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Meditation for beginners.
Straight_Man
Gentle Man Veteran
in Meditation
We all come from different walks in life or practices, so we all will have influences of other practices, or blended Buddhism. Each will have teachers and authors to read, but there is no pure Buddha amongst us now-- there are influences blended from multiple practices in almost every practice as adopted by an individual. That is why one needs input from forums as well as word teachings quoted.
The topic is meditation and the more I read the more I realize/recognize that what I first called meditation is not Buddhistic meditation rather it is monkey thought and monkey mind in Buddhistic sense of word. Emptying mind is foreign to monkey and would work and learn to become less monkey. So share with me more tricks. Counting helps, but I find myself relaxed so much I forget to count. Is that a goal in this case?
I would like some experiences put into words here, please. For a beginner, but about meditation.
The topic is meditation and the more I read the more I realize/recognize that what I first called meditation is not Buddhistic meditation rather it is monkey thought and monkey mind in Buddhistic sense of word. Emptying mind is foreign to monkey and would work and learn to become less monkey. So share with me more tricks. Counting helps, but I find myself relaxed so much I forget to count. Is that a goal in this case?
I would like some experiences put into words here, please. For a beginner, but about meditation.
0
Comments
After 40 years, I favor counting the breath, a practice that may be called a "beginner's" practice, but in fact, assuming anyone could count from one to ten, will tell the entire story.
Determination is what is brought to bear when the mind bounces around, as it is bound to do. At each sticking point ("I want a Big Mac," "I've got to balance my checkbook," "Enlightenment or bust!" etc.) simply return to one and begin again. Always ... begin again.
Patience, courage and doubt are your best allies.
Best wishes.
It is also the nature of mind to return. When we practice rather than getting upset we have wandered away, why not celebrate the return?
Consider carefully why meditate? And to that result ask why do you want this? And why? And why? And why? This leads straight to the citta or heart.
It is important not to drift off all the session, but also you should not feel that you have 'the wrong' mind for drifting. If you couldn't drift and focus alternately you could not do something like drive a car where you need do more than just feel your nostril.
At the same time it can be a rich interesting practice to just feel the nostril, but you will never ever get totally away from the drifting mind. Well I don't know what a Buddha consciousness is like so I am not sure!
Meditation is mind training, just as we go to the gym to keep fit.
Application is our personal conduct. It all ties in.
Enjoy it while you can ...
And then get back to work.
Often beginners see the goal as "keeping the count" without ever losing the count. But because they keep losing the count they wonder if they are doing it right or not. They become frustrated because they are supposed to be keeping the count but they can't. So they think they might be doing something wrong. A better statement of the goal I think would be "return to the count", rather than "keep the count". So just keep returning, over and over. My zen teacher says every time you return, you get a little bit of wisdom. Smart guy.
To get your mind off of the monkey
mind, put it on the breath. count it or not.
If that doesn't work.....put your mind on your
heartbeat instead. count it or not.
Just put your mind on
what separates the living and the dead.
The breath and the heartbeat. Either or.
Thats enough insightful shit to keep
the monkey mind pretty distant for at least a
couple of seconds....That very moment...the
very 1 in the counting is all in the 1.
Try the heartbeat method....I still use it
from time to time, if my physical location
is pretty bad, and I just need to feel one beat
because I can't even settle on a count, let alone
steady the breath. Noticing my heart seems to
steady my breath, and I can go from there.
If you're looking for instruction, David Nichtern offers a very informational video on basic Mindfulness meditation.
It's hard to concentrate on the breath at first, but it gets a little easier over time. A constant practice is key. It's also important to be patient. If you cannot calm your mind down, that's fine... just keep practicing. If you have a thought, note it and continue your practice. If the thought is persistent, in the words of Ethan Nichtern "take it out on a second date", examine and try to deconstruct the thought. What makes you feel this way? Where does it come from? What does it really mean? This usually helps quell the distracting thought and once you're done examining it you can return to your regular practice.
Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to disassociate ourselves from our thoughts, that we forget that, at times, we need to work with them. It's sort of like having an annoying younger brother. You can try to ignore him, but the more you do so the more he tries to annoy you. In such cases, it's sometimes better to give the sibling a little attention, maybe play a game or go out for some ice cream. Once you've spent sometime with him, he'll leave you alone, at least for a little bit.
Yes, I have a younger sibling. lol
Not sitting
Really no different . . .
Beginners like me, always prepare for meditation and finish meditating
They think meditation is an activity . . . Tsk, tsk
However all activity is meditation. Do simple activities a little more mindfully and slower.
Really no different . . .
Not sitting
Sit