Did i discover easy way to meditate ?

[bigbook]

hi guys i was recently trying to meditate but as a total beginner i cannot hold my concentration. After 1 minute my mind is flooded with racing thoughts and its very hard to stop them or return to empty mind state with just concentrating on one thing like a breath, mantra, etc...

 

but i noticed a very strange thing happening...

 

i can quite effortleslly "LOCK" an "EYE-GAZE" on certain objects in the room and stay "LOCKED" for almost 10 minutes with minimum chatter inside my head... its very similar to a common "EMPTY GAZE" that happens to everybody from time to time when they sit on a couch after very exhausting day... that common kind of mind "FREEZE" that you usually try to snap-out off immediatelly when you realize it... or somebody tells you "Wake up, bro..." when they catch you "GAZING BLINDLLY INTO ONE SPOT"...

 

these brief "EMPTY GAZE" "LOCK-UPS" happen spontaneouslly to everyone usually when they are tired or exhausted...

 

the catch is not to fight these "FREEZE-UP" but actually stay in that "EMPTY-GAZE" for as long as possible...

 

its suprisingly effortless...

 

once you realize you are "GAZING BLINDLLY" or "GAZING EMPTY" the natural response is to shake it off and "Wake up, immediatelly" but if instead you FOCUS MORE on the spot or object you were gazing at, you'll find that its quite easy and effortless to stay in this "EMPTY GAZE" state for extended periods... in fact the brain sort of likes this state of EMPTINESS... its kinda relaxing and soothing for the brain to just "GAZE" on one static object or spot...

 

is this meditating or is it just a stupid gazing which doesnt benefit the brain ??

could any experienced meditator confirm if this concept of "EMPTY GAZE" is at least comparable to meditation ??

 

the feeling of this "LOCKED" "EMPTY" "GAZE" is quite naturally soothing and relaxing, nothing comparable to the difficulties i have when trying to stop my racing thoughts and concentrate on my breath, mantra, etc...

 

one more interesting thing is that i can quite quickly induce this "EMPTY GAZE" "MIND FREEZE" state almost anywhere just by "LOCKING" my GAZE on certain visually specific spots, patterns or objects... almost like brain is suspectible to recognise specific shape and color combination that immediatelly induce "trance-like" MIND LOCK...

 

- the objects or spots must be 100% static - no movement or change of state

- my brain prefers dark (black) static objects or spots on bright (white) background

- a high contrast between the object and surrounding / background

 

good examples:

 

(a black speaker box on bright wall and floor surroundings)

(a black book surrounded by bright books in a white bookshelf)

(a dark spot in a brightlly lit tree/bush outside my appartment window)

 

until this discovery i had a hard time silencing my racing thoughts and concentrating my mind on one thing like: breath, sound, mantra

 

now i suspect that my problem is that i find it hard to concentrate on things that keep evolving or generally change state in time (or repeat over and over) - like breath, sound, mantra repeating - but i can easily concentrate this "GAZE" on completelly static things, like unlive objects...

 

so to rephrase my earlier question... does "EMPTY GAZE" seem to be a backdoor to concentrated "EMPTY" mind or is it just a "trance" state that is interesting from biological or evolutionary view of human brain, but has zero healing or rejuvenating qualities for the human brain and is completelly different state than the meditative state...

[bigbook]

To say it simply:

 

While iam in this "EMPTY" "BLIND" "GAZE" do i meditate or did i just switched my brain to ECO-mode (a relaxed low-power mode) ?!

[Jetsun]

Gazing is a technique used by Shaman for maybe thousands of years to expand perception, if it comes naturally to you maybe that is a path you should look at.

[doc benway]

This type of gazing is also incorporated in Daoist techniques. One common variant is to softly focus the eyes on the nose.

It takes a while to get accustomed to disconnecting the visual input from the awareness but when that happens, meditating with the eyes open can be "easier" than with the eyes closed. WIth the eyes closed, the absence of visual stimulation causes the awareness to focus more on the internal dialogue and imagery. Good discovery bigbook. You may not have been the first but if you found it for yourself it's still a discovery and perhaps more valuable than when we are given it by someone else.

