Pranaman Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) I'm having a hard time understanding emptiness meditation. I've watched the bk meditation movie twice and i'm still unsure of how to 'watch' my breath without feeling it or visualizing it. What are some other names for it so I can look up more resources and books? Do you just place your attention on a fixed point in the nostrils? Isn't this feeling the breath? thank you very very much for your time. Edited June 23, 2008 by Pranaman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orb Posted June 23, 2008 I'm having a hard time understanding emptiness meditation. I've watched the bk meditation movie twice and i'm still unsure of how to 'watch' my breath without feeling it or visualizing it. What are some other names for it so I can look up more resources and books? Do you just place your attention on a fixed point in the nostrils? Isn't this feeling the breath? thank you very very much for your time. Â my advice get a teacher - somebody that walked that path already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shontonga Posted June 23, 2008 I'm having a hard time understanding emptiness meditation. I've watched the bk meditation movie twice and i'm still unsure of how to 'watch' my breath without feeling it or visualizing it. What are some other names for it so I can look up more resources and books? Do you just place your attention on a fixed point in the nostrils? Isn't this feeling the breath? thank you very very much for your time. Â Â ? bk meditation movie? Â our minds like to have something to chew on emptiness is easy, you don't have to think on it! Sometimes breath and all that other stuff can just be a distraction, good to start to create some single pointed focus but then it has to be dropped to? Â Just relax and be. Â Â If watching is to active for you (attention stimulates feeling? and that is undesired???) Â Maybe ? Â just be. Â you're breath will still breath but your attention won't influence it, it won't make you feel by intensifying your focus on breath? Â Just be. Â but i don't know what the bk meditation movie thing is all about? or what it is? Â Hope this helps Pranaman! Â Have fun with it! Â Shon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z3N Posted June 23, 2008 I'm having a hard time understanding emptiness meditation. I've watched the bk meditation movie twice and i'm still unsure of how to 'watch' my breath without feeling it or visualizing it. What are some other names for it so I can look up more resources and books? Do you just place your attention on a fixed point in the nostrils? Isn't this feeling the breath? thank you very very much for your time. Â Emptiness is not a process of understanding but of being. Watching a movie will not help you if you sit there and just think about it so much that you fall into the guestly nature of self. Watching your thoughts is simply just allowing your thoughts to float by without clinging on to them beacuse they are always going to be there even if they are good or bad, emotional or not. And allso there is no need for visualizing breath because it is happening in every moment, it is allready there and it only comes naturally not by force. Already doing it now in the now. Mainly its all about opening up the awareness. Dont fight it, just use your awareness. So if a thought arises just let it come and go just like your breath. When you dont allow your self to rule thoughts and emotion fall into the distance then emptiness is just there naturally, body and mind are still and theres no need to visualize on breath. Remember this; breath follows mind, mind does not follow breath, it only comes naturally. If you realy want to understand how to breath after all this them watch a baby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjjbecker Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) .. Edited June 29, 2009 by mjjbecker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Satyalok Posted June 23, 2008 I wouldn't try to reach any state of emptiness, not sure it even exists. If it was truly empty, then that means conscious awareness would have to be missing. The whole void state doesn't make much sense to me. From my perspective, the goal is to bring more AWARENESS into every moment, and meditation helps minimize distractions for that task. Rather than follow and involve the "I" in thought, you simply observe the CONTENTS of your mind...like watching a movie. Not checking definitions here, but I think it's similar to vipassana? People at a high level don't see the duality of subject/object, but see the consciousness of the "I" pervade all manifestation...at least that's what they claim  Satyalok Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wun Yuen Gong Posted June 23, 2008 When you reach Emptiness all things manifest! Â Ears listen inwardly and breath naturally and all will appear to you.....If your mind is not tamed focus on Dan Tian this is much easier and you get rewards for it latee!!! Â WYG Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vajrasattva Posted June 23, 2008 Start with just relaxing and breathing and resting in your lower dan tien. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest sykkelpump Posted June 23, 2008 Many confusing answers here.you should just concentrate on observing the breath.dont try to feel it or follow it or regulate it.Just concentrate on observing the breath.thoughts will come but you just go back to observing the breath every time.after some practice it will slow down and get deeper and you might feel warm energy moving in your body or that you start breathing up and down in your torso or might that you naturally start breathing energy into dan tien among others thing.BUT you must just continue to observe the breath,dont forget what you are doing . these things happen because you observ the breath and your mind slows down.if you start focus on theese things/feelings and you try to follow the breath visulalizate or controll it by will in any way,you will lose it.because you then dont observe the breath anymore and you activate your mind.The point off all meditation is to quiet the mind.In this meditation you concentrate on observing the breath so thougts slow down gradually.and that will activate your chi and internal breathing.You will feel things but that will come because of your mind is calming down and not because you following or trying to feel your breath.Hopes this help.my english is limited.and concentrating on dan tien is another practice dont mix it. Here is a free email course I have seen some of the stuff here and it looks very good and it gives you a understanding of meditation to.Maybe you should follow that.because asking queastions here imo can be very confusing http://arobuddhism.org/meditation/internet-course.