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Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

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Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#61

Post by FraaJad »

silentbicycle wrote: post #58
anemecek wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried to look up more info about it but it seems like to learn anything, one has to take some $1500 course. Can you summarize how it differs from the standard meditation (i.e. zen meditation)?

Zen meditation isn't really "the standard meditation", American culture just has an infatuation with Zen because the Beats and Hippies drew a lot of attention to the San Francisco Zen Center at the right time, while otherwise Buddhism and Hinduism have mostly stayed in immigrant communities. (I don't know enough about the Hare Krishnas to say anything either way.)

AFAIK, Hare krishnas do not practice "raja yoga" the Hindu school of philosophy that deals with "Yoga" and "meditation" as people know of it popularly. Hare krishnas practice the "Bhakti" (devotional) school of philosophy.

Zen meditation is a japanese adaptation of the chinese adapation of the Raja Yoga techniques of Hinduism/Buddhism.

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Yoga

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#62

Post by zeraholladay »

mannicken wrote: post #3

I used to meditate but no longer do since I'm starting to trip (audial/visual hallucinations) very fast and the trip is usually not a good one. It is a very powerful natural psychedelic experience, comparable to third plateau of DXM at least... but controllable, unlike DXM.

My wife was raised Buddhist. We talked extensively about the affects of meditation after reading an article on the over-use, abuse and misunderstanding of meditation in some Western mainstream practices. The article covered a few obvious but damaging cases: depressed and marginal personalities attempting to meditate for hours during a first attempt. What struck me when talking about it with my wife is that meditation is a skill; it's something you have to learn to do and something someone else should probably teach you so that you use it responsibly.

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#63

Post by access_denied »

programnature wrote: post #27
gojomo wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people react poorly to meditation -- even having hallucinations. See this story for more examples: http://www.sfweekly.com/2002-08-28/news/bad-vibes/ So sure, try it, but if it doesn't feel right, don't force it.

That article is shocking, in the sense that most of the meditation teachers are unaware of the bad side effects. Basic relaxation techniques are mostly harmless, but "serious" meditation very often leads to profound challenges to one's sense of self and perception of the world. In the religious traditions that cultivate it, that is in fact the point, and there are many stages that are highly challenging and unpleasan…

From the article: "The danger for those who do is that many instructors call the problems a welcome sign of enlightenment, as in Long's case, or proof of the student's insincere effort. In either situation, teachers encourage the student to meditate longer."

Excactly the same behaviour is observed in this HN discussion: upon reporting problems caused by a meditation praxis, people get confronted with the accusation of not doing it right and encouraged to do more.

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#64

Post by cianestro »

wheels wrote: post #45
markbao wrote: post #11

| For the study, participants were taught to meditate by focusing on the sensation of their breathing, acknowledging and dismissing any stray thoughts that popped into their heads. For those who do practice meditation, what are other techniques that are effective to you?

It's worth spending a bit of time reading on, as I find the descriptions here to be overly superficial, perhaps largely because meditation is more defined by what you do not do, than what you do. It's also worth noting that there are many types of meditation. Years ago I read "Buddhism without Beliefs" (on "agnostic Buddhism"). Bullshitty as the title may sound, the major thing that I came away with was a decent medi…

I highly suggest "The Tibetan Book of The Dead" and "The Power of Silence." Try to find the TBOTD version translated by W.Y. Evans-Wentz if you're not one for happy meal, watered-down philosophy. Take these texts with a grain of salt at first only because they will be thoroughly alien to your mind; once absorbed use wisely.

"...that which clingth not no fall can come. Where no fall cometh, there is rest, and where rest is, there is no keen desire. Where keen desire is not, naught cometh or goeth; and where naught cometh or goeth there is no death, no birth." -GB, TBOTD

"Cutting our chains is marvelous, but also very undesirable, for nobody wants to be free." -CC, The Power of Silence

EDIT: btw yogic flying is for idiots. Those who've practiced meditation for years and those fewer who've reached Nirvana have accessed and gained control enough to manipulate what they call the dharmakaya which is connected to the right temporal lobe I believe (also referred to as the silent mind). Those with this degree of mastery have OOB experiences with great maneuverability.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmakāya

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#65

Post by c1sc0 »

I'm working on a startup/iPhone app that is tangentially related to meditation. I've been meditating off and on for fifteen years now and as part of the app development I took it up again, as a kind of dogfooding approach. I've successfully used meditation in challenging sport situations (mountaineering, skydiving, swimming) but I've also had moments where everything in my life was going wrong except the meditation. Meditation can help you stay healthy, focussed and relaxed but anyone claiming it will fix your life is a charlatan.

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#67

Post by sailormoon »

rubashov wrote: post #59
markbao wrote: post #11

| For the study, participants were taught to meditate by focusing on the sensation of their breathing, acknowledging and dismissing any stray thoughts that popped into their heads. For those who do practice meditation, what are other techniques that are effective to you?

The key to proper meditation is a good view and three well made cocktails. For the view your choices run ocean, mountain, or city. In each case, classy hotel rooftop works well. For the cocktails, the importance of quality vermouth and bitters cannot be overemphasized. A top notch Americano requires both and will aid you greatly in your meditation.

Wow, I've been doing daily meditation all these years and didn't even know it!

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#68

Post by Dirt_McGirt »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #49

Carl Jung said that it was scientifically provable that yoga and meditation help physical and mental health - he probably made that comment 60 years ago, but it is still true today.

Carl Jung and science do not belong in the same sentence.

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#69

Post by justsee »

cianestro wrote: post #64
wheels wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth spending a bit of time reading on, as I find the descriptions here to be overly superficial, perhaps largely because meditation is more defined by what you do not do, than what you do. It's also worth noting that there are many types of meditation. Years ago I read "Buddhism without Beliefs" (on "agnostic Buddhism"). Bullshitty as the title may sound, the major thing that I came away with was a decent medi…

I highly suggest "The Tibetan Book of The Dead" and "The Power of Silence." Try to find the TBOTD version translated by W.Y. Evans-Wentz if you're not one for happy meal, watered-down philosophy. Take these texts with a grain of salt at first only because they will be thoroughly alien to your mind; once absorbed use wisely. "...that which clingth not no fall can come. Where no fall cometh, there is rest, and where re…

I had a great experience with a very simple practice called Vipassana. I wrote about it straight after doing a 10-day course of meditation - 9 days of no speaking was an event in itself: http://weblog.squareapple.net/archives/2004/11/26/art_of_liv...

A book I've really appreciated on the practice is called "The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation" - http://www.amazon.com/Art-Living-Vipassana-Meditation/dp/006...

Both the practice and the book are honest and simple in approach. I used to hunt for complex, cerebral stuff, dismissing anything else, but have slowly realised the error of my ways.

Re: Meditation Becomes Beneficial Surprisingly Fast

#70

Post by crazydiamond »

wheels wrote: post #45
markbao wrote: post #11

| For the study, participants were taught to meditate by focusing on the sensation of their breathing, acknowledging and dismissing any stray thoughts that popped into their heads. For those who do practice meditation, what are other techniques that are effective to you?

It's worth spending a bit of time reading on, as I find the descriptions here to be overly superficial, perhaps largely because meditation is more defined by what you do not do, than what you do. It's also worth noting that there are many types of meditation. Years ago I read "Buddhism without Beliefs" (on "agnostic Buddhism"). Bullshitty as the title may sound, the major thing that I came away with was a decent medi…

That final quote is a mind-blower, could not have put it better myself. Hits the nail on the head. Thanks a lot for it.
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