Maddie Posted December 1, 2020 54 minutes ago, idiot_stimpy said: I had incredibly unpleasant pain just laying down in bed while meditating. I don't mean to dictate to you or lecture you, however in my personal experience if one doesn't resist the unpleasant emotions and passively watches them with the mind from a far, they will eventually dissolve back from whence they came from. The added benefit is, you have liberated that energy from yourself. Again from personal experience, being brave and surrendering to and merging with the emotions is a sure way to liberate them the fastest. Its not fun, but again, its good to have a reminder its just a sensation that will soon pass. Yeah, I get what you're saying and I think this is why for over a decade I have spent most of my free time in meditation. It was wanting to get past this that I was after, but it seemed that in my case this never happened. 5 minutes ago, Apech said: To put a positive spin on it, if I may, it means you really were meditating and not just playing at it (which is what most people do). It's a tough path and challenging in all sorts of ways. I'm sure you'll find your own way through (which is largely the point anyway) but I would encourage you to just step back when you need to but don't abandon it altogether - I don't mean whether you sit or not, I mean don't mentally give up completely. I've been meditating for several decades and I can say there are barriers after barriers - but if you keep digging you do strike the occasional gold. I'm not Christian but I often describe meditation as 'slow crucifixion' - it cooks you in your own juice I hope I haven't put you off at all - but I see nothing but good and increased awareness in what you are saying. Cheers A. Haven't put me off at all, I appreciate it. No, I don't plan on abandoning it but rather finding another method that does not turn me into a crazy person. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idiot_stimpy Posted December 2, 2020 (edited) 19 hours ago, dmattwads said: Yeah, I get what you're saying and I think this is why for over a decade I have spent most of my free time in meditation. It was wanting to get past this that I was after, but it seemed that in my case this never happened. The mind is like a tree. You can spend a lot of time pruning the branches but they will eventually grow back. Pull the tree out by the roots however. Hence its beneficial to develop insight into the root of the mind. The tree starts life as a seed in the the ground. We can also look to find the seed of the thought in the ground of our being. Edited December 2, 2020 by idiot_stimpy 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted December 2, 2020 Many aspects of meditation are unpleasant and some are downright disorienting and traumatic... depending where and how deep you reveal aspects of blockage. Perhaps this lies behind why many teachers try and shoo away prospective seekers with only a passing interest... These two quotes by Adyashanti resonate my experience of late. Quote Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It's seeing through the facade of pretence. It's the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true. Adyashanti Quote Most of us want to feel better, we don't actually want to see that we're misperceiving things. But that's the core of spirituality. And the only way to really wake up is to realize that the way you perceive yourself is not true. Adyashanti 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C T Posted December 2, 2020 (edited) It's quite common for people to assume "I'm meditating" as one layer, and then "oops.. There's all the consequential stuff being churned up from it", as a separate, distinct layer (upon other layers). In my view this is a faulty approach because it shows that one is still caught in the notion of an independently existing engager of meditation. It will help to first determine who and where is this supposedly fixed appearance of one who engages. The Buddha said all existential doubts will be allayed when the notion of an independently existing self is resolved. The Bahiya Sutta helps to guide contemplation on this question of the self. Link to commentary on said teaching https://www.lionsroar.com/take-a-good-hard-look/ Edited December 2, 2020 by C T 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted December 3, 2020 On 11/28/2020 at 10:18 AM, dmattwads said: Cultivation side effects Hi dmattwads, Not side effects ~ but manifestations in meditation. Meditation can be a process where the negative in us is separated from the positive ~ hopefully with the former distilled out of us. - Anand Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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