[Informer]

The point is to become more aware of the centers within your body. So you can actually feel them within, without the distractions that the mind will cause.

 

I would suggest to focus at the base of the spine, the root chakra, and see if you feel anything, while maintaining the "EMPTY" "BLIND" "GAZE".

 

Eyes open doesn't prevent meditation.

[ChiDragon]

Bigbook...

Did you have your eyes open or close when you meditate...???

 

 

@Informer...

"Eyes open doesn't prevent meditation."

hm....Is this apply to beginners too....???

Edited August 24, 2011 by ChiDragon

[RiverSnake]

This technique of forced concentration is nothing new. In Tibetan traditions it is called Forceful Zhine and it is considered a precursor or preparatory stage for actual meditation.

 

-You can focus on objects, some other similar practices are candle gazing.

 

http://www.plotinus.com/zhine_tibetan_dream_yoga_copy.htm

[ChiDragon]

Bigbook...

For a novice, one must learn the basic from the beginning level. No one can jump the gun. An infant has to learn to walk before he can run.

 

You have too many distractions, try to meditate with your eyes close first. Learn to concentrate before thinking about something some else. If you try to find an easy way to meditate, then you are starting with the wrong foot. There is no easy way to anything.

[Informer]

Bigbook...

Did you have your eyes open or close when you meditate...???

 

 

@Informer...

"Eyes open doesn't prevent meditation."

hm....Is this apply to beginners too....???

 

Seems like it could?

 

I know what you mean though, it seems like it would be much harder to shift awareness from the eyes.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

just remember that there should also be sense of clarity or lightness to the mind, so avoid falling into "stupor" if that's what it feels like. Becoming totally focused on something external might help you relax everything, but the focus would be better locked on a feeling in the dan tien or abdominals.

 

My worry would only be if you felt you were dulling your mind rather than clarifying and strengthening it, but if it's working for you then I'd say go with it at least as a stepping stone to see where it goes, and to develop attention, then put that attention on the dan tien or abdominal area.

[Informer]

What if you do "EMPTY" "BLIND" "GAZE", then "FREEZE" and close your eyes?

[bigbook]

ChiDragon

 

Bigbook...

Did you have your eyes open or close when you meditate...???

 

the point is to have eyes opened because you are literally "GAZING" on the real object in front of you... eg. the black speaker box in front of the white wall i have in my living room...

 

 

OldGreen

 

-You can focus on objects, some other similar practices are candle gazing.

 

yes i read about this one but i must try it first because i worry that it wont work for me because the candle light is moving and vibrating a little which breaks my concentration... the solid un-live objects like a black speaker box are much easier for me to focus on and phase into the "EMPTY GAZE" trance-like state and more importantlly because they dont move or change they dont distract the stillness... so for me its easier to maintain a focus on un-live static object than on changing or evolving thing like candle fire, breath, mantra, etc.

 

Informer

The point is to become more aware of the centers within your body. So you can actually feel them within, without the distractions that the mind will cause.

 

i tried that... i closed my eyes this time to shut off any visual input to brain to minimize distractions... i imagined a simple picture... i draw soothing and rejuvenating "earth" energy from my soles up to my "third eye" chakra where it glows in a big sphere of pure white light (30-60 cm diameter, no color, minimal movement only a slowly breathing sphere of white light) i imagine the epicenter of the white light sphere are the endocrine glands in the middle of brain (pineal, pituitary & amygdala). Than i do this for every chakra from top down. I specifically imagine the big sphere of light to have its epicenter/origin around the bodily organs inside my torso - like here http://feathertouchtherapywi1.health.officelive.com/images/chakrasystem.jpg

 

my soles work like two "earth connectors" of a battery - i "imagine" drawing energy from earth into my body through the soles...

 

its very relaxing, unfortunatelly i almost always fall asleep in few minutes - its so relaxing actually so its not suitable for longer sessions for me because CLOSED EYES = SLEEP for me...

