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Rhythms of meditation
Jeroen
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlands Veteran
in Meditation
Have you ever noticed that you meditate better with a pause of a few days between sessions? It’s like my meditation battery needs recharging after each lengthy session.
0
Comments
No.
I don't meditate better or worse. I just sit.
https://newbuddhist.com/discussion/21844/shikantaza-easier-said-than-done
... maybe I need a break ...
No I don't but glad it's helpful to you.......
If your meditation is good, that's good.
If your meditation is bad, that's good.
I figure the danger is that you eventually let days and days go by so many that you don't even notice until a point when you're like "oh it's been a month since I meditate".
But if you are still disciplined to where you are mindful of days when not meditating and are purposefully recharging that could be ok? Just don't want to lose track of the weeks.
Personally I don't know exactly what makes meditations feel more significant. Sometimes a change in my life or something I read maybe leads to a less feeling of insignificance to my meditation. I also am not sure what factors make me more or less prone to daydreaming in meditation other than if I am having interesting ideas (to me) I'm more prone to daydreaming in meditation.
The thought that came to my mind was that it might not be that it is better, you aren't going deeper. It may just be that it seems that way because you are at a shallower level from not having meditated and can quickly get back to a deeper level. So the relative ease of retreading familiar ground feels better in the moment than than the difficulty of a more incremental grind at your edge.
For example if I have a easy, meditative weekend at home and get fairly calm and relaxed then go back to work Monday when I sit down for my evening meditation I often drop into a relaxed state pretty quick. But that isn't because I'm calmer or more insightful, its because I'm more agitated but close enough to my weekend mind that I can dip into it more quickly and the meditation itself feels better.
exactly so @person 👍🏻
Calm is not the goal of meditation, it is a minor side effect (but in our stressful modern life a much sought result).
Bliss and euphoria is another.
The day dream drifting that @Jeffrey mentions is very common. I am often 'guilty' myself.
Some of us with butterfly/monkey mind need a bit of simple attention. Could be on breath or mantra.
The important thing is eventually 'progress' is independent of experiences ... [ay caramba]
https://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=33378
What can also be happening is a tendency to overestimate ones attainment in relation to:
https://newbuddhist.com/discussion/comment/478842#Comment_478842
Suppose, bhikkhus, that a magician or a magician’s apprentice would display a magical illusion at a crossroads. A man with good sight would inspect it, ponder it, and carefully investigate it, and it would appear to him to be void, hollow, insubstantial. For what substance could there be in a magical illusion? So too, bhikkhus, whatever kind of consciousness there is, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near: a bhikkhu inspects it, ponders it, and carefully investigates it, and it would appear to him to be void, hollow, insubstantial. For what substance could there be in consciousness?
Ye Olde Buddha
http://suttacentral.net/sn22.95/en/bodhi