Different Meditations

[WhiteTiger]

So I'm a complete beginner to Meditation. I was wondering and hoping one whom has studied in depth (with practiced, or practiced and read in depth) Might be able to explain the many different types of meditation and which seperates each from another.

 

Another question is alchemical proccesses actually considered meditation, or more of a nei gong or chain of Nei Gong?

 

 

My understanding from by very limited studies and extremely limited experience. I know of a few different types of Meditation. (Please if i get this incorrect i would like and appreciate any corrections and will edit according)

 

1. Light meditation. (I'm a complete beginner in) Has to to all about picturing light. There are many different practices of them. But they all center on seeing different color(s) of light, specifically to strengthen the practitioner.

 

2. Emptiness. This implies to empty your cup no matter how little, or how much the cup is filled with substance is. The cup specifically talking about yourself as the vessel or cup and you empty it. I don't know how much more in depth i can get about emptiness meditation. lol.

 

3. Stillness meditation, To learn to quite your mind, and listen to all subtle things happen to you or even affecting you.

[Smile]

So I'm a complete beginner to Meditation. I was wondering and hoping one whom has studied in depth (with practiced, or practiced and read in depth) Might be able to explain the many different types of meditation and which seperates each from another.

This ebook "Measuring Meditation" is an excellent source of information.

[WhiteTiger]

Thank you Smile for your contributions. Yet i was hoping to open a discussion on the matter to share some of the knowledge i have and hopefully to learn from others. I might end up buying it, but it is a little pricey 97$

[Mal]

Something a little cheaper

 

Meditation: The First and Last Freedom by Osho

 

great overview of many many many meditation methods

 

Some (many?) people don't like Osho but his words have always resonated within me, I love all his books.

[Wun Yuen Gong]

Mal,

 

I have some of Osho books, i also had all his video footage once of his talks his western disciples or students where like a cult. He arrives by a Merc and the crowd starts singing and praising and he walks in like he is off his guts. But i agree he has some very good information!

 

WYG

[doc benway]

Something a little cheaper

 

Meditation: The First and Last Freedom by Osho

 

great overview of many many many meditation methods

 

Some (many?) people don't like Osho but his words have always resonated within me, I love all his books.

He was very insightful and corrupt. He was the first person that helped me to understand Daoism through his commentary on Zhuang zi and Lie zi. When the Shoe Fits remains one of my favorite books.

[mYTHmAKER]

He was very insightful and corrupt. He was the first person that helped me to understand Daoism through his commentary on Zhuang zi and Lie zi. When the Shoe Fits remains one of my favorite books.

 

Great book. He was a great writer/ talker as I think his books were transcribed

Did he walk the talk ? Don't know

[Cameron]

Thank you Smile for your contributions. Yet i was hoping to open a discussion on the matter to share some of the knowledge i have and hopefully to learn from others. I might end up buying it, but it is a little pricey 97$

 

 

You don't have to get the $97 one. Bill has a free e book on meditation on there also.

 

Also, would reccomend True Meditation by Adyashanti.

[mYTHmAKER]

Yet i was hoping to open a discussion on the matter to share some of the knowledge i have and hopefully to learn from others.

 

Some other types of meditation

 

Mantra repetition. You repeat a charged word while you sit and when it fades away you let it go.

 

Sitting and watching - observing your thoughts. You don't build on the thoughts. The thought will disapate if you just watch. If for instance the thought comes up " I have to go shopping" let it go. Don't start thinking of how or when you will go what you are going to buy. It will never end.

Just observing, your mind will slow down - there will be more space between thoughts and eventually none.

 

Following your breath

Edited February 18, 2008 by mYTHmAKER

[doc benway]

So I'm a complete beginner to Meditation. I was wondering and hoping one whom has studied in depth (with practiced, or practiced and read in depth) Might be able to explain the many different types of meditation and which seperates each from another.

 

Another question is alchemical proccesses actually considered meditation, or more of a nei gong or chain of Nei Gong?

My understanding from by very limited studies and extremely limited experience. I know of a few different types of Meditation. (Please if i get this incorrect i would like and appreciate any corrections and will edit according)

 

1. Light meditation. (I'm a complete beginner in) Has to to all about picturing light. There are many different practices of them. But they all center on seeing different color(s) of light, specifically to strengthen the practitioner.

 

2. Emptiness. This implies to empty your cup no matter how little, or how much the cup is filled with substance is. The cup specifically talking about yourself as the vessel or cup and you empty it. I don't know how much more in depth i can get about emptiness meditation. lol.

 

3. Stillness meditation, To learn to quite your mind, and listen to all subtle things happen to you or even affecting you.

There are as many types of meditation as there are humans.

Meditation means many different things and is really a completely personal experience.

Often it is viewed as an exercise of sorts. Others view it as a particular quality achieved by the mind.

Some view it as "not doing" and others as neither doing nor not doing.