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pranaman Posted June 23, 2008 I got Jack kornfield's Mindfulness for Beginners, it's exactly what I needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeblast Posted June 23, 2008 for my workings on breath I have paid attention to all of the physical feelings of breath and all body parts engaged. although initially it might be a little contrived, once a state of regulation is reached then you have a full solid very efficient breath that you dont have to pay any mind to - that is when you can simply observe the one perfect breath, and emptiness is not far off Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pero Posted June 23, 2008 Here is a free email course I have seen some of the stuff here and it looks very good and it gives you a understanding of meditation to.Maybe you should follow that.because asking queastions here imo can be very confusing http://arobuddhism.org/meditation/internet-course.html  Aro is fake. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjjbecker Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) .. Edited June 29, 2009 by mjjbecker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest sykkelpump Posted June 24, 2008 Aro is fake. Â Fake? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pigeontoes Posted June 25, 2008 I'm having a hard time understanding emptiness meditation. I've watched the bk meditation movie twice and i'm still unsure of how to 'watch' my breath without feeling it or visualizing it. What are some other names for it so I can look up more resources and books? Do you just place your attention on a fixed point in the nostrils? Isn't this feeling the breath? thank you very very much for your time. Â Â Â Â So how's it going??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pero Posted June 25, 2008 Fake? Â It's a made up Vajrayana lineage by some American guy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rain Posted June 25, 2008 I'm having a hard time understanding emptiness meditation. I've watched the bk meditation movie twice and i'm still unsure of how to 'watch' my breath without feeling it or visualizing it. What are some other names for it so I can look up more resources and books? Do you just place your attention on a fixed point in the nostrils? Isn't this feeling the breath? thank you very very much for your time. ------------------------------ I dont know what movie you watched. but it is no good having the images of a movie in your head trying to recapture a message. & dont go neurotic on your breath "watching my breath" never worked for me either. but this does;  basics. sit well but not to comfortable. no tight clothes. nice air. no wind or direct sun. eyes slightly defocused slightly downwards slightly closed. breathe with belly. outbreath slightly longer than in breath.  watch off. no metal. feet on ground or crossed legs or half or full lotus. hands in lap or on knees or with chosen mudra.  your mind will wander, speak, show you images. your body speak heartbeat, temperature, pain, bad cireculation..exitement, reveal feelings, moods, cravings, Just observe. Just return to breath. dont engage.dont judge. after a while if you are honest with yourself you notice that everything comes and passes. detach. let go. that all you do is stretch for something new or go in circles. and it is not there.  you are not your body. detach you are not your emotions. detach you are not your mind. detach  let go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spectrum Posted June 25, 2008 Goosie Goes Bump Bump Bump  ------------------------------ I dont know what movie you watched. but it is no good having the images of a movie in your head trying to recapture a message. & dont go neurotic on your breath "watching my breath" never worked for me either. but this does;  basics. sit well but not to comfortable. no tight clothes. nice air. no wind or direct sun. eyes slightly defocused slightly downwards slightly closed. breathe with belly. outbreath slightly longer than in breath.  watch off. no metal. feet on ground or crossed legs or half or full lotus. hands in lap or on knees or with chosen mudra.  your mind will wander, speak, show you images. your body speak heartbeat, temperature, pain, bad cireculation..exitement, reveal feelings, moods, cravings, Just observe. Just return to breath. dont engage.dont judge. after a while if you are honest with yourself you notice that everything comes and passes. detach. let go. that all you do is stretch for something new or go in circles. and it is not there.  you are not your body. detach you are not your emotions. detach you are not your mind. detach  let go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rain Posted June 26, 2008 (edited) yes watch your leg. Â I erased the other. (post) Edited June 26, 2008 by rain Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pranaman Posted June 27, 2008 (edited) it's going good besides the fact that my house is really noisy(dogs barking at anything that moves and people that talk loud and watch TV, all that I can hear through the walls) and there are always cars and airplanes and lawnmowers. I'm not sure what to do about this.... if i should go to another basic practice or what. Edited June 27, 2008 by Pranaman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjjbecker Posted June 27, 2008 (edited) .. Edited June 29, 2009 by mjjbecker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pranaman Posted June 27, 2008 thanks mjjbecker, I needed to hear that. I'm sure some entity was trying to misguide me again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjjbecker Posted June 27, 2008 (edited) .. Edited June 29, 2009 by mjjbecker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites