Tip Of The Day

[Neeranam]

Hi guys,

I am trying to learn Buddhist meditation. I know a few mantras from the past like "OM Mani Padmi Hum". Are these good for meditating. What exactly do they do?

Are there any things that you concentrate on?

Are there any thoughts that you meditate on?

My tip of the day is get up earlier than normal and get into a routine.

I need motivation and inspiration. It would be good to get daily tips from those of you who know how to do it. I am a beginner although I used to do it about 10 years ago.

I need simple things to think about throughout the day.

Thanks

NN

[bina]

neeranam,

start by not thinking and not thinking about not thinking... like, just let your brain kind of unravel itself into nothing so the thoughts u have just dissipate, dont try to follow them but dont let them develop on to more tangents....

[chownah]

I'm getting start too. The first thing I did is to read about Buddhism a bit to find out if I agreed enough with what it taught so that I could feel OK about proceeding and with some degree of confidence that it would work. I did this by reading most of the Dhammapada which is a collection of fairly short things that the Buddha said and they collectively sort of sum up what its all about....then I read an article about the Noble 8 Fold Path because it tells just what the practice is supposed to do and sort of how it works. Then I read an article about the meditation practice which is called Satipatthana Vipassana because this is about how to do the meditation. That's where I'm at right now. I'm going to start doing sitting meditation concentrating on my breathing and just watching thoughts as they arise and disappear but always going back to my breathing...the idea being that after awhile (weeks, months, years?) you will start to see just exactly how these thoughts arise..what causes them to happen so to speak and this will sort of start your journey into insight about how your mind works.....I guess. This is all my present state of understanding of how Theravada Buddhism works. I have done meditation before so I think I can make some headway without a teacher and I'm thinking that if I progress far enough I will probably need to find a teacher but I'm going to start out on my own...and...of course keep asking questions and looking for information both here and elsewhere.

I guess my tip for the day is: "It's probably better to start sooner than to wait till later just because all the details are not perfect."

Edited September 30, 2005 by chownah

[sabaijai]

Good advice, chownah.

[Neeranam]

Thanks Chownah, good advice.

I think that starting to learn and practise Buddhism is similar in ways to addiction recovery. We look at our own pain and admit our difficulties in life. I'm sure it isn't easy. The great irony of beginning the process of recovery is that only in surrender do we begin to grow. It's sometimes hard to see how the powerlessness/nihilism and pain could be a blessing, yet it's through the recognition of the problem that we begin to find the solution. Once I think I know it all, I I stop learning and growing. This could be the cause of my failure to learn much from Bhuddist meditation before. I guess we are all beginners.

I am a bit concerned, as an addict, that i can get attached to the pleasure of meditation.

This will end in a feeling of loss, I'm sure. I hope I don't try to use it as a place to hide from the real world.

right now I'm reading about the 4 Noble truths, which is maybe a good place to start. Also I'm reading about the middle way. Many addicts/alkies led a life of extremes, as I believe the Buddha did. This middle way is very important for me.

Start sooner than later, thanks for the tip

[chownah]

Neeranam,

You are probably right about your attachment to pleasure and that this will be one thing you need to deal with in relationship to meditation. I'd think that you need not worry about this because there are different meditations designed to counter all of the various types of problems that arise in meditating. I think the way these work is that you start meditating and if a problem arises then you change your meditation to the recommended one for the problem.....

I'm glad you mentioned the 4 Noble Truths and the middle path 'cause I tend to forget them and your post has reminded me that it would be good for me to be mindful of these things more regularly. Thanks for the reminder!

[Neeranam]

The middle way is very important, I believe. Balance in all situations.

I do some work with doctors treating alcoholism and drug addiction. Last week, some of them told me that their treatment centre is quiet at the moment due to it being "Khao Pansaa" or Buddhist lent. They say that mext month is the busiest time of the year due to lent being over with hundreds of alcoholics using that as an excuse to stop drinking, many going to the temple. When they get out, they go to the other extreme. Many of them drink, go to the treatment cntre to dry out, drink, go to the temple, drink and can't understand what is going on. Buddhism, or any religion for that matter can't sober up these people, from what I've experienced and heard. We have a group now, using a 12 step programme who have been sober for over a year. This programme incorporates meditation and prayer in one of it's steps.

Last year I was there in Oct/Nov and it's amazing the guys who have just come out the temple to drink straight away after saying they would never ever touch it again. The other large group are teachers, due to the October holiday, and soldiers and policemen. When speaking to these guys, there life has consisted of partying,treatment, and monasteries. Unfortunately many of these guys think that their religion alone can save them.

Edited October 1, 2005 by Neeranam

[Neeranam]

Can anyone give me some tips as how not to fall asleep when meditating. Also when I am tired I can't be bothered doing it.

What is the right amount of sleep. If you are an experienced meditator, do you need less sleep? I had a yoga/meditation teacher once who said she could survive on 3 hours a night.

Thanks,

NN

[chownah]

Can anyone give me some tips as how not to fall asleep when meditating. Also when I am tired I can't be bothered doing it.

