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Meditation instruction.
how
Veteran Veteran
I was recently in a discussion about meditation instruction for new people in a non aligned spiritual community center and was wondering what everyone's personal experiences of first receiving meditation instructions had been like?
The instructions that started me off seemed like an even mix between the physical postures and how to relate to what ever arose from such a practice. It was 40 minutes of instruction followed by joining a Sangha in a 40 minute meditation in a Zendo. who were Much of it the instruction was based on concentration with the aim of transitioning into meditation whenever possible.
How about u all?
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Comments
Nobody told us nothing.
I was with a group of friends. Age, 14-16. We sat on chairs. Nobody had ever been to a Buddhist meeting. The meditation session started. I had misunderstood a few books and tried to think of nothing . . .
. . . maybe it was earlier, my parents had a book on yoga from the library, they got us kids to try the postures, which being under ten were easy. They seemed very keen on how able we were to sit still in the full lotus . . . I think it was the few moments of silence they relished . . .
I took a day-long class - an intro to meditation sort of thing - at the Shambhala center in Boulder. The instructor had learned meditation from Trungpa Rinpoche.
It was a combination of Shamatha instruction and practice.
It was excellent, the best day I've spent in many a-year.
@how,
Crises brought me to the cushion...Now contentment keeps me [t]here
I’ve never really had a long term meditation ‘teacher’ as such, only the odd teaching when at a Dharma talk…And a couple of times a yoga instructor came to the Buddhist group I attend to explain the importance of posture...
However when it comes to instruction by cyber gurus well that’s another story, I’ve done Vipassana/insight. zazen, mindfulness, and ones whose names I can’t pronounce… you name it then it’s possible I’ve tried it…
But the most important lesson I had taken with me throughout this journey, came from a book or it might have been a tape(it was a long time ago I can’t remember but I think the guy was a theravadin monk) when explaining the obstacles to meditation, he had this to say about "thought" “All a thought wants is to be acknowledged and once this happens it will dissolve/fade away!” Acknowledgement with no attachment ie, “hellogoodbye” . :om: ..
I read a book How to Meditate: a Practical Guide, by Kathleen McDonald from the Tibetan tradition. This text gave some posture and also a guided meditation on emptiness including a good explanation of emptiness for a beginner. I started meditation for a short time just noticing thoughts. At first the fascination of body restlessness and pains was at the forefront. I also read Bhante Henepola Gunaratana book Mindfulness in Plain English and from that I experimented with feeling my nostril during the meditation session. My first group sit was with a Kwan Um Zen teacher plus small sangha and they gave me a meditation to think on the in breath "who am I" and on the outbreath let go of that identity.
[lobster faints] top notch teachings,
Thanks gals - @Jeffery consider yourself promoted . . .
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Personally I feel I was too agitated to start meditating for example in Judo class when introduced to it at twelve. Just as being assured that wrestling blindfold would improve fighting technique. Did not seem to.
The first technique I tried was candle gazing from a yoga book. Could not find much point (so to speak). My first regular practice that did show results that I could discern were from moving meditation, yoga and Qi-ong. The first regular static practice that showed discernible results was a Shingon element concentration . . .
My very first introduction to meditation was me going to an intensive 7 day zen retreat, without having done any kind of meditation, at all, before that! That was interesting, ha! I don't really remember getting any instruction. Although, I must have got the instruction somewhere because I kinda knew what to do. The act of doing it is really what taught me how to do it.
...what everyone's personal experiences of first receiving meditation instructions had been like?
My personal memory recall stretches back much further than most report - my first meditation experience was before I knew any different - it took some time to structure thought and action to launch from that state - I seem to have kept markers to what it meant before and though I cannot be sure, later practice seems to me to be the same as first perceptions / relationships.
I was originally taught mindfulness of breathing and metta bhavana around 1980 at the London Buddhist Centre, which is an FWBO / Triratna centre in East London. I remember the instruction as being quite clear, though I'm glad I later explored other approaches to meditation. I remember asking about "insight meditation" but nobody seemed to know what it was back then.
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My first instruction, if it can be called that, came after reading perhaps 500,000 pages of spiritual stuff (mostly Hindu oriented) and one day realizing as if I had put my fingers in a light socket, "If they [all those gurus and swamis and other super-good people] could do it, then so can I!" It wasn't an arrogant thought ... it was just factual in my head-- factual and unbending.
Then came the hard part. Even with as much as I "knew" with all my reading, I really didn't have a clue as to what I was supposed to do. Literally, physically, mentally. I really didn't know, so I went back over some of what I had read and from there, I made it up... got a milk crate from the garbage outside the apartment building I lived in; covered it with an orange cloth; put a picture on it and a bowl in which to burn incense and then, at the end of each work day, I would sit down cross-legged on the end of the bed and ... I'm not sure what I did, but I sat there for half and hour or so.
