The Meditators Thread

[Necuno]

You don't keep your mind from wandering, you observe your wandering mind with detachment and gently bring your focus back to the point (whatever it is you're focusing on, your breath or a candle flame etc). Of course there are many kinds of meditation. Some to focus the mind and some to empty it.

After control of the body, you'd normally start with the breath and the mind. Patterned breathing helps eg. the four fold breath as 4 counts in, 4 counts hold, 4 counts out, 4 counts hold and then 4 counts in.

The observation of the mind is one facets you want to be able to do. Simplest method would be to sit, close eyes and focus on the back of the eye lids while observing your thoughts.

This is letting the thought come, observing it and letting it go without attaching to it. If you attach to it then simply refocus on the back of your eyelids.

HOWEVER you will find that not only do you get thoughts, but you will also get imagery as well as emotions. All, even itches, at this point should be just observed and let it pass without attachment.

Another mind technique would be to be able to focus on just a single thing and that thing alone without having the mind wonder. Additionally you would want to reach a state where there is nothing.

After the body, mind and the senses has been detached you can reached deeper states of meditations.

You should, well its good too, at the end of your session just sit for 5 to 10 minutes and let it sink in. During this time all you do is observe your body and your mind. Its good after a meditation not to jump right into anything you can but remain at the state you have been in.

More importantly meditation should become a continuous act which is not an escape from the daily life, but your complete wake state from start to finish should be as you would have been in meditation.

A focus mind during the day helps having a focus mind in meditation. Its like a dam with many leaks and once you stopped that leaks it becomes quite powerful!

 

[Sherbang]

This is why we can't have nice things...

I try and offer MY advice and MY experience... and you's two's think that YOU are the only right people on earth. Because you read a book titled: "The Idiot's Guide to Zen"

I wasn't being confrontational... nor was I mocking or condescending...

How can one be offered tea if his cup is already full?
If that sounds cheesy... it's because you already know everything.


I have many years of meditation experience ranging from prayer, martial arts, experimenting and traveling.

What I have learned is that one cannot remain so stagnant in their ideas as to not accept wisdom in the way of others do things even if their way is contradictory to yours.

If you want to sit and clear your mind and think you've attained a state of Zen... then GO AHEAD! And I'm sure you'll feel better.

But the true essence of Zen... is SELF MASTERY
Meaning mind, body and soul...

I wish you good luck in your endeavours.

Sorry, but this is the first post of yours that you've actually given some advice. I wasn't ignoring or contradicting your previous advice, because until now you hadn't given any.

 

[D3nz]

Different schools of thought. For me, as an angry type, concentrating as if I had a gun to my head has a magical effect.

A few questions if you don't mind...

Is this hard to learn?
Do you have to read the book?
How soon did you feel less angry?

 

[Satyr]

Has anyone tried transcendental meditation? I bought a book on mindfulness a week ago and whilst doing a bit of research on it, the TM stuff popped up.

 

[OMB]

Control of the body and the mind is the cornerstone of all meditations. If you can't sit still then you'd have a hard time detaching the mind and the senses...

you've obviously never tried dynamic meditation?

 

[Necuno]

you've obviously never tried dynamic meditation?

Depends on what you want to achieve. However I should note it find it strange the tags we put to meditation. Although how else would we classify or group it?

Nonetheless I do a blend of "transcendental meditation" (use of words), sensory training and light to deep meditation. For the latter you would want to sit still and have a calm mind. That is why I said what I said, but a bit too evangelical. I got amped what can I say

Even this act of typing can become a mediation if I keep my mind from wondering and keep a good focus.

 

[OMB]

Dynamic has an interesting effect as it assists to clear the mind before silence.

6 hours of staring into complete darkness also makes for an interesting experience of being

 

[Nick333]

A few questions if you don't mind...

Is this hard to learn?
Do you have to read the book?
How soon did you feel less angry?

It's very easy to learn. You don't have to read a book. http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Zen-Meditation-%28Zazen%29
How soon... well, almost straight away but, it's relative. It helps if you give some thought and be conscious about how and why you get angry. It's a choice we make and something we do to ourselves rather than something others do to us. The things other people do that make us angry are usually just thoughtless and not personal. If we get angry we carry whatever happened around and punish ourselves for something someone else has done while they probably didn't even realise what they did or have forgotten about it already.

