Meditation

[Oily Dragon]

Someone mentioned in the thread sitting & meditating was unhealthy but check out this love Guru. Make love & Meditation. So a good workout, Meditation & an Orgasm...

This video got me thinking, and this is what came up.

 

[Wing Woo Gar40]

I was actually talking to a woman today about the Guru video i posted. she´s well into yoga & meditaion. Just found out after our conversation. She knows the guys videos & seems to like it. Hell..i´ll howl like a hound dog if i get my way...hahaha

 

[Wing Woo Gar40]

For his birthday, one of his students gave the Dalai Lama a box with a ribbon around it.
When he opened it he found it was empty inside.
Aha, he said, just what I wanted!

Before anyone starts rolling their third eye at me, it was a joke.

It’s not the third eye @Jimmythebull wants to see rolling around…

 

[Gyakuto106]

You may be making a fundamental mistake with this (or any question) while meditating Zen-like. "Who" infers identity (and thus, ego) which comes with a whole bunch of mental baggage - exactly what you're hoping to get rid of. Most deep answers don't come when sought after. Go for "mushin" and allow answers to enter, without asking. Reminds me of the fable of the Yellow Emperor and his Night Colored Pearl.

I’ll tell my roshi about this.

 

[_Simon_105]

I find meditation very difficult. It’s not really ‘zoning out’ or being lost in some sort of reverie, but for me it’s akin to balancing an upturned broom on your fingertip or spinning plated on a cane!

I keep my eyes half-open and gently looking at a spot 2 metres before me on the floor, but my vision spread out laterally and vertically to avoid falling asleep and silencing the mind’s chatter a little. I sit in a Zen-prescribed manner, body aligned, pelvis rotated anteriorly, hands held in the Rinzai manner. Then I start by mentally counting the breaths…in various ways, sometimes in Japanese so it can’t be done mindlessly and automatically...hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu etc if thoughts enter my mind, I don’t attach to them but let them float away. If I engage with them…I’m hungry…what’s for breakfast…oh I like breakfast…breakfast TV is rubbish though…weather girl is sexy, though…dammit! ‘One, two, three…’ I start again. After 30 minutes or so and some kinhin or some Ah-un breathing, I sit again but don’t count my breaths. Just sit in silence and ask myself, ‘Who am I?’ and wait to see what arise. ‘Who am I?’, ‘Who am I ?’ again any extraneous thoughts are let go of, released and I ask, ‘Who am I?’ into the silence.

It’s hard for me to do and until my garden dojo is finally built, I don’t have a very pleasant place to sit. But for some reason I continue doing it…

Yeah when self-inquiry begins things get veerrry interesting...

 

[_Simon_105]

You may be making a fundamental mistake with this (or any question) while meditating Zen-like. "Who" infers identity (and thus, ego) which comes with a whole bunch of mental baggage - exactly what you're hoping to get rid of. Most deep answers don't come when sought after. Go for "mushin" and allow answers to enter, without asking. Reminds me of the fable of the Yellow Emperor and his Night Colored Pearl.

Yeah definitely, it's only when people get stuck in the question, and expect some verbal/conceptual answer that it's an issue for sure. I treat that question more as a pointer, to lead you into the space of awareness and unknown rather than in looking for a nice answer. A few teachers even recommend the question "What am I?" instead, to lead away from personality identity. But all methods have their uses but also their limitations definitely.

I think it was Ramana Maharshi that said something like you use the stick to stir the fire but eventually your stick has to be burned too. SOMETHING like that ugh..

Edit: ah found it... "The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, will itself in the end get destroyed."

 

[Gyakuto106]

The wato, ‘Who am I’, ‘What is my true nature’, ‘Why am I here’ and ‘Where are you from’ tend to be used in the beginning stages of Rinzai and they’re carefully worded for ambiguity! I personally don’t find wato or koan practise very fruitful…a well known phenomenon for some practitioners, but I still plug away at it for some reaso…

 

[Jimmythebull]

I'm not promoting drug use but this ceremony is supposed to open up your third eye ..or whatever. Indeed a famous ex bodybuilder swears by his experiences.