Two things stood out: 1. I hoped no one would catch me indulging in what they might consider a weirdo pastime and 2. How come if I was doing this exercise for "god," god made my knees hurt so bad? It seemed like a really bad bargain... a pretty nasty god.
Here I was, all alone in the universe and, well, I could use some help and a pat on the head. I did not need any more torture.
That was 'the' beginning. After a year or so, I found a zen center and things got more ritualized. The first time I entered the zendo hall -- a large room with two rows of utterly still and silent students -- it really scared the crap out of me. Talk about lunacy! And yet, somehow, as well, I also knew I was home.
But I look back at the beginning with admiration ... how the hell had I managed that? All by myself; no real hand-holds; no one else applauding or listening or caring .... what a ballsy guy! ... just like all the other ballsy guys and gals out there.
Wow @genkaku amazing. My first formal extensive teaching was at a 'learn to meditate' week long retreat. Had arranged to go with three friends. One by one they dropped out. I went.
We had formal tuition twice a day and other practice times were optional. I went to everything. I had prepared by going to all the local meditation classes I could for three months prior to the retreat.
We learned posture, concentration/focus on sound, breath, a visual image held in the mind etc. I loved it. Later I would do a three month retreat at the same monastery.
A very kind friend shared with me the oldschool:
student goes to the master and is all like "yo! teach pls!"
and the master goes "k, it's the river"
so the student goes back and meditates on "it is the river it is the river it is the river"
and then finally he comes back to the master and goes
"Aha! it is the river!"
and the master goes "it's not the river."
And the student leaves and goes "it's not the river it's not the river it's not the river"
and after much joyful contemplation he comes back and goes
"it's not the river!"
and the master goes "okay it is the river."
That helped me a lot.
When I went to a local meetup there are actually lots o long-term practitioners here and I was very happy. One of the regulars lead us in a meditation and he basically described sitting by the edge of a river watching your mindstream / thoughts paddle on by. We sat with that in mind for about 30 minutes...
And that was very evocative and deep for some people who had been there as their first time or so. It was very inspiring.
@genkaku I feel you about the "oh shnap i better get up out of this ridiculous pose before someone sees me!" haha although enlightenment and its practice pretty much trumps all worldly action so that always emboldens me, too.
I think just having known that one of my closest and smartest friends was really into it lead me to read a lot online for myself (about Buddha and basic elements of practice).
Consistency is key
I wonder how many people have tried to "meditate" only to end up putting it into the too hard basket, leaving it on the "things to do" list (but never get around to doing)...
Lots of people I know have "tried" it...Some only do it in times of crises but when the crises is over they drop it until the next crises...
I remember reading that in many countries where meditation is part of the norm, the health benefits that we in the West have found that come through meditation, are just the by-products that people in those countries take for granted...
I wonder what the world would be like if meditation was part of all schools curriculum ?(Starting in Kindergarten)
@how my apologies, I don't meant to derail your thread, (in a way it complements it)...But if need be I'll start a new thread....
@ Shoshin
I welcome all related derailments
&
Your statement about it being too hard for many is what in my circles is commonly called (Aspirin Zen.
The brief periods of silence would be blissful.
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I didn't have anyone to instruct me. I watched some TV documentaries when I was little, showing what life in a buddhist monastery was like, and they showed that one of the daily activities of the monks was to sit cross-legged with their eyes closed, relaxing and focusing on things like the after-life, karma and enlightenment. Great ! That was what meditation meant for a 9-year-old. Later, I became interested in buddhism (in high school ), and read that one of the basic aspects of buddhism was daily meditation. So, sit cross-legged, eyes closed, relaxed (yeah right ) and focus on...whatever movie my mind played. Then I joined this forum ( thank you guys for the adviced I received from you so far ! ), and read about different buddhist traditions, and their approach to meditation. And I started practicing 'zen' ( empty mind; what I understood from it) meditation, for a period, and it worked nicely.
Popping an Aspirin Zen .
.. I like that...
I also like the verse I heard on a Goenka CD,
"Tis easy to wear a smile and be pleasant, when ones life flows along like some sweet song...(The calm before the storm)
But a person worthwhile, is one who can still wear a smile, when things in their life go all wrong !" (having made preparations for weathering the storm)
^^^
Alternatively, the old saying, "Understanding is knowing to get out of the way of an on-coming bus; practice is for the bus you didn't see coming."
The first time I had instructions was actually very helpful. Before that I was just a monkey doing yoga lol.
The time has come to realise what meditation practice really is, it's not something you do to prepare for something in the future or what you could have done in the past to make things different now, it's what you are doing now - else you are just thinking about what might and did happen and practise what you could have done and may do when that thing happens.
