with or without teachers?

[mewtwo]

So the way i see it there are two camps the i can do it with out teachers and the i need a teacher camps. Which one are you and why?

 

I am a without teacher aproah cause to me books and meditation are all one needs. also being in south dakota near wyoming meens little in the way of teachers.

 

Thanks

[deci belle]

[mewtwo]

very nicley put. I like it.

[settler]

You are on the right approach, have seconds opinions is the best, if you don't know where to start. I was a big practitioner of meditations for long time, now i discover Moving meditation of Qi training and i don't do anything else. Moved from a, not moving at all, to don't stop moving. Both ways work, with the drawback in meditations of not producing any results to your health. At lest they don't add that body maintenance. Which without your body will degenerate fast if you don't exercise.

 

We don't have time to practice all things, we have to choose. Now i choose practices which do more in last amount of time. Yoga do much more then a simple meditation, in the ration time/result.

 

In Yoga you have a all-in-one practice, a bodybuilding, exercise and a meditation.

 

Or a Mantra which is by far a superior form of meditation, does much more for less time and effort.

 

If you didn't already, read my topics "building concentration with a mantra" or a "full training program" they have additional information.

[Aaron]

I think it is important to try and figure out what you want to learn. For instance learning without a teacher can take much longer and you may not actually learn the proper technique, even though you think it is. Another thing to consider is that if you are learning from an instructor you are going to have a very static understanding, rather than one that is born solely of personal experience.

 

With energy practices I would never suggest that one study the advanced techniques without guidance, but for simple things, such as meditation, self reflection, and awareness, in an attempt to increase your own spirituality, then it is fine to just learn on your own, but even then it's nice to have a sounding board now and again, to make sure that what you're becoming aware of actually makes some sense.

 

My own approach was very much devoid of teachers and resulted in many painful mistakes. I have said that no one needs a teacher to reach enlightenment and I believe that, but when one is delving into other topics, ones that can pose a risk to one's sanity and physical well being, such as qigong, kundalini, and trance/self-hypnosis I think it is very foolish to proceed without instruction and even then the instruction should be one and one and not from audio books or self-appointed gurus who spend five minutes with you then send you off on another exercise.

 

That's my two cents at least.

 

Aaron

[Sloppy Zhang]

The bottom line is that it comes down to you, what you do, how you do it, and how well you do it.

 

A great student without a teacher who is able to dedicate themselves to the path will make much more progress than a mediocre student with a great teacher, as the mediocre student won't pick up even a quarter of the nuggets of knowledge that a great teacher would drop.

 

Someone doing it with a teacher is going to have to put in the same amount of time "on the mat" (as it were) as someone without a teacher. They're going to have to go through the same hurdles. A teacher won't make you succeed at that, and a book won't make you fail at that.

 

In the end, everyone has to do the same work themselves.

[Phosphor]

The advice given by everyone was great. To add on, remember that a true master- though hard to come by- gives more than knowledge. As you said, a teacher is just as a good as a book or studying on your own to an extent if they cannot given experiences. There is of course the benefit of learning from someone who can show you the way though and keep you from making the mistake they did. But a master can actually give you experiences. He or she can pour energy into your body, causing the opening of certain energy channels, and he can share with you what was called the Opening of the Eye and the Opening of the Mouth in the old Egyptian mystery school. This refers respectively to the sharing of the Divine consciousness, and Divine energy of the hierophant or master. Hierophant means "to manifest the holy", meaning to give experience. So even a teacher is useful, but a master is necessary to eventually evolve.

Edited December 5, 2011 by Phosphor

[doc benway]

So the way i see it there are two camps the i can do it with out teachers and the i need a teacher camps. Which one are you and why?

 

Do what?

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

[konchog uma]

You are on the right approach, have seconds opinions is the best, if you don't know where to start. I was a big practitioner of meditations for long time, now i discover Moving meditation of Qi training and i don't do anything else. Moved from a, not moving at all, to don't stop moving. Both ways work, with the drawback in meditations of not producing any results to your health. At lest they don't add that body maintenance. Which without your body will degenerate fast if you don't exercise.

 

We don't have time to practice all things, we have to choose. Now i choose practices which do more in last amount of time. Yoga do much more then a simple meditation, in the ration time/result.

 

In Yoga you have a all-in-one practice, a bodybuilding, exercise and a meditation.

 

Or a Mantra which is by far a superior form of meditation, does much more for less time and effort.

 

If you didn't already, read my topics "building concentration with a mantra" or a "full training program" they have additional information.

 

1. first of all, meditation can affect the health in positive ways.

1a. it depends on what kind of meditation you are doing. Bone breathing increases marrow and red/white blood cell production for example. Big health boost.

 

2. mantra is superior to what? and for what? those are subjective statements. If you want to realize a thoughtless state, i don't recommend mantra.

 

making blanket statements about how superior or inferior things are is a good way to get yourself stuck in a logic pothole. Things aren't that easy. I could say to you "combining stillness meditation with movement meditation is the superior way to go" but i wouldn't cause i don't think that way. Each person needs what they need, and they are usually drawn to it, so there is no "superior technique" just because it works that way for you.

 

just a reminder

[konchog uma]

in response to the OP, i favor combining the two. I wouldn't want to be without a teacher (or teachers) but i wouldn't want to depend on them for all my knowledge either. I like books, and have practiced successfully from books, but i always check with my teacher to make sure what i am feeling and practicing is something they recommend or agree with.

[Jetsun]

 

Or a Mantra which is by far a superior form of meditation, does much more for less time and effort.

 

Mantra is doing, while real meditation is non-doing

[Mokona]

IMO-

 

A teacher isn't required but a good one will cause you to progress faster. *From experience!*

 

Ex: Being shown something was possible before ever thinking it would be worth trying to progress in that way. Getting immediate results do to energy workings of said teacher. Having old issues cleaned out energeticly, instant heal of parts of psyche.... Ect.

 

Karma! I love mine.