 

[Necuno]

Dynamic has an interesting effect as it assists to clear the mind before silence.

6 hours of staring into complete darkness also makes for an interesting experience of being

It does, but I've just sat and look while letting go of mind and emotion. This was a few days back while lingering in a park. I call this "being bored"...

It's very easy to learn. You don't have to read a book. http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Zen-Meditation-%28Zazen%29
How soon... well, almost straight away but, it's relative. It helps if you give some thought and be conscious about how and why you get angry. It's a choice we make and something we do to ourselves rather than something others do to us. The things other people do that make us angry are usually just thoughtless and not personal. If we get angry we carry whatever happened around and punish ourselves for something someone else has done while they probably didn't even realise what they did or have forgotten about it already.

Totally. Another method to supplement the above would be to make up two lists, one with your vices on them and the other with your virtues on. This is done through observing your behavior during the day, once you can't add any more to either lists then you start to analyse them. This assists in getting to know why they happen, eg. getting angry when corrected and to know which ones to work on first (those that influence you the most).

 

[D3nz]

It's very easy to learn. You don't have to read a book. http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Zen-Meditation-%28Zazen%29
How soon... well, almost straight away but, it's relative. It helps if you give some thought and be conscious about how and why you get angry. It's a choice we make and something we do to ourselves rather than something others do to us. The things other people do that make us angry are usually just thoughtless and not personal. If we get angry we carry whatever happened around and punish ourselves for something someone else has done while they probably didn't even realise what they did or have forgotten about it already.

I totally get that. Would meditation help a teenager who's been cutting himself to release his anger?

 

[OMB]

It does, but I've just sat and look while letting go of mind and emotion. This was a few days back while lingering in a park. I call this "being bored"...

you really should try "The Beauty of Darkness" meditation, it's a mind killer

 

[Nick333]

I totally get that. Would meditation help a teenager who's been cutting himself to release his anger?

Definitely.

 

[D3nz]

Definitely.

Thanks.

 

[Tamagotchi]

"Acknowledge the thought and let it go". That, I don't understand. Can someone please explain that?

 

[OMB]

"Acknowledge the thought and let it go". That, I don't understand. Can someone please explain that?

Don't get caught up in the thinking, if a thought pops into your head just just see it as a cloud drifting by, don't follow on with the thought process

 

[Nick333]

When you become aware of your mind wandering, acknowledge it and turn your attention back to the object of your meditation. Gently.

 

[Tamagotchi]

Don't get caught up in the thinking, if a thought pops into your head just just see it as a cloud drifting by, don't follow on with the thought process

Ok. Makes more sence.
I tried meditating on tuesday, nothing happened, no calmness, clarity, nothing.
After how long will the effects be evident? I'm sort of an instant gratififcation guy.

 

[Nick333]

The point of mindfulness is to develop self awareness.
Most of us are so identified with our thinking that we aren't fully aware of what we are doing at any given moment.
The classic example is driving somewhere and when we arrive at our destination not being able to remember the drive there. This used to happen to me all the time. The scary thing is that often were not even aware of thinking. We follow trains of thought like an out of control ready floating down a river. Hoping from one train of thought to the next without stopping. Meditation is the practice under ideal circumstances of being aware of all this activity. You focus your attention on something, your breathing for instance, and when your mind inevitably wanders and you eventually become aware that it has wandered, you acknowledge that it has wanted and gently refocus on your breathing. With practice you get better at concentrating for longer without your mind wandering and you begin to notice when it has wandered more quickly and you get better at refocusing your attention when you do notice.
When you think about it most of our suffering stems from our minds uncontrollably obsessing about the past or future instead of focusing on and enjoying what's happening at the moment. Depression is obsessing about the past and anxiety is obsessing about the future.
There's even more to it than that. Meditation is also the practice of non-judgement. A thought becomes just a thought rather than a good thought out a bad thought. An emotion becomes just an emotion rather than a good emotion or a bad emotion. In the same way in our day to day lives situations are just situations rather than good situations or bad situations. So, we suffer less because we spend less tone obsessing about how we hate being where we are and wishing we were somewhere else or doing something else.