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Meditation

SuperServal

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Has anyone done any form of meditation?

I am not too experienced in it but I find the idea of focusing the mind and/or letting go of the mind appealing.

I have tried meditating a few time before by focusing on my breaths. I find it easier to have music playing in the background. I usually pick classical music because it seems to enhance focusing rather than demand attention like pop/rock/etc...

There were a few times last summer when I woke up feeling awful and totally opposed to going to work. So I put on music and tried meditating. I sat there with my back straight trying to keep my attention on my breathing and on the music at the same time. Once the thoughts disappear you can really feel the intensity of the music. I think this provides a focal point to aim your attention. It feels like the constant buzzing of the mind coalesces into one tightly contained point of awareness that synchronizes with the music. You can ride the curves carved out by the strings and float up in the ether with the brass. Returning to normal awareness after this, you feel refreshed. At least I did then. I was able to gather my energy and feel so much better.....and ready to go to work.

So have any of you ever done this? Have you used meditation to increase spiritual awareness or to promote healing?
 

Siúil a Rúin

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I've just started learning about insight meditation and took a workshop on it. As a beginner, it is all I can do to focus on my breathing and count when I am anxious. There are some times my mind cannot even count to ten breaths, but last night I counted to fifty twice. :) It's a step forward to just focus on breathing without counting, but I need that extra focus right now.

I hope you find the handout helpful.
 

nanook

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"tonglen" is very interesting.

while breathing in you imagine to take in other peoples suffering (whatever you think that is), while breathing out you imagine to send them your wealth (whatever you think that might be). it can be as abstract as imagining black goo and white light. i prefer more substantial ideas. its gymnastics for your most fundamental perspectives. you have to find the wealth and to face the reality of endless suffering. this in it self relaxes the ego and makes it more eager to incarnation/descent/communion, in other words it takes your fear away, and that makes you more benevolent. i find, that doing only a few minutes, whenever required, can alter my perspective/attitude from social phobia to communion.

it may not seem to match your definition of (transcendental) meditation at first, but i believe it only depends on how good of a mediator you are. if it is possible to meditate on a burning candle, it's in principle possible to meditate on/over/behind/during an imagination as well. i can't, and its not required for tonglen to have an effect.

btw, i am not someone who is suggestible to any of those new age self affirmations, so i was surprised that tonglen did something for me. also its not new age but classical Buddhist stuff, btw check out wikipedia for the original variation.
 

SuperServal

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Another good thing that isn't quite meditation, but it achieves a similar effect......is to try to focus your attention on basic tasks. For example, if you are walking try to stay in the present and think about yourself walking. Or is you are doing the dishes try to think about doing the dishes rather than what you will do when you are finished. This cuts down on being antsy and anxious. I'm almost certain that we couldn't always concentrate like that though....our minds need to wander into the future sometimes.
 

Nonsensical

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I have meditated a few times, and will probably get more into the older I get.

I prefer it to be either outdoors by myself on the ground, or in my room. When in my room, I'll usually light incense, and turn on some music to back it up. I have a Native American flute ensemble, the ones that would play at the really spiritual ceremonies in Native American culture, and just sit and unfold my being.

Here's an example of what it is:
YouTube - Native American Flute Music
 

nanook

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the geeks among you will want to google for keywords like binaurals, holo-sync, hemi-sync, bwgen, sbagen, gnaural, neuroprogrammer and if you have money you might even be interested in biofeedback

such things aren't right for transcendental or insight meditation (rather focus-stuff like shamanic dreaming, lucid dreaming), but still on topic i guess
 

nanook

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i did a specific dynamic meditation once, and it had the most profound truly transcending effect on me. it's called t.a.k.e.t.i.n.a (taketina) and is a way of dancing, that removes your spirit from the body, by forcing the body into autopilot.

unfortunately it must be done for hours, and preferably in a group and with instruments anyway.
i could never motivate myself to jiggle around, alone in my room, with headphones for hours, for some other style of dynamic meditation.

i also do a lot of: i'm going for a walk...
 
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simpleamazement

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I do. I don't have a schedule or anything like that. But I do it when I'm stressed, or whenever it get the chance. There really isn't a "right" way to do it. If you need candles, music, lighting, etc, then there's nothing wrong with that. Whatever floats your boat. It's hard to explain how to do it. It helps me with having less thinking/mind chatter and thus, I am more happy.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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I've experimented with meditation.

I can tell you what I've learned from my own experience, rather than what others say, because you figure that out from a good book. (Jack Kornfield is one of my favorites if you're going to pick up a book on meditation.)

I think of meditation as submission to whatever's going on right now. NOT stopping your mind or changing your experience or creating anything SPECIAL out of your experience via any type of manipulation. It's really just backing off from the whole thing and letting it go. The RESULT (but not something you aim for) is a humble sense of reverence, tranquility, and a state of watching things unfold on the thinking, feelings, and sensation-fronts. Your mind doesn't stop producing things/stimuli, but it stops trying to direct, manage, label, connect, and sort the stimuli.

Again, though, this isn't something you can CREATE at will, because that would just be more direction, more management, more sorting. It occurs by submission to your current experience, however noisy and unsatisfactory it is RIGHT NOW.

Good luck. :)
 

simpleamazement

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I've experimented with meditation.

I can tell you what I've learned from my own experience, rather than what others say, because you figure that out from a good book. (Jack Kornfield is one of my favorites if you're going to pick up a book on meditation.)

I think of meditation as submission to whatever's going on right now. NOT stopping your mind or changing your experience or creating anything SPECIAL out of your experience via any type of manipulation. It's really just backing off from the whole thing and letting it go. The RESULT (but not something you aim for) is a humble sense of reverence, tranquility, and a state of watching things unfold on the thinking, feelings, and sensation-fronts. Your mind doesn't stop producing things/stimuli, but it stops trying to direct, manage, label, connect, and sort the stimuli.

Again, though, this isn't something you can CREATE at will, because that would just be more direction, more management, more sorting. It occurs by submission to your current experience, however noisy and unsatisfactory it is RIGHT NOW.

Good luck. :)

Yeah, what he said. If you TRY to attain this state, you will push it further away.
 
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