.
Buddhism: knowing how the breath is
[Traditional teaching] This tradition teaches that practice begins by sitting down, setting the body straight and bringing awareness to the present. The practitioner does not force the breath to be long or short, but simply knows clearly how the breath is, and lets the whole body settle.
Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out.
Breathing in heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing in heavily.’ Breathing out heavily they know: ‘I’m breathing out heavily.’
Breathing in lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing in lightly.’ Breathing out lightly they know: ‘I’m breathing out lightly.’
They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in experiencing the whole body.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out experiencing the whole body.’
They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in stilling the physical process.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out stilling the physical process.’
Christianity: being still before God
[Traditional teaching] In this tradition, stillness is not only a way to calm body and mind. It is tied to faith in God: the believer stops trying to manage everything alone, in order to remember that God is present.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth.”
A note on context: the verse just before (verse 9) speaks of God making wars cease and breaking weapons. [Inference] In its original setting, "be still" can therefore be read as words addressed to nations at war, not only as an invitation to personal quiet. Many readers today use the verse for silent prayer. The Christian reviewer will say which reading is common in their tradition.
Stoicism: wait, let me see what you are
[Traditional teaching] This tradition teaches that what troubles us is often not the event itself but the impression we have of it, and our haste to agree with that impression. The practitioner learns to delay for a moment, examine the impression, and only then decide.
But in the first place, be not hurried away by the rapidity of the appearance, but say, Appearances, wait for me a little; let me see who you are, and what you are about; let me put you to the test. And then do not allow the appearance to lead you on and draw lively pictures of the things which will follow; for if you do, it will carry you off wherever it pleases.
A note on context: in this chapter Epictetus is speaking mainly about impressions that stir up desire. [Inference] The "wait a little" method is used more broadly here, for anger or worry too. Right after this passage he also tells the practitioner to remember God and call on him for help; ancient Stoicism was not a purely secular way of life.
Where the traditions differ
[Expert judgement] On the surface, all three passages are about pausing. Underneath, they differ on core points:
| Buddhism (MN 10) | Christianity (Psalm 46) | Stoicism (Epictetus) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why pause | To see body and mind as they are | To know God and trust him | To test whether an impression is true before assenting |
| Directed towards | One's own experience | A God beyond oneself | One's own reason and choice |
| Wider aim in the tradition | Liberation from suffering (Nibbāna) | Relationship with God | Living in accordance with reason and virtue |
This week borrows only one shared action: a single pause. You do not need to accept the beliefs of any tradition to do it, and the week should not be read as saying the three traditions are "really the same".
2. What science finds
- [Verified] A 2014 systematic review pooled 47 randomised trials with 3,515 participants. Mindfulness meditation programmes (usually around 8 weeks long) reduced anxiety, depression and pain by small to moderate amounts. For anxiety, for example, the effect size was about 0.38 at 8 weeks and about 0.22 at 3–6 months. The authors rated the strength of evidence as "moderate". (Goyal et al. 2014)
- [Verified] The same review found no evidence that meditation was better than other active treatments such as medication, exercise or behavioural therapies. For positive mood, attention and sleep, the evidence was low or insufficient.
- [Verified] A 2018 critical review by many mindfulness researchers warned that the hype runs ahead of the evidence: "mindfulness" has no agreed definition, many studies are methodologically weak, and possible adverse effects have not been monitored enough. (Van Dam et al. 2018)
- [Inference] This week's practice is much shorter than the 8-week programmes in those studies. So we cannot say that 10 minutes a day will produce the same effects.
Limits: these figures are averages across many different studies and do not predict what will happen for any one person. Meditation does not replace treatment if you have a mental health problem.
3. Practice for adults
About 10 minutes a day in total, plus a few short pauses during the day.
- Read slowly (3 minutes). Choose one of the three passages above. Read it slowly twice, the second time quietly aloud. Stay with the sentence that stands out most clearly.
- Sit still (5 minutes). Sit on a chair or on the floor, back upright but not stiff. Let the breath be natural. With each breath, simply know "breathing in", "breathing out". When the mind wanders, notice it, and gently come back to the breath. There is no need to breathe deeply or slowly on purpose.
- Write one line (2 minutes). Write one sentence: which passage you read today, and what you noticed while sitting.
- Pause once during the day. Choose in advance a situation you meet often, such as before replying to a message that annoys you, or before speaking to your child. When it comes, stop long enough for one breath and ask yourself: "What am I seeing? What am I about to do?" Then respond.
At the end of the week, read back your seven lines. There is no need to score yourself.
4. Kids' corner 6+
Game: "The breathing statue" (5–10 minutes, with an adult playing too)
- Adult and child walk or bounce around the room together.
- When the adult says "Stop!", everyone freezes like a statue.
- While frozen, each person silently counts 3 breaths, then says one thing they noticed: feet on the floor, a sound, warm or cold hands.
- Swap roles: the child gets to call "Stop!".
- Finish with one question: "When at school or at home could I be a statue for a moment too?"
Do not make the child close their eyes. If the child gets bored or uncomfortable, stop the game.
5. Stop practising if
- You feel panic, have flashbacks of trauma, have a lasting sense that you or the world are "not real", lose sleep for several nights, or have thoughts of harming yourself.
- If so, stop and see Get help now.
- If you have a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe PTSD, ask a doctor before increasing sitting time beyond 20 minutes.
6. Foundation skills on daynentang
If you need a very short way to pause when emotions run high, daynentang has two 1–3 minute lessons, currently in Vietnamese only: Gọi tên cảm xúc, thở chậm (naming feelings, slow breathing) and Neo lại khi cảm xúc dâng cao (anchoring when emotions rise). Your browser's translate option can help.
7. Practice for today
Choose something you do every day, such as unlocking your phone or opening the front door. Today, before you do it, pause for one breath.
Scientific sources
- Goyal M, et al. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018
- Van Dam NT, et al. (2018). Mind the hype: A critical evaluation and prescriptive agenda for research on mindfulness and meditation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(1). doi:10.1177/1745691617709589