Integrating Meditation Into Daily Life

[garro]

My own opinion is that the most important thing is to integrate meditation into your daily life. If going to retreats doesn't do this then they are of limited value (in my opinion). My view is that you should do everything you can to integrate meditation into your daily life and you should choose special meditation experiences for the express purpose of their ability to help with this.

Chownah

P.S. I can't overstress the importance of integrating your meditation into your daily life....my view is that the essence of the spiritual quest can only be found in daily life and nowhere else....if one finds that one can only make progress in a temple then being in a temple should be made part of ones daily life.

Chownah

I have found this above post by Chownah to be very thought provoking as it touches on a lot of problems that I have been having recently in my meditation practice. I have already commented on this post in the original thread but would like to explore it further, if that is OK? I know that this is probably not the best venue for this discussion and I usually post such matters in web sites devoted purely to Buddhism. I think that, however, there are some knowledgable people here whose input I would value.

As I said in my previous response to Chownah's comment I am attracted to intensive practice since a 26 day retreat a few years ago at Wat Ram Poeng in Chiang Mai. This Vipassana method emphasises intensive practice and includes a 'determination' which involves 72 hours meditating without sleep. I finished this course with an amazing feeling of equanimity which unfortunately didn't last long. As mentioned in Chownah's post it is vital to integrate meditation into daily life - I failed to do this. After this course my meditation was a bit 'hit and miss' but I would regulary get periods where I would indulge in intensive practice. This continued for about three years.

During the last eight months I have been able to devote myself to a much more regular practice (everyday and up to 1-5 hours a day). I have found the more I meditate the more effortless it is to be mindfull in my daily life. The problem is that I will not be able to maintain this level of practice as I need to go back to full-time work here in Thailand as my wife is pregnant. This has caused me quite a bit of concern as I wish to progress and not lose any progress already made. These concerns have erupted at a time when my practice is already going through a rocky patch. I felt up until last month that my practice was going really well but recently have been feeling very antsy and it can be torture to sit for long. In some ways this has been helpful because on one hand it has shown me exactly how out of control my mind is, on the other hand the more mindfull I become of it the worse it seems to get.

As I said my ability to integrate my meditation into my daily life seems to be dependent on the state of formal practice. It is like mindfulness occurs without any effort on my part. My questions are;

How do I integrate meditation into my daily life without the need for intensive practice?

Should mindfulness/equanimity be effortless?

How do you deal with being antsy?

[jumnien]

Good questions and I look forward to reading others answers and comments. For myself, I came to Thailand having met disciples of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Jumnien himself in California in 1995. Intensive meditation paid huge dividends in my life. Slowly over time when I moved to Thailand I became lazy and have a much less intensive practice.

That said, I still meet with other farangs and Thais about 4 or 5 times a week for meetings based on very basic prayer and meditation and "how is your spiritual program going" check-ins. I do take a daily inventory of my emotional state and good and bad actions, skillful and unskillful behavior. I stay in contact with other like-minded friends throughout Thailand on a daily basis by phone. I try to share my burdens and help others when possible.

[jumnien]

One thing that was drummed into me at Spirit Rock Meditation Center especially by the Indians and Tibetans is that nothing I did yesterday was going to keep me serene today. It was emphasized that my serenity was dependent on the daily maintenance of my spiritual condition. I have come to believe the daily disciplines bring more fruit than the irregular long retreats. That said, I think long retreats are a luxury everyone should have the opportunity to experience.

[garro]

One thing that was drummed into me at Spirit Rock Meditation Center especially by the Indians and Tibetans is that nothing I did yesterday was going to keep me serene today. It was emphasized that my serenity was dependent on the daily maintenance of my spiritual condition. I have come to believe the daily disciplines bring more fruit than the irregular long retreats. That said, I think long retreats are a luxury everyone should have the opportunity to experience.

Thanks mdeland for the reply. The problem for me is maintaing a sense of serenity/equanimity while becoming more caught up in the world. I get days where everything seems to be in its proper perspective and I have a sense of a barrier between myself and everthing around me. Other days I get completely caught up in the world and begin taking it too seriously. It is times like this that my mind will focus on silly things like winning the lottery or posting nonsence on TV. I want to have more of the days when I am able to step back and just observe without getting caught up in it. These days just seem to come on their own accord and I don't seem to be able to force them to come in any way.

[chownah]

Garro,

Sounds like you mostly do sitting meditation....you might try walking meditation. Long before I decided to study the Buddha's teachings I spent many years learning and doing Tai Chi as a form of meditation. I was attracted to Tai Chi because it is moving meditation and thus had the potential to carry meditation to almost any activity. When I started to read about the Buddha's teachings and I read about walking meditation I was struck by the incredible similarities between this Buddhist practice and Tai Chi.

