The objective of Yog is to loose Objectives, the health benefits are only side effects of doing "initial" stuff. I would recommend doing some reading on big three pillars (Gita, Upanishads, Brahm Sutras). Yog = Union with your true, complete absolute attribute-less self. Rick
Fraggle, I have heard about that; I understand that its "secular" ... Have you tried it? My friend went for 10 day "retreat" thingie while he was in India. They don't talk ... for first 3 days it was pretty tough for him, not talking etc at all times; he got frustrated and was like ... god why did i do this? it became good afterwards ... 10th day he understood the value of the silence. I wanna do that, but i wanna do that on my own terms. When i was in Pennsylvania ... I used to go for a long drives in and around Lancaster and used to watch scenery; I would like to buy a place there perhaps and build a meditation room on the farm (just a pasture without the cattle or anything) ... I don't know if that sounds plausible, But well thats a dream. Rick
attribute-less self = Nothing = Zero, Is that how the Indians invented the Number Zero? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
No. You'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to something like that. They weren't even allowed to read or bring an iPod!!! I'm a musician and a linguist so that would come pretty close to my definition of hell. My wife's retreat was only five or six days. The worst part was that the outfit rented a very spartan campground with cots and no lighting, although it did have plumbing. And the food was dismal vegetarian glop. Apparently it doesn't have a very salutary effect on your corporeal health: A number of people got sick and had to go home early. All in all I'd rather go back to Tucson.
Actually I would rather go and buy a farm house may be in PA (Lancaster or nearby) and meditate on my own. I can understand your feelings about music etc. I tried to live without my iPod, TV and internet for about 6 hours last to last Sunday, was thoroughly annoyed. These things have become part and parcel of our lives, although the more you advance in Yoga, the more you want to go deeper and deeper, only after you have reached an advanced stage can you easily relinquish these things; even then these become a major distraction or hindrance. I know that their idea is basically to shun out all the thoughts to render mind a little color less or thoughtless. While that may work, but a greater and much better path would be to inspect these habits, inspect them for their value and desire and finally let them go. That is also the toughest unfortunately but apparently we live in such a world where we have to work Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Rick
Well, I don't really know, my knowledge in ancient history is very coarse at best (i know important "coarse" pieces of it); But, technically speaking we cannot say attribute-less self = Nothing, because from a purist perspective, Nothing implies its relative dependence on everything; it still has an "object" / illusive maya component attached to it; which means it cannot be used to describe Brahman. I think (as far as i can remember) AUM or OM or however we want to write it, is the only word i can think of which describes the absolute truth or self in its most Nirgun (or attribute less) form / purest form. But then my knowledge in these matters is only of a beginner, I have a sea in front of me. Btw, coming back to topic; I'd like to see Surya Namaskar (Sun Yoga) or way to perform it in clarity on a video link, any suggestions? Rick
I just watched the six part BBC series on "The Story of India" very interesting. It says the Aryan came from Tajikistan and had the 4 wheel chariots and horses that they introduced to India. The digs there prove the point. Very interesting... There is no such thing as absolute truth unless it is the whole truth and whole truth can not be grasped by humans at this time anymore than a person understanding the design of microprocessor in Circa 10 AD no matter how you explain it. Same for Maya...
Drifting off is not uncommon for any form of meditation. Using a less comfortable position and increasing your ambient light usually helps. For vipassana in particular, sitting through some physical discomfort is part of the process, at least for what I've been taught so far. Not sure what this might be. What I was taught was very straight forward and free of esoteric or extranious material. What I was taught had Theravedan, not Tibetan, roots. But yes it was secular and without religious commitment. But not every one finds every possible path of equal value. If it doesn't work for you, there is no need to be concerned. simply pick what does work for you.
UVB and UVC are responsible for the DNA damage that leads to skin cancer. UVA, such as is from black lights and is much lower energy and does not cause sunburn. However, even UVA is capable of causing damage to collagen fibers (causing premature aging of the skin) and of destroying vitamin A in skin. Remeber there is a trade off of Vit D and Vit A. A bit off fish oil is a good thing to add to the mix. You get plenty of UVB exposure from incidental sun light there is no need to seek it out, especially if you live in areas with thinned ozone protection. Basically going beyond a light tan gained over days of exposure is causing more harm than good. That said, Vit D suppliments have not been shown to provide the same effect as sun exposure. Some sun is definately good for you. How much is the right mix depends on where you live, your base skin tone, your age and your genetics. A good rule of thumb: sun burn = bad.
That's the point. This defiantly doesn't sound like the same group. http://www.dhamma.org The minimum starter is a ten day silent retreat, they have their own centers with expected amenities and the food, while Indian vegetarian (i.e. expect dairy) was quite good.
by focusing your mind on your breathing, breathing naturally, not allowing your mind to follow any thoughts, the turbulence of your mental busyness will subside and your mind will become still, deep contentment naturally will arise from within.
Meditation is conscious involuntary STILLNESS. It is not a 'doing' but rather a state that happens to you. What you have to discover is what you can DO to enter this state. It starts with chemistry, for example if you are hyperactive due to thyroid problems you will be naturally active and restless. Likewise if the muscles around the hip joint are too short. This is why meditation traditions place great importance on stretching exercises. This lady who went to India to attain mastery of meditation has important points to make on the subject: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdshiy7CrwA
Beginner's Meditation by 'focusing on breathing' I started with the simple techniques of 'Focusing on breathing' as explained in simple manner in this brochure - countingbreaths.com/brochure.pdf. The rather unique feature of my practice was that I was practicing it only when I needed to sleep in the bed and on waking up but still lying in bed. In the next phase I added focusing on body sensations while lying, sitting, standing and walking. In about 6 months 'focusing on breathing' became a spontaneous habit! I got hooked on the practice, as it made a dramatic improvement in my mind and body. Lastly, I began practicing meditating sitting cross legged on the floor or on the bed sitting on the edge of the pillow to elevate the hips a bit. Details of the practices, their benefits and testimonials from all age groups are in my web site countingbreaths.com. CS (my short name) csrao1003@gmail.com
