About this episode

Jamie Kreiner discusses the distractions faced by medieval monks and the lessons we can learn about concentration today.

Even without the attention-consuming technology we’re immersed in today, humans have always been easily distractible. So what distracted the mindful monks of the past? And are there lessons from the monks’ practice that we can apply to today’s level of distraction? Jamie Kreiner is a history professor at UCLA and the author of The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction. In the book, she details the strategies monks used to improve concentration and connects the past to the present – examining why the human mind has persistently been prone to wandering. Jamie and Greg discuss monks’ theories of distractibility and why concentration mattered for salvation, ethical obligation, and getting beyond self-fixation. The conversation also contrasts monastic aims with Stoicism and Buddhist mindfulness, and considers what modern people can learn from the monastic approach. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*

People in this episode

Host: Greg La Blanc

Guest: Jamie Kreiner

Topics covered

• distraction
• medieval monks
• concentration
• mindfulness
• historical practices
• Stoicism
• Buddhism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UCLA

Books & works: The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction

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