Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#71

Post by sudoman » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 1:04 AM UTC

The way I understand meditation is that it is a way of stepping out of "worlds of becoming" that the mind is constantly entering and wandering around in. (Until things go bad, and then it jumps to another world.) The way I try to deal with this is through the ongoing practice of calming the mind and giving it good mental food. A good source of this food is the blameless pleasure that comes from the ability to settle on a single range of awareness such as the body or the breath, and then to stay there for long periods of time, which is actually more satisfying than it sounds at first. It's inevitable that the mind will keep pulling itself away to harmful yet tempting subjects, so learning how to return peacefully, yet firmly and repeatedly is a skill that I've been trying to develop.

It becomes somewhat obvious as one begins to meditate that this wandering, and the repetition of unskillful mental qualities, is connected with what stress and suffering there is in life. The accompanying insight into these thought worlds and how they keep originating and pulling stress and suffering with them can supposedly allow one to grow dispassionate for those addictions and give them up to at least a greater or lesser extent. It's interesting to see what repeated mental habits the mind thinks are good ideas, simply because it hasn't taken a good look at them since before the age of two. Giving those habits up, even if only temporarily, can be a great relief for the mind.

The tough part about all this is putting in the effort on a regular/continual basis when the initial results can come and go without your really seeing why. Looking at my own practice, I can say it's worth the effort so far, despite the difficulties. When I'm in a tough spot, remembering the moments that I have been at greater ease in the meditation give me reason to keep working in that direction.

If you're interested, here are some talks by my favorite meditation teacher: http://dhammatalks.org/Archive/BasicsCollection/BasicsCollec...

I hope this helps your practice. ;-)

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#72

Post by shadowpwner » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 1:16 AM UTC

jasonshen wrote: post #14

As a gymnast, I found meditation to be be a powerful way to train my mind to focus. This was particularly important for the pommel horse, which is a super nuanced event that you can can't "muscle" your way to success. I do believe I noticed a difference in my performance as time went on. Now I try to meditate simply as a way of introducing calm into a life that is jam packed with work, socializing and outside project…

5 minutes a day? ;)

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#73

Post by enduser » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 1:18 AM UTC

Yes, every day with very few exceptions.

I recommend the Golden Flower method, generally, as described in The Secret of the Golden Flower translated by Thomas Cleary. The Wilhelm translation of the same text is broken.

What is significant about meditation is not specific to sitting. Sitting quietly is a way to clear the everyday human mind so that a more profound awareness can arise in awareness. Then one can hold that awareness through all activity, practicing quiet when quiet is appropriate and acting when action is appropriate.

Meditation can be mundane: a way to relax, to enhance concentration, to feel peaceful. Or it can be greater, a way to understand reality in a way that is denied to the analytic mind.

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#74

Post by jonhendry » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 2:04 AM UTC

michael_dorfman wrote: post #43

I do pretty traditional, mainstream Buddhist-style meditation on the breath every day. At the moment I'm sitting 30 minutes a day; there have been times when I've averaged an hour a day. I find it has great benefits-- much more than any other activity I could do in the time I'm spending. I'd definitely recommend that you (or anybody else interested) go to a center, and take a few sessions with an in-person teacher. L…

There are a number of sites with downloadable dharma talks, guided meditations, etc. Those would be helpful people who don't have a nearby center. (Or whose nearby center is of a variety that isn't agreeable. For instance, when I took a meditation class at a Korean Zen temple in Chicago, full-length prostrations were a significant part of it. I'm not keen on prostrations. As an atheist, they feel silly.)

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#75

Post by jonhendry » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 2:12 AM UTC

vidar wrote: post #10

klondikered wrote: post #7

I meditate to awaken (in the deeper sense), to bring calm to a wild mind (as I think Robert Pirsig said, peace of mind is not the most important thing, it's the only thing), and to try to become a better, more compassionate person. You don't have to meditate in a convoluted sitting position if you choose not to (although there are good reasons for sitting in lotus). I would start by just regularly sitting or walking…

I have been meditating for a while, always sitting in a chair. What are the advantages of the Lotus?