NOW - know what you know and be comfortable with what you don't know.
I'm back friends and fiends
... \ lol / ...
Namaste
@anataman, isn't that somewhat of an oxymoron given your name ? Just saying... .
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Welcome back anyway.......
I require oxygen to live and am am just another moron!
I say nothing, and I know that what I say has no meaning so you are right and right again.
'I am ashamed of my emptiness,' said the Word to the Work.
'I know how poor I am when I see you,' said the Work to the Word.
You and me both. Except I am still a monkey.
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The first book techniques I learned were concentration or tightening exercises from yoga. Candle meditation, tip of the nose cross eyed staring and such like.
I followed this sort of advice which I just found on a yoga site. Which I feel is concentration and not always applicable . . .
I now think yoga nidra is one of the best beginner meditations, because of its relaxation, loosening aspect and very direct results.
I still borrow things from yoga. For example I will gently touch the roof of my mouth when doing breath attention.
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation-techniques-for-stress-relief.htm
The first meditation instruction I received was on posture and on counting the breath.
The idea was to breathe deep and slow and count from one to ten on breathing out; putting some concentration in the lower abdomen.
It felt right and was not too difficult…
I was running in those years and had recently completed the marathon (in roughly three and a half hours). The meditation felt like a different type of endurance-sport; like something I was relatively good at.
I had done the marathon and now I wanted to complete a sesshin.
I think the running was a good preparation. While running, thoughts and feelings come and go, and whatever happens you just keep running.
The counting of the breath was – in my understanding – a way of breaking the spell of thoughts and emotions. We usually identify with them; but now I could notice that I lost count and see the cause of that as just a thought, just an emotion, back to one…two…
For a long time, apart from aspirin zen, I attempted mindful being, awareness if you like. Stillness amidst monkey mind and its relative world, where did that come?
Time to sit still . . . loads of ways. All good.
http://www.freemindfulness.org/download
http://www.buddhanet.net/audio-meditation.htm
My first meditation session took place in a group led by a Vedanta-trained instructor.
The only thing we were told was to close our eyes, breathe in and rhythmically join in an OM outbreath in unison.
We were about fifteen to twenty people, sitting cross-legged in a circle, and the session lasted about twenty minutes.
I still fondly remember it as the most "Aha" moment I ever lived.
The fact that the instruction was so scant made the experience more earth-shattering.
Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
I'm new to this but I have, in the past, sat in a virtual shrine room. Having got my breathing sorted I concentrated my thoughts on the act of me meditating. I became conciously quiet and peaceful. I just wanted to stay with it. I became mesmerised by the flickering candles on the screen. The experience ended with my wife coming home from shopping. It was then early evening and dark outside. About an hour and a half had passed since I had started the session in broad daylight. I felt the benefits for at least two days. My life was hectic then and it really helped.
Sorry, but that doesn't sound like meditation. It sounds like you were mesmerized. Two different things.
Why not go a bit further and explain what you mean by differentiating 'mesmerization' and 'true' meditation for the newbie?
I can't - and don't meditate, per se...I bring my attention back to the breath throughout the day. My body has too many random pains to sit cross-legged or sit still for ANY length of time, tbh.
Why don't you?
He described loosing track of time. That's a kind of mesmerization. Mesmeried is the same thing as being spaced out. Being spaced out is not meditation. Meditation is alert, present and aware.
You don't have to sit. Stand, walk, even lay down and meditate.
Yep, that's why I said about the bringing my attention back to my breathing. It's partly a choice, too, I know I'm too antsy to sit still and basically 'do nothing' plus my body does have issues (I'll refrain from enumeration).
Glad it helped.
Being very still can have a calming effect, as can being in the presence, virtual or real of an environment we associate with peace.
So for example playing the sound of birdsong or a trickling brook is calming.
Some meditation technique based around repetitive mantra or breath attention can induce a mild trance in some people. It can make people calm and suggestible. It can also slow the mind chatter and so is potentially beneficial. Therefore trance, including hypnotic calming methods or led meditations can be very affirming, transformational and healthy.
As @Chaz said you don't have to do anything (in particular - my parentheses) to meditate, however, what makes you realise you are meditating? I assert that it is the action of making the effort to meditate, and so realisation follows!
(Is 'mesmerisation' even a word....? Not according to my spellchecker it isn't! )
you're using a UK spellchecker - in US it is a word but you have to replace s with Z
I'm using a US spellchecker (tried changing the nationality, but not having any success - and yes, a friend who is highly technical tried too, but the laptop won't have it.)
I changed it to an 's' but either way, I get the red squiggly line....)
mesmerization yes me too. spell check nabs it. Mezmerization nope. mesmerisation nope mezmerisation nope