In Buddhist meditation, the emphasis is on mindfulness. If we identify with our emotions, feelings, thoughts, memories, which are all deathbound, which all constantly change, arise and cease, then we are identifying, out of ignorance, with what is dead or dying. But mindfulness, paying attention, is the way to the Deathless. We can see that for so much of our life we are really quite deadened.
Life seems to be an experience of trying to stave off boredom.
And so we're very dependent, always needing something out there to wake us up because when it's not we sink into depression or boredom - into a deathlike state. Nothing could be more boring than watching the breath, or looking at the body sitting for an hour, or listening to the sound of silence. But what we are doing is paying attention, and the effort is coming from within. We're not being stimulated by this attention. If we wanted stimulation we wouldn't come here, we would go to London where fascinating, exciting things happen.