How do you meditate??

Discussion in 'Eastern Philosophy' started by Wisdom_Seeker, Jun 22, 2007.

  1. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    Personally, I like sitting confortably, in a Buddha-like position, not quite like the Buddha images you see:

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    But similar, as in hand position, but not feet. I am not that flexible yet (=. And the important thing for me is to be confortable.

    Next, I go to a dream-like state, were I try to get rid of every thought. Words come to my head, but I vanish them... Images come to my head, but I vanish them... Only a few minutes of an hour meditation are worth it, the rest is the mind trying to fight that state, going to the past or future.

    I have realized the few moments I get of total darkness, are the moments with more light in them. Is not everytime I manage to reach this state, it is difficult for me, with the brain in the way.

    I found that the best method for me is to concentrate on the deepest breathing humming the OMM to my inside while I breath.

    But just yesterday I thought, that just thinking about OMMM is still thinking...

    You have to be in total blank, no thoughts, no images, no sounds... It´s all in your brain... So, I have come to the conclusion that through many days of meditation, I´ve only being meditating a few minutes per hour...

    I am curious, to hear from meditators their methods and conclusions so far...
     
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  3. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    How?
    It all depends on my mood, my specific goals and how my body feels in the moment.

    This is not correct at all.
    There are many different methods of meditiation - as I said, it all depends on your specific goals.
    In fact, most experienced people I have known, and Swamis I have read, say that to have a blank mind (if truly possible) entirely undermines meditation and makes it a pointless act.

    What ARE your goals when you meditate?
    What are you trying to accomplish?
     
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  5. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

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    By losing myself in an involving programming/ mathematical/ engineering problem.
     
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  7. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    My only goal is to undestand myself, nothing else. I believe the understanding of others and everything comes along when I understand my own actions and thoughts.

    You say this is not correct, but I can tell you, I have felt bliss all over me the small moments I have had of total devotion to my meditation, just being, not thinking.

    I have been there, in the state of non-thinking, but only for small periods of time, and I feel like my body is floating, like I´m nowere and everywere at the same time, is cool stuff. I just wish I could achieve that state longer, not just seconds.

    All the methods you say, I know there are many, are in order to obtain that "clear mind" state. If you have a goal, the goal itself is your obstacle.
     
  8. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    One of the most intense feelings I have had while meditating, is imagining this whole world as a cell of a higher being´s heart, hearing my own heartbeat, I felt like the whole Earth had a heart beating at the same time as mine, like all life is one. It was really intense, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the tree in front of my house with more colors than I´ve ever seen, like the air itself had colors, I liked it, I smiled like a fool for many hours.
     
  9. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    I have done that, and I like it, the thing you like about it is that your body segregates endorphins to make you happy, like a drug. But after you are done with a task that lasted hours, you feel tired.
    This is not what I call meditation, meditation is about resting, you wake up from meditation like you would wake up from a beautiful dream in the mourning.
     
  10. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

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    No, that's the point.
    When I'm involved I finish refreshed and full of energy.
    It gets to the stage where I totally lose myself, and don't even think about the task (or anything else).
    "I" disappear.
    When I look down at what I've done I usually cannot even remember how I did what is finished, in front of me.
     
  11. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    How can being completely blank of mind help you understand yourself better?

    You seem to be contradicting yourself.

    It seems we have different definitions of having a completely blank mind.
    I have expereinced states of nothingness, and, by very definition, I felt nothing.
    I couldn't tell you if it lasted for a second or hours (if it weren't for knowing what time I started).
    It was as if I did not exist at all.

    You feel like your body is floating?
    For you to have ANY sensation at all, you necessarily have presence of mind.

    Where do you get this stuff?
    I don't see how you do not understand how often you contradict yourself.
    Perhaps it is just difficulty in expressing yourself in words.

    If you DON'T have a goal, there is not point to it at all.
    If you are trying to attain a "clear state of mind" THAT is your goal.
    If you are trying to reach nibbana, THAT is your goal.
    If you are being introspective and trying to learn more about yourself THAT is your goal.
    There are MANY different methods of meditation with very specific purposes.
    We were just talking the other day about meditation in public schools with the GOAL of claming the kid's minds and relaxing them.

    Without a goal, you aren't doing anything - meditation becomes pointless.
     
  12. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    Same happens to me man, I´m not sure if that is meditation. Meditation doesn´t require external factors, it is in you.
     
  13. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    All I know, is that the moment I finish meditating about "nothing", my mind is refreshed, and I suddenly have a clearer view about stuff. I´m not lying here man.

    Yes, I feel like I´m not myself, like I´m not sitting down, I feel like air. I´m not sure if "I feel like floating" describes what I feel, but is surely something like that.

    I may have difficulty expressing it to words, but you and me have different view about meditation. I didn´t think so before, but now I do.