 

[Jimmythebull]

Dorian yates has spoke a few times about the ceremony. I did take magic mushrooms a few times as a kid so I could well imagine that this ceremony is even deeper. Talking a ceremony that's been performed for many years & not just to get high. So I suppose it's like a state of Meditation

Bufo Ceremony Explained (Alvarious Toad DMT)

What is a Bufo ceremony? "Bufo Alvarius" used in the Bufo ceremony is considered the most potent psychoactive substance currently known to man. Read on if you are eager to know what this is all about.

www.samasati.com

 

[Gyakuto106]

I just came across this and found the idea of contextual meditation, very interesting and indeed useful.

 

[Holmejr4]

Bullet points Copied and pasted.​

Distinct to Eastern Meditation​

• Enlightenment
• Self-discovery
• Connecting to nature or universe
• Belief that humanity can become one with the universe
• Specific bodily posture
• No emphasis on relationship with the Divine.

Similarities between both​

• Connection to the Divine or God
• Spiritual journey
• Belief that meditation is important for human spirituality
• Repetition of words or phrases
• Overall health benefits

Distinct to Christian Meditation​

• Revelation
• Discovery of God
• Connecting with God
• Belief that there is only one God, who is a personal being
• Non-specific bodily posture
• Relationship with God

Just so ya know:
Ephesians 6:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground….

Just throwing it out there . Your are fee for follow you own path.

 

[Gyakuto106]

Bullet points Copied and pasted.​

Distinct to Eastern Meditation​

• Enlightenment
• Self-discovery
• Connecting to nature or universe
• Belief that humanity can become one with the universe
• Specific bodily posture
• No emphasis on relationship with the Divine.

Similarities between both​

• Connection to the Divine or God
• Spiritual journey
• Belief that meditation is important for human spirituality
• Repetition of words or phrases
• Overall health benefits

Distinct to Christian Meditation​

• Revelation
• Discovery of God
• Connecting with God
• Belief that there is only one God, who is a personal being
• Non-specific bodily posture
• Relationship with God

Just so ya know:
Ephesians 6:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground….

Just throwing it out there . Your are fee for follow you own path.

From where these copied, may I ask?

 

[Holmejr4]

From where these copied, may I ask?

Christian Vs. Eastern Meditation: Difference & Similarities

Many are familiar with Eastern meditation in the Western world today due to the incline of the New Age movement and the introduction of Eastern meditation through Western psychologists. Along with this knowledge, many would agree that Eastern meditation has been around for thousands of years...

justdisciple.com

 

[Martlet]

Christian Vs. Eastern Meditation: Difference & Similarities

Many are familiar with Eastern meditation in the Western world today due to the incline of the New Age movement and the introduction of Eastern meditation through Western psychologists. Along with this knowledge, many would agree that Eastern meditation has been around for thousands of years...

justdisciple.com

Thank you for this!

 

[Gyakuto106]

A new and interesting alternative to mindfulness meditation that might provide better outcomes for people in, real-time and very stressful situations.

A Class of Meditative Practices That Produces Different Effects From Mindfulness-Related Meditation - Neuroscience News

Study identifies a different class of meditative practices that seek to employ and regulate the state of stress an individual experiences, rather than reduce it, to achieve a more heightened state of focus and attention.

neurosciencenews.com

 

[_Simon_105]

A new and interesting alternative to mindfulness meditation that might provide better outcomes for people in, real-time and very stressful situations.

A Class of Meditative Practices That Produces Different Effects From Mindfulness-Related Meditation - Neuroscience News

Study identifies a different class of meditative practices that seek to employ and regulate the state of stress an individual experiences, rather than reduce it, to achieve a more heightened state of focus and attention.

neurosciencenews.com

Interesting!

