|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
Going in the right direction for mediation?
#22044833 - 08/04/15 10:02 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Hi I've read a lot of threads on here about mediation and came across some great links. Ive been mediating on and off for about 3 months now, for about 30 mins a day when I do. All I do is sit indian style, spin straight, and breathe through the nose and out of the mouth. Lately I have been mediating for about 30 mins about every other day. The main reason I mediate is for concentration and to clear my mind from past drug use.(are these common reasons? And do they work? What are you trying to achieve when mediating?)
Also I was told I need to find a teacher or someone near me to help.. Is this required or recommended?
I have adhd and often fidget and some times it can be a battle to sit still when mediating, does anyone have any advice on how to improve this?
Lastly, I hear a lot about letting go of thoughts when mediating, for me this is a hard concept to come to terms with, can someone elaborate on how they "let go of thoughts" when mediating?
Thanks
Edited by Cowb0yNeal00 (08/04/15 10:05 PM)
|
zZZz
jesus


Registered: 12/28/07
Posts: 33,478
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22045222 - 08/04/15 11:48 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
yea there are many forms of meditation, depends on what u are trying to achieve,
with u, it's inner peace..
well i've meditated for many years, for many hours, and the best possible advice i can give u when meditating for inner peace, is to not stress urself over it, meaning dont force urself to come to peace, this is the opposite of what u are trying to achieve,
let it come to u naturally, dont rush it, and try not to sit around as if u're waiting to pick up ur fast food from a drive through window..
let it be like sitting in the beach sand overlooking the ocean, no one around, with nothing to look forward to and nowhere to go, just u and the cool sounds of the beach..
|
PocketLady



Registered: 01/18/10
Posts: 1,773
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: zZZz] 2
#22045762 - 08/05/15 05:02 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
As I see it, the point if meditation is to be able to become totally present in the moment, and by doing so to go beyond the mind and it's usual ramblings to reach a state of complete awareness. In meditation there has to be a point of focus. In some meditations that might be a flame on a candle, or a particular area of the body, or observing the breath. The idea is to direct one's awareness to that point of focus and keep it there. Obviously whilst doing this, the mind will throw up all kind of thoughts to distract you from the present moment, your point of focus. This is where the letting go comes in. If the awareness is strong enough, you will be able to observe these thoughts as they arise without getting involved with them. You just let them go, and they disappear as you don't let yourself slip into the grip of their unconscious ramblings. But if you are not able to maintain conscious awareness then you get lost in a trail of thoughts and it can be a few minutes before you even realise you are no longer with your point of focus.
The more you can maintain awareness, the more present you become, you will begin to move down into different brainwaves. In normal waking life our brainwaves are Beta waves. As you begin to meditate you will reach an Alpha wave, which is a state of deep relaxation and light meditation, but as you go deeper your brainwaves will continue to change.
The point of meditation is varied and it depends what you want to get out of it really. For some it's just relaxation, but the real point IMHO is to realise that we are not our minds or our thoughts, and just how much we allow our minds to control us and cause so much suffering in our waking lives. If you can put that into practice and "let go" of all thoughts, it is eventually possible to become so present in meditation that you can access different states of consciousness and have mystical experiences, which aren't possible whilst a person remains trapped in their minds.
You do need a good teacher to really get a grip on it I think, but that doesn't necessarily have to be in real life. There's lots of good stuff happening online too.
-------------------- Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity. The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death. Tomorrow, when resurrection comes, The heart that is not in love will fail the test. ~ Rumi The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny. ~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir
|
deff
just love everyone



Registered: 05/01/04
Posts: 9,406
Loc: clarity
Last seen: 20 minutes, 36 seconds
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22046118 - 08/05/15 08:19 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
the best advice i can give is to be consistent with your practice, whichever style of meditation you choose. try to make it daily habit and not miss a day's practice. at the beginning this is more difficult as meditation has a bit of a learning curve and it takes a while for your practice to mature into something much more enjoyable. but the way to get to this more enjoyable practice is to stay consistent with your practice imo it really pays off!
i would also suggest reading articles or books on meditation to get a better idea of what the technique and goal of it is. there's a wide array of different techniques from different spiritual traditions, so it may take some trial and error to find one that suits you best. here's an article that i find nicely sums up a few styles of meditation.
wishing you the best in your practice and life!
--------------------
|
MarkostheGnostic
Elder



Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22046474 - 08/05/15 10:06 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Try the free Aro meditation course. http://aromeditation.org/learn-buddhist-meditation.html The teachers will then send weekly excerpts of one of their books, Roaring Silence.' I preferred to buy the book. I've been meditating since the early 1970s in various idioms: Yoga, Christian Hesychastic, Kabbalistic, and this is refreshingly simple and effective. There is nothing to achieve in meditation in the Buddhist idiom. The Ultimate Reality is Present. One needs to simply Realize that.
|
Jokeshopbeard
Humble Student

Registered: 11/30/11
Posts: 26,088
Loc: Deep in the system
|
|
Quote:
MarkostheGnostic said: There is nothing to achieve in meditation in the Buddhist idiom. The Ultimate Reality is Present. One needs to simply Realize that.
Can you expand on this please Markos? (feels like I forever seem to be asking you that question, but your insights intrigue me so much!)
Quote:
deff said: the best advice i can give is to be consistent with your practice, whichever style of meditation you choose.
I can definitely vouch for this! It took me 4 years of trying on and off to get the hang of it, but man, now 6.5 years it I feel it has changed my life immeasurably! Don't give up man, it's so worth it!!
-------------------- Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing... there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to the body, but it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you to bits. Let life take you apart. Let life destroy you. It will only destroy what you are not. --Jac O'keeffe
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: zZZz]
#22047398 - 08/05/15 01:15 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
zZZz said: yea there are many forms of meditation, depends on what u are trying to achieve,
with u, it's inner peace..
well i've meditated for many years, for many hours, and the best possible advice i can give u when meditating for inner peace, is to not stress urself over it, meaning dont force urself to come to peace, this is the opposite of what u are trying to achieve,
let it come to u naturally, dont rush it, and try not to sit around as if u're waiting to pick up ur fast food from a drive through window..
let it be like sitting in the beach sand overlooking the ocean, no one around, with nothing to look forward to and nowhere to go, just u and the cool sounds of the beach.. 
Makes sense. thanks for the helpful words bro.
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: PocketLady]
#22047408 - 08/05/15 01:18 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Interesting! thanks man!
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: deff]
#22047410 - 08/05/15 01:21 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Thanks for the article! I will stay consistent and see where that takes me. How will I know that I am making progress though?
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
|
THANKS I saw this site on a previous thread and signed up a couple days ago. Still awaiting the second email.
|
deff
just love everyone



Registered: 05/01/04
Posts: 9,406
Loc: clarity
Last seen: 20 minutes, 36 seconds
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22047423 - 08/05/15 01:25 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
you will be happier ! 
more at peace with daily events, calmer, more stable concentration throughout the day, feeling that you are 'buoyant' and not getting mixed up with thoughts and emotions as much. a greater capacity and willingness towards love and kindness many possibilities
but i would suggest you don't become too focused on results and instead learn to enjoy the process for what it is - a way to rest and focus inwards and find peace in the moment. the results will come with time if you keep practicing, but focusing on results could hinder your ability to be present during the meditation sessions. enjoy each session like a nice cup of tea and know all the while that you are benefiting yourself into the future with each sitting
--------------------
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: deff]
#22048047 - 08/05/15 03:26 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
SOUNDS Good thanks again!
|
MarkostheGnostic
Elder



Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Jokeshopbeard]
#22049493 - 08/05/15 07:02 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Jokeshopbeard: (I don't keep mental track of who asks what, but if I can clarify something I always attempt to. Clarification is a "Vajra personality," characteristic, a dynamic corresponding with one of the Buddha-Family types). The Buddhist idiom does not teach that we should become attached to various 'states' of consciousness, the samadhis in Hindu thought, while seemingly contradictorily, the Buddhists speak of the various jhanas which by description appear to be similar to the descriptions of various samadhis. However, there is a tendency to read the experiences of samadhis as demonstrative of mental conditions that one should strive for, whereas in Buddhism, they are valued more as descriptions that merely happen. Similarly, the siddhis or parapsychological powers that belong to the Hindu Yogas are considered to be Makyo (illusion) in Zen Buddhism, for example, and should not be striven for but rejected as obstacles and traps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samadhi
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
|
DottoreWolfe
Doctor Wolfe


Registered: 02/21/15
Posts: 201
Last seen: 5 months, 12 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22050749 - 08/05/15 10:43 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Too many the whole idea of meditation is too just calm mind down as much as possible and to absolutely minimize obtrusive thoughts, one ideal way to aid in this is to focus on your breathing, not changing it, but listening to yourself breathe as a passive observer. If you do this and minimize your thoughts you are on the correct path to meditation. It would be far better to meditate 5-15 minutes every day than 30 every other, it's about doing it as often as possible and making it routine. I would slowly learn to sit in half lotus alternating legs each day and than learn full lotus, after a few years of doing and being comfortable with half lotus.
-------------------- Everything I post should be regarded as wholly fictitious or hypothetical, nothing I post has any basis in reality.
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe]
#22055491 - 08/06/15 08:42 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Ok thanks for your advice brother
|
DottoreWolfe
Doctor Wolfe


Registered: 02/21/15
Posts: 201
Last seen: 5 months, 12 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22055974 - 08/06/15 10:42 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
myles33 said: Ok thanks for your advice brother
Honestly, I don't follow the advice of having a focal point like PocketLady, rather I feel like trying to focus just adds more unnecessary thoughts to my mind. Just breathe and remain thoughtless and let your focus fall where it may. I don't breathe through my mouth at all (in and out through nose). I would spend your next few months sitting on floor when possible, especially when watching movies, it helps to loosen your hips (which is secret of sitting in full lotus), just sit in half lotus watching movie switching legs every 30 min (it is normal to have them fall asleep). These positions help balance and thusly help in meditation, wherein balance is a critical aspect. <3 go get enlightened. Since you are new to meditation 5-10 minutes a day should suffice, but if you really want to get into it try 60 min or 120 minute sessions. I remember this one psychedelic church was in Southern California and there highest accomplishment was to sit in lotus position and then take some specific amount of LSD (I think it was 300 micrograms), you then had to stay in lotus position for the next 12 hours meditating the whole time, so much as opening your eyes (not even allowed to pee or drink or eat) would be a disqualifier. Maybe one day you'll accomplish that feat.
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe]
#22056314 - 08/07/15 01:00 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
I think pocket lady was just saying that was type of mediation to try. I like the one you described. I do hip stretches almost everyday. Im 6'6 so its hard on my legs to sit indian style. Probably can't do lotus position looks even harder. But hopefully in time i will feel more comfortable. And that sounds intense maybe some day. LOL
Edited by Cowb0yNeal00 (08/07/15 01:01 AM)
|
MarkostheGnostic
Elder



Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe]
#22057515 - 08/07/15 09:46 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Not urinating for 12 hours, if that is even possible unless dangerously dehydrated, could probably cause kidney damage. Reminds me of doing penance in Charlie Manson's 'Family,' where you'd get tied to a cross for a day or two. Both are cult behaviors, both are inimical to health, neither of them are an accomplishment. Meditation is not for achieving some Ubermensch status, it is for becoming more profoundly human.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
|
Cowb0yNeal00



Registered: 06/05/13
Posts: 11,059
|
|
good point. 
|
DottoreWolfe
Doctor Wolfe


Registered: 02/21/15
Posts: 201
Last seen: 5 months, 12 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22059040 - 08/07/15 02:50 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
I disagree, for many unbelievable, mind blowing acts have been achieved whilst on meditation. from being sitting in ice water defying physics by maintaining a core body temperature after 2 hours, to holding breath for 16 hours when only 60 minutes of oxygen exist. Sure if i had to pee while trying to do that lsd meditation,I would get up and pee. But if I was so deep In meditation that i had no physical desire to go, then why would you? I doubt it could cause kidney damage, maybe it could strain your bladder or you would end up just pissing yourself, but I can't see any physical reason why kidneys would get damaged.
-------------------- Everything I post should be regarded as wholly fictitious or hypothetical, nothing I post has any basis in reality.
|
MarkostheGnostic
Elder



Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe]
#22060167 - 08/07/15 07:15 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Kidneys sustain damage when the toxins they filter are not flushed from the nephritic apparatus. Moreover, accumulation of calcium or oxalates begins to form kidney stones. If you don't know why not to defy nature, you're probably going to want to fill the occipital lobe of your brain with blue-white light from looking at the sun, and go blind in the process. Please don't ask me why someone would go blind looking at the sun (but it's permanent blindness). If you want to believe that someone can hold their breath for 16 hours, or be entombed for days underground in a coffin, then you probably think that those magicians on YouTube are really and actually passing through solid glass covered with paper. There ARE magicians and fakirs in other cultures. Don't bet your life on what only appears to be real.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
Edited by MarkostheGnostic (08/07/15 09:06 PM)
|
BayerPhi
Always Learning


Registered: 05/28/12
Posts: 1,884
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe]
#22060566 - 08/07/15 08:55 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
DottoreWolfe said: I doubt it could cause kidney damage, maybe it could strain your bladder or you would end up just pissing yourself, but I can't see any physical reason why kidneys would get damaged.
You can't see because you don't know enough about the kidneys to see.
|
DottoreWolfe
Doctor Wolfe


Registered: 02/21/15
Posts: 201
Last seen: 5 months, 12 days
|
|
Quote:
MarkostheGnostic said: Kidneys sustain damage when the toxins they filter are not flushed from the nephritic apparatus. Moreover, accumulation of calcium or oxalates begins to form kidney stones. If you don't know why not to defy nature, you're probably going to want to fill the occipital lobe of your brain with blue-white light from looking at the sun, and go blind in the process. Please don't ask me why someone would go blind looking at the sun (but it's permanent blindness). If you want to believe that someone can hold their breath for 16 hours, or be entombed for days underground in a coffin, then you probably think that those magicians on YouTube are really and actually passing through solid glass covered with paper. There ARE magicians and fakirs in other cultures. Don't bet your life on what only appears to be real.
well there are plenty of people that actually have been scientifically tested and afterwards regarded as able to defy the laws of physics as they currently stand. http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/208386/inside_the_superhuman_world_of_the_iceman/ I mean i'll never meditate for 12 hours without peeing, unless while I was meditating I just didn't have to pee.
-------------------- Everything I post should be regarded as wholly fictitious or hypothetical, nothing I post has any basis in reality.
|
MarkostheGnostic
Elder



Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe] 1
#22061941 - 08/08/15 09:16 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
well there are plenty of people that actually have been scientifically tested and afterwards regarded as able to defy the laws of physics as they currently stand. http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/208386/inside_the_superhuman_world_of_the_iceman/ I mean i'll never meditate for 12 hours without peeing, unless while I was meditating I just didn't have to pee.
Having an unusual influence over the autonomic nervous system is not a defiance of "the laws of nature." I only watched enough to get the gist of this vid. He was able to spike releases of adrenaline. Fine. I have been a hypnotherapist for 26 years and have seen my clients lose their alleged fibromyalgia, for example. I have watched a demonstration of a middle-aged woman, in trance, whose autonomic system was controlled to the point where she attained bodily rigidity and was capable of being completely immobile when only her head and ankles were supported. Even a muscular gymnast could not accomplish this for long by sheer willpower. The unconscious, when accessed in certain altered states can produce bodily heat, the tum-mo of the Tibetan yogis, allowing them to dry wet sheets on their bodies while naked in the snowy Himalayas. They melt the snow around their bodies. Amazing process of bio-psychic energies not yet recognized by allopathic medicine, but not in defiance of the "laws of nature."
Many people have 'attested' to the powers of Muslim fakirs in India who throw a rope in the air, climb it while it remains rigid, and then rain down severed body parts (in one variation). Group hypnosis apparently, as the fakir is later seen to be perfectly fine. He has not defied the laws of physics, he has performed a masterful feat of group hypnosis, at least in one aspect. In another, the rope itself may be formed around a locking-linked chain which can be made rigid. People have been getting tricked for centuries. This guy says he's hypnotizing the rope!
There is magic, and there is magick. There are parapsychological functions, or siddhis (in India), but magick would suggest willful control of such abilities. It is possible that some rare souls possess control, or more likely, are in harmony with the Transcendent which governs these things. As spontaneous events, I experienced the handful of personal events more as grace - to be shown what was possible. But these were in the realm of the Psychic not the Pneumatic (spiritual). The defiance, or rather suspension or 'warping' of the laws of physics as we understand them suggests a new paradigm of physics, not the intervention of a personal God in the phenomenon Who would be creating a miracle for human benefit. This is not to deny the existence of God, just to defy the mythic conception of God as a heavenly king like Zeus (Deus in Latin) in Greek mythology. Bottom line: such paranormal events, when genuine are still not metaphysical events.
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
Edited by MarkostheGnostic (08/08/15 04:22 PM)
|
DottoreWolfe
Doctor Wolfe


Registered: 02/21/15
Posts: 201
Last seen: 5 months, 12 days
|
|
Quote:
MarkostheGnostic said: well there are plenty of people that actually have been scientifically tested and afterwards regarded as able to defy the laws of physics as they currently stand. http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/208386/inside_the_superhuman_world_of_the_iceman/ I mean i'll never meditate for 12 hours without peeing, unless while I was meditating I just didn't have to pee.
Having an unusual influence over the autonomic nervous system is not a defiance of "the laws of nature." I only watched enough to get the gist of this vid. He was able to spike releases of adrenaline. Fine. I have been a hypnotherapist for 26 years and have seen my clients lose their alleged fibromyalgia, for example. I have watched a demonstration of a middle-aged woman, in trance, whose autonomic system was controlled to the point where she attained bodily rigidity and was capable of being completely immobile when only her head and ankles were supported. Even a muscular gymnast could not accomplish this for long by sheer willpower. The unconscious, when accessed in certain altered states can produce bodily heat, the tum-mo of the Tibetan yogis, allowing them to dry wet sheets on their bodies while naked in the snowy Himalayas. They melt the snow around their bodies. Amazing process of bio-psychic energies not yet recognized by allopathic medicine, but not in defiance of the "laws of nature."
Many people have 'attested' to the powers of Muslim fakirs in India who throw a rope in the air, climb it while it remains rigid, and then rain down severed body parts (in one variation). Group hypnosis apparently, as the fakir is later seen to be perfectly fine. He has not defied the laws of physics, he has performed a masterful feat of group hypnosis, at least in one aspect. In another, the rope itself may be formed around a locking-linked chain which can be made rigid. People have been getting tricked for centuries. This guy says he's hypnotizing the rope!
There is magic, and there is magick. There are parapsychological functions, or siddhis (in India), but magick would suggest willful control of such abilities. It is possible that some rare souls possess control, or more likely, are in harmony with the Transcendent which governs these things. As spontaneous events, I experienced the handful of personal events more as grace - show me what was possible. But these were in the realm of the Psychic not the Pneumatic (spiritual). The defiance, or rather suspension or 'warping' of the laws of physics as we understand them suggests a new paradigm of physics, not the intervention of a personal God in the phenomenon Who would be creating a miracle for human benefit. This is not to deny the existence of God, just to defy the mythic conception of God as a heavenly king like Zeus (Deus in Latin) in Greek mythology. Bottom line: such paranormal events, when genuine are still not metaphysical events.
Normally I like to argue, but this is a good point. But nevertheless OP should meditate daily 5-15 minutes xD
-------------------- Everything I post should be regarded as wholly fictitious or hypothetical, nothing I post has any basis in reality.
|
PocketLady



Registered: 01/18/10
Posts: 1,773
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe]
#22070743 - 08/10/15 07:48 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Honestly, I don't follow the advice of having a focal point like PocketLady, rather I feel like trying to focus just adds more unnecessary thoughts to my mind. Just breathe and remain thoughtless and let your focus fall where it may.
In my experience it's impossible to "remain thoughtless" without a point of focus. It's like saying to someone "Don't think about elephants!" What's the first thing you think about? There does need to be some kind of focus, even if that focus is just to be aware of your own awareness.
-------------------- Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity. The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death. Tomorrow, when resurrection comes, The heart that is not in love will fail the test. ~ Rumi The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny. ~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir
|
deff
just love everyone



Registered: 05/01/04
Posts: 9,406
Loc: clarity
Last seen: 20 minutes, 36 seconds
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: PocketLady] 1
#22070754 - 08/10/15 07:52 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
well in the practice of zazen there's the idea of 'just sitting' which doesn't really have a focal point, the mind is left just as it is. but prior to getting to this practice one is often encouraged to focus on the breath i think.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazen#Shikantaza
i enjoy this style of meditation much more than having a fixed point of reference 
in this thoughts are allowed to come and go as they will, eventually subsiding as the meditation strengthens on their own accord. like the quote "don't try to stop thoughts, let thoughts stop themselves". another way to think about it is that it's meditation on awareness itself, which eventually leads to a thoughtless state (or statelessness perhaps?)
--------------------
|
PocketLady



Registered: 01/18/10
Posts: 1,773
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: deff] 1
#22070836 - 08/10/15 08:27 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Oh I completely agree Deff. That's exactly what I meant when I said about being aware of your own awareness as the focal point
-------------------- Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity. The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death. Tomorrow, when resurrection comes, The heart that is not in love will fail the test. ~ Rumi The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny. ~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir
|
BayerPhi
Always Learning


Registered: 05/28/12
Posts: 1,884
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: PocketLady]
#22071533 - 08/10/15 12:31 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
PocketLady said: In my experience it's impossible to "remain thoughtless" without a point of focus. It's like saying to someone "Don't think about elephants!" What's the first thing you think about? There does need to be some kind of focus, even if that focus is just to be aware of your own awareness.
I thought, I wonder what the Elephants think of?
|
MarkostheGnostic
Elder



Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida
Last seen: 3 years, 2 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: BayerPhi]
#22071875 - 08/10/15 01:54 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
BayerPhi said:
Quote:
PocketLady said: In my experience it's impossible to "remain thoughtless" without a point of focus. It's like saying to someone "Don't think about elephants!" What's the first thing you think about? There does need to be some kind of focus, even if that focus is just to be aware of your own awareness.
I thought, I wonder what the Elephants think of?
-------------------- γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself
|
DottoreWolfe
Doctor Wolfe


Registered: 02/21/15
Posts: 201
Last seen: 5 months, 12 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: deff]
#22072116 - 08/10/15 02:55 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
deff said: well in the practice of zazen there's the idea of 'just sitting' which doesn't really have a focal point, the mind is left just as it is. but prior to getting to this practice one is often encouraged to focus on the breath i think.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazen#Shikantaza
i enjoy this style of meditation much more than having a fixed point of reference 
in this thoughts are allowed to come and go as they will, eventually subsiding as the meditation strengthens on their own accord. like the quote "don't try to stop thoughts, let thoughts stop themselves". another way to think about it is that it's meditation on awareness itself, which eventually leads to a thoughtless state (or statelessness perhaps?) 
In zazen the idea of just sitting is many times not mutually exclusive with "allowing thoughts to come and go as they will eventually subsiding as the mediation strengthens". I do both. I was instructed to by a zazen yogi in Sacramento. She didn't use those exact words, but it was more along the lines of "if you have thoughts don't get angry it will cause more thoughts, instead just acknowledge the thought and let it pass, eventually your mind will slow itself down to the point of total thoughtlessness, total peace" (this isn't word for word either just a rough recollection).
-------------------- Everything I post should be regarded as wholly fictitious or hypothetical, nothing I post has any basis in reality.
|
deff
just love everyone



Registered: 05/01/04
Posts: 9,406
Loc: clarity
Last seen: 20 minutes, 36 seconds
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: DottoreWolfe]
#22072199 - 08/10/15 03:18 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
yeah i meant that that was a part of how just sitting in zen is done
--------------------
|
DottoreWolfe
Doctor Wolfe


Registered: 02/21/15
Posts: 201
Last seen: 5 months, 12 days
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: deff]
#22072694 - 08/10/15 05:23 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
deff said: yeah i meant that that was a part of how just sitting in zen is done 
Nevertheless that was good advice brother<3 Now OP should have everything needed for a path to daily meditation.
-------------------- Everything I post should be regarded as wholly fictitious or hypothetical, nothing I post has any basis in reality.
|
Moonshoe
Blue Mantis


Registered: 05/28/04
Posts: 27,202
Loc: Iceland
|
Re: Going in the right direction for mediation? [Re: Cowb0yNeal00]
#22084012 - 08/12/15 11:28 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
|
|
OP mediation is not the same thing as meditation. You spelt the word "mediation" every time in the OP, but you meant to say Meditation. Mediation is a process of helping people resolve interpersonal conflicts, meditation is a process of inner cultivation and contemplation and concentration.
--------------------
Everything I post is fiction.
|
|