Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register
Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

Quieting thoughts

clearviewclearview
edited July 2010 in Buddhism Basics
sometimes when I meditate I can reach a deep state fairly quickly. Other times my mind will refuse to rest, even if I meditate for 30+ minutes. Is meditation still beneficial even when your mind won't stay focused? What's the best thing to do when this happens? I usually try to observe my mind without judging or forcing anything out. I'll sit with the restlessness but at the end of a 30 minute session I sometimes feel as if I didn't really 'meditate'

Comments

  • chiangmaigregchiangmaigreg
    edited July 2010
    Been there done that.
    I guess we have to be careful that we do not cling to or crave the calm abiding mind state that I think you refer to as the deep state.
    There are times that this just deosn't seem to happen.
    As long as we are just mindful of what is happening when we meditate,then that is meditation.
    In vipassana meditation we are merely noting what is happening,seeing,hearing,smelling,tasting,touching and feeling.
    These things arise and cease,when thoughts arise during meditation or pain(sore back,sore knees etc)we merely observe there is pain,there is thinking.Sometimes it goes away,sometimes it deos not.
    This just lets us know that these things do not belong to us.If it is MY pain I should be able to tell it to go away.
    The pain will not last forever.
    (If I stand up and do walking meditation my knees will stop aching)
    Through meditation we truly will understand suffering,impermanence and not self.
    Good luck as you continue with your practice.
    With metta
  • GuyCGuyC Veteran
    edited July 2010
    Sometimes the mind is restless, sometimes it is peaceful. This is the conditioned nature of the mind. The mind is Anatta (not-self). If you want the mind not to be restless when it is, it tends to rebel and become MORE restless. Better to just make peace with the restlessness and it will settle down by itself. Just notice "okay, this is what restlessness is like, no problem". And when the mind is peaceful "this is what a peaceful mind is like". That way the mind will figure out (eventually) what is happiness and what is suffering and will gradually incline towards happiness over time.

    Patience is the key.
  • chiangmaigregchiangmaigreg
    edited July 2010
    I was once told that the mind is like a small child that is running around having fun and then gets told to sit down and keep quiet.The child sits down but is thinking"I may be sitting down on the outside but on the inside I am still playing.
    For years our minds have gone where ever they have wanted,whenever they have wanted and now we are trying to discipline them and ask them to be calm.
    My mind can really throw up some curve balls when I meditate.
    GuyC has some good advice-patience is the key. I just want to get my patience now.
  • kannadakannada
    edited July 2010
    clearview wrote: »
    sometimes when I meditate I can reach a deep state fairly quickly. Other times my mind will refuse to rest, even if I meditate for 30+ minutes. Is meditation still beneficial even when your mind won't stay focused? What's the best thing to do when this happens? I usually try to observe my mind without judging or forcing anything out. I'll sit with the restlessness but at the end of a 30 minute session I sometimes feel as if I didn't really 'meditate'
    Hi clearview,
    In addition to the good advice above there is what I call the forgotten half of mindfulness. That of noticing the space-between-thoughts, or those sometimes brief moments when all content subsides. It is amazing how many of those spaces arise even in the most seemingly busy mind.

    Most practitioners are keen to observe the content of mind passing through awareness - thoughts and feelings, but equally important is the absence of mental content. Awareness needs to be keen to notice that second or two when one thought has subsided and the next thought is yet to arise. As each gap or space is observed there is a gaining in strength or proficiency when the mind ceases to define itself - the unconditioned background from which all conditions arise.
Sign In or Register to comment.