What is the right amount of sleep. If you are an experienced meditator, do you need less sleep? I had a yoga/meditation teacher once who said she could survive on 3 hours a night.

Thanks,

NN

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The best advice from the medical community is to get as much sleep as you need...problems from lack of sleep are not uncommon but problems from too much sleep are almost unheard of. I hope someone else can give you a tip for staying awake while meditating since I've never had this problem and have so far not read anything about what to do.

[DrBooze]

Can anyone give me some tips as how not to fall asleep when meditating. Also when I am tired I can't be bothered doing it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm also a beginner so apologies if this is stating the obvious. I used to have the same problem but I used to meditate in the evenings and often I would lie down. I started meditating in the mornings and I tried out a sitting position. This really helped a lot. I also find if you meditate later in the day it's easier to get distracted with thoughts about the day etc. The only problem is that, while I don't fall asleep, my legs do and I get pins and needles at about 30 mins.

Also, try not to be discouraged by these things. I go through phases - sometimes I think I've improved a lot - sometimes I think I'm getting nowhere. I always read about these monks who practice for 15 years and then realise they've been doing it wrong! But I think, at least at a beginner level, it really is better to do some than none at all. Even if you move towards enlightenment is slow, I think u'll feel benefits in other places. I just went back to Uni and found my concentration had improved immensely since doing my BA about 5 years ago. I can only attribute this to 2 mths of meditation practice.

I found this website really helpful too. It's got loads of talks and ebooks you can download about meditation.

http://www.buddhanet.net/

This thread (and this forum) is really useful. I read that u should get a teacher - but that isn't always so easy to do. I just try and read a lot, just to get an idea of what it's all about. But it's easy to get stuck or frustrated if you're on your own. It's really helpful to hear from people who are trying to follow a similar path.

[Neeranam]

Thanks Dr Booze. I love the name by the way.

The more I think about it, I am probably a false-beginner. This is what techers call someone who has learned something years previously but has not a clue now.

I know the benefits of meditation but somehow would rather lie in bed for an extra half hour at 6am than get up and meditate. This is the only time I think I can do it due to family, work etc. I suppose it is pure laziness.

I try to meditate when I am driving out on the country roads, and obviously I don't feel sleepy then. I remember travelling in a car with one very famous yoga teacher, 'Dadi Janki' from London to Aberdeen which is about 500 miles. I am confused to why but there was an amazing atmosphere in the car. I had what can only be described as a spiritual experience. I asked her if it were safe to drive, feeling like I was outside my body, and she said it was. She had such a presence it was impossible to not believe what she said. There was only one other person who I met that had a similar infectious aura and that was HH the Dalai Lama.

Although Dadi Janki is not a Buddhist she has lots of words of wisdom, which you can check out if you do a 'google'. Sorry i don't like talking about non-Buddhist things on this forum - is it allowed Mr Sabai Jai? I wish there were a religious forum.

Now I'm not so sure about Buddhist meditation. The previous meditation I did was with the eyes open and stressed that it could be done anywhere, although practised a lot sitting cross-legged.

My legs also get numb at around 30 minutes. Maybe some of the experienced guys can help here. Sometimes I ignore them and sit for a further 10 minutes. It acts as a good timer for me, and hopefully if I practise the time will get longer. I have to reqally try not to 'wait' for the feeling to come. Reminds me of being in Suan Mokh in Surat Thani once when there was a Japanese guy with a watch that beeped every 5 minutes before the hour. Anyway I was there more to dry out and my mind wasn't in a good place. I would waste my meditation time dreaming of this guys watch going off.

Thanks for that site.

I found another interesting one just a minute ago.

It is called What is enlightenment. - http://www.wie.org/ub/contributor.asp?id=1...-cont&WT.srch=1

I have heaps of things to read online today. Darma talks online - thanks again.

[chownah]

Can anyone give me some tips as how not to fall asleep when meditating. Also when I am tired I can't be bothered doing it.

What is the right amount of sleep. If you are an experienced meditator, do you need less sleep? I had a yoga/meditation teacher once who said she could survive on 3 hours a night.

Thanks,

NN

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've thought about this problem of drowsiness while meditating and I have something you might try....try meditating on your breathing while doing long breaths very slowly....the longest breaths you can do...strain a little bit to get the longest breath you can but don't injure yourself...work up to this slowly by gradually increasing the length of the breath....remember to focus on maximizing the in-breath and on maximizing the out-breath and do it as slow as you can. When done slow enough you will feel the beginning of the feeling that you are 'running out of air'. This is the breathing reflex and usually when I get this feeling it makes me want to breath fast as if I was out of wind....but I try to just stay calm and feel this feeling without giving in to the urge to gulp air...but don't do this to the point of passing out. When I do this it helps me to focus and the drowsiness just disappears...for me it also helps me to breathe more 'subtly' when breathing 'normally' and to focus better on the breathing with fewer distractions

Edited October 14, 2005 by chownah