A Simple Guide to Meditation
theflowstatecollective.com
theflowstatecollective.com
Even among Theravada Buddhist meditation instructors there are clear disagreements on what the experience should be, how concentrated the mind should be, etc.
For example, for something as simple as a pull-up there are questions like: what muscles are being worked? What is the proper form? Pronated or supinated grip? What pace and why?
If I read an article on any subject I expect to see lots of footnotes.
Meditation is something way more subtle than doing pull-ups, yet most guides seem to assume that there is one concrete definition in the learner's mind. Where did the prescribed method come from? What is the goal? To just put instructions or information about any subject without mentioning background or citing any sources is strange to me - is meditation so new, obscure, or insignificant a subject that it doesn't warrant a little more rigor?
TLDR: meditation is a bigger subject than most people reslize.
To borrow an analogy from Sam Harris: Imagine if looking at the stars required building your own telescope. Nobody could ever see someone else's telescope, or even the images from it. They could only listen to each others' descriptions. This would make research much harder and much less rigorous. But the stars would be no less beautiful. That's the state of meditation today.
In meditation you also need to ignore your mind imitating those people which is easier if you start by not reading all their opinions. If you really want to know how you are doing it is increasingly practical for anyone to buy an EEG.
That's a fantastic idea I had not thought out before (getting old - I've fixated in my mind an image of an EEG as heavy and expensive specialist tool). Any references where I could get one cheap :) ?
I used to follow the openeeg mailing list, which has tapered off in the last couple years: http://sourceforge.net/p/openeeg/mailman/openeeg-list/ (http://openeeg.sourceforge.net/doc/)
building one yourself was usually around $200 in parts but there were always interesting ideas to do simpler devices. You will find references to consumer ones people were considering, and responses that are helpful for figuring out which specs matter. I would also look for the names of new projects people are developing and maybe some of the hobbyist communities that are still active and debating the minimum specs for a budget device today..
To perceive the world as it is and not as it's described to us. To experience it directly without any thought or language.
Even if you focus on Muslim meditation traditions, there's a huge variety. The Chishti tradition considers a state of dance to be meditation (eg the twirling dervishes) where as the Naqshbandi tradition is more inline with the Buddhist side that involves sitting still and focusing.
> Sure, there are some key concepts common to all like "awareness" and "mindfulness" - but awareness and mindfulness of what?
This is perhaps the most fundamental difference and its astonishing how most "meditation guides" completely ignore this part. See, while a lot of people sell meditation as a relaxation technique, almost all of the original traditions have much deeper goals than this.
I guess one thing I'm saying is the kind of folks drawn to try meditation are often the same kind of folks who will willingly dive down rabbit holes investigating the differences between the schools and entertaining themselves with koans, etc. all the while distracting themselves from actually getting started with the meditation itself. Can confirm; was one of these people. That's why I'd caution against trying to raise awareness of all this complexity to the beginners this guide is intended for.
Oh, and nothing is as perfect as you believe it to be.
In addition to the meditation information, he also goes into some neurological theory of thought generation in the hemispheres of the brain that I found quite fascinating.
[edited for clarity]
I'm definitely going to check out that book. I heard about the author from above site. What are your experiences so far?
The first experience that got me 'hooked' or rather made me realize that it's not hogwash, is the arousal of piti. The warm sensation in solar plexus that came out of no where after long breath meditation concentration and it turned into waves with each breath-in. It's hard to describe but it's unmistakable when you start getting better at meditation. That book covers everything.
Make no mistake, it's not easy. For whatever reason I got lucky with being able to tune in to deeper meditation, some people struggle for weeks and months to get there. I did Zazen previously on and off and this never got me anywhere. Anapanasati meditation is what will get you to jhanas. From then on, as some scriptures say, the real path to Buddhism begins.
Even if you are not into Buddhism, the pay off is still tremendous. Here is the practical and measurable result of proper deep meditation: ability to calm your mind and achieve total equanimity with virtually no thoughts, just pure awareness and tranquility that lets you sit for hours if you wish to, with zero desire to even move an inch, just sitting still. The ability to exercise your brain like that is pretty huge. In the long term and consistent practice it's beneficial to overall well being.
Mainly he decouples the practice from the spiritual part of it. so you can go in without expecting a monk to come out the other side.
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
Scroll down for the ToC.
Since I suspect there might be other techniques than focusing on the breath or body scans, I try to follow different guided meditations. After my session, i feel relaxed and my mind slow but efficient. Like getting up after a good nap.
But so does working out at the gym, sort of. Over there, however, you can directly see progress. With meditation...
Perhaps I am looking at this in the wrong way?
[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Core-Teachings-Buddha-Unusua...
If you are seriously looking to incorporate meditation in your daily life then get "Focused and Fearless" book and follow all instructions and exercises as they are taught. You will see measurable results.
One school seems to see meditation as an end to itself, the other as a tool towards some other end. I can't speak to the former, but for the latter - one approach you could follow is to identify experts who have written on the area of improvement and who prescribe meditation as a tool. For example, if you're using meditation to improve willpower, then a book on willpower will help you identify whether your meditation techniques are improving your willpower [1].
[1] For example, "The Willpower Instinct" (K. McGonigal) discusses the use of meditation to improve willpower, as well as the 'state of the art' on the subject, so it provides you with some tools you can use to evaluate whether you're making improvements or not
Meditation has been about a lot more than just feeling relaxed. It's been about gaining insight into how my mind works and gaining some measure of control over my thoughts. That awareness and control (mindfulness) extends to the rest of my non-meditating life - whether I'm on a tennis court or at my computer.
Because of meditation, I feel more in the present and less caught up in thoughts that would typically trap me thinking about the past or daydreaming about the future.
Despite the benefits I've seen from it, I know I have only scratched the surface. For example, I haven't experienced a strong "loss of self" that some meditation gurus describe.
Start with 3 min a day right when you wake up (before food, cigarette, anything at all) and then go from there.
Should I take this literally? I have a condition which makes it very hard for me to breath through my nose. Is it a requirement?
When I have a cold or some other build-up in my nose, I just breath through the mouth, no problem.
Don't get hung up on the minor detail. It's super easy to do with meditation but unless you are following a very specific style, it's just not important.
Here is a free online course for those interested in it.
http://www.easwaran.org/introductory-passage-meditation-cour...
This subject also highlights how irrational i am. I still remember how beneficial meditation was for me when I practiced it. But getting back into the practice ..... sigh
I actually try to combine the two practices. I have an exercise bike and I meditate while I'm riding it.