Sooooooo....walking meditation...or Tai Chi...will help mindfulness to arise at times when not seated.

Chownah

P.S. Since Tai Chi is also studied as a martial arts form I want to explain that the Tai Chi that I learned was always done very very slowly and the point was to eliminate stress, both bodily stress and mental stress...while moving. The way I learned it really had little (or nothing) to do with martial arts or any combative skills.

Chownah

Edited March 4, 2007 by chownah

[Grover]

Thanks mdeland for the reply. The problem for me is maintaing a sense of serenity/equanimity while becoming more caught up in the world. I get days where everything seems to be in its proper perspective and I have a sense of a barrier between myself and everthing around me. Other days I get completely caught up in the world and begin taking it too seriously. It is times like this that my mind will focus on silly things like winning the lottery or posting nonsence on TV. I want to have more of the days when I am able to step back and just observe without getting caught up in it. These days just seem to come on their own accord and I don't seem to be able to force them to come in any way.

if you can change your lifestyle it will probably be easier. This is one reason why monks have a better chance at achieving results in meditation.

[Brucenkhamen]

I think it's important to realise that the experience you describe is very normal.

I've been on long intensive retreats and back again several times over the years and my experience is much the same as yours. To have a meaningful meditative life plus a productive worldly life is not an easy path, after sometime on retreat I feel like I could take on the world, after sometime taking on the world I just want to crawl back into my cave for a while.

Are you looking to gain something from your meditation? The gaining idea is probably adding fuel to the antsiness. Instead just be with what is here and now, continually bring youself back to the present moment even if you know you it's not getting you that experiece you gained on retreat back again. Sit if you can, don't if you can't, either way practice goes on with everything you do.

My wife is also pregnant and I can tell you it feels like it's going to be the deathblow to my practice in the formal sense. We just have to work with what is, not what we want it to be, we don't have to succeed we just have to keep at it.

[garro]

Thanks guys,

Chownah, I do actually do walking meditation most times before sitting. I was hoping that this would burn up some of my antsiness but so far not much success.

I also practiced Tai Chi for a few years when I lived in the UK. The school I trained with did tend to focus more on the martial arts side of things (i.e. pushing hands) but I had learnt the short and long form for my style (Wudang). This was seven years ago so I have forgotten it all. I don't think there is any chance of learning again because where I live now is a bit remote. I will continue with the walking meditation and perhaps increase the duration while sitting is so difficult.

Grover, thanks my lifestyle is diffenitely changing but I am not sure if it will improve my meditation. When I originally moved to Thailand I was intending to ordain yet here I am married with a child on the way. Not that I have any regrets.

Brucenkhamen: Yes like you my little luk Krung will definitely change things. Congratulations by the way.

I have been expecting things from my meditation and that is part of the problem. About a two months ago I started getting this pleasant sensation in the middle of my forehead which stayed with me most of the time. I saw this as a great sign at the time and since then have probably focused on it too much. The problem is that it is a nice sensation. I think that I read way too much into this phenomena and I am probably paying for it now.

I know that what I am going through with my meditation at the moment is impermanent. I suppose I just need to accept it and observe.

[chownah]

You could try walking meditation at times other than just before sitting....like when you are buying groceries.....by walking meditation I mean mindfulness meditation....I guess the idea is to make being mindful a habit that pervades all your activities and walking is a good place to start.

I do agree that expecting pleasantness from meditation is a trap to be avoided....I make that same mistake alot but lately I have been mindful of the arising of this desire some times so I guess this is progress.

Chownah

Edited March 4, 2007 by chownah

[Brucenkhamen]

I have been expecting things from my meditation and that is part of the problem. About a two months ago I started getting this pleasant sensation in the middle of my forehead which stayed with me most of the time. I saw this as a great sign at the time and since then have probably focused on it too much. The problem is that it is a nice sensation. I think that I read way too much into this phenomena and I am probably paying for it now.

I know that what I am going through with my meditation at the moment is impermanent. I suppose I just need to accept it and observe.

It sounds like you understand what's going on and know what you need to do, still it's good to talk about it.

In the end who cares if you have a pleasant sensation in the middle of your forehead or not, it's less likely to be a sign of proress than it is to be a sign that you have a pleasant sensation in the middle of your forehead, anyway. I know we look for signs of progress but at the end of the day an impermanant phenomena is just that.

I'd recommend changing your focus from awareness of the object to awareness of the awareness of the object. It will help you relax into your meditation more and you'll find that your awareness increases in strength and has a tangible quality to it. Either way there's no point being caught up in how it was before.

