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Meditation is the most meaningful thing in this meaningless world.
To meditate is the most compassionate thing one can do. You cant help others without helping yopurself. You cant help yourself without helping others.
Without compassion this world would be far more meaningless than any picture you could depict. If everyone meditated but did nothing compassionate, merely locking themselves away like heron addicts but instead of a needle using a cushion, then that would be very sad indeed.
Meditation is great, but it is not the answer to all of your problems, neither is compassion. Just like with food you need a balanced diet
Meditation is the most meaningful thing in this meaningless world. That is what my teacher said. Any comments?
i think your teacher was correct.
this world is meaningless because it is devoid of inherent existence and is constructed by our mental projections - nothing in it really matters - we live in our mental projections of the world , but the moment we die everything ends, what was said, done, thought everything is over, but we live our life as if we are never going to die, try to cling on first of all ourselves by the idea of I and consequently map other objects to us by clinging onto them by creating mental thoughts of my , mine etc - but the moment we die, everything ends from our I perspective. Moreover, whatever seems giving pleasure to us in this external world is in reality giving suffering to us because of our attachment to that sense pleasure object which is itself not-permanent, so the moment that object changes we feel pain.
meditation is the most meaningful thing because it helps us to gain insight into reality by seeing the impermanence of all - so an impermanent thing like this world, can be momentarily seem meaningful to us as a result of our mental projection because of our false view of I created by our ignorance , but when viewed in actual reality (by wisdom generated from the removal of ignorance and mental defilements) then this world is really meaningless.
It exists but it wasn't there before we painted it.
Then how did we paint it?
I can't say I understand fully your question. To me this all has to do with emptiness. Regarding OP, I just say that meditating has as much meaning, or none, that you decide to give it. The OP is confusing in a way because it implies meditation has meaning but nothing else does. I think this discussion in general would be less confusing if we realized that we post from points of view regarding relative and absolute as well as zen and Tibetan points of viewing reality. ----and it's all the same regarding emptiness. So here in one post I seem to contradict myself! Time to feed the cats and have some tea.
Your teacher is absolutely correct. Because meditation would help one live simply so that others simply live. It develops understanding, clarity and improve life and health. Meditation also developing a pleasant atmospheric surrounding due to the sagely power of mind radiation. That is what meaningful life is about - healthy and blissingly serene
Meditation is more than trying, it is a way to understand the problem of getting to know ourseleves,who we really are in a more realistic way and how we can through our own sufferings help to eleviate them and then we can help others to overcome their problems.
Meditation is the most meaningful thing in this meaningless world. That is what my teacher said. Any comments?
Once in Savatthi the Blessed Buddha said this: "Bhikkhus, there is one unique thing, which when trained and cultivated, is of great fruit and great advantage. What is that one unique thing? It is Awareness by Breathing (Ānāpānasati)! And how, Bhikkhus, is this Awareness by Breathing trained, developed, cultivated and refined so that it is of really great fruit and of immense long-term advantage? Bhikkhus, when a Bhikkhu, who has gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, sits down cross-legged, having straightened his body and back, and set up awareness around the nostrils, then just plain aware of only that itself, he breathes in, and then just solely aware of only that breathing itself, he breathes out...It is, Bhikkhus, when Awareness by Breathing is trained, developed and refined in exactly this way, that it is of great fruit and advantage!"
"Monks, these are the four developments of concentration. Which four? There is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to a pleasant abiding in the here & now. There is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to the attainment of knowledge & vision. There is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to mindfulness & alertness. There is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to the ending of the effluents.
"Develop concentration, monks. A concentrated monk discerns things as they actually are present. And what does he discern as it actually is present?
"He discerns, as it actually is present, that 'The eye is inconstant'... 'Forms are inconstant'... 'Eye-consciousness is inconstant'... 'Eye-contact is inconstant'... 'Whatever arises in dependence on eye-contact, experienced either as pleasure, as pain, or as neither-pleasure-nor-pain, that too is inconstant.'
"He discerns, as it actually is present, that 'The ear is inconstant'... 'The nose is inconstant'... 'The tongue is inconstant'... 'The body is inconstant"...
"He discerns, as it actually is present, that 'The intellect is inconstant'... 'Ideas are inconstant'... 'Intellect-consciousness is inconstant'... 'Intellect-contact is inconstant'... 'Whatever arises in dependence on intellect-contact, experienced either as pleasure, as pain, or as neither-pleasure-nor-pain, that too is inconstant.'
"So develop concentration, monks. A concentrated monk discerns things as they actually are present."
