How on earth do you keep a meditative and connected state 24x7?

[BaguaKicksAss]

I've managed this before (for a period of a few months), but seem to be having much more difficulty these days. I've always meditated and had ritual time each day, however I'm trying for 24x7 again. All seems to go well when I'm sitting or laying still..... it's not too difficult then, however once I start moving around and doing things, or especially talking with other people, it goes out the window . I've heard about methods such as wearing a bracelet or something on your finger to remind oneself; I tend to forget they are there, or forget to put it back on lol.

 

Any suggestions from folks who do manage this, or who have managed this for at least a few months would be awesome. It doesn't have to be 24x7 literally, but even just most of the day while I go about my life would be awesome.

[Aetherous]

"Straight away, remove yourself from the field of spiritual progression , stay away from contemplation and skillful discourse, do not do research or meditate on the divinities, and stop concentrating and reciting textbooks! Tell me, what is the absolute nature of reality which allows no room for doubt? Listen carefully! Stop holding on to this or that, inhabit your true absolute nature, and peacefully enjoy the essence of what it is to be alive!" - Abhinavagupta

Basically, no need to try, you're already living. What's the difference between sitting in meditation and doing anything else?

[Dr_D]

I've managed this before (for a period of a few months), but seem to be having much more difficulty these days. I've always meditated and had ritual time each day, however I'm trying for 24x7 again. All seems to go well when I'm sitting or laying still..... it's not too difficult then, however once I start moving around and doing things, or especially talking with other people, it goes out the window . I've heard about methods such as wearing a bracelet or something on your finger to remind oneself; I tend to forget they are there, or forget to put it back on lol.

 

Any suggestions from folks who do manage this, or who have managed this for at least a few months would be awesome. It doesn't have to be 24x7 literally, but even just most of the day while I go about my life would be awesome.

 

Short practice.

Build the energetic and spiritual muscle first.

[suninmyeyes]

Bagua ,

 

I have asked a spiritual teacher that once and he told me :

"Well , you have to fall in love with that "feeling" , it has to fill you in so that there is no room for anything else ."

 

It depends what we connect to with words , thoughts and deeds , what kind of relationship there is .

Also cultivating virtues of heart like patience , forgivness , loving the challenges and all boring sounding stuff really rocks and make life so much more beutiful and easy going .

 

By the way my life has changed a lot as years are passing by , but by all means I am not connected 24/7 . Just sharing some thoughts..

 

edit : there seems to be the point that one needs to pass through and this requires either a lot of skill with energetic practises or virtue ,or combination . It is detangeling of a belly ,once this is done everything becomes easier and energy levels are higher .

Edited September 28, 2013 by suninmyeyes

[joeblast]

Muscle memory The longer my breaths are, the easier and more inertia this has. So when I spent months and months just trying to execute a perfect breath and wound up establishing significant enough energetics and anapana muscle memory, the additional energy directly fuels the awareness, and at a point the awareness becomes more able to harness the unmanifest before it has a chance to become thought-stream-energy.

 

Turning the light around. Just establish a significant enough habit-energy, and dont break the chain! That's the most I've had towards an ongoing shining of awareness.

[Seeker of Wisdom]

Constantly probe into your experience, looking at the sense of 'I am experiencing this'. What is experiencing it? Is there an experiencer, or does experience just happen?

 

The thing is, any 'meditative state' is useful for a purpose but is still just a creation of the mind (though you still need to develop clarity and focus with shamatha!).

 

This vipashyana exercise will develop your meditative quality and your insight... regardless of how calm and focused you are. The very mental agitation that would be a disruption in shamatha, is in vipashyana just more grist for the mill. So it's easier to do while you're walking around living life.

 

Excuse the Buddhist terms. I'm sure there's no contradiction to the great wisdom of Taoism in what I've said.

[BaguaKicksAss]

No contradiction, just a need for me to go look them up! I'm good with that though, looking up terms used by folks who have been meditating for centuries...

 

 

 

Dalai Lama says vipassana means "analytic meditation"

 

 

 

 

Ah, so like contemplation on one thing.... Good point about it going better with moving about.

[PLB]

Twenty Four Seven is large. Incrementaly increasing the ratio wherever I can has been my working relation with the thing. My results widely vary.

 

I like what Suninmyeyes said about loving the feeling. I love the feeling.

[林愛偉]

:-) Know that you were never disconnected in the first place, only pre-occupied with everything else that you thought would keep you connected. These ebbs and flows are not true reality, only relative reality. Don't worry about them... :-)

[Harmonious Emptiness]

what would you consider a meditative state?