[reasonstobecheerful]

My own opinion is that the most important thing is to integrate meditation into your daily life. If going to retreats doesn't do this then they are of limited value (in my opinion). My view is that you should do everything you can to integrate meditation into your daily life and you should choose special meditation experiences for the express purpose of their ability to help with this.

Chownah

P.S. I can't overstress the importance of integrating your meditation into your daily life....my view is that the essence of the spiritual quest can only be found in daily life and nowhere else....if one finds that one can only make progress in a temple then being in a temple should be made part of ones daily life.

Chownah

I have found this above post by Chownah to be very thought provoking as it touches on a lot of problems that I have been having recently in my meditation practice. I have already commented on this post in the original thread but would like to explore it further, if that is OK? I know that this is probably not the best venue for this discussion and I usually post such matters in web sites devoted purely to Buddhism. I think that, however, there are some knowledgable people here whose input I would value.

As I said in my previous response to Chownah's comment I am attracted to intensive practice since a 26 day retreat a few years ago at Wat Ram Poeng in Chiang Mai. This Vipassana method emphasises intensive practice and includes a 'determination' which involves 72 hours meditating without sleep. I finished this course with an amazing feeling of equanimity which unfortunately didn't last long. As mentioned in Chownah's post it is vital to integrate meditation into daily life - I failed to do this. After this course my meditation was a bit 'hit and miss' but I would regulary get periods where I would indulge in intensive practice. This continued for about three years.

During the last eight months I have been able to devote myself to a much more regular practice (everyday and up to 1-5 hours a day). I have found the more I meditate the more effortless it is to be mindfull in my daily life. The problem is that I will not be able to maintain this level of practice as I need to go back to full-time work here in Thailand as my wife is pregnant. This has caused me quite a bit of concern as I wish to progress and not lose any progress already made. These concerns have erupted at a time when my practice is already going through a rocky patch. I felt up until last month that my practice was going really well but recently have been feeling very antsy and it can be torture to sit for long. In some ways this has been helpful because on one hand it has shown me exactly how out of control my mind is, on the other hand the more mindfull I become of it the worse it seems to get.

As I said my ability to integrate my meditation into my daily life seems to be dependent on the state of formal practice. It is like mindfulness occurs without any effort on my part. My questions are;

How do I integrate meditation into my daily life without the need for intensive practice?

Should mindfulness/equanimity be effortless?

How do you deal with being antsy?

Perhaps the very last thing you should do is "intensive" practise.

My opinion is Chownah hit the wicket. If you clarify for yourself why you meditate you may decide you need to develop in the conditions you spend most of your time.

Luang Por Teean (???????????? I think)'s method might help you greatly. He suggests replacing our "unintentional thinking" time, which is most of the time, with awareness, starting with body awareness. He suggests NOT concentrating. He says even a breathing practise is unsuitable for everyday life. He says why not watch the sensations of the body as a starting point in a way that can be done all day long. He gives a regular foundation practise of arm and hand movements as a way in. Try a google search and you will probably find it. It's often called dynamic meditation, although that's been used elsewhere too.

If you can't find anything let me know.

Reasonstobecheerful.

ps sorry I wrote the Luang Por's name in Thai as best I could but it didn't come out in the post.....anyone tell me why?

Edited March 7, 2007 by reasonstobecheerful

[garro]

Perhaps the very last thing you should do is "intensive" practise.

My opinion is Chownah hit the wicket. If you clarify for yourself why you meditate you may decide you need to develop in the conditions you spend most of your time.

Luang Por Teean (???????????? I think)'s method might help you greatly. He suggests replacing our "unintentional thinking" time, which is most of the time, with awareness, starting with body awareness. He suggests NOT concentrating. He says even a breathing practise is unsuitable for everyday life. He says why not watch the sensations of the body as a starting point in a way that can be done all day long. He gives a regular foundation practise of arm and hand movements as a way in. Try a google search and you will probably find it. It's often called dynamic meditation, although that's been used elsewhere too.

If you can't find anything let me know.

Reasonstobecheerful.

ps sorry I wrote the Luang Por's name in Thai as best I could but it didn't come out in the post.....anyone tell me why?

Thanks for the advice. You have defiitely given me something to think about although I am reluctant to change too much about my practice unless I have to. I do feel thst I am making some progress with it despite recent hitches. This watching the sensations while not meditating definitely sounds promising though and I will definitely look more into it.

BTW, Are you using a Mac? I have had problems recently posting in Thai script with my Mac.

[sabaijai]

This watching the sensations while not meditating definitely sounds promising though and I will definitely look more into it.

