Meditation Guide

Discussion in 'Eastern Philosophy' started by Zero, Jun 25, 2002.

  1. moonman Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    372
    I've been reading many different views on meditation.
    Some say that for it to be ultimately effective, it has to be very structured, planned, rigorous.
    While others believe that is should be more casual and natural.

    I don't know wether I am gaining or losing something going with either approach. Both sides have good arguements.
     
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  3. Cris In search of Immortality Valued Senior Member

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    TM is totally effortless. If you 'try' then it doesn't work.

    It is also very subtle and you need a trained teacher to train you since it is very easy to do it incorrectly.

    Meditation is indeed a different state of consciousness. You are not asleep, yet you are not awake, and neither are you dreaming. But you remain aware of your surroundings and can become alert very rapidly.

    To the novice noise will be disturbing, to the more experienced noise is irrelevant. You may be aware of sounds and various experiences, but the experienced can just let these happen and ignore them.

    But a quite room, and a comfortable chair offer the optimum environment. Don’t lie down; if you are tired then the relaxing effect of TM will very likely make you fall asleep. Even sitting, you might fall asleep during TM, but this is far from a bad thing. Oh, and never meditate late at night; you will simply not be able to sleep for quite a while afterwards. Good meditation will have revived your energy. Don’t eat before mediation either. Digestion consumes more energy than any other physical activity. You will need and use such energy during meditation to help heal the body and reduce built up stress.

    I use TM to revive my energy, and to remove any stress that has accumulated. TM is especially good for the active person, and is not so good for the recluse or the inactive monk.
     
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  5. spookz Banned Banned

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    6,390
    who is doing the arguing? there are many forms of meditation, some just require more effort. it always a personal choice.
     
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  7. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

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    380
    I know there are people who meditate all the time like myself, but this part may jog your memory and it will help others that want to start to meditate/ well i hope so.
    First why meditate, each of use have our own reasons for starting meditation, these can be many and varied, but they usually fall into several main categories/ health / stress prevention / self- realisation and spiritual impulse. even some doctors recomend meditation there is a very strong link between the mind and the body, meditation is an holistic discipline, it creates change at all levels of being including the physical, emotional, and mental, it also helps us with our spiritual levels of our being, not through handed down dogma, but through experience i beleave that meditation lets us discover who we really are and what we may achieve it brings us to a state of self- realisation which is the highest expression of the human nature.
    THE PRINCIPLES OF MEDITATION
    meditationis a discipline, it is a state of mind in which all thoughts are concentrated upon a single point, namely the sudject of the excerciseit takes patience and persistence to develop the power of concentration, the mind will naturally wander to other things, the attention must be returned to the subject time and time againthe subject of the meditation is like a target stray thoughts will stop us hitting the bulls eye when you are able to hold the concentration steady then you will be able to reap the benifits/ so if anyone wants to learn or even a refresher course then please tell me over this post, and i will try to guide any newcomer who wants to try.
     
  8. moonman Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    372
    Your quite right, the conflict was in my mind.

    I've pretty much summed it up for my self:
    If I want good results, discipline, perseverence and attention. But most importantly doing that which feels right.
     
  9. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    Preparation for meditation/ you will need to take a few minutes to prepare youe surroundings in which you are goingto meditate in. the key is very simple comfort, you will be sitting still for a while you might need to loosen any tight clothing. the room itself not to hot not to cold to hot or to cold will distract you not to dark you may fall asleep, not to light you may strain your eyes a dimmly lite light a candle can be used to give light, but you must never rely upon external stimuli, you carry the conditions for meditation within posture is important to all meditation practice, choose a firm chair which lets you sit upright feet firmly on the ground this keeps you in touch with the earth do not med lying down or sitting in an armchair you will soon fall asleep,keep the spine straight sit in an alert but poised position, hands may be folded loosley in the lap or placed one upon each thigh, you do not have to sit crossed legged to meditate the lotus position is fine for experts in yoga and those brought up to sit like that but it is unattainable for most westerners, become aware of your breathing and allow yourself to breath more slowly and deeply than you might normally, mentally follow your breath in and out for a few moments, the deep quiet breathing pattern also helps to bring a sense of calm to the mind and body,our patteren of breathing directly reflects our emotional state,our breathing becomes chaotic and erractic when we are upset or angryand when we are calm our breathing is normalin meditation we seek to find a quiet mind so we begin by establishing a breathing pattern normally associated with quietness and calmthere are also complex breathing patterns for the advanced meditive techniques which are designed to bring about specific mental and emotional states,as we become aware of our own breathing pattern we may discover that we only use the top part of our lungs, this represents a symbolic defence mechanism, shallow breathing is related to shallow contact with life experience, when we deepen the breath we deepen our contact with life. if any one is still intrested in meditation then i will carry on with this part for beginners, or as a refresher course
     