 

 

if anybody has experience with the GAZE or practices something similar to the "big white sphere around endocrine glands" type imagination please write here...

 

see ya

Edited August 24, 2011 by bigbook

[bigbook]

Harmonious Emptiness

 

just remember that there should also be sense of clarity or lightness to the mind, so avoid falling into "stupor" if that's what it feels like.

... My worry would only be if you felt you were dulling your mind rather than clarifying and strengthening it...

 

This is the CRUCIAL QUESTION - is this "BLIND GAZE" a "stupor" of exhausted brain or is it a begining of genuine "meditative mindset"

 

It feels closer to the "stupor" but i can sense a relaxing and soothing feeling in my mind - the racing thoughts definitelly calm down to a minimum and you start to feel a bit "light-headed"...

 

On the other hand your brain kind of shut-off things around you - the GAZE is like a tunnel vision - you only see the object in front of you... and other senses and your surroundings are turned down...

 

Its like i read in one book - "You fill your mind with that object"

 

An interesting thing (good or bad) is that the calm feeling of the "BLIND GAZE" is quite addictive to the brain... i can feel the brain likes it and would happily fall into this "trance-like" stillness more and more...

 

so what do you thing am I onto something or am I actually dulling my mental powers and switching my brain into "IDLE MODE" ?

[Informer]

 

 

i tried that... i closed my eyes this time to shut off any visual input to brain to minimize distractions... i imagined a simple picture... i draw soothing and rejuvenating "earth" energy from my soles up to my "third eye" chakra where it glows in a big sphere of pure white light (30-60 cm diameter, no color, minimal movement only a slowly breathing sphere of white light) i imagine the epicenter of the white light sphere are the endocrine glands in the middle of brain (pineal, pituitary & amygdala). Than i do this for every chakra from top down. I specifically imagine the big sphere of light to have its epicenter/origin around the bodily organs inside my torso - like here

 

my soles work like two "earth connectors" of a battery - i "imagine" drawing energy from earth into my body through the soles...

 

its very relaxing, unfortunatelly i almost always fall asleep in few minutes - its so relaxing actually so its not suitable for longer sessions for me because CLOSED EYES = SLEEP for me...

 

 

if anybody has experience with the GAZE or practices something similar to the "big white sphere around endocrine glands" type imagination please write here...

 

see ya

 

So what happens when you view the crown?

 

Do you notice any difference between eyes open and closed?

 

Do you see anything beyond the body that isn't physical with eyes open or closed?

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Harmonious Emptiness

 

just remember that there should also be sense of clarity or lightness to the mind, so avoid falling into "stupor" if that's what it feels like.

... My worry would only be if you felt you were dulling your mind rather than clarifying and strengthening it...

 

This is the CRUCIAL QUESTION - is this "BLIND GAZE" a "stupor" of exhausted brain or is it a begining of genuine "meditative mindset"

 

It feels closer to the "stupor" but i can sense a relaxing and soothing feeling in my mind - the racing thoughts definitelly calm down to a minimum and you start to feel a bit "light-headed"...

 

On the other hand your brain kind of shut-off things around you - the GAZE is like a tunnel vision - you only see the object in front of you... and other senses and your surroundings are turned down...

 

Its like i read in one book - "You fill your mind with that object"

 

An interesting thing (good or bad) is that the calm feeling of the "BLIND GAZE" is quite addictive to the brain... i can feel the brain likes it and would happily fall into this "trance-like" stillness more and more...

 

so what do you thing am I onto something or am I actually dulling my mental powers and switching my brain into "IDLE MODE" ?

It's a useful tool but don't be distracted by the finger pointing to the moon

 

focusing on a single point in the floor is something prescribed in some zen dojos, whereas sitting meditation in Taoism would be more with the eyes closed, though sometimes also open so that they don't get 'lost in fantasies'

 

SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA:

"During meditation when you feel as if there is no body, when your eyelids become closed and do not open in spite of your exertion, when electric-like currents flow up and down the nerves, know that Kundalini has awakened."

Edited August 24, 2011 by Harmonious Emptiness