 

[Darksoul]

I remember practicing a seated form of meditation when I studied Isshin Ryu 30 years ago; we never did it for more than 10 minutes at a time, it was done to mentally prepare for training. As a 9 or 10 year old, I understood they idea but the practice and scope of it was beyound me at the time. I haven't done much meditating since, especially seated; too much time in front of screens as it is, I have 20 in front of me at work, not including my phone. Getting out and moving, especially through the woods while hiking seems to give me that sense of clear mindedness, although arguably it could also be a form of runner's high. Some people move so much during their day to day that 30 minutes of sitting meditation might be their chance at recharging. You find what works for you, just try a bit of everything.

 

[Gyakuto106]

I remember practicing a seated form of meditation when I studied Isshin Ryu 30 years ago; we never did it for more than 10 minutes at a time, it was done to mentally prepare for training. As a 9 or 10 year old, I understood they idea but the practice and scope of it was beyound me at the time. I haven't done much meditating since, especially seated; too much time in front of screens as it is, I have 20 in front of me at work, not including my phone. Getting out and moving, especially through the woods while hiking seems to give me that sense of clear mindedness, although arguably it could also be a form of runner's high. Some people move so much during their day to day that 30 minutes of sitting meditation might be their chance at recharging. You find what works for you, just try a bit of everything.

I wonder if what you did all those years ago was ‘mokuso’?

What is Meiso and Mokuso? - The Karate Lifestyle

Karate Meditation is a holistic practice that goes beyond physical training, deeply integrating the development of the mind and spirit. Central to this aspect of karate are the practices of Meiso and Mokuso, forms of meditation that play a crucial role in a practitioner's journey. These...

www.thekaratelifestyle.com

I think, like most things in life, a little bit of everything, everyday is beneficial. I actually knew someone who was ‘addicted‘ to seated meditation (vipassana) and it was/is affecting his family life! But I feel certain taking some time out of one’s day, putting ‘devices’ to one side and being present or concentrating on one thing or visualising nice things etc is good for you! Perhaps even a beer with friends, a good belly laugh followed by pasta! Heaven….

 

[Gyakuto106]

It seems one of the effects of long term meditation - ‘non-dual awareness’ - has a possible neural explanation.

Meditation reorganizes the brain's spatial topography

During advanced meditation, there is a dissolution of the boundaries between the self and the environment, resulting in a state of unity.

bigthink.com

In summary, normally, we monitor and process three levels of sensory input 1) Interoceptive level…processing the signals from internal organs, 2) Exteroceptive level…processing of stimuli from the outside world 3) Mental level…processing of personality and memories. 3, tends to take precedence over 1 and 2.

In 3), there are two systems at work: Default Mode Network, which is strongly activate when we daydream or our minds wonder in reverie, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which manages many cognitive processes like planning and memory.

fMRI brain scans indicate that advanced meditators show decreased activity in the default mode network (and thus decreased mental self-processing) and increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (increased ability to focus attention) and at the same time these two areas increase their communication with each other!

Advanced meditators are able to shift their attention away from the ‘self’ and synchronise the three levels of sensory processing! They are able to focus more on exteroceptive and interoceptive signals, and less on the mental self, they achieve ‘non-dual awareness’, and become present in the moment. Rather than being distinct from each other, the inner and outer world join in one, undivided continuum, and the ‘self‘, body, and environment are strongly aligned!

SCIENCE, B*tch!

 

[Tez31]

100 years?

I've got a great WWII British squadron commander to tell you about, Douglas Bader....no legs, became a fighter ace anyway. Spent every year of his life seated without choice, still shot down, got back up and became a hero for disabled kids.

Learned this on Facebook of all places. Every now and then...

I knew him, he was arrogant, narcissistic and racist. It was his arrogance that caused his accident in which he lost his legs. He had prosthetic legs, he was a fearless fighter pilot but treated his ground crew and others appallingly, was cruel to his batman as well as causing huge trouble for his fellow inmates at Colditz because the Germans took his antics out on them. He is feted as a hero because the War Department needed him and others to bolster morale during the war. He was disliked by most in the RAF for a lot time afterwards. I have to mention this, sorry, but he needs to be remembered as what he was.

Rude, arrogant...and a born fighter

He became a wartime legend but, as a new book reveals, the legless flying ace Douglas Bader hated the film which made his name and was deeply disliked by some colleagues...

www.express.co.uk