What is usually your focus during meditation?

banned_crab

I find that it is hard to progress when all I do is focus on my breathe. Ive recently realized that If I concentrate on how I feel about a problem it is more effective. Dont mistaken this for me thinking about the problem, it is the feelings about the problem. It usually solves the problem because it helps me experience the realization that the problem doesnt matter.

What else can I do to make my meditation not a waste of time, I believe that just sitting their does not do anything for me.

Jeffrey

vast open space of awareness.

I like your technique of returning to the home of your body feeling. That is one of the four virtuous mindfulness trainings

Let go of it doing anything. You are having hot boredom. When you let go of that cool boredom comes like a mountain stream that is valuable just being there.

Chaz

heyimacrab said:

I find that it is hard to progress when all I do is focus on my breathe.

What sort of "progress" do you think you should be making? What are you expecting to progess to?

Ive recently realized that If I concentrate on how I feel about a problem it is more effective. Dont mistaken this for me thinking about the problem, it is the feelings about the problem.

That sounds like vipassana. Simple awareness.

It usually solves the problem because it helps me experience the realization that the problem doesnt matter.

Moditation isn't about "solving problems".

What else can I do to make my meditation not a waste of time, I believe that just sitting their does not do anything for me.

The cynic in me is screaming ......

"JUST FRIKKIN QUIT, THEN!"

Anyway .......

You meditation isn't a waste of time, not matter what you think.

Have you spoken to a qualified meditation instructor/mentor about this? There's very little strangers on a web forum can do to help others with their meditation challenges, even though I'm quite sure people will start lining up advising you to try anything - tonglen, metta, zazen, etc. - rather than address what may be the real issue and that could be unwillingness to deal with the boredom, or unreasonable expections, or .....

and only someone who knows you and can practice with you can make that determination.

Bunks

I am finding breath meditation seems to work for me.

The link below is an excellent text on how and why the breath is such a good thing to focus on.

This may help you realise why this is so.

http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/withEachAndEveryBreath_v131019.pdf

Good luck!

BonsaiDoug

Bunks said:

http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/withEachAndEveryBreath_v131019.pdf

I'll second the value of this little booklet. For the past few years my focus has been on the breath also.

Invincible_summer

heyimacrab said:

I find that it is hard to progress when all I do is focus on my breathe.

[...]

What else can I do to make my meditation not a waste of time

In the words of many a Zen-head - "Nowhere to go, no-one to become."

In my non-expert opinion, it really just sounds like you're itching for some stimulation during meditation... your feeling that sitting and breathing (two activities that are pretty important in our everyday lives) is a "waste of time" makes that pretty clear to me.

Sitting on a cushion and breathing in and out is, in essence, no different than doing any other activity that you may enjoy. It's just your own preferences that are getting in the way.

EvenThird

If focusing on the breath isn't working at the moment, try counting your out breaths... it's simple, but if you are craving stimulation it helps. You can count to 10, or 21, or whatever. You can also count both in and out breaths for double party fun time

how

The most common waste of time during meditation is one's judgements of the meditation.

You have already been solving problems in your life for years.
You don't take up meditation to duplicate the worldly habits you've already established.
So

Why are you meditating?

misecmisc1

my theoretical understanding says: meditation is done not to achieve anything, but to let go of everything which we think we have. in reality, we do not have got anything at the first place, so letting go of anything is not really needed - but since we think we have something, so from that perspective, letting go is needed. patience and contentment are needed on the path. don't try to achieve a good state in somewhere in future, rather be content with whatever is in here and now. do good act and stop evil act. both body and mind are not really in our control, so 'we' really cannot do anything - so relax and just sit and try to fully accept everything whatever is happening in here and now.

i am sounding like a complete hypocrite by saying the above things, as i am not able to do the above things in my meditation and almost everytime my meditation is a mess, but the above theoretical understanding seems ok to me, so thought of suggesting you to try it out and see if it works for you. as far as my meditation is concerned, these days i just sit and let whatever is happening in here and now, letting it happen, though most of the time i am not able to do it, but still i try to just sit.

metta to you and all sentient beings.

lobster

heyimacrab said:

I find that it is hard to progress when all I do is focus on my breathe. Ive recently realized that If I concentrate on how I feel about a problem it is more effective. Dont mistaken this for me thinking about the problem, it is the feelings about the problem. It usually solves the problem because it helps me experience the realization that the problem doesnt matter.

What else can I do to make my meditation not a waste of time, I believe that just sitting their does not do anything for me.

:wave:

Concentration is a useful faculty.
You are starting from where you are. Not where you should be or where others are or think you should be, what you should be doing etc.
As you wish to use concentration, maybe change the type of concentration.

For example this is based on an elemental practice:
Concentration without focus. 'Flat' concentration.
Concentration from feelings.
One pointed concentration.
Mind based concentration.
Non centered concentration.
Then return to the first grounding . . .
http://yinyana.tumblr.com/post/31454196568/elements

The trick with 'concentration' as has been mentioned, is to focus and relax.
Hope that is helpful

santhisouk

I like to focus on finding peace within. Then share that peace with all beings.

