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[MEGA] Meditation

I don't meditate nearly as much as I'd like to, but so far I have managed to reach a state where, by focusing on my breathing, I can ignore thoughts and (as a friend put it) just "be". It's a great feeling, and it's definitely an effective de-stressing technique. As someone who finds it difficult (and inconvenient) to nap during the day, I sometimes meditate during my lunch break at work (opting to eat at my desk afterwards) - leaving me feeling much more energised afterwards.

It does take a fair bit of practice, and (depending on my stress level) I sometimes find it difficult to detune from my constant stream of thought. It is, however, one of the best things I have taught myself to do, and would recommend it to anyone in an instant. All it takes is a willingness to learn.
 
Yeah I was thinking Vipassana too.

There are several different meditation techniques. More you might be interested in is Om and chakra meditation.
 
ThaiDai4...

Mindfulness meditation is another name for Vipassana meditation. From the way you describe it... detaching yourself from your normal stream of conscious thought where you analyze everything and categorize it as good or bad to be pursued or avoided... instead of simply being aware in a nonjudgmental way of what is actually going on in the moment, more like an observer than a participant, and developing true awareness... is what is taught in Vipassana. The breath is typically a thing that is always going on in the moment and is an excellent focus of meditation to begin with.

I highly recommend this book on Vipassana meditation: Mindfullness In Plain English.

I took classes on various types of meditation, but I found this book invaluable in teaching me exactly how to meditate and deal with the inevitable obstacles that we all encounter as new meditators. It is also very well written in simple terms and can be very enlightening in helping you to avoid unnecessary suffering we face in the everyday life of our modern world.

Let me know what you think of it. I'll bet you like it. You can pick it up in any good book store for like $20 or $30. But the link I gave you is the entire book in PDF form.
 
ThaiDie4 said:
Does anyone have an info or expierence with meditation (again, I'm sorry I don't remember the name, I just know it's a Buddist meditation)??? Do you find that it helps you in your everyday life?
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For me, meditation did help me develop a stronger sense of will, and it helps me slow down when I need to. I'll catch myself taking slow deep breaths when I'm stressing out.
 
meditation is one of the single most profound things humans have developed imo. it has helped my life unspeakably. it does sound like vipassana to me, or mindfulness meditation. i took a 10 day silent vipassana course a few years ago, it was one of the most painful and rewarding things ive ever done with my life. keep it up! there is a bunch of great rescources on the web and some good links given already.
 
daysonatrain said:
meditation is one of the single most profound things humans have developed imo. it has helped my life unspeakably. it does sound like vipassana to me, or mindfulness meditation. i took a 10 day silent vipassana course a few years ago, it was one of the most painful and rewarding things ive ever done with my life. keep it up! there is a bunch of great rescources on the web and some good links given already.
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I schedualed one for this december give me all the details of your experience with it so I will be prepared :D
 
^ hey stoner, congrats its a pretty cool thing.

i imagine if you read a bit about the course you will have a pretty good idea of what is involved. on the first night you take the vow of silence, which will last until the last day (metta day), from that point on there is no talking or eye contact with anyone (obviously eye contact happens, and your allowed to talk to the managers if you have a problem). you wake up at 4:30 am, meditate for 3 hours, breakfast, meditation till lunch, meditation till a very light dinner (fruit and tea where i was), then meditating till 9 at night, then sleep. the meditation times are split between meditating in the main hall or on your own. there are short breaks where you are allowed to walk around and stretch. after the 2nd day (i believe) you start having 3 hour long sessions in the main hall where you are required to sit perfectly still, not moving a muscle. this doesnt sound so hard, but after a full day of meditating, that last session can be pretty painful. basically you will be doing nothing but the meditation that is taught. its certainly one of the most intense things i have done in my life, both physically and mentally (i came back with a really good posture thats for sure). i also realized just how attached i was to distraction, after a few days of just sitting the mind starts going a big crazy. anyway, thats all i can think of for now, if you have anymore questions pm me. enjoy :)

oh, the only person you will hear talking will be tapes of the man who has been spreading vipassana. and when you hear him singing you will feel relieved ;) youll know what i mean when it happens :)

edit: by 3 hour long sessions, i mean 3 sessions an hour each
 
Wow daysonatrain, that sounds intense.

A zen group I used to sit with, that smelled as Japanese as a sheet of nori, used to hold regular all-weekend sesshin. Since I was spotty in attending their weekly sittings, and never really sat much at home, I never felt like I worked my way up to doing such a long sit. It's kind of like running a marathon -- definitely not something you just get up one day and try to do.

Is pranayama the Sanskrit word for what the Tibetans call Shamata (sp?)

I'm definitely keen to try one of those Taoist weekends in complete darkness held in Thailand (though I'd prefer to find a similar one in north America). One person here at BL, a couple years ago I think, came out of it a changed person.
 
yeah, very intense indeed. before i went i would do maybe (and i mean maybe) and hour a day sitting. But instantly upping that to 17 hours a day was pretty wild, for ten days in a row.