You can quote as many times as you like from different sources, but the question is, do you know what the true meaning of meditation is, for yourself , what meditation means to you personally,to me it is inner peace,letting go and getting rid of the stressess of the modern world, tensions and nervousness and clinging,just the still silence.
stress or no stress, both are shining in liberation. meditation or taking a dump, both are shining in liberation. everything is luminous, everything is empty.
to chase for peace, clarity, stillness is a grave mistake.
see that already everything is self luminous and empty and by its nature self liberation.
thus always abide in non meditation. thought or no thought.
only fools who get lost on content do not see the illusive nature of all things.
meditation alone will not save. it is wisdom that liberates. direct vision of what is. end your striving and just see clearly into the luminous void. appearing magically like a dream.
It exists but it wasn't there before we painted it.
Then how did we paint it?
I can't say I understand fully your question. To me this all has to do with emptiness. Regarding OP, I just say that meditating has as much meaning, or none, that you decide to give it.
Hey sorry there, I didn't realize I was corresponding with Übermensch.
You can quote as many times as you like from different sources, but the question is, do you know what the true meaning of meditation is, for yourself , what meditation means to you personally,to me it is inner peace,letting go and getting rid of the stressess of the modern world, tensions and nervousness and clinging,just the still silence.
Yes, but The Buddha tends to have a bit more authority than some random guy on the internet. To me it means the way to make real the Bodhisattva vow get enlightenment and save all beings from suffering. What could be more meaningful that that? Nothing IMO.
It exists but it wasn't there before we painted it.
Then how did we paint it?
I can't say I understand fully your question. To me this all has to do with emptiness. Regarding OP, I just say that meditating has as much meaning, or none, that you decide to give it.
Hey sorry there, I didn't realize I was corresponding with Übermensch.
Not having read Nietzsche in quite a while, I'm not certain if I've been insulted or not. No bother. I was relating meaning as being like art in that we create meaning. I don't say meaning doesn't exist. Just that it is not inherent. How did we paint it? We make it in our minds. If you then ask whose mind is making meaning, then I see that we are conversing across the absolute and the relative. This seems to cause confusion.
Meditation has a meaning and is not just sitting there in silence ,for anyone can sit in silence,but real silence cannot be acheived until the mind becomes a vacuum and clears it of everything. With a empty mind we can let go then we can achieve emptiness.
I often wonder is life meaningless it is. but what right in front of me a meaning i cannot deny a truth so real ill give this life up and understand it love it for what it is.
It exists but it wasn't there before we painted it.
Then how did we paint it?
I can't say I understand fully your question. To me this all has to do with emptiness. Regarding OP, I just say that meditating has as much meaning, or none, that you decide to give it.
Hey sorry there, I didn't realize I was corresponding with Übermensch.
Not having read Nietzsche in quite a while, I'm not certain if I've been insulted or not.
I bow to anyone who can dynamically create their own values.
It seems to me that many on this subject are so negative and do not see the true reality of what meditation is,to find peace and harmony and to reflect the stillness and complete emptyness and your true self, as a way of acheiving it benefits to them.
Comments
You cant help others without helping yopurself.
You cant help yourself without helping others.
with their sensual desires.
this world is meaningless because it is devoid of inherent existence and is constructed by our mental projections - nothing in it really matters - we live in our mental projections of the world , but the moment we die everything ends, what was said, done, thought everything is over, but we live our life as if we are never going to die, try to cling on first of all ourselves by the idea of I and consequently map other objects to us by clinging onto them by creating mental thoughts of my , mine etc - but the moment we die, everything ends from our I perspective. Moreover, whatever seems giving pleasure to us in this external world is in reality giving suffering to us because of our attachment to that sense pleasure object which is itself not-permanent, so the moment that object changes we feel pain.
meditation is the most meaningful thing because it helps us to gain insight into reality by seeing the impermanence of all - so an impermanent thing like this world, can be momentarily seem meaningful to us as a result of our mental projection because of our false view of I created by our ignorance , but when viewed in actual reality (by wisdom generated from the removal of ignorance and mental defilements) then this world is really meaningless.
Meditation is more than trying, it is a way to understand the problem of getting to know ourseleves,who we really are in a more realistic way and how we can through our own sufferings help to eleviate them and then we can help others to overcome their problems.
Better to do your meditation and leave the 'meaningful' and 'meaningless' to the upscale merchandisers and featherweight philosophers.
meditation or taking a dump, both are shining in liberation.
everything is luminous, everything is empty.
to chase for peace, clarity, stillness is a grave mistake.
see that already everything is self luminous and empty and by its nature self liberation.
thus always abide in non meditation. thought or no thought.
only fools who get lost on content do not see the illusive nature of all things.
meditation alone will not save. it is wisdom that liberates. direct vision of what is. end your striving and just see clearly into the luminous void. appearing magically like a dream.
isn't it beautiful?
I was relating meaning as being like art in that we create meaning. I don't say meaning doesn't exist. Just that it is not inherent. How did we paint it? We make it in our minds. If you then ask whose mind is making meaning, then I see that we are conversing across the absolute and the relative. This seems to cause confusion.