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meditation 101
patbb
Veteran
there seem to be much confusion about how to meditate, what to do when you sit down, why sitting down, what does it mean to "let go" etc...
"should i pay attention to the thought and come back to the breath?"
"should i stop thinking?"
"should i pay attention to all of my environment and sensations?"
etc...
So i will attempt to explain exactly what to do with a metaphor that everyone should be fairly familiar with.
Imagine you are driving a car.
!!!This is a metaphor, I'm not suggesting you actually meditate while driving!!!
Imagine you are driving a car.
So you look at the road, your attention is on the road.
A leaf fly in and land the windshield, so you look at it, then you notice there is a scratch on the windshield next to the leaf, then you notice another leaf in the corner of the windshield, then you notice a farm by the road...
All of a sudden you realize that you haven't paid attention to the road in a while, so you go back looking at the road.
leafs = thoughts.
I use an image of the leafs to help you visualize the thoughts that pops in your head when you are meditating.
This should be enough instruction for beginners. That's it. That's all you've got to do.
For the beginner, at first you will be distracted by everything.
There will be hundreds of leafs falling in the windshield.
So you are driving the car, looking left at one leaf, looking right at another leaf, the seat belt is creating pain in your chest so you pay attention to that, the phone is ringing, people are talking in the car, there is an annoying sound in the engine... You spend only 1 second every once in a while looking at the road.
You pay attention to everything and it is frantic, like a ADD kid on speed, monkey mind is going insane!
Now imagine yourself truly driving like this, how exhausting it would be.
What you must do to change this and improve your focus is simply to go back to the road every times you catch yourself being distracted by a leaf, a sound, a sensation, a pain, whatever.
Everytime you catch yourself looking at a leaf "oh, i've been looking at this leaf for 5 minutes", just go back to the road.
At first, you will only be able to keep your attention on the road for 1 second before being distracted. That's okay, that's perfectly normal.
After practicing "catching yourself and refocusing on the road" for a while, you will be able to stay 2 seconds on the road.
Eventually, you will be able to stay focussed on the road for 1 minute.
Leafs still fall and land on the windshield, but your attention stay on the road. Perhaps you see them with your peripheral vision but you don't pay them any attention. Eventually they fly away without you notice it.
After you are able to stay focused on the road for long period of time, your mind will calm down quite a bit and there will be far less leafs falling on the windshield.
Then and only then should you try to analyze thoughts or teachings of the Buddha, but it will take much practice to get there.
But you don't need to get there to benefit from meditation.
The ability to focus and not be distracted by everything will have a great impact in your life.
again !!!This is a metaphor, I'm not suggesting you actually meditate while driving!!!
If you are doing "present moment awareness" meditation, then the present moment would be the road in the metaphor.
If you are doing breath meditation, then breath would be the road in the metaphor.
If you have any comments about this, if it is not clear or you disagree, please discuss!
Hope this post can help you on your path.
"should i pay attention to the thought and come back to the breath?"
"should i stop thinking?"
"should i pay attention to all of my environment and sensations?"
etc...
So i will attempt to explain exactly what to do with a metaphor that everyone should be fairly familiar with.
Imagine you are driving a car.
!!!This is a metaphor, I'm not suggesting you actually meditate while driving!!!
Imagine you are driving a car.
So you look at the road, your attention is on the road.
A leaf fly in and land the windshield, so you look at it, then you notice there is a scratch on the windshield next to the leaf, then you notice another leaf in the corner of the windshield, then you notice a farm by the road...
All of a sudden you realize that you haven't paid attention to the road in a while, so you go back looking at the road.
leafs = thoughts.
I use an image of the leafs to help you visualize the thoughts that pops in your head when you are meditating.
This should be enough instruction for beginners. That's it. That's all you've got to do.
For the beginner, at first you will be distracted by everything.
There will be hundreds of leafs falling in the windshield.
So you are driving the car, looking left at one leaf, looking right at another leaf, the seat belt is creating pain in your chest so you pay attention to that, the phone is ringing, people are talking in the car, there is an annoying sound in the engine... You spend only 1 second every once in a while looking at the road.
You pay attention to everything and it is frantic, like a ADD kid on speed, monkey mind is going insane!
Now imagine yourself truly driving like this, how exhausting it would be.
What you must do to change this and improve your focus is simply to go back to the road every times you catch yourself being distracted by a leaf, a sound, a sensation, a pain, whatever.
Everytime you catch yourself looking at a leaf "oh, i've been looking at this leaf for 5 minutes", just go back to the road.
At first, you will only be able to keep your attention on the road for 1 second before being distracted. That's okay, that's perfectly normal.
After practicing "catching yourself and refocusing on the road" for a while, you will be able to stay 2 seconds on the road.
Eventually, you will be able to stay focussed on the road for 1 minute.
Leafs still fall and land on the windshield, but your attention stay on the road. Perhaps you see them with your peripheral vision but you don't pay them any attention. Eventually they fly away without you notice it.
After you are able to stay focused on the road for long period of time, your mind will calm down quite a bit and there will be far less leafs falling on the windshield.
Then and only then should you try to analyze thoughts or teachings of the Buddha, but it will take much practice to get there.
But you don't need to get there to benefit from meditation.
The ability to focus and not be distracted by everything will have a great impact in your life.
again !!!This is a metaphor, I'm not suggesting you actually meditate while driving!!!
If you are doing "present moment awareness" meditation, then the present moment would be the road in the metaphor.
If you are doing breath meditation, then breath would be the road in the metaphor.
