Is your meditation practice working?

[Acala]

Many people on the forum have expressed an interest in meditation or have shared that they already have a practice. For those of you just beginning, I thought it might be helpful to give some tips on determining if your meditation practice is working.

Some of the benefits of the practice you should notice:

1. Events that once would have caused you annoyance seems to roll right off with no effect.
2. Your baseline level of happiness increases.
3. Your relationships with people improve.
4. You suffer less from unpleasant experience.
5. You get more satisfaction from pleasant experience.
6. You have insight into destructive behaviors (yours and others).
7. You have greater clarity about the way your emotional responses arise.

If you have been practicing regularly for six months or more and you don't notice at least some of these benefits, you should probably get some guidance on your practice. If you HAVE noticed some of these benefits, good job! Stick with it. The benefits not only keep coming but come at an accelerating pace over time.

Peace!

[presence]

1. Events that once would have caused you annoyance seems to roll right off with no effect.
2. Your baseline level of happiness increases.
3. Your relationships with people improve.
4. You suffer less from unpleasant experience.
5. You get more satisfaction from pleasant experience.
6. You have insight into destructive behaviors (yours and others).
7. You have greater clarity about the way your emotional responses arise.

I find I get the same effects from homebrewing too

[Acala]

I find I get the same effects from homebrewing too

If done mindfully!

[presence]

If done mindfully!

[wizardwatson]

Some thoughts:

Don't meditate with an expectation that you should "feel" different. Meditation is not about achieving some "state". If you approach with that mindset you likely won't make much progress. Sitting in one place staring at one place will cause you to feel different for physiological reasons and you shouldn't mistake those states for meditation no matter how bizarre or profound they are. Even if you do have an experience that enlightens you in some small way never ever have the expectation that you will repeat it and certainly don't try to.

In Zen they call seated meditation "zazen" (literally 'seated meditation'), which is referred to in many writings as "just sitting". I think it's best to think of meditation as just that. You are just sitting there. Don't expend effort in "trying to do" something.

That aside I don't really even think it's necessary to sit at all. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a book called "The Miracle of Mindfulness" that I read years ago which kind of got me away from thinking that postures had any exceptionally beneficial effect. Essentially you should be mindful/meditating in all that you do. Whether you are driving or washing the dishes.

"So if it doesn't matter how I sit, I shouldn't try to achieve any state, and I shouldn't make an effort then how and what the hell am I supposed to do?!"

You will get a thousand different explanations of what the "process" is. The reason for this is because meditation essentially involves an "unfocused awareness" of your thought processes. So the problem with any attempt to outline the process leaves open the pitfall of the "thoughts about the process" becoming another form of conditioning.

Example: I could say for instance that you should avoid goal oriented thinking altogether when meditating. Don't think "I must get enlightenment", or "I need to get better at controlling my thoughts". But if you go into your practice and are constantly checking yourself "Was that goal oriented thinking?" then you have adopted the opposite conditioning. You've made "no goal" your new goal.

The above example is a lot of why you see paradoxical statements in zen. Meditation is kind of a medicine to alleviate conditioned intellectualism and the intellect is always wanting to classify and label things. Our brains are lazy and will always try to solve a new problem the way we solved an old one. So another way to think of "the goal" of meditation is to be more attentive and mentally flexible.

Pointers:

Try to work towards a state of relaxed attention. Not concentrating, more like your trying to hear a mouse in your walls only you are attending to everything. If it doesn't seem natural to you question whether you are posturing.

Get out of the mindset that you are meditating or not meditating. You are always meditating. Constantly reflecting about when you are starting or stopping is a hindrance.

Don't try to come up with a system to "deal with your thoughts". That's more conditioning. If a thought/feeling of boredom comes over you don't say "why am I bored? what is boredom?" Actively drilling down just invokes infinite regression. If you want to reflect, reflect on the connections of thoughts more than the individual thoughts. You had a feeling of boredom then perhaps a memory of being bored as a child then you missed your mom. Being aware of the pathways your thought follows is more useful than trying to objectify symbolic meaning of individual thoughts.

Developing attention doesn't come fast. You'll likely expend effort on one end where your thoughts start running into each other and get frustrated liked gears grinding. On the other end you'll get carried away in thought and daydream. The "effort" end of the spectrum is easier to spot but harder to get rid of. It's easier to get yourself out of daydreaming but harder to know when you are doing it.

Don't beat yourself up at sucking. If you read a lot about meditating you'll probably find that you are doing all the things you shouldn't be doing. The average persons mind is all over the place and sitting down quietly and looking at it even for a few minutes is very frustrating, like a wild bull stuck in a pen. You will likely spend a lot of time at first wanting to kick yourself for doing what, upon reflection, you know you shouldn't do. It takes practice. Just because you know, "I shouldn't use this thought process or react this way" doesn't mean you won't react/think that way. You really have to feel your way through it and results are not immediate.

Lastly, forget everything I just wrote.

[heavenlyboy34]

Professor Meusse's lectures helped me, as did my prayer practice. It's a slow but steady practice.

[Suzanimal]

I've been trying to meditate for awhile, this video really helps.


This is some calming $#@! right here...

[Ronin Truth]

My muse really seems to enjoy it.

