I Am That: Nisargadatta Maharaj
Meditation in the Time of Disruption
31–40 of 51 posts
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#32I'm not sure what the take away was, but I really enjoyed the article. That seems appropriate. I've been doing unguided mediation by myself for short periods (sub 30m) for years. Never really took much instruction in terms of what type of mediation i should do. I think this article is the first thing that really made want to seek out instruction. Any personal recommendations for books/other material for someone that'…
The Mind Illuminated by John Yates (aka Culadasa) helped me a lot on how to structure my practice and how to deal with specific issues arising during meditation. I also find it quite well-written.
I’ll second this recommendation. It makes meditation feel more accessible.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
The Mind Illuminated by John Yates (aka Culadasa) helped me a lot on how to structure my practice and how to deal with specific issues arising during meditation. I also find it quite well-written.
I’ll second this recommendation. It makes meditation feel more accessible.
Thirded. It reads like a ~500 page technical manual for the mind. I don't know of any other book that states things as plainly, or in as much detail.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#34I Am That: Nisargadatta Maharaj
Absolutely. I'm happy to see Nisargadatta's name here. For some reason self-inquiry hasn't taken off in the US like Zen, TM, or Vipassana has.
These are also gems:
* The Truth Is by Papaji
* Be As You Are by Ramana Maharshi
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#35I'm not sure what the take away was, but I really enjoyed the article. That seems appropriate. I've been doing unguided mediation by myself for short periods (sub 30m) for years. Never really took much instruction in terms of what type of mediation i should do. I think this article is the first thing that really made want to seek out instruction. Any personal recommendations for books/other material for someone that'…
For mindfulness awareness in the moment I would recommend Mindfulness:a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Williams (Oxford University). It takes you through a course in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. MBCT is aimed as anti-depression. I like the standardised approach used which means that clinical trials are possible.
Another interesting angle is Mindful Self Compassion - best starting point Kristin Neff.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've heard good things about the dhamma.org 10-day Vipassana retreats. The sessions seem to require registering months in advance for new students, though.
10 days is a bigger commitment than I feel comfortable making at the moment.
10 days is a big commitment, and it may be something you want to explore in future. While I do not agree with all the philosophies and can do without all the evening talks, the fact that you can do long sessions of meditations and everything is taken care of is excellent. I like to compare ten days course to a marathon - it is hard, you need to be open, and you learn a lot about your mind.
I have also found "Black Lotus App" (http://blacklotusapp.org/) to be a good source for myself. It is free, has some good guided sessions, allows you to attend global sessions and gives access to other resources.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#37I'm not sure what the take away was, but I really enjoyed the article. That seems appropriate. I've been doing unguided mediation by myself for short periods (sub 30m) for years. Never really took much instruction in terms of what type of mediation i should do. I think this article is the first thing that really made want to seek out instruction. Any personal recommendations for books/other material for someone that'…
"Three pillars of Zen" by Phillip Kapleau. Contains chapters on practice and main concepts of Zen.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#38I'm not sure what the take away was, but I really enjoyed the article. That seems appropriate. I've been doing unguided mediation by myself for short periods (sub 30m) for years. Never really took much instruction in terms of what type of mediation i should do. I think this article is the first thing that really made want to seek out instruction. Any personal recommendations for books/other material for someone that'…
The Mind Illuminated by John Yates (aka Culadasa) helped me a lot on how to structure my practice and how to deal with specific issues arising during meditation. I also find it quite well-written.
I did learn the distinction between focused and surrounding~ attention. Felt a bit different.
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#39I'm not sure what the take away was, but I really enjoyed the article. That seems appropriate. I've been doing unguided mediation by myself for short periods (sub 30m) for years. Never really took much instruction in terms of what type of mediation i should do. I think this article is the first thing that really made want to seek out instruction. Any personal recommendations for books/other material for someone that'…
Practical Zen by Julian Diazan Skinner
Re: Meditation in the Time of Disruption
#40I did transcendental meditation for 17 years. If you want to open the door to deceiving spirits in your life, go ahead and meditate.
I'm sorry you are getting downvoted. 17 years of practice is no joke. Would you be so kind and explain what you mean?
It's probably because they directly conflated their experience with TM with meditation in general. Many people in the meditation community have strong views on TM in particular, in my experience.