If you have any comments about this, if it is not clear or you disagree, please discuss!
Hope this post can help you on your path.
0
Comments
Ok, you lost me. I don't drive. Jabberwocky. :screwy:
but just replace the word car with bicycle if it make it easier for you.
Or just imagine you are driving a car, can you do this?
You never play a video game where you drive a car?
then
we all (including the third party) are safe
why should we put others lives in risk because of our meditation?
the best thing as a beginner,
listen to the sound with closed eyes when you are sitting
or
doing house chores, gardening etc.
NONONONONO!!
This was a metaphor. I do not mean to actually meditate when you are driving!!
ps: i added one line in the original text to make sure no one else make this mistake.
see in the metaphor, the sound that you are listening in your example would be the road.
If you are doing "present moment awareness" meditation, then the present moment would be the road in the metaphor.
If you are doing breath meditation, then breath would be the road in the metaphor.
etc...
I still place a lot of focus on those damned leaves on the windshield, but there ARE some nice times when I'm able to look at the road better. It doesn't last as long as I'd like, but it does happen, and this is what keeps me going.
i think this is why some people waste so much time arguing and debating the old Buddhist texts.
it can only get better light.
and when the wheel start rolling, you gain momentum and walls begin to crumble...
with practice, progress with meditation is inevitable.
I think it works well, the way you depict the dancing mind, but if it is 101 you might need to clarify how to drive on a road.
Bwahaha see, you did lose some people. XD
And no, I wasn't trying to be funny. I thought what you said was funny. ;P
I agree it's a very workable analogy.
sorry
I'd just add one more component to beginner meditation..misery.
You are on your first retreat. Everything is so Dharmic. You feel Dharmic, or maybe Dhammic. There are moments of peace....of...sheer beingness....aahhhh yes. Now its lunch and you are hungry because there is only one meal at midday and a couple of cookies with tea at 4, ....but thats ok, you are at peace. Then.. the guy in front of you takes the last piece of apple crumble. He knows there are still people in line behind him...he knows it! But he is only thinking of himself. You say to yourself "..anger" but it doesn't work, you send him Metta through gritted teeth, but you still just want to kill that greedy greedy guy. Then lunch is over and you go back to the meditation hall. So far you have been physically quite comfortable, but now suddenly your knee EXPLODES in searing pain. You dont want to be a wuss and crawl to a chair, so you stay put with your eyes watering. Then that greedy man sits down beside you and his stomach is gurgling and gurgling and gurgling. You can hear the wheezy apple crumble breath straining through his beard. You want to go home.
Now you are meditating:)
hahahahahahahaha its funny cos its true!
Have a great day
The way I meditate, calls for being aware of the thoughts (leaves) as they rise, acknowledge them without attaching a comment to them (like "there I go thinking again!" or "I just thought about -x-"), no labels, and then let them pass naturally.
Thank you for your reply. I agree with you on the not attaching any comment.
My open point is
Should I be aware or should I suppress them. Or maybe it is just a question which everyone has to answer for her/himself. Since I am beginning, I am looking for a way which makes it easier to come back to the breath/road.
Since I am trying both ways
- be aware and have sometimes the problem to get caught into it or
- suppressing it and have to keep it out of my mind
I will have to see what works better for me.
Have a great day
MyJourney
would you even try to suppress the leafs from falling in your windshield if you were driving?
Just every time you catch yourself being distracted by the leafs (thoughts) just go back to the road (breath or whatever else is the object of your meditation).
once your concentration improve, you will be able to keep your attention on the breath and not being distracted by the thoughts.
Thoughts will arise and thoughts will go without distracting you.
Like keeping your attention on the road when leafs falls in the windshield.
once you can keep your constant attention on your breath for a long period of time (maybe 5 minutes), without being distracted by the leafs or the physical pain or the sounds or whatever, then you can worry about other things like the Buddha's teaching, or observing the leafs etc...
Suppressing the thoughts, pain, sounds, sensations etc... mean to attempt to control them. This is the exact opposite of what you want to do during meditation.
To let go mean to let go of wanting and trying to control things.
Does this answer your question?
This is true, we can't stop the leaves (or, bugs or pieces of dirt... or raindrops today, funnily enough...) from getting on the windshield. I shall have to remember this.
Thank you for helping me on this.
Lets run an example.
I start my meditation on breath. Then there comes this thought about a task which needs to be done today. I realize that I am not focusing on the breath, so I go back and concentrate on the breathing. But there is still that "little voice" trying to come back and nagging about the task. I keep going and concentrate on the breath. The "little voice" will quiet down after a while and there might be the next "little voice" coming about something else etc.
What I meant by suppressing in my previous post was an hard interrupt of the distraction and going back to the breath meditation without acknowledging of the interruption.
Hope that makes it clearer.
Thank you and have a great day
MyJourney
Aj Chah
but like Richard Herman advised, make sure to re-focus your attention, not concentrate.
yes, even if you are paying attention to the road, the leaf will still be hanging out in the windshield for a little while. Eventually it will fly away without you even notice it.
this is the next leaf falling in the windshield.
maybe the next-next leaf will be thoughts about some discomfort in your body.
The one after may be about this thread right here.
The next one may be about some sound that you are hearing.
you seem to be doing great, good job!
but i do not think this was intended for beginners.
This will certainly be very useful to confuse people.
i believe it is a better idea to worry about building some muscles first.
keeping it as simple as possible
Have a great day
Myjourney
What do you guys think of this method ? I found it to be very effective, actually.