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Buddhists, what do you think about practising 2 types of meditations. Good idea or Bad idea??

buddhacoebuddhacoe
edited June 2011 in Sanghas
Heres my Buddhist practice:
I practice Zen Zazen meditation at home. But I also meet with a group once a week and we practice whats called Samatha Meditation. (which I actually find very simular to Zazen anyway)

Both meditations are sitting meditation concentrating on the breath.
But whats your thoughts on meeting with both groups? Ok or bad idea?

I personally don't see a problem but wondering what other buddhists thought?
Thanks :)

Comments

  • DhammaDhatuDhammaDhatu Veteran
    Sounds OK to me :)
  • buddhacoebuddhacoe
    Sounds OK to me :)
    Thanks. me too. I suppose its just nice to share what your going through with others. And its always nice to hear feed back and peoples opinions. Thanks for answering. x
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    My teacher said this to me when I asked:

    "Generally speaking as with anything in life, you need to stick with what you are doing otherwise you don’t get any result. The same goes with meditation. If you are given a method, then first you have to give it a good try, then review and see if its bringing about the desired effects and if it isn’t you either review how you are applying the method with the person who has given it to you – or you look for another method."

    Specifically rather than generally however she said to me that she thought Jon Kabatt Zinn's body mindfulness meditation might work well with my formless meditation because I might get different things from each meditation that could be helpful.

    Myself I don't think it matters too much what mudra you make and so forth, though it could be a distraction.
  • santhisouksanthisouk Veteran
    If you are going the liberation path, I'd stick to one. If you are going the knowledge, vision, and insight path, you can do as many as you would like.

    metta
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    sanisthouk it depends what you mean by insight, but its often said insight is what brings liberation.
  • santhisouksanthisouk Veteran
    True, but I believe it takes a long time for "insight" to reach detachment. To completely detach from our ego-self takes more than just seeing how the body is following nature's course for example. One may see impermanence, suffering, and non-self, but to detach from the "self" isn't that a whole new other step?
  • buddhacoebuddhacoe
    i agree with jeffrey. (insight is what brings liberation)
    When santhisouk said ''if going the liberation path then stick to one...'' another reason i dont agree is because i know im benifiting from doing both. I dont feel that we *have* to stick to just ONE. Because all paths lead us to the same place. By meeting once a week and practising another meditation and having a chat with another tradition you learn more. In zen its taught to remain *OPEN* and what better way to remain open than to attend other traditions and listen, learn and enjoy.
    ((only my oppinion anyway and thanks very much for your oppinions :) ))


  • buddhacoebuddhacoe
    wouldnt only sticking to one be classes as being *attached* to only one?
    And we dont want this do we??
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    Not if there were a practical reason. Otherwise you could say *not* hitting yourself in the head with a hammer is because of attachment.
  • santhisouksanthisouk Veteran
    edited June 2011
    buddhacoe, you're not doing anything wrong.. Sorry if I made you misunderstand. If the practices you do both help one another anyways, then that's definitely beneficial. If however you were practicing 3 or 4 other practices, it would to me seem a bit difficult to juggle all those and consider the detachment of the "self" and the abandonment non-wholesome states.:)

    metta
  • SpacelessSpaceless
    Heres my Buddhist practice:
    I practice Zen Zazen meditation at home. But I also meet with a group once a week and we practice whats called Samatha Meditation. (which I actually find very simular to Zazen anyway)

    Both meditations are sitting meditation concentrating on the breath.
    But whats your thoughts on meeting with both groups? Ok or bad idea?

    I personally don't see a problem but wondering what other buddhists thought?
    Thanks :)
    Beings are so undeniably lovely that you ought not to disorientate against, but it does not suggest the neccessity to orientate with as well. While meditation techinque varied accordingly, there is only a unfying goal in various methods of meditations in loving-kindness of serenity, the emptiness of benevolently bliss. :thumbsup:
  • SpinyNorman2SpinyNorman2
    Both meditations are sitting meditation concentrating on the breath.
    But whats your thoughts on meeting with both groups? Ok or bad idea?

    Sounds OK to me. Getting different angles / advice on breathing meditation can be very helpful in developing your own practice.

    Spiny
  • SabreSabre Veteran
    For me there is no difference between the two. And it is not bad to practice multiple kinds of meditation or have different techniques to calm the mind. People use different means to quiet the mind, but the result is the same. I also practice metta and walking meditation quite frequently. Those things don't work against each other, in fact they support each other.
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