  10. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    THE FOURFOLD BREATH
    Breath in with a deep breath but comfortable breath from the diaphragm to the count of four,
    hold the breath at the top of the lungs for the count of two,
    breath out slowly to the count of four,
    hold the lungs empty to the count of two,
    start again.
    Having seated your self in a comfortable chair, establish an appropriate breathing pattern, you are ready to enter a state of meditation follow the relaxation technique below.
    Relaxation should be done slowly, the mind is simply focused on the different body parts in turn in the following way turn your attention inwards and mentally repeat the phase to yourself, after each phase you should also experience a realease of tension in the body itself, take your time with this excercise.
    the phase

    The top of my head is relaxing,i feel relaxed.
    My face feels relaxing, i am relaxed.
    My shoulders and chest feel relaxed, i am relaxing.
    My arms and hands fell relaxed, i am relaxing.
    My legs and feet feel relaxed, i am relaxing.
    I am relaxed, my mind is calm, my body is calm,
    i am relaxed, my mind is alert, my mind is awake.
    do not rush this stage when you are experienced this preliminary practice can be dispensed with. shall i continue with this or is it a waste of time?
     
  11. A4Ever Knows where his towel is Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,234
    Cris,

    then what is the purpose of sleep to you?

    Thanks,

    A4Ever.
     
  12. EvilPoet I am what I am Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,007
    Mind Food

    "Meditation is food for the mind; meditation time is suppertime
    for the mind and sleeping is no good at suppertime." -Geshe-la

    "Close your eyes and you will see clearly. Cease to listen and you
    will hear truth. Be silent and your heart will sing. Seek no contact
    and you will find union. Be still and you will move forward on the
    tide of spirit. Be gentle and you will need no strength. Be patient
    and you will achieve all things. Be humble and you will remain
    entire." -A Taoist Meditation
     
  13. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    Shall i stop or shall i carry on posting on the meditation guide? is it helping anyone ?
     
  14. UltiTruth In pursuit... Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    533
    Keep posting, Blastoff
     
  15. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    UltiTruth it will be my pleasure, try this it is called spot meditation
    spot meditation (1) RED LIGHT
    this exercise works best if you have a minute or two to spare in a traffic jam or as traffic lights just turn red as you get there.
    if you feel frustrated ,smile at yourself.

    you have been given perhaps a whole minute to stop and do nothing.
    let your body and mind slow down and relax.
    take a deep sigh, lingering on the out breath.
    let your face and belly soften.
    one whole minute to breath slowly.
    be aware of excess tension in your body.
    gently shake it free, as you settle back into your seat.
    look around you slowly.
    the exercise finish as the light tuens green or the traffic jam clears.
    now devote your attention to the task at hand and look forware to the next whole minute.

    spot meditation (2) RANDOM OBJECT

    this meditation can be practised during any free moment, for example sitting at your desk or waiting at a bus stop or in your car.
    pick out an object that is in your field of vision some thing that catches your eye and is pleasing.
    settle your mind there, drop the inner talk, shift into sensing.
    let your eyes soften a little ,( dont stare ).
    use your eyes like a zoom lens, let time slow down and explore the object at your leasure, imagine its texture and smell, if appropriate, allow associations to arise.
    take a deep breath and sigh,as you breath out.
    be aware of the object, your body and stream of attention linking them.
    finally let the object go,consciously.
    check how your mind state has changed.
    are you more aware?
    spot meditation ( 3 ) FREEZE
    it is easy to get tense during the day, we rarely give ourselves time to relax, this meditation is designed to help wind us down to strip 20% off the top tension.
    tell yourself to "FREEZE"
    hold your posture, but not your breath.
    you may be at your desk, doing the dishes, or standing in a queue.
    scan your body slowly up and down, observing areas of excess tension.
    dont change anything yet.
    notice how you are breathing.
    when you feel in tune with your self say "DEFROST"
    allow tension to release.
    make little adjustments wherever needed sit or stand straighter, losen shoulders, neck, eyes, stomach, hands.

    dont stop, be systematic
    enjoy making finer and finer adjustments.
    take a deep breath and sigh as you breath out.
    feel your self breathing.
    can you give the breath more space and freedom?
    notice how much your mood is changing .
    resume your former activity when ready, retaing an awareness of your body.