    I have goals for meditation, I wish to be enlightened, but I´m aware that it may not happen in this life, so I don´t give that much of a thought. My main goal is to know my true self better, but I´m not thinking about that while meditating, not at all. Just before and after, but not while I meditate.

    The science of meditation as I see it, is to trick the mind, not make it dissapear. The mind will always be focused on the outside world, about ilusions, about what you see. But the moment you manage to stop thinking about everything, even sounds, images, thoughts, everything, that moment, your mind takes an inner-turn, it starts looking at your true self.
     
  14. VitalOne Banned Banned

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    I prefer the lotus position (the same one you posted), but when I meditate I don't try to get into a state of deep relaxation or deep sleep (what a waste of time designed for the sunyavadis) rather I try to get into turiya, the highest state...so basically while in this stance using my mind I attempt to destroy the impulses preventing me from experiencing the (natural) turiya state...this also raises me to a higher mental power, higher knowledge, and also destroys all problems, etc.....I meditate like this all day all the time...whenever you experience the slighest degree of suffering it is the greatest indication that you're not in the turiya state...

    Yes exactly, that deep sleep like state of nothingness makes meditation pointless....
     
  15. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    I agree with you on most of that, about reaching the higher mental state. I personally think this applies more to sex than anything else. Sexual energy is a lower-state of the life energy, and it can be transformed into a higher-state, that is awareness...
    Hatred is a negative channeling of the same energy that it can be transformed into consciousness as well; and the energy reaches a higher state in consciousness.

    But when you sit down, in the lotus position, what do you do in order to transform this energy into consciousness? I personally try doing it by being aware of my body feelings, but try to not think at all, just feel. That is not nothingness, although my mind is in a relative state of nothingness, speaking of words, images, and all that is man-made. As I see it, our brains are limited in order to reach this state of truth, if you think about an image or sound, you are thinking about something that your mind created, not the truth. If you think about words, you are not thinking the divine language.
     
  16. VitalOne Banned Banned

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    I don't really think sex is a lower state, I think craving/desperation/insecurity, etc...is a lower state...I don't really understand what you mean by transforming into consciousness...but you should stop avoiding and suppressing your insecurities, by suppressing these things you keep yourself from having happiness...most people avoid and suppress these bad memories automatically and unconsciously...
     
  17. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    I agree...

    I think sex is a lower state, therefore, the bramacharya ideal.
    I mean, our energy is in our body always, and it wants to keep moving, it is its nature. Obviously in order for life to exist, even the less intelligent species use this energy to reproduce, all animals do it, because its basic nature. Or else, life wouldn’t exist, like coral reef, it doesn’t think, but it throws sperm at the ocean to reproduce. Our advantage and double-edged sword is intelligence, because the energy that we use in order to think, and be aware, is the same energy we use to reproduce; only concentrated in different states. Sex is a lower state, because is the basics, every living creature experience that, but intelligence is a way of using that energy too, concentrate the same energy to your awareness is a smart thing.
    I’m not talking about suppressing anything here; just being aware of this state is enough.
     
  18. fadingCaptain are you a robot? Valued Senior Member

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    I have had several people try and get me to start meditating. One told me I needed a mantra. Another said no mantra in fact the key is be completely blank. He said you had to learn the skill of letting thoughts flow instead of grasping on to them.

    I have tried a little but I found it all to be worthless. I mean, my time seemed better spent by just relaxing and reading a book or something.

    I am not a spiritual person so maybe I just don't get it.
     
  19. VitalOne Banned Banned

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    Well most sex energy is in a lower state, but it can be in a higher state...I usually never think of things as being in a higher or lower state...it's not the things that are in this state it's the energy behind them that makes it a higher or lower state...intelligence can be in a lower state...as can anything...anything can be a higher or lower state...even killing and fighting can be a higher state...generousity and giving can be in a lower state, etc....it's best not to look at things with a dual attitude...I just try to destroy these impulses (which cause all doubt, agony, fear, anger, sorrow, boredom, uncertainty, etc...)
     
  20. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    Ok sounds fair enough! but what is your actual practice in order to destroy those impulses?
     
  21. VitalOne Banned Banned

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    Well there's lots of psychological methods like base reframing...but basically just concentrate on a suppressed feeling within you and let it out...say its ok to remember to yourself and the memory will come out...then after the memory is out you will feel way better , this natural type of happiness...it's very difficult for most people to remember these feelings...

    You can also imagine the defiling impulse feeling right...concentration is required...you should read this book called the "Power of Concentration" to increase your concentration power
     
  22. EmptyForceOfChi Banned Banned

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    no seriously all that matters to me is good posture, i get in different stances/form depending on the type of meditation i am doing.


    peace.
     
  23. Carcano Valued Senior Member

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    The dream state is not subject to willful direction.

    In a true dream state, you could neither control what you think about, nor attempt to stop thinking altogether...which is itself a kind of thinking.

    When you read the biographies of the great buddhist meditators they often relate how they struggled to prevent themselves from falling into a dream state while sitting.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2007

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