What is Meditation?

[Jenci]

When we say the word meditation are we all talking about the same thing?

It appears that many people seek a better state to be in through meditation. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, in fact there is more peace all round when people are calmer and more relaxed and happy.

But is this what meditation is really about? Are we there when we have reached this happier, calmer, peaceful place?

Or is there more to this?

Ask many and they will probably say that they are aiming to reach the place that others describe which is beyond the mind. We could describe this as a vast space of nothingness which is far from being empty and dull, but full, vibrant and alive. Words are inadequate here - this can only be realised through experience.

This place that I talk of is the Real Self. Most of us live our lives at the level of our minds and all its contents. We could call this the false self.

If the Real Self is beyond the mind (false self) it's logical to quieten the mind to get there and many meditations practices concentrate on quietening the mind for this purpose. This can be effective for sure, many can realise the Real Self through this practice.

On the other hand many can't. They may feel better practising this meditation but people can go for years being quite frustrated, still feeling something is missing.

Although I think some minds can be tamed, personally it never worked for me. The more I tried to quieten my mind, the more noise it made.

This happens simply through the law of attention. Where attention goes, energy goes.

The Real Self is indifferent to the mind (false self). It has no problem with it being noisy, so if we are trying to quieten the mind, this desire can only be coming from the mind itself (false self). So attention is on the mind which is trying to quieten the mind. All energy is here, feeding the mind.

The Real Self is a state of pure allowing. There's no preferance for any kind of state or feeling. There's no seeking. There's no concepts, no ideas, no shoulds or shouldn't. There is only this. Here, now, which is allowing.

So how do we shift attention from the mind (false self) and onto the Real Self? We do this by allowing because that its true nature.


A suggestion......

Sit or lie as you choose. Leave alone any ideas about posture, eyes open, shut or whatever you have been told is right or wrong. Just choose a position which feels right.

Now just Be - do nothing.

It sounds simple but may be difficult if you are not used to it.

Thoughts may arise, a constant stream of mind activity.
They body may want to twitch or itch or move.

Observe what is arising.
Now just allow the body and mind to do what it needs to.

What happens if you don't struggle to keep the mind quiet and the body still?
Just allow them to be exactly as they are.

This is attention moving to the allowing and in that attention is moving onto what Allows.

The mind is likely to resist this allowing. Observe this resistance and struggle and now even allow this too.

The mind may even resist the allowing of the resistance. Then allow this too.....and so on...and so on.

Do nothing, just allow. Allowing is the Being.

Usually we find that as attention is on the allowing, the mind has no energy, so it quietens down.

Then a thought may arise 'my mind has gone quiet, this is great'.
Allow this too.
This is the mind again trying to get attention and get going again. Observe it but shift the attention to the allowing of it. All is allowed to be exactly as it is.

~~

I'm sitting now typing at a laptop and TV is blaring in the other room.
I'm meditating.
I'm allowing everything to be exactly as it it. The silence, vastness of Being are here as well as the noise of the mental activity.

Ultimately we should follow what resonates in our hearts as far as meditation goes. If a meditation practice is grasped and it becomes a struggle, then leave it alone and that includes what I suggest. There are no rules here.

The bliss of Being is beyond all ideas, concepts and rules and this includes those with regards meditation.

It's a place of no struggle, just allowing, although the allowing allows the struggle to be too. A paradox :)



Sri Nisargadata Maharaj

"Deliberate daily exercise in the discrimination between the true and the false and the renunication of the false is mediation"



Namaste
Jeanette

[greybeard]

For me meditation is, being in the present moment and just being aware of what arises without commenting.
If comment, thoughts or anything else happens its just happening, Im not looking for or pushing anything away, its an acceptance of what appears or arises.
Eyes open eyes closed no difference.

Chris

[music]

For me, anything can be a meditation. Repetitive tasks can be approached with a mindfullness that draws them out of the mundane. Makes doing the washing up easier :)


If comment, thoughts or anything else happens its just happening, Im not looking for or pushing anything away, its an acceptance of what appears or arises.


It's like a train slowly pulls through our mind - we have the choice to hop on board, or to merely observe with detachment as it passes by.

[Laura Elina]

Hey Jenci, good thing you pointed me here :)

I really became hell bent on quieting my mind, I attempted to trick it, it became a better trickster than I, I tried to tire it out and it was my heart that grew tired. Then I let it do whatever it wanted as I believe it was *I*, who observed and tried to sneak out the back door, and then my mind turned its eye on that *I*.... And back to square one. My attempts were mind games at best.

There is one instance I found my heart and went home for a bit. It was lovely. I wanna go more often, but... As I wrote about it earlier, I took a bit of a "wrong" turn and now I'm tracing my steps back :)

[another bob]

Thanks for bringing this topic to discussion, Jen!

Of course, there are numerous kinds of meditation, but in essence, meditation is returning attention to its source and abiding there.

Here's a good general description:

http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=writings_inner&writingid=12

Blessings!

[Jenci]

Hey Jenci, good thing you pointed me here :)

I really became hell bent on quieting my mind, I attempted to trick it, it became a better trickster than I, I tried to tire it out and it was my heart that grew tired. Then I let it do whatever it wanted as I believe it was *I*, who observed and tried to sneak out the back door, and then my mind turned its eye on that *I*.... And back to square one. My attempts were mind games at best.

There is one instance I found my heart and went home for a bit. It was lovely. I wanna go more often, but... As I wrote about it earlier, I took a bit of a "wrong" turn and now I'm tracing my steps back :)


Hi Laura,
It seems all those fruitless efforts to quieten your mind took you back home. Something is guiding you here which already knows.

The mind also tells us that we have 'lost it'. It also tells us that we 'need to get back there'. This is just what mind does. You are already that. It is just that the experience of that is different at different times.

The awakening process energetically brings up a lot of supressed emotions, perhaps even from karma/past lives, which the mind really struggles with and tries to get back to that' feel good' place it once found.

But all these emotions, we may label as not pleasant, are exactly what we are meant to experience to get Home.
Jeanette

[Jenci]

Thanks for bringing this topic to discussion, Jen!

Of course, there are numerous kinds of meditation, but in essence, meditation is returning attention to its source and abiding there.

Here's a good general description:

http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=writings_inner&writingid=12

Blessings!

Thanks Bob for posting that description.

Adyashanti also has an audio book on True Meditation, which includes more detail on the description of it and a guided meditation - I would recommend it, particularly for anyone struggling to silence their mind.

Jeanette

[CivilDawn]

For me meditation is, being in the present moment and just being aware of what arises without commenting.
If comment, thoughts or anything else happens its just happening, Im not looking for or pushing anything away, its an acceptance of what appears or arises.
Eyes open eyes closed no difference.

Chris

YES


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc

[Anchor]

> What is meditation?

Meditation is a conscious effort to pay attention to and explore the mystery of your inner world.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?3779-Meditating-simply

[Jenci]

> What is meditation?

Meditation is a conscious effort to pay attention to and explore the mystery of your inner world.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?3779-Meditating-simply


Thanks for the link to that old thread, John.

I like what you say that there are as many ways to meditate as there are people on the planet.
There's something for everyone. :)
Jeanette

[Tenzin]

Sometimes, the mind has to be given a firm instruction, disciplined, tied to a pole, before it can really start to observe.

To stay around long enough, for it to finally sit down, be comfortable and just watch.

Perhaps a 'plate of cookies'; whatever it takes to keep it interested. Thus the need for different subjects of meditation for different temperaments.

The beginning, is always so so tough... when there is not point of reference, doubts abound.

When we do step through the door, we find that we all speak the same language.