It's the essence of satipatthana vipassana, ie, mindfulness, cultivating sati (awareness) in all postures, all moments. Easier said than done but it's obvious in the Maha-Satipatthana Sutta that the methodology was never intended to be restricted to just walking and sitting. In fact nowhere in the sutta is the word 'meditation' used.

There are limitations to meditation when used as a practice separate from living, as well chronicled by Ajahn Chah school. When I've stayed at Wat Pa Nanachat in Ubon, the monks have emphasised total lifestyle over meditation. Although they do practise individual and group sitting meditation, they insist that progress isn't made through that activity alone.

For Abhidhammists it's considered counterproductive if approached as a separate activity. For them it's all a matter of attaining right view through dhamma study. Right view comes about only as a result of accumulated pañña (wisdom), not from meditation. Once pañña/right view is ripe, sati can occur spontaneously at any time, whether during meditation or washing the dishes.

As Dutch Abhidhammist Nina Van Gorkom recently wrote (my glossing):

We need to discuss many realities, and then, if there is no selection of particular objects, there will be conditions for gradually understanding the nature of rúpa [form] and of nåma [mental constructs]. We may believe that it is sufficient to be aware of visible object just a few times in order to know what it is. This is not enough. Visible object is in front of us but we are often forgetful of it. We do not have to think about it, it is there and it appears through the eyes. We cannot see sound, we can only see what impinges on the eyesense, visible object. There can be conditions to study with awareness nåma and rúpa, if we see that it is beneficial to have less ignorance of realities. There is also the reality which experiences visible object. It is not self, it

is only an element which experiences. We often lose opportunities to study the objects which are there, every day. We have to continue to study all realities which appear through all the doorways. There should just be awareness of the reality which appears, through one doorway at a time, and we should not think or worry about it whether it is nåma or rúpa. At the moment of worry or doubt there is no awareness, the citta [mind-moment] is akusala [unskilful].

Not to discourage you from meditating the way you are doing it. If you feel like you're making progress, keep it up.

[camerata]

ps sorry I wrote the Luang Por's name in Thai as best I could but it didn't come out in the post.....anyone tell me why?

They seem to spell Luangpor as one word:

http://www.luangporteean.com/

http://www.mahasati.org/dmteean.htm

I posted a link to a youtube video of the dynamic mediation style a few months ago.

[garro]

I have just been checking out some of the links you guys provided and looked at some sites following a Google search and I must say that I am very impressed with what I have read about Luang Por Teean. I don't know how I missed him before but I suppose as the old saying goes' when the student is ready the teacher appears' I am especially pleased to hear that he made such good progress as a lay person before re-ordaining; not that I would expect to reach anywhere near his achievement, still it is something to aim for.

Funnily enough, I was on holiday in Hua Hin about four years ago and met a monk who tried to demonstrate this technique to me. I remember thinking at the time it was strange and soon forgot about it (moving the arms). I will definitely try observing the body as much as I can and see how it goes.

Thanks again.

[sabaijai]

Remarkable materials relating to Luangpor Teean. This method has been around a long time, I think the late Aj Dhammadaro also taught the hand movement method, as did the late Aj Naep (and I believe her students continue to teach this method at Wat Boonkanjanaram in Jomtien, Pattaya).

LP Teean's monastery continues to teach the technique:

Wat Sanamnai

27 T. Wat Chalor

Amper Banggruai

Nonthaburi, West Bangkok 11130

Teacher: Luangpor Thong Abhakaro

e-mail: [email protected]

Got this off the internet, never been there myself.

[NotYetArahan]

I think intensive retreats teach a lot. Don't be attached to progress though. Smile to yourself when you see the attachement.

have some mindfulness in daily life is not too difficult. be happy when it is there. All moments of mindfulnes are valuable.

Quite quickly the "strong emotions" can be seen reasonable quickly. The subtle mindfulness needs more practise.

Relax and smile at samsara.

[Yamantaka]

I do not want to sound like I am presenting myself as an expert by any means. But I have found that the more teachings I took, the more the Dharma became part of my daily life. Meditation is one part of the Path. Being always aware of what I have learned from my teachers becomes a walking meditation of sorts. Maybe a better term would be "existing meditation".

As negative things happen, I try to remind myself that every annoyance is an opportunity to practice patience. Every time I am stolen from, cheated or lied to an opportunity to practice compassion. And I think of how fortunate I am to have just burned up some more of my seemingly inexhaustible supply of negative Karma, so that hopefully I will have a better Rebirth. No, these do not occur automatically. I have to remind myself of these things constantly.

I have found this to be more beneficial for me than only doing sitting meditation.