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mushroomplume
Stranger

Registered: 10/16/06
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Meditation Practitioners (I want your help)
#7499250 - 10/08/07 08:00 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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When your eyes are half-open/half-closed this is considered open-eye meditation, correct?
I recently started meditating this way and am having a few problems.
*Is it supposed to be difficult in focusing on your breath while at the same time making sure your eyes don't become closed or wide open?
*Should I look out of the slits of my eyes or roll my eyes up so I don't see anything?
*Does anyone else have blurry vision after they have meditated for 30 or more minutes this way?
Keeping my eyes half open and closed feels so unnatural and my eyes twitch and act so weird throughout the meditation.
-Cheers
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Cracka_X
Spiritual Dirt Worshipper




Registered: 01/25/03
Posts: 8,808
Loc: Swamp
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: mushroomplume]
#7499271 - 10/08/07 08:06 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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stop thinking so much. you're doing the opposite of meditating. Just close your eyes in that you're relaxed.
-------------------- The best way to live is to be like water For water benefits all things and goes against none of them It provides for all people and even cleanses those places a man is loath to go In this way it is just like Tao ~Daodejing
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jonathanseagull
Cool!


Registered: 10/28/05
Posts: 993
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: mushroomplume]
#7499312 - 10/08/07 08:16 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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I wouldn't get caught up on the open eyed, close eyed thing. It's just one way of keeping you from falling asleep (one of the five hindrances). If you want to do something different, sit in lotus, or on your feet on your knees, which will cause some discomfort until you possibly enter into the first jhana. That will keep you awake. Or, if you find you don't have problems with tiredness/sleepiness, then just close your eyes and lay down. Whatever is comfortable and works.
--------------------
Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show, That the dear She might take some pleasure of my pain: Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know, Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain.
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EternalCowabunga
Being of Great Significance



Registered: 04/04/05
Posts: 7,152
Loc: Time and Space
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: jonathanseagull]
#7499357 - 10/08/07 08:26 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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I've never had much success with open eye meditation. Keep it simple for now, take a few big deep breaths at first then just try and relaxe and do nothing - the breathe will come naturally . I usually am only able to really focus on my breath after 10 minutes or so, before that is too distracting for me.
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onlynow
transformativeinformativeenergy



Registered: 02/06/07
Posts: 1,480
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: mushroomplume]
#7499371 - 10/08/07 08:29 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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if it feels unnatural then maybe that method is not right for you, not every method will work with everybody. try different things, and if you find something that works in relaxing your mind and body then stick with it. opening your eyes may pose as a distraction. meditation is about observation and remaining the observer, if something is distracting you from this try something else.
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Strive to be more than a codified manifestation of a generalized technological consciousness
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Rahz
Alive Again


Registered: 11/10/05
Posts: 9,230
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: mushroomplume]
#7499790 - 10/08/07 10:33 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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When I first started meditating, I had the same problem. The more you are able to focus on the meditative object, or lack of object, the less you will think about your eyes, or anything else.
I'd guess that there's some facial tension, so it's not just the conscious mind at play. You might want to spend some time just going through and relaxing every muscle group in the body and face. Eyelid position really isn't important, but if you have tension in your face that's causing it to come to your attention, best to learn to relax that out.
-------------------- rahz comfort pleasure power love truth awareness peace "You’re not looking close enough if you can only see yourself in people who look like you." —Ayishat Akanbi
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redgreenvines
irregular verb


Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 37,532
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: Rahz]
#7511555 - 10/12/07 02:17 AM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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opened eyed can be easier, but just immerse in the object of concentration is the right idea, all the busy stuff is just at set up, if it continues afterwards simplify and immerse in the meditation usually using breath or mantra keep turning to the object of meditation yoke the mind to that that is the work soon the time is finished
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psyka
Praetorian


Registered: 06/09/03
Posts: 1,652
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: mushroomplume]
#7518818 - 10/15/07 09:46 AM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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oliveplume: try this meditation out. Follow the instructions exactly as stated.
It is recommended that meditators pick a meditation object as home base. Your home base helps to understand when your mind has become distracted and to come back to your meditation object. This develops mental collectedness and helps you stay in the present moment. Objects of meditation can be the breath (a bit boring), loving kindness, and a few others. However, for beginners metta (loving kindness) is recommended because it goes through a few interesting changes that keeps you interested in meditating, whereas the breath has the same flavor to it. For instructions on beginning metta, the best instructions I've seen (well... heard) described online can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixmba3jAEEk. The sound is a bit harsh but the instructions are very solid.
If you want to choose the breath, then do not focus on the breath (or anything) just be aware of how you are breathing. Be aware of the presence of your body (don't forget the head). Understand your breath, and understand your bodily formation. Every time you breath in, relax your entire body, and every time your breath out, relax your entire body.
Now for the meditation itself. Get seated very comfortably, so its easy for you to relax. Now close your eyes and gently center yourself into your meditation object. Do not move at all! Be a statue. Stay with your meditation object. However, do not push other thoughts away. When something distracts you from staying centered in your meditation object, notice you have become distracted, stop feeding the distraction with thought and attention, and relax the tension and tightness created by that distraction. That is probably the most important step in the meditation.
For example, when seated an itch might come up and try to pull your mind away from your meditation object. Our habit is to think about the itch, find it unpleasant, and wish it to go away. What is happening here is that an itch arises, and as we think about the itch, we create tension around that sensation. That tension is craving. Craving for the moment to be different then what it is. This craving is what keeps our minds racing and wandering. When we let go of the thoughts about the itch sensation, and relax the tension around it, we let go of craving, and accept the moment as it is. This allows you to stay steadied and collected. The whole point of meditation is to change your perspective of how you see the world. From "I am this." to "This is." ... its just an itch after all... and its not even your itch. You didn't ask it to come up did you? 
When you can relax deeply into the present moment (no matter what) and stay with your object of meditation. Some very interesting things happen to the mind, and practicing this changes your entire perspective of the world and how you deal with things that arise.
Don't forget to smile and take interest in how your mind operates. Feel free to PM me about whatever questions you might have.
-------------------- As the life of a candle, my wick will burn out. But, the fire of my mind shall beam into infinite.

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onlynow
transformativeinformativeenergy



Registered: 02/06/07
Posts: 1,480
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: psyka]
#7520218 - 10/15/07 04:50 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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i find silence and nothing to be very effective objects of meditation.. but thats just IME.
try different objects and spend a few weeks on each and observe what is most effective.
also, you know it is working when you really WANT to meditate every morning, rather than saying.. "ughhh, i have to meditate this morning don't wanna break the habbit". self-realization is very attractive.
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Strive to be more than a codified manifestation of a generalized technological consciousness
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sherm
sherman


Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 20,498
Loc: Euthanasia
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: mushroomplume]
#7520493 - 10/15/07 06:11 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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make sure you blink your eyes, if you are keeping them open. staring is bad for your eyes
-------------------- shroomery. not even once.
    
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onlynow
transformativeinformativeenergy



Registered: 02/06/07
Posts: 1,480
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: sherm]
#7520524 - 10/15/07 06:18 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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one time i stared for too long and a reptile head appeared directly in front of my vision, blinking and moving and everything. no shit! staring leads to psychosis!
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Strive to be more than a codified manifestation of a generalized technological consciousness
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sherm
sherman


Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 20,498
Loc: Euthanasia
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: onlynow]
#7520535 - 10/15/07 06:21 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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and loss of vision teaching yourself to stare is bad
-------------------- shroomery. not even once.
    
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onlynow
transformativeinformativeenergy



Registered: 02/06/07
Posts: 1,480
Last seen: 16 years, 3 months
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Re: Meditation Practitioners (I want your help) [Re: sherm]
#7520550 - 10/15/07 06:23 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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loss of vision with the physical eyes, yes. loss of vision with imagination or whatever the fuck, no.
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Strive to be more than a codified manifestation of a generalized technological consciousness
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