Zayl

That me, the ground I am sitting on, the air I breathe, the sun that warms me, the people around me, the tree across the way, everything, came from the exact same thing, and will end there, too. That I am a small, conscious part of this universe. No more or less important than the next part. That I am related to the moon, as much as I am related to my brother, and to the people and animals and plants around me. And bearing that in mind, I realize that the universe is one, single whole. And that the differences between people and other objects is rather quite arbitrary and inconsequential.

I am the universe, thinking, breathing, discovering itself. You are, too, and so is that cat warming itself in the sun. We are, all of us, in a way, one being.

That's the general idea, not so wordy in my head, more of a concept than a paragraph.

AllbuddhaBound

I am at a place in my meditation I have not experienced before. I do breath counting, but the way I do breath counting has changed. So I focus on my breath, but as I do, I am doing so in a very loving way. I count my breath but I do so with complete gentleness and compassion.

I don't know if it will change anything, but I do know this is the right thing to do. I have no doubt. So I can go forward without having to question my practice.

In this world with all of it's strife, judgement and intolerance, any time you can give your self caring and acceptance is never wasted.

misterCope

@heyimacrab, you said you focus on your feelings. There is always a bodily sensation that accompanies emotion. I sometimes focus on the physical sensation of an emotion to help me work through it. You might want to try it.

Example: I'm sad about something in the news. I sit. I think about how the news makes me sad. I let go of the emotion and pay attention to my body. There is a tightness in my throat, a heat behind my eyes, my chest feels a little constricted. I sit with those feelings.

Just a thought, if you're interested.

ysmael

breathing...deep inhales and exhales from within

banned_crab

misterCope said:

@heyimacrab, you said you focus on your feelings. There is always a bodily sensation that accompanies emotion. I sometimes focus on the physical sensation of an emotion to help me work through it. You might want to try it.

Example: I'm sad about something in the news. I sit. I think about how the news makes me sad. I let go of the emotion and pay attention to my body. There is a tightness in my throat, a heat behind my eyes, my chest feels a little constricted. I sit with those feelings.

Just a thought, if you're interested.

that exactly what I do, its the only thing that works for me

anando

Hello,
Gotamo Buddho tought the 8fold way to do in meditation. I fyo manage to watch breath during meditation you are great. I do concentrate on breath only in the beginnung. If i believe to loose concentration during deepening, i start o watch the
body breathin or out. That helps me to get back to the point i intend to do.

sakko

DairyLama

Tranquillity. It's very nice.

Skaði

It helps me to let go just to have an image in my mind of snow falling. I don't think about the snow... I guess I just let it be there. I know maybe I'm not meditating right but it helps me ease into forgetting about the snow and everything all together.

DairyLama

Skaði said:

It helps me to let go just to have an image in my mind of snow falling. I don't think about the snow... I guess I just let it be there. I know maybe I'm not meditating right but it helps me ease into forgetting about the snow and everything all together.

I think using these kind of images can be quite helpful. I sometimes visualise waves.

Dennis1

I agree Spiny-quite helpful. I don't know what right is-if there is a right is.

Dennis1

heyimacrab said:

misterCope said:

@heyimacrab, you said you focus on your feelings. There is always a bodily sensation that accompanies emotion. I sometimes focus on the physical sensation of an emotion to help me work through it. You might want to try it.

Example: I'm sad about something in the news. I sit. I think about how the news makes me sad. I let go of the emotion and pay attention to my body. There is a tightness in my throat, a heat behind my eyes, my chest feels a little constricted. I sit with those feelings.

Just a thought, if you're interested.

that exactly what I do, its the only thing that works for me

Well that sounds like Tummo practice might be useful. May find plenty on the net.

Dennis1

AllbuddhaBound said:

I am at a place in my meditation I have not experienced before. I do breath counting, but the way I do breath counting has changed. So I focus on my breath, but as I do, I am doing so in a very loving way. I count my breath but I do so with complete gentleness and compassion.

I don't know if it will change anything, but I do know this is the right thing to do. I have no doubt. So I can go forward without having to question my practice.

In this world with all of it's strife, judgement and intolerance, any time you can give your self caring and acceptance is never wasted.

I agree you can' let go of the self until it is loved thoroughly and understood fully.
gentleness and compassion almost always seem right. We are all perfect in our Buddha nature.

Dennis1

Zayl said:

That me, the ground I am sitting on, the air I breathe, the sun that warms me, the people around me, the tree across the way, everything, came from the exact same thing, and will end there, too. That I am a small, conscious part of this universe. No more or less important than the next part. That I am related to the moon, as much as I am related to my brother, and to the people and animals and plants around me. And bearing that in mind, I realize that the universe is one, single whole. And that the differences between people and other objects is rather quite arbitrary and inconsequential.

I am the universe, thinking, breathing, discovering itself. You are, too, and so is that cat warming itself in the sun. We are, all of us, in a way, one being.

That's the general idea, not so wordy in my head, more of a concept than a paragraph.

Lovely. Sounds a lot like meditating on the path. Takes a lot of the significance out of meditating. Sort of walking Zen.
Thank you.

Dennis1

When I am working I put my attention on the work. Ditto walking. If I do formal meditation which I mostly do at night, I meditate on the indestructible drop at the heart.
I'm not suggesting that. Whatever I do I keep Buddha fields in my heart and remain in the present-not distracted by thoughts. Sometimes I plan or look at the past so as to discriminate and develop opinions but that is a type of active mental use like skillful means. mtgby