Meditation practices

[Vajradhara]

Originally Posted by Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

Zdrastvuitsye, hola, shalom, salaam, Dia dhuit, hej, namastar ji, konbanwa, squeak, meow, :wave: to Tang_kuanu.

Vajradhara, a question: what if the student/practitioner goes o.o.b. during meditations? I was taking classes on relaxation and meditation in school and, when it came time to do meditations, I tended to, um, "travel" shall I say. I haven't practiced meditation because I have this problem, and I'm afraid that if I tried doing so alone or with another teacher who couldn't "travel", I may become "caught outside" shall we say (I must admit, I'm a very nervous practitioner of Eastern meditations.)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

Namaste Phyllis,

thanks for the post.

hmm... let me ask you.. have you had training in OOB projection or astral travel? have you taken any TM classes?

in any event... there are several techniques that one can employ to stay "grounded" as it were, depending on your tradition.

as you can imagine, the adivce that i give is from a Buddhist/Taoist point of view, if your practice currently does not have these elements in it, some of it may not make much sense, but you should feel free to take the principle and apply it to your situation.

the most simple is the counted breaths meditation, where one simply counts the breaths. if you find that your mind starts to wander or sink (get drowsy) there are several antidotes that you can apply. when the mind starts to wander and drift think to yourself what will happen to your loved ones, what will happen to everyone you know and this will cause your mind to become focused again. if you are starting to sink into torpor the antidote is to bring to mind the golden body of the Buddha or a point of light or other equally uplifting image.

however... meditation is a skill and as such, one gets better the more they practice. it is important to practice correctly which is why a teacher is often recommended.

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Originally posted by Vajradhara
hmm... let me ask you.. have you had training in OOB projection or astral travel? have you taken any TM classes?

In a word: no. The instructor of the class I took utilizes some Eastern meditation techniques including the breathing technique, but I was unfortunately beyond what she had previously dealt with. The relaxation and meditation class was the first time I had any experience with anything like this. I really felt like a during those particular classes (I made one class somewhat timid in trying any sort of meditations since they were taking the introductary class for the first time and it was my second or third time I sat in on it.)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

[Vajradhara]

Originally Posted by Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

In a word: no. The instructor of the class I took utilizes some Eastern meditation techniques including the breathing technique, but I was unfortunately beyond what she had previously dealt with. The relaxation and meditation class was the first time I had any experience with anything like this. I really felt like a during those particular classes (I made one class somewhat timid in trying any sort of meditations since they were taking the introductary class for the first time and it was my second or third time I sat in on it.)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

Namaste Phyllis,

thank you for the post.

you have probably practiced in the past which is why your ability is mature now.

there are some very good texts that can provide some information for you in this regard... as well as some teachers, however, i am loath to recommend specific teachers as that is generally a personal process.

most of the texts that i can recommend on this subject are, naturally, from the Buddhist and Taoist points of view. specificall, the Vajrayana point of view of the Buddhists and the Complete Reality School of Taoism.

there is one technique that surpasses the others and i've briefly touched upon it in a post called Secret of the Golden Flower. i shall add to that post as time permits. however, as the teachings therein are secret, i shall have to be a bit loose with some terminology and some instruction.

if you are interested in any of the texts, let me know and i'll post them here.

[The Fool]

I would certainly be interested in postings of the text - especially if I can reproduce them on the Taoism section of the main website - which I'm in the midst of updating.

I really should touch upon meditation techniques. Feel free to recommend other texts for the Taoism section - simply having the Tao Te Ching there makes it feel a little empty.

[Vajradhara]

Namaste all,

hmm...

well... as i said, my particular inclinations are towards a specific school of Taoist praxis... that being said, i do have some knowledge of the other schools texts... so, i can at least tell you what they are

as for the school of Taoism that i follow... i have, to paraphrase the Terminator... detailed files.

there are some Taoist texts that are used regardless of the school... perhaps the three most important, besides the Tao Te Ching are...

