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More Meditation Tips.....
Shoshin
No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran
Alan Watts "The Importance of Silence/Meditation" ( In this short video clip ( approx 13 minutes) he talks about thoughts, thinking and non-thinking)
Feel free to add what you have found useful...
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I find it useful to strap a live chicken to my head.
This gives me something to think about, whilst I prepare the rest of the soup.
This makes me more likely to meditate
http://yourskillfulmeans.com/knowledgebase/forgiveness-meditation/
"How to meditate" (Approx 15 minutes... Alan Watts )
For those that struggle with monkey mind at the moment, it might help to just sit and think about the running thoughts for a moment before actually sitting. Like warming up the cushion so to speak?
Good way to put it @namarupa 'warming up the cushion'.
My practice consists of pretending to meditate. In other words, I sit BUT I do not interfere too much with anything else ... It is regular, every day.
This is good advice but I find the lotus posture too harsh/demanding and use half lotus at most
https://www.bcbsdharma.org/article/zazen-is-not-the-same-as-meditation/
I find posture nazis are unhelpful and therefore do not encourage such posturing ...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditative_postures
I used to meditate quite a lot. Now I just kind of dip into mindful breathing throughout the day. Trying to look for a happy medium.
I've been quite erratic on formal sitting practice recently, but doing OK with mindfulness off the cushion, throughout the day...er, what was I saying?...
At the moment I use guided meditations daily, but I can't settle on a good time of day for it. Can anyone recommend a favourite time of day for meditation? Are there any (dis)advantages to certain times? Is a routine even helpful for you?
Thanks for the thread, @Shoshin!
Edit: I wasn't sure if this question actually warranted its own tread. Has there been something on the topic in the past?
@adamcrossley
I find the 'best' time for me, is first thing in the morning before breakfast and then again in the evening before dinner....
Morning meditation readies the mind, ie, sets one up for the day's events, and evening meditation helps to remove any tensions that may have accumulated during the day, that may obstruct sleep...
Some find meditating last thing of a night before they go to bed helpful...
In the long run...whatever helps float one's raft
It's all about maintaining the 'right' frame of mind
Before not after eating.
If doing guided meditations, anytime you have time ...
The advantage of a set time is a routine becomes a practice. Regular is more efficient/useful than sporadic spurts.
My favoured time is very early morning 3AM-5AM, which is a mentally quiet time.
If doing formal walking meditation, prostrations, chanting, reciting or focus based sitting, early morning, first thing is ideal.
Initially we are playing at being practitioners ...
https://tricycle.org/magazine/10-misconceptions-about-buddhism/
Um (5) & (6) in the link you provide @lobster, are "I" feel, a bit iffy ...But then I'm somewhat secular in my approach to Buddhism...
When gods are mentioned in Buddhism I can't help but think along the lines of these so called gods being just wholesome qualities of mind that one already possesses, but at times find hard to bring to the fore...
I guess the worship part is to give one confidence in one's own ability to overcome the obstacles of Dukkha which often blocks the pathway...
In other words they are just convenient tools used (in a skillful way) to pry open the mind to all its wholesome qualities...
Again when it comes to gods in Buddhism, it's a 'matter' of whatever floats ones raft...
"Sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya" .....not even the raft
Here are the meditation tips I personally found helpful ...
http://cundi.weebly.com/meditation.html
Q: Is the lotus posture or half lotus essential?
A: No. These come from the yogic tradition and can provide a firm base or very often unnecessary knee strain or injury. Completely unnecessary unless one is used to such postures through culture, tradition or quasi magical superstitions about how the body works. The Burmese posture is quite sufficient if sitting on a cushion. Be comfortable. In time the reason for a more sealed half or full lotus may become apparent but in many situations is not required.
I do find the half lotus is a strain, but actually at the moment, it helps me to take my practice seriously. It's an illusion, for sure, but I feel more connected to the "tradition" of meditation.
As you said before, @lobster:
Nevertheless, I am going to try sitting in a chair at some point. Feeling my feet go numb is never totally pleasant.
The Dairy Lama recommends a comfy armchair.
Let it come. Let it go. Nice.
@adamcrossley . Like Shoshin I meditate in the morning b/f breakfast (which sets me up for the day, in a way) and the late afternoon before dinner. What's happened to me is that my body has become used to those times, in a strange way. So by late afternoon, my body is telling me it's time. I will have to change that evening time one or two days/ week soon b/c I'm going to have other obligations at my late day time....
It's the regularity which seems to help me. A kind of internal rhythm.
When I first meditated it went against the grain. It was regular, disciplined but forced. Every teacher, from yoga, to life, dharma, drama queening, study etc all pointed me to a Tao very comfortable but alert relaxation/full being/awareness.
'A kind internal rhythm ... ' I'll join ...
Techniques and tactics are different in temporary outcome ...
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-08-reveals-vajrayana-meditation-techniques-tibetan.html
Ultimately the destination, awakening is important.
You will notice how @adamcrossley is discipling himself. Discomfort is a wake up to dukkha, attention/awareness tactic. We can and it takes practice allow or relax away the pain.
Pain of itself does not mean we have it right.