headiness

Check out these links. Negative effects Can Meditation Be Bad for You?

Initially, I borrowed this book from the library and found it good. Good enough for me to buy 2 copies(1 for a friend and 1 for myself). I figure it'd be good for buddhists and those interested in buddhist thought. Hope you folks would enjoy it. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Stepping-Out-Self-Deception-Liberating-Teaching/dp/1590307291 Google Books link for preview: http://books.google.com.sg/books/about/Stepping_Out_of_Self_Deception.html?id=cDv9_uD-jt8C&redir_esc=y

To continue looking for something may just add on to the complexity. Come to simplicity by dealing with the noise we have in our heads, or practical issues in our lives. Or come to peace by negation of the false or untruths.

huan yin guang lin

Seems like you're getting frustrated here Instead of copping out and accusing me of playing word games, why don't you address point by point from your earlier post? So all along, you still glorify meditation and there's no mention of how medicine plays a part in managing and in most cases of common illnesses, curing illnesses. As with my example on diabetics and 'anti-biotics', I've already shown why there's no need for meditation at all. Good luck with sitting down and meditate too and disregard seeking medical treatment and pills whenever you fall sick.

From the way you put it, it's like as if you brush medical science('pills' categorized under medical science) aside and glorify meditation now. Wow, so if someone has Type 2 diabetes, all he/she needs to probably do is disregard taking pills meant to lower the diabetic's blood sugar level and the diabetic just needs to sit and meditate because it 'can change the mind and body.' A big 'No' to you. Diabetics have got to eat healthily, exercise regularly and take their meds. Otherwise, complications may occur. If their blood sugar levels aren't well controlled and if they happen to cut their skin somewhere on their feet, it can lead to gangrene and finally may have to face the prospect of amputation. On the other hand, if they watch what they eat and exercise regularly, take their medications, there are much less risks of problems arising. Diabetes is not curable, you can only control it. Diabetics can live with their condition well into their lives long enough, if they maintain a healthy weight range and engage in regular exercise. Diabetes can be controlled without meditation at all. I haven't seen any evidence of meditation curing diabetes. Meditation should not be taken as a substitute for proper medical care. For common illnesses, taking medicines is all you need and problem is solved. Example? Anti-biotics. Or...would you prefer to meditate and not take the pill?

I can say for sure also that pills have been successfully used in the management of some psychoses too. Has meditation cured someone of psychosis?

You're accusing me of having an agenda. Don't get all defensive just because I've shown you guys a few weblinks to prove my point. Still, that doesn't mean no 1 gets hurt. So if 10 people get by fine, and 1 ends up at the mental hospital, that's fine, going by your logic.

I felt it's naive for people to only hear that meditation can only bring benefits, without knowing that it can be hazardous too if done incorrectly or one is not in proper psychological state or whoever has issues, etc. Even with instruction from a teacher, there's no guarantee that nothing bad would happen. We can see this is true in post #15. By all means, meditate, but not without knowing its dangers and well, use some sense and restraint if and when it gets too much.

Insightful, thanks for this.

So you admit that meditation is hazardous and not for everyone, not for people who're fragile and unstable. Mr Siladasa and Goenka too would attest to this.

welcome.

I meant the conventional you, the 'steve', that functions in daily life. How sure is the conventional you, would know meditation will dispel the "you"? How sure are you that the sense of "you" won't be reinforced by meditation? Meditation can go both ways either positive or negative, as mentioned earlier by someone, it's how we employ it. Yes it's a repetition of my previous question/post to you, because it seems you haven't answered the question and sounded pedantic.

I don't think there is falsehood in my post you're referring to. You were too dismissive, I've actually tried meditating for years but I've stopped. I found that I believed in the story of my ego too much so much so I thought it was bad, instead of seeing the falsity of the ego, I reified the sense of self aka ego. Meditation opens up bare the ego for what it is, and it's terrifying to the ego to 'see' it is false, it struggles and runs and hides from the spotlight of meditative awareness. How sure is anyone(in the conventional sense) or anyone here who meditates regularly, be able to say they have not been influenced by the hold of their egos under meditation?

But how sure are you, that you know meditation will dispel the "you"? How sure are you that the sense of "you" won't be reinforced by meditation? Meditation can go both ways either positive or negative, as mentioned earlier by someone, it's how we employ it.

Teachers are only there to give guidance, but meditation itself is an activity to be done solely by ourselves. As someone said earlier, if you listen to your ego, that can be destructive. In my opinion, when one meditates, one is actively messing around with one's own ego. That's something indeed very dangerous. What if you believe in the story of the ego instead of having the correct approach to meditation? In Buddhism, the correct approach would be having the Right View. Having a teacher doesn't do much to one's meditation, the effort still boils down to the student. I can have a teacher who tells me this and that, and if I don't follow or am unable to and the ego overwhelms me, in time to come, I'd just say I'd be better off without having started meditation at all. In those extreme cases like those cited in the links in the original post, people have gone mad. We can be more delusional than before we started meditation.

hello