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A Simple Guide to Meditation

theflowstatecollective.com

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Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#11
post #5
post #3

Just got back from a meditation gathering from meetup.com and all I have to say is WOW. Powerful, and highly recommended. Start with 3 min a day right when you wake up (before food, cigarette, anything at all) and then go from there.

I tried meditation for a month, all it did was bore me and make me fall asleep.

It can be hard, but the benefits are immeasurable; keep with it.

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#12
post #5
post #3

Just got back from a meditation gathering from meetup.com and all I have to say is WOW. Powerful, and highly recommended. Start with 3 min a day right when you wake up (before food, cigarette, anything at all) and then go from there.

I tried meditation for a month, all it did was bore me and make me fall asleep.

In meditation, mental states and thoughts will play out that are never or rarely allowed to play out. If you are ever so slightly sleep deprived, chances are that sleep will sneak into your meditation. Just watch what comes up in meditation, and act accordingly.

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#13
I practice a form of meditation called Passage Meditation. Though simple, Passage Meditation is definitely not easy. However the results I have seen from myself and others, makes it an extremely beneficial practice.

Here is a free online course for those interested in it.

http://www.easwaran.org/introductory-passage-meditation-cour...

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#14
Here's my issue with meditation. There's no guide to what progress should look like. As in, everything I read says you shouldn't have any expectations and to just do it and there's a lot of benefit in it. I get that, I've been doing it for over a year now regularly but how can I know if it has any effects whatsoever?

Since I suspect there might be other techniques than focusing on the breath or body scans, I try to follow different guided meditations. After my session, i feel relaxed and my mind slow but efficient. Like getting up after a good nap.

But so does working out at the gym, sort of. Over there, however, you can directly see progress. With meditation...

Perhaps I am looking at this in the wrong way?

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#15
post #7

Meditation is one of those things that people think they're talking about the same thing when actually they're not. It's not just one thing - different religions and traditions have completely different approaches. Sure, there are some key concepts common to all like "awareness" and "mindfulness" - but awareness and mindfulness of what? Christians might "meditate" on a passage in the Bible. Theravada Buddhists have t…

What is the goal? In my understanding it's to get rid of all this goal-seeking business for a moment. Which is a beautiful contradiction and the reason why you don't need a lot of literature in order to practice. If you try hard to do it right, you're doing it wrong.

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#16
post #7

Meditation is one of those things that people think they're talking about the same thing when actually they're not. It's not just one thing - different religions and traditions have completely different approaches. Sure, there are some key concepts common to all like "awareness" and "mindfulness" - but awareness and mindfulness of what? Christians might "meditate" on a passage in the Bible. Theravada Buddhists have t…

Using the example of exercise, there are a million recommendations you will get on not just how, but whether to do the pull-up or a push-up or jumping jax. If your goal is to maximize general health then you monitor your heart rate, breathing rate and duration and quietly ignore those people and their absurd arguments to get to the top of some advice pyramid.

In meditation you also need to ignore your mind imitating those people which is easier if you start by not reading all their opinions. If you really want to know how you are doing it is increasingly practical for anyone to buy an EEG.

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#17
post #15
post #7

Meditation is one of those things that people think they're talking about the same thing when actually they're not. It's not just one thing - different religions and traditions have completely different approaches. Sure, there are some key concepts common to all like "awareness" and "mindfulness" - but awareness and mindfulness of what? Christians might "meditate" on a passage in the Bible. Theravada Buddhists have t…

What is the goal? In my understanding it's to get rid of all this goal-seeking business for a moment. Which is a beautiful contradiction and the reason why you don't need a lot of literature in order to practice. If you try hard to do it right, you're doing it wrong.

That's one way to look at it. There are many other ways. In traditional Buddhism, for example, there are many goals like increasing stages of concentration, insight, etc.

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#18

Here's my issue with meditation. There's no guide to what progress should look like. As in, everything I read says you shouldn't have any expectations and to just do it and there's a lot of benefit in it. I get that, I've been doing it for over a year now regularly but how can I know if it has any effects whatsoever? Since I suspect there might be other techniques than focusing on the breath or body scans, I try to f…

I really like Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha[1]. He spends a lot of time describing different "maps", which are models of progression. (He talks about many other things too. It's more than just a meditation guide.)

[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Core-Teachings-Buddha-Unusua...

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#19

Here's my issue with meditation. There's no guide to what progress should look like. As in, everything I read says you shouldn't have any expectations and to just do it and there's a lot of benefit in it. I get that, I've been doing it for over a year now regularly but how can I know if it has any effects whatsoever? Since I suspect there might be other techniques than focusing on the breath or body scans, I try to f…

If you want a "runged ladder" of some kind of progress, try the four levels of jhana. There are lots of published guides, for example "Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English", various works of Shaila Catherine, etc.

Re: A Simple Guide to Meditation

#20

I practice a form of meditation called Passage Meditation. Though simple, Passage Meditation is definitely not easy. However the results I have seen from myself and others, makes it an extremely beneficial practice. Here is a free online course for those interested in it. http://www.easwaran.org/introductory-passage-meditation-cour...

It would be nice if you elaborated on those results.
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