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Is this meditation?
After smoking a certain 'herb', I decided to practice meditation- something I've been wanting to get to but have always been discouraged with because of my impatience.
I believe I've reached the meditated state, but I'm not sure how to describe it, although I have a few possible ways to describe what I reached.
If I just lose focus on everything, I start to come to realizations about the way things work or how I should handle them, but as soon as I realize that I'm starting to realize things, I come back to thinking normal again.
I think I also figured out how to directly meditate on specific problems but I don't think I can do it without some kind of mind stimulant like 'herb' I smoked (whose name I'm not going to mention here).
I believe I've reached the meditated state, but I'm not sure how to describe it, although I have a few possible ways to describe what I reached.
If I just lose focus on everything, I start to come to realizations about the way things work or how I should handle them, but as soon as I realize that I'm starting to realize things, I come back to thinking normal again.
I think I also figured out how to directly meditate on specific problems but I don't think I can do it without some kind of mind stimulant like 'herb' I smoked (whose name I'm not going to mention here).
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Comments
The details, perspectives and solutions come to mind as long as I let myself remain unfocused, which is difficult to do for longer than a few seconds at a time but practice makes perfect.
But than when my minds blank, I realize that its blank and its not blank anymore.
Edit: I'm not a Buddhist. I'm just spiritual (or at least on a spiritual path).
I've smoked a lot of weed in my day and just about the only thing it's good for is chanting mantras. You can't focus well on weed, but auditory senses are stimulated a little. That makes it somewhat interesting for reciting endless numbers of mantras, but not much use for anything else. The lack of focus and pseudo-meditative state that cannabis produces is more of a hindrance than a help.
If you're serious about wanting to meditate, I'd recommend trying it without the herb. Just focus on the breath.
Better yet, visit a local Buddhist temple and find a reputable teacher. You don't have to be Buddhist to learn meditation from Buddhist temples or organizations. Most will offer you free instruction, and it could turn out to be a lot more beneficial than attempting it alone.
Theres a buddhist temple in this area I wanted to visit eventually.
I am not sure if taking herbs or any kind of intoxicant will help you keep your attention on one thing which is the whole idea of meditation. Meditation is not about endlessly thinking or rationalizing with your mind. It is the opposite of that
If your results come from taking substances, then the substances own the results.
And you must take the substance to obtain the results.
If your results come from your (unmedicated) efforts, then YOU own the results.
And you need nothing but yourself to obtain the results.
Now might be a good time to check it out.
How well will that work though? Will a meditation tutor really help much?
Meditation seems like more of a learn-it-yourself thing.
Some people do well on their own, but most people benefit from having expert guidance. It can be helpful when you have somebody who has 'been there and done that' to help answer your questions and point you in the right direction.
To phrase it another way. Do you think it would be better to learn Kung Fu from a Kung Fu master, or to learn it on your own? Think of meditation as mind-training in the way that martial arts is body-training.
Meditation is a do-it-yourself thing. In order to do it, first you need to know what meditation is, what the purpose of it is. Right now, you seem to be grasping at vague preconceived notions of what you think meditation might be ("unfocused," "blank mind," "thinking," "perspectives"). Having a teacher is invaluable, but either way I would highly recomend learning proper meditation here.
Meditation is not about searching for something outside of yourself. If what you experienced is something you can't reach without pot, then it is not what Buddhism/meditation is concerned with. As I said, firstly, you need to understand what the purpose is, otherwise you're walking blind with no destination; I would start by studying the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, at the very least.