My understanding is that the lotus position forms a tripod or your two knees and your butt, which is supposedly pretty stable.

I wouldn't know, as I haven't a prayer of attaining that position.

I have a little folding wooden meditation bench that I use. I don't think I'd want to meditate for more than half an hour using it, though. Some similar benches are available with cushions.

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#76

Post by jonhendry » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 2:13 AM UTC

fredoliveira wrote: post #2

To those curious - like I once was - about how you actually get started with meditation, I've used the introduction to mindfulness series over at audiodharma [1]. It's often hard to find resources that manage to actually separate meditation from zen/buddhist practices, and they do it quite well. The lectures are from Gil Fronsdal who's a Ph.D. from Stanford. [1] http://www.audiodharma.org/series/1/talk/1762/

There's also a podcast available from them.

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#77

Post by epochwolf » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 3:01 AM UTC

levifig wrote: post #65

I know I'll get some heat for this, but here it goes anyway. Disclaimer: I'm a Christian. Not of those that make the news or your typical "fundamentalist". I read and study the Bible and do my best to be a good person, understanding the world around me yet living as closely as possible from that which God has asked of me, through the Bible. And if you ask, I've been doing pretty good at it while remaining relevant in…

> And I'd say "pray", but that mind be beyond the scope of your question

I happen to be a Christian as well. Do you think of prayer and mediation as separate activities, aspect of the same activity, or identical? (I am withholding my opinion as to not bias your response)

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#78

Post by jcromartie » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 3:05 AM UTC

levifig wrote: post #65

I know I'll get some heat for this, but here it goes anyway. Disclaimer: I'm a Christian. Not of those that make the news or your typical "fundamentalist". I read and study the Bible and do my best to be a good person, understanding the world around me yet living as closely as possible from that which God has asked of me, through the Bible. And if you ask, I've been doing pretty good at it while remaining relevant in…

I agree with your take on meditation (theologically), but to play devil's advocate: I think the common idea of "emptying your mind" could actually be seen as focusing on something, even if that something is "nothing," or silence.

I've found that one of the best things for "unplugging" is actually Instapaper and other readers. Instead of flitting from link to link and doing shallow reading on HN or Reddit, I tend to send a few things a day to Instapaper so I can focus on them in a better context for reading. I absorb a lot more, and I am less distracted by articles while I'm trying to work, and less distracted by work while I'm trying to read! I'm very thankful for that app.

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#79

Post by financegeek » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 3:23 AM UTC

mmaunder wrote: post #45

When I run, I no longer listen to music and I just let my mind wander. My layman's theory is that it's a form of meditation. At the end I'm full of mental energy and new ideas.

I completely agree. I do most of my running on my own, early in the morning and it is a great time to get ready for the day just noticing the world, your body, waking up, and accepting those things and moving on. I also try to do sitting meditation before (usually out of bed, meditate, warm up, run), but if I have to choose I run before meditate and call it even.

Re: Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why?

#80

Post by financegeek » Fri, Jan 21, 2011, 3:24 AM UTC

jcromartie wrote: post #78

levifig wrote: post #65

I know I'll get some heat for this, but here it goes anyway. Disclaimer: I'm a Christian. Not of those that make the news or your typical "fundamentalist". I read and study the Bible and do my best to be a good person, understanding the world around me yet living as closely as possible from that which God has asked of me, through the Bible. And if you ask, I've been doing pretty good at it while remaining relevant in…

I agree with your take on meditation (theologically), but to play devil's advocate: I think the common idea of "emptying your mind" could actually be seen as focusing on something, even if that something is "nothing," or silence. I've found that one of the best things for "unplugging" is actually Instapaper and other readers. Instead of flitting from link to link and doing shallow reading on HN or Reddit, I tend to s…

Also check out "The Way of the Warrior" classes on meditation for different methods. You don't always have to focus on the breath or try to empty your mind.