 

Calm? Compassionate? Attentive? Focus? Non-emotional? Chi focused? Any one of these? No less than all of them?

 

What sort of non-meditative state experiences are you referring to?

[BaguaKicksAss]

:-) Know that you were never disconnected in the first place, only pre-occupied with everything else that you thought would keep you connected. These ebbs and flows are not true reality, only relative reality. Don't worry about them... :-)

 

Very good point . I'll unwork on that...

 

what would you consider a meditative state?

 

Calm? Compassionate? Attentive? Focus? Non-emotional? Chi focused? Any one of these? No less than all of them?

 

What sort of non-meditative state experiences are you referring to?

 

Where I keep the whole connection with Deity present.

 

I actually never correlated the above list necessarily with a meditative state, but they do seem to come along with it sometimes, but also seem to come at other times too as a neat side affect of meditation .

 

The non-meditative experiences are my mind thinking about everything and anything, but not in a focuses contemplate on something in particular sort of way. Also just forgetting my connection and getting caught up with the distractions.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Where I keep the whole connection with Deity present.

 

I actually never correlated the above list necessarily with a meditative state, but they do seem to come along with it sometimes, but also seem to come at other times too as a neat side affect of meditation .

 

The non-meditative experiences are my mind thinking about everything and anything, but not in a focuses contemplate on something in particular sort of way. Also just forgetting my connection and getting caught up with the distractions.

 

Doing one single thing or focusing on one single thing would be a bit ironic for the task, in the way that each moment is manifestation of Deity. So to interact with the moment is also being connected to Deity. I might be able to say what I do for me, but it changes depending on what the moment presents me with. Sometimes techniques are useful, other times they just block the adaptation.. like "phrases" and "riffs" in a musical solo.. to play them no matter what presents itself would be worse than playing nothing at all. There are other elements, like key signatures, that underlie the changes. This is the trick too -- holding the One, the Root. From there you can harmonize without losing falling too far off key. Jazz players will even play out of key on purpose. This can work if they know what they're doing and go back into key afterwards.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV4Iwh6Kl1c

[RiverSnake]

Practice...... lots of practice. I am not there yet but I think in perhaps another couple of years I will be completely aware and meditative while sleeping. During the day I am usually most of the time just chillin in the void.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[h.uriahr]

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on me a Sinner

All day

[mYTHmAKER]

My recipe: be aware of your breath and toss in a little peripheral vision

[dawei]

I was thinking about this thread and my own on Instantaneous feeling of Qi; it was quite the juxtaposition of instant vs continuous.

 

Today, when driving, I suddenly decided to test my instantaneous as continuous... Pick an instantaneous idea and a practice and do it while driving...

 

I choose the MCO... while driving...

 

I decided to not think too much and just start it... find some rhythm... listen to the body and if it was telling me to just stop, then I would. [Word in point: Always know your body will tell you to stop.]

 

I found myself immediately choosing to do the easier Buddhism method; the normal abdominal breathing (NAB) MCO... I tried a single breath cycle but it was clear that was too fast in the circumstance, so I settled into a two-breath cycle... perfect... just as I had read in Dr. Wang's books...

 

And I began to focus on the Huiyin/perineum; I worked that movement in concert with breathing, as I had done before per Dr. Yang's books and which triggered a kundalini experience in the past...

 

I did this for 10 minutes... while driving.... NAB MCO... with perineum focused movement... and then it happened... The kundalini arose for 2 continuous minutes...

 

...

 

Tonight, I am watching a British movie series... four parts who-done-it... I decided to breath a minute or two and yes... easy to feel it all moving.

 

---

 

Where does the rubber meet the road... here, in this thread???

 

Do we want to try our attempt at 24/7 or just talk about it???

 

HERE IS MY CHALLENGE:

 

Who wants to try to do 24/7 energy arising awareness?

 

If the OP doesn't like this angle, let me know and I'll stop...

 

But I am game to participate and lay down the game rules as one needs this to ensure some safety....

[suninmyeyes]

 

...

 

 

 

Where does the rubber meet the road... here, in this thread???

 

Do we want to try our attempt at 24/7 or just talk about it???

 

HERE IS MY CHALLENGE:

 

Who wants to try to do 24/7 energy arising awareness?

 

If the OP doesn't like this angle, let me know and I'll stop...

 

But I am game to participate and lay down the game rules as one needs this to ensure some safety....

 

How do you invision this ?

I would possible be up for it , I love challenges of this kind .