 

Books:

The first book that turned me on to meditation was Breath Sweeps Mind edited by Jean Smith. It's a compilation of brief discussions related to meditation by a variety of authors - most of a Buddhist slant. I loved the book and have been hooked ever since reading it. I was into mindfullness for a long time - Thich Nhat Hanh has some very good writings on this. More recently I was overtaken by the Advaita Vedanta technique of trying to figure out who "I" am... You ask yourself - Who am I? Then, Who is asking the question "Who Am I?", and so on... Each time a thought occurs, you investigate who it is that the thought occurs to. Try and find the source of the "I" thought. That's a good one. Sri Ramana Maharshi's books and Nisargadatta Maharaj's "I Am That" are good resources. Suzuki is a good resource for information on Zen.

 

One particularly good book on meditation is This Light in Oneself: True Meditation by J. Krishnamurti. It's different than most books on meditation in that he was not a believer in methods or practices of any sort. He takes you through an exploration of how to define a quality of mind that is different, new, that goes beyond everyday thought process and knowlege. He uses the socratic method to help you begin to achieve such a quality of mind. His view point grew out of Advaita Vedanta (non-duality) but took on it's own unique approach that really resonates deeply with me. Nothing has helped me along my own path as much as his writings. The irony is that he believed in no teachers, gurus, methods, or practices...

 

Presently, I practice Daoist sitting of the Kunlun Xian Zong tradition - 崑崙仙蹤.

The foundation is a practice in which the yi (intention or conscious attention or concentration => my teacher likes to use the phrase: mind of intent) is directed internally and is taken through a variety of "exercises" which serve to "strengthen" the yi and develop a variety of benefits as a consequence.

 

In the beginning one learns how to feel the inside of the body in a new way. It is a sensory perception of sorts but is not sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell. My teacher describes it as being a sense that can be developed through training a part or function of the brain that is not generally active or recruited otherwise. As the student's yi is strengthened and refined it is used for increasingly complex "exercises".

 

One of the reasons I practice this particular method is that it (Daoist sitting methods in general) is particularly well suited to those interested in taijiquan and other internal martial arts. My teacher likes to say that one can only go so far in the internal arts without practicing Daoist meditation. Without it, the core of the art that makes it unique, the development of the relationship between the yi and the physical movement, is absent. I might go so far as to say that the Chinese internal martial arts are a physical expression of Daoist philosophy and cultivation practices, though some would disagree.

 

There are simple, valuable, and relatively harmless methods of practice that one can eaily learn from a book or the web, such as this forum. Mindfullness practice is particularly good for the beginner who might not have access to formal instruction as it is very safe and very effective (but also very challenging to maintain over time). There are other methods that are potentially dangerous and should only be practiced with supervision. Kundalini is a good example of this type of practice and, in my opinion, so are Daoist methods such as the microcosmic orbit and it's variations and more advanced practices. Some very intense emotional, psychological, and occasionally physical side effects are frequent as the student advances and the conscious mind begins to quiet, and can be frightening and occasionally dangerous without experienced guidance.

 

One very simple practice that I really like is about awareness. Sit in a quiet room or area where you will not be disturbed or interrupted by any sudden noises or activity. Avoid this during a storm. Sit comfortably in comfortable clothes or unclothed. Little by little, open up your senses to the world around you. Start with seeing what is in your line of vision. See everything but focus on nothing in particular. Or close your eyes if you prefer. Next add the sense of hearing, hear everything from your own heartbeat to the music coming from the apartment next door, to the siren a mile away, and so on. Hear everything but attend to nothing. Next explore how your mouth tastes, then how the air smells, then your tactile senations. How does the chair feel against your bottom, the floor under your feet, your tongue in the mouth, and so on. Completely surrender yourself to sensory perception - everything. Be totally with it. Be totally yin - take everything in. If thoughts crop up, don't worry about it, just bring your attention back to the amazing variety of sensory experiences that surround you. Do this for as long as you choose. I find it particularly useful when I'm not feeling well or I'm stressed or upset. It instantly brings me back in touch with myself and grounds me.

 

It's exciting to begin exploring the subject of meditation. More than likely, it'll change your outlook forever...

[doc benway]

Great book. He was a great writer/ talker as I think his books were transcribed

Did he walk the talk ? Don't know

Sort of like a spiritual Woody Allen...

[Gerard]

Free e-books. No cost and very valuable:

 

http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks_m.htm

 

And Vipassana technique:

 

http://www.buddhanet.net/insight.htm

 

Heaps of resources in there.

 

 

But before you start with them take a look at Kayanupassana - Contemplation of the body. Here'a link you can download:

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?5idnzhigugk

[WhiteTiger]

Wow THANKS EVERYONE!

 

All this good information that will take me a while to get through. i appreciate all the book recommendations, although so many of them now hard to know where to get started or to read them all (which if there more then 300 pages it will be long and grueling. I don't think I'll end up reading them all honestly . but still appreciate the thoughts )

 

 

Sitting and watching - observing your thoughts. You don't build on the thoughts. The thought will disapate if you just watch. If for instance the thought comes up " I have to go shopping" let it go. Don't start thinking of how or when you will go what you are going to buy. It will never end.

