If you sit or lie down with eyes closed and just rest for long enough, eventually the thoughts begin to slow down and the mind settles on effortless awareness of the body breathing. The clarity of the mind increases significantly if you practice it regularly. I think this is how Buddha experienced jhana when he was still a kid chilling under a tree.
Does Hillside Hermitage support such meditation? In my experience it
The 4 Noble Truths talk about craving as the source of suffering. But defining craving can be somewhat tricky.
When I was 17-18 years, I mostly lived alone or with my grandma. I lived very basic lifestyle. Mostly going to school and studying after school. Sometimes going to sports. I tried eating vegan diet cause of health concerns. I spent lots of time alone. I almost never went to parties, did not drink alcohol, did not smoke or do drugs. Did not have any romantic relatioships. There was very little pleasure in life. I was worried about school, my future, and all kinds of things. I had friends who drank lots of alcohol and partied on weekends, watched tv, ate whatever they wanted, etc. Despite engaging in so much more sense pleasure, they seemed to have much more inner peace than me.
Then many years later after observing all kinds of people, I am coming to a strong conclusion that craving is not as simple as just passion for jmprimitive sense pleasures. There is a mind quality that allows letting go of thinking or makes the mind less "sticky". That quality can be easily "damaged" even if you do not engage in much sense primitive pleasures.
So the main issue of suffering seems to be coming from thinking. The more the mind attached to thinking, the harder to let go of worry and stressful thoughts. Just abstaining from sense pleasure does not seem enough to cure attachment to thinking because the mind can find other objects for thinking if it has been attached to thinking for many years.
Are there any Hillside Hermitage teachings addressing this issue?