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Minimum Meditation Time.
Citta
Veteran
" We should try to meditate for half an hour a day, unless we are really busy...in which case we should meditate for an hour."
A monk of my acquaintance to a newbie...
2
Comments
Thank you! Which sect of Buddhism do you practice?
Dzogchen.
I 'try' around 20 times a day for 5 minutes or so....
I do 25 minutes minimum everyday.
On good days I do 40 minutes.
Let's not forget I do a very meditative 45-minute yoga session a day, too, with plenty of deep breathing and a 10-minute meditation session at the end...
I hope no one missed his ( serious ) joke...
@Citta Indeed! I totally find that to be true, lol.
I meditate all different amounts in a sitting from 5 to 30 both walking and sitting. I always do a total of 30 and these days since my side effects of the drugs I am taking are smaller I meditate much more than 30 and typically long sessions.
I like the joke @Citta. There aren't too many upsets in my life that don't seem better after 30 minutes of meditation.
I meditate for 20 to 30 minutes at a time, mostly Samatha and some Metta practice. I will however meditate for those periods several times a day.
Did they mean to get an hour in at least once during our busy schedule, or did they mean daily?
I know that they meant daily. Just wanted to reassure myself I guess.
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I think they were making the point that when we are busy our meditation should not be skipped...in some ways its even more important then. But he was using humour to underline that.
I wouldn't take the length of time reference too literally.
NOW he tells me....! :rolleyes: .
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I really have to start meditation now. I did yoga very well and it also benefited me but left few yrs ago.
Now i want to go into insight of me to find truth. So meditation is next goal.
Not to say that those of us who have been practicing Buddhist meditation for a longer period of time can rest on our laurels, and I'm not trying to be elitist or anything, but I think seated meditation becomes of less importance when you've got a certain amount of cushion time and cultivated insight under your belt. This amount of time will vary from person to person.
The reason I say this is because I think those of us who have dedicated a good amount of time to sitting on a cushion can try to practice the Dharma in everyday life and try to understand the lessons better. Those new to the practice may not have the requisite understanding or focus yet, since they haven't developed a meditation practice.
I think once one's practice has reached a certain point, applying it to life is more important than how well-worn our zafus are.
It's like if the Ten Oxherding Pictures were a constant cycle in our lived experience. In a course of a single day, we can go through all the stages - attaining some level of wisdom and then returning to society to practice it, then needing to "seek the ox" all over again...
To be more pertinent to the topic though, I think at least 15 minutes is the minimum amount of time to do seated meditation. Or, whatever the amount of time it takes for one's mind to begin to focus/settle down + 5-10 minutes more.
Exactly so.
Meditation at this stage does not end or begin on a cushion. It just changes its outer form.
This is a good topic for a new thread.
Be my guest! I'm not quite sure what aspect of it you'd want to focus on for a thread, so you might as well make it.
Or, whatever the amount of time it takes for one's mind to begin to focus/settle down + 5-10 minutes more.
I think that's the important point, it does take some time for that initial settling down, particularly if we've been busy...and then meditation proper can commence.