    there is more to come
     
  16. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    spot meditation slowing down
    this should help you notice the speed that you are moving, when you are tense you are often faster and more spasmodic than nessary this excercise will help you turn down your metabolic rate, and it is easy for a few minutes do every thing a fraction slower, you can do this in your every day lives, like getting dressed, having a shower, leaving he house and getting into the car, having breakfast, watering the plants, walking what ever you are doingmake the activity into a spot meditation, give it a start and finish allow an extra minute or two so you dont have to hurry do every movement just the slightest fraction slower notice the pace at which you walk, turn, sit, lift things other wise be natural.
    notic when you are hurried are you jerky, when you are smooth and easy, are you breathing easily? or are you holding your breath? consciously enjoy the passing sensations-water on your face,taste of toast, texture of your shirt, the click as you turn a key in a lock, keep the mind here and now, when you disappear into thought, come back to the sensations of the present,when you have finished, be still for ten seconds and notice how you feel, practise the same activity for four to five days and see how it changes.
     
  17. moonman Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    372
    This is a meditation that I've been doing for some time, I think it might already be specified. But it makes me feel great and I don't think it's harmfull.
    Firstly, the technique came to me when I was doing mindfullness meditation as described here.

    I sit down, gently relax, and start breathing rythmicaly but naturaly. At first I just sit and watch my breath for a while so as to still my mind, and after a while I phase into letting random thoughts enter my mind. These can be sentences, immages, sounds, often just plain gibberish, the point is effectively to just let the mind work at random and not to affect the thoughts in anyway conciously, this means not establishing clear thought patterns or structures, (it's great if you can't remember what you just thought 2 seconds ago) Structure might develope later in a state which I could call 'concious dreaming' that I often enter.
    There is a very fine line between conciously thinking random thoughts and letting the mind think random thoughts, but it exists, it's good to learn to recognize it. If you find yourself conciously thinking, then gently concentrate on you breathing and start over.
    Accept everything that happens, and don't try to controll your thinking.

    Benefits- (just from a personal perspective) Deep relaxation, totaly letting go of the days activities and the moments worries. Sleep inducing after a stressfull day. Perhaps even meaningfull memories that you have hidden may surface providing a theraputic advantage.

    If anyone knows that such a meditation already exists, please tell me (I'm sure one does). And if you try it and benefit, I would be realy glad to know.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  18. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

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    380
    basic meditation
    the breath
    on the surface this excercise simple, you sit and count your breaths throughout the meditation,if this is all you do, however the practice can be quite shallow, you may be just marking time it is more important to actually feel your breathing is your mind right there when the breath stops or starts,?
    right 1 choose a relatively quiet place and give your self 15 minutes to meditate, find a comfortable position that allows you to breath easily, for most people a straight backed padded chair is ideal.
    2 spend a minute or two slowly scanning your body inwardly to release subtle tensions, examine your eyes, mouth, shoulders ,hands, belly
    3 take a deep breath and sigh, let your belly loosen give the breath room to move, explore the movement of the breath within you, if there is a pause at the end of the outbreath, enjoy it let the breathing be spontanious dont try to control it or try to breath correctly or make the breathing regular.
    4 to stay on track count the breaths up to 5 or 10, repeatedly this helps to anchor the mind when you wander,
    5 when you lose the count or breath return to it without annoyance, if you are easily distracted , study each breath more intently, if you feel sleepy open your eyes slightly or sharpen your posture,
    6 let your body fall asleep be aware of the back ground sensation, of relaxation the heaviness lightness tingling gentle breathing and so on.
    7 emerge slowely from the meditation sit quietly with your eyes open for a minute, notice if you feel different from when you first started.
     
  19. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    basic meditation
    music
    if music is your object, the usual instruction apply relax, focus on the music and when the mind wanders bring it back,many people just drift along with the music,but spacing out to music is not meditationany kind of non vocal music will do to meditate to, it must have an edgeto it for the mind to grasp hold of,
    1 scan your posture and breathing for a minute make sure you state of mind is in alpha before you start the music. 2 turn the music on and enjoy it fell everything about it even the colours, you can use them to deepen the meditation, feel the music in your body. 3 ask your self a few times are you still with the music? 4 when the music stops, come back to your self, did you relax fully, or are you a little charged up? are you holding your breath or is it soft, when you feel in touch with your self then come out of the meditation.
     