I ching

Chaung-tzu

Yin Convergence Classic

the rest of the texts that i have are specific to a school of Taoist praxis called Complete Reality.

in the fair use act, i can excerpt sections of the text for our comments and discussion, though we cannot reproduce the entire texts.

[sjr]

Scientists investigating the effect of the meditative state on Buddhist monk's brains have found that portions of the organ previously active became quiet, whilst pacified areas become stimulated.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1847442.stm

"Perhaps that[spiritual] sense of reality is more acurate than our scientific everyday sense of reality"

Dr Newberg

[ISFP]

i've always wanted to lean how to meditate. my big mistake was assuming there was only one way to do it- sit on the floor, cross one's legs into the lotus position, calm the mind, watch one's thoughts. i could never do this, and i still can't.

i do gratefulness meditation, and i really enjoy that. essentially i find a quiet place to sit and consciously reflect on all the people and moments that brought cause for gratitude during the day.

[Vajradhara]

Originally Posted by ISFP

i've always wanted to lean how to meditate. my big mistake was assuming there was only one way to do it- sit on the floor, cross one's legs into the lotus position, calm the mind, watch one's thoughts. i could never do this, and i still can't.

i do gratefulness meditation, and i really enjoy that. essentially i find a quiet place to sit and consciously reflect on all the people and moments that brought cause for gratitude during the day.

Namaste ISFP,

thank you for the post.

there are several physical postures that you can use to meditate and it sort of depends on what you use to sit on. the normal "lotus" and "full lotus" postures are used when sitting on a zabuton and zafu (big and small cushion) though you can sit cross-legged as well. you can try kneeling with a seiza bench, which supports your buttox... this is a position that is frequently used by folks that have a hard time bending their ankles and kness. you can also simply sit in a chair, feet flat on the ground.

then of course, there are the objects of the meditation itself

[Zenda71]

Originally Posted by sjr

Scientists investigating the effect of the meditative state on Buddhist monk's brains have found that portions of the organ previously active became quiet, whilst pacified areas become stimulated.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1847442.stm

"Perhaps that[spiritual] sense of reality is more acurate than our scientific everyday sense of reality"

Dr Newberg

Hello sjr.

Are you familiar with The Mind & Life Institute at the University of Wisconsin?

http://www.mindandlife.org/history.html

I find it all fascinating ...

With metta,
Zenda

[Avinash]

Namaskar,

Originally Posted by I, Brian

I realise that meditation is now essentially widespread as a tool and practice - but as I lean towards believing it began and developed in the East as a direct companion to the study and practices of Eastern philosophies, then I'll pose my question here.

Firstly, how does a person actually meditate?

In order to do meditation you will have to learn some techniques and some of the more advanced techniques (like e.g. special breathing techniques) should be done with professional guidance from experienced teachers because they are powerful and can otherwise be dangerous to mental health.

The best posture is where the energy of the body is "closed" to minimise feedback from the senses. Lotus posture with closed eyes and upright spine is best but adjustments can be used if this is (still) difficult.

Secondly, how many different types of meditation are there, that have very real traditional roots?

I know only something about tantra-yoga meditation and a little about Buddhist and tantric Buddhist meditation techniques. They differ somewhat but the basis of trying to turn away from the senses, from the awareness of the body and from random thinking is similar. To keep the mind fixed in a certain ideation mode, mantras can be used and in Tantra emotions can be used to help surrender the I-feeling towards the desired goal after concentration is achieved.

But basic in the meditation I use is the development of love. Without such love it is hard to progress. So how you relate to your surroundings will also influence your ability to progress in meditation.

Thirdly, how would a person find a technique that best suits them?

I think most religions and paths have adopted their own techniques, some taken from other paths like e.g. with Zen techniques used in Christianity. Although simple techniques can be practised on an individual basis, it is said that advanced meditation should best be done under proper guidance.