[de_paradise]

There's this topic on the General forum asking about higher level energy practices. Attempting to maintain the meditative or connected state throughout the entire day is higher practice. How to do it depends on your personal trials and what works for you, what little thoughts or mental set-ups or activity allows you a prolonged experience of a connected state. I think breath watching, mindfulness, engaging ego-freeing emotions like gratefulness, compassion, etc, also turning in my mind some contemplations like how all behavior is conditioned and there is no seperate self.I have found that a long session of yoga in the morning helps balance and slow down the day.

 

Energetic states are kind of sticky, thankfully. What i mean is that you can get into a higher level energetic state and it will tend to maintain itself even though you are distracted here and there, so you dont have to "try" all the time or be completely mindful of maintaining the state.

[Infinity]

My pennys worth.

 

IMHO the place to be is here in this moment concious feeling.

 

When ever we think we are not here we are but just think we are not as we have become identified with our thoughts and minds.

 

To me it is a case of understanding that we are not our minds through unlearning being feeling / meditation / Qi Gong. This I think takes time and I believe Qi Gong and the like is great for this as you focus and feel the Qi without the mind. When we understand old ways will fall away.

 

When I walk I feel my feet on the ground or try to feel my DT. I sit straight as much as I can when on the computer etc... I clear my past with foregiveness so nothing is going round my mind.

 

NowHere ∞

Edited October 4, 2013 by NowHere ∞

[寒月 Hanyue]

I've managed this before (for a period of a few months), but seem to be having much more difficulty these days. I've always meditated and had ritual time each day, however I'm trying for 24x7 again. All seems to go well when I'm sitting or laying still..... it's not too difficult then, however once I start moving around and doing things, or especially talking with other people, it goes out the window . I've heard about methods such as wearing a bracelet or something on your finger to remind oneself; I tend to forget they are there, or forget to put it back on lol.

 

Any suggestions from folks who do manage this, or who have managed this for at least a few months would be awesome. It doesn't have to be 24x7 literally, but even just most of the day while I go about my life would be awesome.

 

If you are maintaining a 'meditative state' through physiological manipulation, then as soon as you stop that manipulation the state will stop.

 

If you enter into a state of aware absorption and presence, it doesn't matter what you are doing.

 

The two are not the same thing.

 

Many teach the former as a way to have you fall into the latter, but it is not garanteed. However changing the physiology (breath, heart rate, muscle tonus etc) can develop an easier platform for many, and can support sustaining the latter state.

 

This is the difference between xian-tian and hou-tian.

 

There is in many ways nothing to do. You need to stop doing, to stop sending your awareness outwards so that you forget yourself. Let the world come to you.

 

I'm working on this too.

 

Best,

[ChiDragon]

Make constant deep breathing (氣沈丹田) as your breathing habit but not during sleep to avoid too much energy being generated which might cause insomnia.

Edited October 4, 2013 by ChiDragon

[dawei]

If you are maintaining a 'meditative state' through physiological manipulation, then as soon as you stop that manipulation the state will stop.

 

I tried a few ideas over the last few days and came to the same conclusion; particularly if one has to manipulate their breath too far from normal.

 

An exception may be if one is seeking something more normal or change to a new normal state, like changing their breathing from their chest to the stomach.

 

When I did this, a long time ago, it took about 2-3 weeks to change it to then be 24/7 down to my stomach. This is simply establishing how we started (look at an infant whose stomach reminds one of a bellows).

 

One that I am thinking of trying now. I have talked with QIgong masters, including when in china, and have asked about their breathing techniques. In most cases, they relate they breath through their skin on every breath.

 

When I do this, I gain a sensitivity awareness but it does stop when I stop the focused breathing; Usually I pick a gate (or two). But now I am thinking to try to move my breath from just my nose to my skin. I will need to use some visualization and intention at first but want to see if any change can be felt/occurs.

 

Any experiences on this are appreciated.

[skydog]

others answered well....peace

Edited October 5, 2013 by skydog

[RiverSnake]

 

 

 

Let the world come to you.

 

 

An interesting and profound insight. Thanks for sharing this gem.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[silent thunder]

If you are maintaining a 'meditative state' through physiological manipulation, then as soon as you stop that manipulation the state will stop.

 

If you enter into a state of aware absorption and presence, it doesn't matter what you are doing.

 

The two are not the same thing.

 

Many teach the former as a way to have you fall into the latter, but it is not garanteed. However changing the physiology (breath, heart rate, muscle tonus etc) can develop an easier platform for many, and can support sustaining the latter state.

 

This is the difference between xian-tian and hou-tian.

 

There is in many ways nothing to do. You need to stop doing, to stop sending your awareness outwards so that you forget yourself. Let the world come to you.

 

I'm working on this too.

 

Best,

*deep bow*