  20. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    mantra and affirmations/
    here are some simple affirmations/ slow down..let go...peace and love...relax...wake up...let it be...warm and heavy.it is important not to think about the affirmations, say them silently and continuously while your primary focus is on the breath or the body the affirmation is like wallpaper it provides a backdown atmosphere.now a mantra is like an affirmation but with two important differences. with a mantra we focus on its actual rhythm and sound quality, here are some mantras.
    om...om ah...om ah hung svaha...aoham...om mani peme hung...om namah shivaya.
    basic meditation affirmations...as usual get comfortable and scan your body for tensions, when you are ready take two deep breathslet go completly then feel the breath move within you.
    as soon as you feel in touch with the breath,say the first affirmation slow down say the first word on the inbreath, and the second word on the out breathdont try to make your breathing regular,the affirmation should fit the breathing, pay attention to the words until they are ticking over automatically and effortlessy.
    focu on your breathing it may well slow down,dont worry it usually happens when we relax,
    remain with slow down or switch to let go, the mood may change,
    contiue with which ever affirmation suits you best or invent one of your own.
    when you are at the end of the meditation notice if and how your mood has changed. i will post the mantra later on.
     
  21. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    mantra/ you can go straight into mantra without relaxing first, a mantra will sweep out thoughts and the body will soon come around. you can say a mantra while in formal meditation or at any time walking doing the dishes, the following three mantras work well,om ah/ om on the in breath and ah on the out,you can also say shalom this is said both on the in breath and the out breath, longer mantra gives you something to get your teeth into, i likr the tibetan mantra, OM MANI PEME HUNG, pronounced like this OM MANEE PAYMAY HUNG, it can be said fast or slow in time with the heart beat or breath,
    select a mantra and repeat it silently it helps to synchronise it in some way,heartbeat or breath,
    immerse yourself in the texture and rhythm of mantralet the mantra carry you along,
    notice when your mind is spacing out if you lose focus say the syllables more precisely or accentuate the rhythm, enjoy yourself,
     
  22. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    try this body asleep mind awake.
    i have used this meditation to get to sleep at night. in this meditation we scan our body but shift our point of focus every two to three seconds, this keeps us alertyou can look for new sensations in each place then move on before the mind has time to get board.
    choose your posture, if you lie on the floor, have your palms upwards, legs a little apart, and a small pillow under your head, losen any tension within you,.
    move your mind like a spot light around your bodyname each place you visit try to feel or imagine the sensations there, however subtle, move lightly sensing and letting go keep doing this.
    do it all down the right side from the right thumb all the way to the fifth toe and the whole right side of the body notice if it feels different from the left side, rest there for a minute.
    then go and do the same thing on the left hand side of your body, then moving upwards do both feet and anklesand work your way up the legs right up to the top of the body, now reverse it move down and inside from your forehead then eyes ears nose and cheeks do this all the way inside your body, feel the gentle flow of the breath, let the mind settle somewhere within you and count the breaths for the rest of the meditation.
     
  23. BLASTOFF Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    380
    try basic meditation natural object.

    1 put something that intrests you on a table at a convenient distance in frot of you-not too close or far away, not too high and not too low,now close your eyes for two minutes and relax using any method,

    2 open your eyes, keep the muscles loose and soft, the eyes may be almost out of focus, now let yor eyes settl on the object and explore it,

    3 name the object silently like a mantra each time you breath out without effort and without staring, become familiar with it see its colours, shadow patterns texture,

    4 use your imagination if you want to, imagine touching or holding it, going inside it to becoming it allow associations to arise,

    5 you can also explore the object in your imagination, continue saying the word to evoke the image, the detail of it may change slightly, if you lose the image completly, open your eyes again.

    6 every now and them scan through your body to make sure you are relaxing, if you are tensing up keep your eyesclosed for a while, if you become sleepy open your eyes.

    7 meditate on the object with you eyes open or closed as you wish, at the end of the meditation notice how your body feels


    now basic visualisation

    make yourself comfortable and relax, eyes open or closed.

    2 start working slowly through the colours of the spectrum. begin with RED .say the word each time you breath out, wait for a particular shade of the colour, or even the memory of a red object
    to arise, when it does explore the mood of it, without tensing up enjoy it for a moment.

    3work threough the colours of the rainbow, spending a minute on each colour notice that some colours or objects come to mind more readily than others.

    4now go deeper into the colour that most appealed, imagine the quality of the colour radiating throughout your body, play with any associations that arise, continue saying the word like a manta, dont try to achieve anything, make sure your body doesn't tense up.

    5 now at the end let your mind rest with the sensations of the body foe a minute or two, notice your state body and mind before you emerge.
     

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