Just observing, your mind will slow down - there will be more space between thoughts and eventually none.

 

Following your breath

 

Nice way to explain it. (i mean with the added advice or guidance of how to follow it) I've had my experiences with this. that meditation is one that i really need to start getting back into practicing. When i used to do it life seemed just to fall into place, it was a beautiful thing. Isn't this a type of stillness meditation just dealing with the subconscious? Instead of achieving a blank mind, with meditation? Or are they one in the same?

 

Which reminds me what type of meditation is Xing Zen (i believe it is called, friend of mine told me he does this type of meditation, i still have yet to look it up online and can't wait to talk to him more about this)

 

Look forward to the response

[mYTHmAKER]

Nice way to explain it. (i mean with the added advice or guidance of how to follow it) I've had my experiences with this. that meditation is one that i really need to start getting back into practicing. When i used to do it life seemed just to fall into place, it was a beautiful thing. Isn't this a type of stillness meditation just dealing with the subconscious? Instead of achieving a blank mind, with meditation? Or are they one in the same?

.

 

I think they are the same

You watch your thoughts, not focusing on them - the thoughts are like clouds in the sky - and eventually your mind goes blank.

[WhiteTiger]

So some more questions about meditation.

 

I always thought of emptiness meditation as, well just emptying your vessel (what you have cultivated or even cultivating while you empty but thats kinda different and complicated and gets into a whole other discussion that i don't want to actually get into) You being your vessel or inside what you have cultivated... Is there more to it then just that...?

 

A personal question what if you are practicing emptiness (just emptying your vessel nothing else) and thoughts arise and you focus and focus but for whatever reason you cant continue to empty... like a whole junk of your mind is taken over? What can one do... this is last i left off... any insight or suggestions? (this would be very highly appreciated)

[freesun]

So some more questions about meditation.

 

I always thought of emptiness meditation as, well just emptying your vessel (what you have cultivated or even cultivating while you empty but thats kinda different and complicated and gets into a whole other discussion that i don't want to actually get into) You being your vessel or inside what you have cultivated... Is there more to it then just that...?

 

A personal question what if you are practicing emptiness (just emptying your vessel nothing else) and thoughts arise and you focus and focus but for whatever reason you cant continue to empty... like a whole junk of your mind is taken over? What can one do... this is last i left off... any insight or suggestions? (this would be very highly appreciated)

 

Have you tried just witnessing without paying attention to whatever happens, without focusing on your "junk of your mind"? See if it subsides by itself.

[doc benway]

So some more questions about meditation.

 

I always thought of emptiness meditation as, well just emptying your vessel (what you have cultivated or even cultivating while you empty but thats kinda different and complicated and gets into a whole other discussion that i don't want to actually get into) You being your vessel or inside what you have cultivated... Is there more to it then just that...?

 

A personal question what if you are practicing emptiness (just emptying your vessel nothing else) and thoughts arise and you focus and focus but for whatever reason you cant continue to empty... like a whole junk of your mind is taken over? What can one do... this is last i left off... any insight or suggestions? (this would be very highly appreciated)

Emptying your mind is difficult and can lead to frustration when done directly. Trying to empty the mind is fighting an uphill battle. The thoughts will continue to arise. You can't stop it. The more you try, the more you reinforce the presence of someone trying to do something and that is the antithesis of meditation.

 

I agree with the advice of simply watching the thoughts rather than trying to stop or let go or quiet them. Imagine your thoughts as cars in a long train. Most of the time we are one the train. See if you can step back and watch the train as if you were on a bridge and it was going under you. Or watch the thought float along like a leaf on a stream and off into the distance as if you are just standing on the bank or a pebble in the stream.

Another method I like is to open yourself to simply being aware of the sensations around you and in you. If you are immersed in sensory perception, there's generally not much room for thoughts to interfere.

[WhiteTiger]

Have you tried just witnessing without paying attention to whatever happens, without focusing on your "junk of your mind"? See if it subsides by itself.

 

Of course I have.

 

Thank you very much for your explanation xuesheng.

[Todd]

White Tiger,

 

I second Cameron's recommendation of True Meditation by Adyashanti, although even that is a little too much. I kind've like the instruction of "Find movement in stillness, and stillness in movement."

 

I recommend Adyashanti since he is local to you, and you could go see him if you felt so drawn. He is a tremendous teacher.

 

 

Todd

Edited February 23, 2008 by Todd

[Cameron]

I don't think Adyashanti is teaching at the moment due to health problems.

[Todd]

No, he's not. But in March he starts again.

 

I mean April.

Edited February 23, 2008 by Todd

[Cameron]

Glad to hear he is getting better. A friend of mine from Arizona moved to Bay Area just so she could study with him, and just took it on faith that he will get better I guess.

[Todd]

Yeah. Maybe faith helps? I don't know.

Edited February 23, 2008 by Todd