[Working Poor]

I've been trying to meditate for awhile, this video really helps.


This is some calming $#@! right here...

I highly recommend this meditation it works really well.

[Ronin Truth]

Some thoughts:

Don't meditate with an expectation that you should "feel" different. Meditation is not about achieving some "state". If you approach with that mindset you likely won't make much progress. Sitting in one place staring at one place will cause you to feel different for physiological reasons and you shouldn't mistake those states for meditation no matter how bizarre or profound they are. Even if you do have an experience that enlightens you in some small way never ever have the expectation that you will repeat it and certainly don't try to.

In Zen they call seated meditation "zazen" (literally 'seated meditation'), which is referred to in many writings as "just sitting". I think it's best to think of meditation as just that. You are just sitting there. Don't expend effort in "trying to do" something.

That aside I don't really even think it's necessary to sit at all. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a book called "The Miracle of Mindfulness" that I read years ago which kind of got me away from thinking that postures had any exceptionally beneficial effect. Essentially you should be mindful/meditating in all that you do. Whether you are driving or washing the dishes.

"So if it doesn't matter how I sit, I shouldn't try to achieve any state, and I shouldn't make an effort then how and what the hell am I supposed to do?!"

You will get a thousand different explanations of what the "process" is. The reason for this is because meditation essentially involves an "unfocused awareness" of your thought processes. So the problem with any attempt to outline the process leaves open the pitfall of the "thoughts about the process" becoming another form of conditioning.

Example: I could say for instance that you should avoid goal oriented thinking altogether when meditating. Don't think "I must get enlightenment", or "I need to get better at controlling my thoughts". But if you go into your practice and are constantly checking yourself "Was that goal oriented thinking?" then you have adopted the opposite conditioning. You've made "no goal" your new goal.

The above example is a lot of why you see paradoxical statements in zen. Meditation is kind of a medicine to alleviate conditioned intellectualism and the intellect is always wanting to classify and label things. Our brains are lazy and will always try to solve a new problem the way we solved an old one. So another way to think of "the goal" of meditation is to be more attentive and mentally flexible.

Pointers:

Try to work towards a state of relaxed attention. Not concentrating, more like your trying to hear a mouse in your walls only you are attending to everything. If it doesn't seem natural to you question whether you are posturing.

Get out of the mindset that you are meditating or not meditating. You are always meditating. Constantly reflecting about when you are starting or stopping is a hindrance.

Don't try to come up with a system to "deal with your thoughts". That's more conditioning. If a thought/feeling of boredom comes over you don't say "why am I bored? what is boredom?" Actively drilling down just invokes infinite regression. If you want to reflect, reflect on the connections of thoughts more than the individual thoughts. You had a feeling of boredom then perhaps a memory of being bored as a child then you missed your mom. Being aware of the pathways your thought follows is more useful than trying to objectify symbolic meaning of individual thoughts.

Developing attention doesn't come fast. You'll likely expend effort on one end where your thoughts start running into each other and get frustrated liked gears grinding. On the other end you'll get carried away in thought and daydream. The "effort" end of the spectrum is easier to spot but harder to get rid of. It's easier to get yourself out of daydreaming but harder to know when you are doing it.

Don't beat yourself up at sucking. If you read a lot about meditating you'll probably find that you are doing all the things you shouldn't be doing. The average persons mind is all over the place and sitting down quietly and looking at it even for a few minutes is very frustrating, like a wild bull stuck in a pen. You will likely spend a lot of time at first wanting to kick yourself for doing what, upon reflection, you know you shouldn't do. It takes practice. Just because you know, "I shouldn't use this thought process or react this way" doesn't mean you won't react/think that way. You really have to feel your way through it and results are not immediate.

Lastly, forget everything I just wrote.

Uhhh, what was that, again?

Gee, a Wizard And a Guru, what a deal.

[Ronin Truth]

I've been trying to meditate for awhile, this video really helps.


This is some calming $#@! right here...

I like it thanks!


Here's a link to my current favorite meditation video. For some reason guys seem to prefer it, more than gals. Go figure.

http://wn.com/rachel_williams_boobs_...er_slo-mo_loop

[Suzanimal]

I like it thanks!


Here a link to my current favorite meditation video. For some reason guys seem to prefer it, more than gals. Go figure.



http://wn.com/rachel_williams_boobs_...er_slo-mo_loop

It was relaxing for a few minutes but ten hours?!?!?! I mean bouncy boobs are nice and all but I don't even want to look at my own boobs ten hours a day, much less anyone elses.

[Ronin Truth]

It was relaxing for a few minutes but ten hours?!?!?! I mean bouncy boobs are nice and all but I don't even want to look at my own boobs ten hours a day, much less anyone elses.

Have you asked for your hubby's opinion of the video?

After a while, you can just close your eyes, and "zone out" to the music.

[Suzanimal]

Have you asked for your hubby's opinion of the video?

I don't have to. If Mr Animal found that video, I feel fairly certain he would masturbate err..."meditate" ten hours every day.

[Ronin Truth]

I don't have to. If Mr Animal found that video, I feel fairly certain he would masturbate err..."meditate" ten hours every day.

LMAO! +Rep!

I keep wondering what the name of the right one is.