What is suppose to be going on..

Myeeee

Hi. Im reading up on buddhism and I really enjoy the teachings it provides. But Im not sure how to go about meditation. I very often throughout the day,sit alone,contemplate things,try to put myself at ease,think of situations,"day dream" or just listen to music.So i know I have the capability to sit still,alone,often. But, what is supposed to be going on in my mind?thinking? cos' upon reading some things it seems as if my mind so just be blank...and i dont know how to do that...help?

Jeffrey

That blank is what is happening in the present moment. You don't have to make it into anything. Just follow the meditation method you have been given or researched. Your meditation experience can't possibly be 'the wrong one'.

taiyaki

Meditation and practice in Buddhism works on two fronts.

First is the cultivation of the positive into ones life. This is done through external acts via morality and internal acts such as cultivating loving kindness, compassion, equanimity, joy, calm abiding, concentration states, etc. This is reconditioning our lives so that we live a saner life but most important it sets the ground for investigation.

Which comes to the second wing of buddhist practice and study. Investigation into how suffering works, how it is formed, and how it is released. This is done with a settled, peaceful, calm mind as those are the best soil for nurturing insight and eventually deepening insight into realization.

From this point of view we can see that Buddhism is a gradual process of reframing our lives into the positive and at the same time investigating what is happening in our body and mind.

Many people cultivate the good, but they never truly look into their experience, into their mind and body. What is happening? How does suffering occur? What releases suffering?

And in my honest opinion Buddhism does not truly start until we actively examine this thing called suffering, dissatisfaction.

Investigation leads to release and release leads to freedom or complete peace.

Hope this helps.

BonsaiDoug

taiyaki said:

And in my honest opinion Buddhism does not truly start until we actively examine this thing called suffering, dissatisfaction.

Investigation leads to release and release leads to freedom or complete peace.

Very insightful post; well stated. And IMVHO, the above portion sums it up in a nutshell. Without realizing suffering and its cause, there can never be cessation; nirvana/nibhana.

fivebells

@Myeeee, the advice above is rather advanced given your question. I suggest starting with a simple breath meditation like this one. The blankness you have read about is a possible result of meditation practice. Entering such a state of mind as a matter of will is not method you should be practicing, at least at this stage. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

lobster

Myeeee,
Contemplation and study of ideas, comes before active involvement. You seem to have done that.
Meditation takes many forms. There is no rush or even necessity initially. Maybe you have access to a class, retreat, temple? Youtube even . . . ?

seeker242

It depends on what kind of meditation you are doing. If you are doing breathing meditation then your mind should be doing the act of breathing. What should be going on in your mind is just attention on breathing. Then, while you are doing that, some other things (thought, memories, feelings, etc.) will appear and take your attention off the act of breathing and then you return your attention to the act of breathing. That's all there is to it really. Your mind naturally goes "blank", or quite or still (or whatever you want to call it) when it is focused. So we use the breath to focus it and then it goes quite or "blank" by itself.

Jason

Myeeee said:

Hi. Im reading up on buddhism and I really enjoy the teachings it provides. But Im not sure how to go about meditation. I very often throughout the day,sit alone,contemplate things,try to put myself at ease,think of situations,"day dream" or just listen to music.So i know I have the capability to sit still,alone,often. But, what is supposed to be going on in my mind?thinking? cos' upon reading some things it seems as if my mind so just be blank...and i dont know how to do that...help?

As others have said, it depends on what kind of meditation you're doing. If you're practicing something like mindfulness of breathing, for example, you should try to do three things. The first thing you should do is try to keep your mind as fully concentrated on the breath as you can. Try to stay with it all the way in and all the way out, not letting your mind wander off.

The second thing you should do is try to be sensitive to the breath and how it feels and adjust it if need be. If it's uncomfortable, for example, try to adjust it so that it's more comfortable as this will help make it easier for the mind to stay with it. And while doing this, try to spread any good feelings or sensations you experience throughout the whole body, e.g., try to imagine the breath coming in and out of certain parts that feel uncomfortable, or just try to keep the mind on the breath while expanding your awareness to encompass the whole body.

The third thing you should do is try to be aware of any thoughts, perceptions, and feelings that arise in the mind, since they almost certainly will. The goal here isn't to follow them or indulge them, however; it's to simply note their arising and let them go, returning to the breath or whatever your meditation object happens to be. If you find that your mind has 'run off' with the thoughts, gently remind yourself to go back to the breath as soon as you notice and repeat as many times as necessary.

The object of all of this is to strengthen your mental faculties of mindfulness and awareness (or clear knowing), as well as to experiment to see what works for you in terms of helping your mind stay with its object and giving it a pleasant place to rest, which will help it to eventually enter and abide in what the Buddha called jhanas or states of meditative absorption.

how

Hey Myeee

Your description of your alone sitting times sound like directed activities. Meditation differs as it places you in a position where you act as an attentive observer who's only job is to not manipulate whatever arises. There is no " supposed to" with the content of the mind, just how well you can be a attentive, non manipulative observer of it.

You can definitely do this on your own but a Buddhist teacher or Sangha helps.

sova

in response to your question "what is going on?"

everything!

breathe and create space for whatever is happening (sounds, sensations, etc) to be





and/or, kick it oldschool! [before there was a "you" to kick it]


I think when I was first getting into meditation, many Zen Koans ("koh-ahhn") helped. Basically you ponder/reflect on the statement(s), and in doing so familiarize with insight meditation. If it helps, meditation is sometimes translated as "familiarization" -- although one must stress that meditation is a tool, and that Buddhism is a way of living, both harmonize

To study the Way is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is enlightenment by the manymany things.
Enlightenment by the manymany things is the dropping away of mind+body of oneself/other(s).
No trace of realization remains and this no trace continues endlessly.

pegembara

Myeeee said:

Hi. Im reading up on buddhism and I really enjoy the teachings it provides. But Im not sure how to go about meditation. I very often throughout the day,sit alone,contemplate things,try to put myself at ease,think of situations,"day dream" or just listen to music.So i know I have the capability to sit still,alone,often. But, what is supposed to be going on in my mind?thinking? cos' upon reading some things it seems as if my mind so just be blank...and i dont know how to do that...help?

When you can sit still,alone,often is good. If you can do this without difficulty, may I suggest that you read the suttas. Try in this order:

"Monks, there are these two searches: ignoble search & noble search. And what is ignoble search? There is the case where a person, being subject himself to birth, seeks [happiness in] what is likewise subject to birth. Being subject himself to aging... illness... death... sorrow... defilement, he seeks [happiness in] what is likewise subject to illness... death... sorrow... defilement.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html

The 4NT
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html

Go to this website for further guidance: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/begin.html

driedleaf

To put it simply, just being aware of everything at all times, and less questioning.