That taoist darkness meditation things sounds cool, do you know the name of it?

on a sidenote, when i was in rishikesh india i stumbled upon this old abandoned ashram and while looking around the place i found a stairway down to the basement which was a long hallway with rooms (covered in rock) of complete darkness where monks would go to meditate in total darkness, pretty wild place
 
MyDoorsAreOpen said:
Wow daysonatrain, that sounds intense.

A zen group I used to sit with, that smelled as Japanese as a sheet of nori, used to hold regular all-weekend sesshin. Since I was spotty in attending their weekly sittings, and never really sat much at home, I never felt like I worked my way up to doing such a long sit. It's kind of like running a marathon -- definitely not something you just get up one day and try to do.

Is pranayama the Sanskrit word for what the Tibetans call Shamata (sp?)

I'm definitely keen to try one of those Taoist weekends in complete darkness held in Thailand (though I'd prefer to find a similar one in north America). One person here at BL, a couple years ago I think, came out of it a changed person.
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Pranayama is breath control, or breath technique, or breath restraint it seems mainly practiced in regards to Hinduism it can be used to enhance meditation, to balance prana in your body or to enhance your asana postures.

Check out Dhamma.org they have Vipassana centers all over the US and outside and they do regular 10 day, 20 day, 30 day and 45 day retreats free of charge. S. N. Goenka runs them. Ive sat 15 minutes to 30 minutes a day sometimes an hour and rarely 2 for the past year or so not much preparation for a 10 day silent retreat but you have to dive head-first into it I think if you want to get serious. I plan on doing a few 10 days then try a 20 day and work up to 30 days within the next 3 to 5 years.
 
daysonatrain said:
^ hey stoner, congrats its a pretty cool thing.

i imagine if you read a bit about the course you will have a pretty good idea of what is involved. on the first night you take the vow of silence, which will last until the last day (metta day), from that point on there is no talking or eye contact with anyone (obviously eye contact happens, and your allowed to talk to the managers if you have a problem). you wake up at 4:30 am, meditate for 3 hours, breakfast, meditation till lunch, meditation till a very light dinner (fruit and tea where i was), then meditating till 9 at night, then sleep. the meditation times are split between meditating in the main hall or on your own. there are short breaks where you are allowed to walk around and stretch. after the 2nd day (i believe) you start having 3 hour long sessions in the main hall where you are required to sit perfectly still, not moving a muscle. this doesnt sound so hard, but after a full day of meditating, that last session can be pretty painful. basically you will be doing nothing but the meditation that is taught. its certainly one of the most intense things i have done in my life, both physically and mentally (i came back with a really good posture thats for sure). i also realized just how attached i was to distraction, after a few days of just sitting the mind starts going a big crazy. anyway, thats all i can think of for now, if you have anymore questions pm me. enjoy :)

oh, the only person you will hear talking will be tapes of the man who has been spreading vipassana. and when you hear him singing you will feel relieved ;) youll know what i mean when it happens :)

edit: by 3 hour long sessions, i mean 3 sessions an hour each
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Did your meditation practice after your retreat deepen? Have you kept up with your meditation since you did the retreat if so do you feel like the retreat had a major impact on your life/daily meditation? Do you plan on doing it again? If so why if not why not? I am very curious on the impact it has on you afterwards :D
 
stonerfromohio said:
Did your meditation practice after your retreat deepen? Have you kept up with your meditation since you did the retreat if so do you feel like the retreat had a major impact on your life/daily meditation? Do you plan on doing it again? If so why if not why not? I am very curious on the impact it has on you afterwards :D
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wow, a lot of question here...

im not sure it deepened immediatly. but i certainly realized how averse i was to discomfort, and how intemetaly i wanted to escape it, on all levels. this is basically the core of the teaching (and any true teaching imo). we are drawn to what gives us pleasure and run from what we find displeasurable. and since being drawn to things will never give us complete freedom (because they are seen as seperate) we are always suffering, this is what the buddha meant when he said existence is suffering.

um, i would say i am very very grateful to have taken this course and it certainly changed me, but it wasnt some cure-all. it was simply an extended viewing of this mind i have.

i may do it again, but most likely wont. recently i have had experiences of some kind of realization. there are two sides to the mind, conditioned and unconditioned, the conditioned is filled with intent. striving to make something happen or wish something wasnt happening. the unconditioned is a state of total acceptance, where the negative is felt as deeply as the positive. its kinda hard to explain, i recommend the book Emptiness Dancing by adyashanti as a good explanation of nonduality.

anyway, im not trying to say im enlightened or anything. and im certainly extremely happy i took the course but it wasnt something that instantly changed me. not that it wont happen to you. i think there is a point where people "seeking" enlightenment see it, and poof, the truth is seen...

but hell, i dont know :)

enjoy the course.
 
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