Woodsy Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I don't know if this was brought up before, and I apologize if it has. What, if any, are your experiences with meditation? I've read a little about it and would like to try. Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingernut Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I do mindfulness meditation for a chronic pain condition. It is a wonderful form of meditation that doesn't require belief in anything. It is not the type of meditation that promotes an altered state of consciousness (I have this thing about being in my right mind...very important to me!) and the type I do is absent of any new age mumbo jumbo. I highly recommend it for chronic pain, panic attacks, anxiety, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsy Posted January 18, 2014 Author Share Posted January 18, 2014 I do mindfulness meditation for a chronic pain condition. It is a wonderful form of meditation that doesn't require belief in anything. It is not the type of meditation that promotes an altered state of consciousness (I have this thing about being in my right mind...very important to me!) and the type I do is absent of any new age mumbo jumbo. I highly recommend it for chronic pain, panic attacks, anxiety, etc. Sounds interesting. Do you know where I can get details on this? I need to be in my right mind while I still have it!! Thanks, sweetie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenstar Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I do several different kinds of meditation, mindfulness is one, as is transcendental. There is no time when I feel 'out of control' of the process… your mind is constantly altering it's state of consciousness. Alpha, Delta, Theta.. they are all natural states that we all experience every day. The only difference with meditation is that you are consciously choosing to enter one of these states. You are never 'out of your mind' as in out of control. You are more out of control when sleeping (which is an altered state of consciousness) because your body shuts down the nervous system so you don't act out your dreams and harm yourself. (a very non-technical explanation) Daydreaming is an altered state of consciousness too. Your brain waves are constantly changing depending on what you are doing. Watching television creates brain waves similar to daydreaming. Deep meditation creates brain waves similar to sleeping but with lucidity. Nothing to fear in meditation, and the benefits are amazing, lowered blood pressure, less stress and worry… more centeredness. Much less risky than hypnosis, another altered state, but with someone else in control. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I practice a sitting meditation every morning for about 75 minutes, longer on the weekends as I don't have to leave for work. Just finished 3 hours this morning. I also do a walking meditation when I do a half hour walk after lunch, plus mindfulness meditation throughout the day. I'll add here, I agree completely with what Ravenstar said about how you are not loosing control of your faculties in meditation. Actually, the exact opposite is true! You are far, far, far more in control of your mind then when your "normally" thinking throughout the day! The mind becomes calm and clear and open and aware and receptive. As that occurs, and you bring that with you into the day, everything becomes awakened. You listen to others better, your thinking become sharper and more present, you become aware of your surroundings, life is enriched, you become happier, and the list goes on and on and on. The goal is to make this "altered state", the awakened state permanently. You come to see when you enter into this state of mind, just how not-awake, just how asleep you are the whole time you think you've been awake. And there are deeper, and higher, and more awake states as you enter into deeper and deeper self-awareness through meditation. So, don't be afraid! Hey, here's a great quote from the Buddha I think will put this into perspective beautifully, "Wanting nothing With all your heart Stop the stream. When the world dissolves Everything becomes clear. Go beyond This way or that way, To the farther shore Where the world dissolves And everything becomes clear. Beyond this shore And the father shore, Beyond the beyond, Where there is no beginning, No end. Without fear, go." ~Siddhārtha Gautama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I just came across this TED talk that may be of some help to you. What he says in here is true about how you become a witness of your thoughts (which is an altered state of consciousness too) as the key to becoming calmer. It's quite good as a primer approach to meditation, though I think he overstates that you don't need to sit and burn incense, etc. I think he's trying to help people get over not wanting to identify with stereotypes of us mystic types, but make no mistake if you're doing any sort of meditation where you enter into the witnessing mind as he describes, your posture is important.If you're slumped with your shoulders hunched, and back curved, it affects the breathing which affects the ability to be focused in the mind. You're not there to 'veg out' in meditation. Also, incense, though not necessary as he says, can in fact be helpful. Things that stimulate the senses this way helps distract the mind from its engagement in discursive thought. It can help 'lift you out' of that. I also use auditory stimuli, such as Tibetan singing bowls as a deeply relaxing focus of the mind into the sound. I can go a lot further in talking about this if you wish, but just let me know the interest you have. I think this video is good that it introduces people to the general concept of what meditation is and does for you on the most simple, yet beneficial understanding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzR62JJCMBQ#t=22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingernut Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I do mindfulness meditation for a chronic pain condition. It is a wonderful form of meditation that doesn't require belief in anything. It is not the type of meditation that promotes an altered state of consciousness (I have this thing about being in my right mind...very important to me!) and the type I do is absent of any new age mumbo jumbo. I highly recommend it for chronic pain, panic attacks, anxiety, etc. Sounds interesting. Do you know where I can get details on this? I need to be in my right mind while I still have it!! Thanks, sweetie. I used some guided meditations first from youtube...just search for guided mindfulness meditation and you will have lots to choose from. I am sure there are many forms of meditation that others find useful but I have to stay away from meditation that brings religious beliefs into it...I am not interested in any religion whether it is Buddhist or hindu or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 There's another thread going right now that HenryCD started, asking about whether it's possible to intuitively interpret God. We've kind of hijacked the thread and are talking in depth about meditation, check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysNow Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I would advise you to look into a guy named Adyashanti. He teaches/advocates something he calls "true meditation". This kind of meditation is undirected; in other words, it's not so much a technique to direct mind/thought to get somewhere as it is a complete letting go of every sort of mental activity. The beauty of this kind of meditation is that it can be approached in a sit down closed eyes way or while engaged in activity. This meditation returns a person to their unconditioned natural state awareness that has always present but overlooked due to mental conditioning. It's the seeing through of one's conditioning so that you can consciously rest within what you really are. Here is his website, which has lots of stuff free of charge: http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=teachings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 As others have pointed out, there are many different types of meditation. Right now, I am engaged in pursuing the preliminary practices (called Ngondro) of Tibetan Buddhism. This consists mostly of mantras and chanting. All this is also meditation. I do some quiet sitting for short periods as well. The sitting meditation is something anyone can do, and it does not involve any religious belief whatsoever. Just focus on an object or your breathing and stay with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 My experience with meditation has always brought certain things to front: The Moment The Core These are one as far as I can tell. I can not experience one without the other. I find a pyramid of awareness, its base levels being sentience, upper levels consciousness, and as the pinnacle the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I'm going to be leading meditation for a group in a few weeks for around 20-30 beginners, and was planning to say something at the outset that should help them in the long run should they wish to continue a practice. What a lot of people think of meditation is that the purpose of it is because it's good for you, that it makes you calmer, less anxious, clearer in mind and body. And all that is true, as a side benefit. But it is not the purpose or goal of meditation. The goal of meditation is one thing: knowledge. It opens awareness to a knowledge of self, to a knowledge of the world, to a knowledge of our relationship with the world, a relationship of the world with ourselves, and to ourselves with ourselves and others. All that is exposed in that process and its effects are a healing and clarity of mind and body. Mediation is a tool. It is a platform you climb up in order to dive off. But it's the diving off from the platform that brings insight, that brings knowledge, not meditation alone as merely an exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawn Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 The goal of meditation is one thing: knowledge. It opens awareness to a knowledge of self, to a knowledge of the world, to a knowledge of our relationship with the world, a relationship of the world with ourselves, and to ourselves with ourselves and others. All that is exposed in that process and its effects are a healing and clarity of mind and body. Mediation is a tool. It is a platform you climb up in order to dive off. But it's the diving off from the platform that brings insight, that brings knowledge, not meditation alone as merely an exercise. Well said. As I see it, Meditation is one of those "activities" that is an end to itself. Just as one does not dance to get to the end, one dances for the pleasure of the dance itself, so too does one meditate for the sake of meditation. The mind is incredibly awake and quiet during heavy meditative states, it is truly an experience beyond words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Well said. As I see it, Meditation is one of those "activities" that is an end to itself. Just as one does not dance to get to the end, one dances for the pleasure of the dance itself, so too does one meditate for the sake of meditation. The mind is incredibly awake and quiet during heavy meditative states, it is truly an experience beyond words.I think a better word to use than what I did to covey what it is, which ties in with your analogy, is that is an exploration. Like dance, you explore the nature of the movement in yourself. When you use meditation as a tool, it is to launch into exploration. What you find, will be uniquely your own path. What started this line of thought was that recently I was talking with someone who said they had been practicing insight meditation for 8 years. He was describing the experience of the 'witness', where you see thoughts rise and fall, which is of course very good and true. I then asked him if he ever moved into subtle state experiences, such as archetypal forms, light, deep enveloping presence, etc., expecting he had in order to have some discussion with him. He never has. I asked my partner to help me understand how that someone might not ever experience that given that amount of time meditating. Her answer was interesting. She said, "Because they were taught how to meditate". What that means is rather than approaching meditation as an exploration, they were told what to expect. Once that expectation is met, then that is all the further they go. "This is what meditation is". It's a very Western way of viewing it, as a sort of exercise for good health or the like. It's not approached as a tool of exploration and discovery. No one can teach you how to meditate. We are all already fully able to meditate. All that the techniques do is to help facilitate you doing what you can already do naturally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I do mindfulness meditation for a chronic pain condition. It is a wonderful form of meditation that doesn't require belief in anything. It is not the type of meditation that promotes an altered state of consciousness (I have this thing about being in my right mind...very important to me!) and the type I do is absent of any new age mumbo jumbo. I highly recommend it for chronic pain, panic attacks, anxiety, etc. gn, what is your "dictionary" definition of mindfulness meditation? I'd like to hear others' definitions of mindfulness meditation as well. My impression was that it's a state of meditation entered into while you're doing something else, something tedious probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 For me, mindfulness means being aware of what I am doing and thinking at the moment. Not judging but simply observing. Observation of thought and action in the present moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Joshpantera Posted January 23, 2014 Moderator Share Posted January 23, 2014 Well said. As I see it, Meditation is one of those "activities" that is an end to itself. Just as one does not dance to get to the end, one dances for the pleasure of the dance itself, so too does one meditate for the sake of meditation. The mind is incredibly awake and quiet during heavy meditative states, it is truly an experience beyond words.I think a better word to use than what I did to covey what it is, which ties in with your analogy, is that is an exploration. Like dance, you explore the nature of the movement in yourself. When you use meditation as a tool, it is to launch into exploration. What you find, will be uniquely your own path. What started this line of thought was that recently I was talking with someone who said they had been practicing insight meditation for 8 years. He was describing the experience of the 'witness', where you see thoughts rise and fall, which is of course very good and true. I then asked him if he ever moved into subtle state experiences, such as archetypal forms, light, deep enveloping presence, etc., expecting he had in order to have some discussion with him. He never has. I asked my partner to help me understand how that someone might not ever experience that given that amount of time meditating. Her answer was interesting. She said, "Because they were taught how to meditate". What that means is rather than approaching meditation as an exploration, they were told what to expect. Once that expectation is met, then that is all the further they go. "This is what meditation is". It's a very Western way of viewing it, as a sort of exercise for good health or the like. It's not approached as a tool of exploration and discovery. No one can teach you how to meditate. We are all already fully able to meditate. All that the techniques do is to help facilitate you doing what you can already do naturally. This is interesting and makes a lot of sense. I've been viewing mindfulness meditation vids after it was suggested earlier in the thread just to see what it's about. However, the above statements tends to steer away from trying to learn mindfulness meditation or at the minimum suggest using lessons only as a spring board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 This is interesting and makes a lot of sense. I've been viewing mindfulness meditation vids after it was suggested earlier in the thread just to see what it's about. However, the above statements tends to steer away from trying to learn mindfulness meditation or at the minimum suggest using lessons only as a spring board. I would not wish to discourage mindfulness meditation. I see it as something in itself that is not the same things as a sitting meditation practice. I think this may be helpful to understand that mindfulness is something you do at anytime. 7 Factors of Enlightenment When the mind is sluggish, it is not the proper time for cultivating the following factors of enlightenment: tranquility, concentration, and equanimity, because a sluggish mind can hardly be aroused by them. When the mind is sluggish, it is the proper time for cultivating the following factors of enlightenment: investigation of phenomena (dhammavicaya), energy (viriya) and rapture (piti), because a sluggish mind can easily be aroused by them. When the mind is restless, it is not the proper time for cultivating the following factors of enlightenment: investigation of the phenomena, energy and rapture, because an agitated mind can hardly be quietened by them. When the mind is restless, it is the proper time for cultivating the following factors of enlightenment: tranquility (passaddhi), concentration (samadhi) and equanimity (upekkha), because an agitated mind can easily be quietened by them. "But as for mindfulness (sati), monks, I declare that it is always useful." (SN 46:53) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesaway Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 No reason not to try it, Woodsy. In fact, it might help some since you came from a church where praying like it was going out of style any second was the thing. The beauty part is you get to decide what kind of meditation you do if you feel that's something you want to explore. I meditate periodically too, though it isn't any one way in particular. I found it helpful in those first couple months after leaving church. I found a little thing to say, like a mantra of some kind, it might have been somewhere here or on the main page, I'm not sure, but here it is. I have arrived. I am home. In the here In the now I am solid and I am free in the ultimate I dwell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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