Tony
13th July 2012, 07:00
Breathing space.
Meditation practice is the simplest of activities...breathing!
It's not something that you actually 'do', it does itself, just try and stopping it!
However when it finally stop, it's time to move on!!!
Watching-the-breath-meditation is used to stop the mind from wandering, and is an excellent starting point. At death there is no breath, so we do not just stop at breath meditation, it's a simple stepping stone.
What we are actually doing is resting in space. In breathing outer space we expand inner space.
Inner space is our true, empty, essence, pure, open, and lucid.
The process.
One can meditated anywhere and at any time, remember meditation is just 'being'. But just 'being' is not so familiar as we think! Our lives are busy so we need some 'breathing space'! We need to create a gap in our habitual patterning of speed, of grasping, of being the same old mental me.
Any of the senses may be used, but the breath is more in tune with our subtle inner system.
This practice slows our system down, so we are barely alert. Too alert, and we get tensions and conceptualise. It's a matter of loosening our grip on the material world, but not entirely.
So to start, find somewhere quiet to sit. One may sit on a cushion or chair. The posture should be upright, but not stiff. This allows for the breath to flow freely and keeps us awake. Hands resting on the thighs or lap, eyes open, gaze not strained, either cast down in front or straight a head. One can close one's eyes, but then we tend to drift off more easily.
Be aware of sound, touch, smell and the quality of light, and of course the breath. If you are just doing that, you are now meditating. Which is a cessation of habitual mental elaborations and activities.
Thoughts will come into the mind, just note and let them go. However our patterning is to think, especially circling thoughts! This is why one watches the breath. If thoughts are really strong one can count the breaths, on the exhalation breath from one to ten. If one gets caught up in thoughts just go back to one. Don't make this too much like mental gymnastics, just enough to realise one can just rest and be aware.
Gradually one will experience gaps between the breaths or thoughts, and this will expand.
At times the thoughts will seem worse, this is merely because you are noticing more! Hooray!
15–45 minutes twice a day would be good, but just do what you can, though a little discipline wouldn't go amiss these days. Don't try to prolong the practice, take little breaks. One is just practising letting go...and one has to even let go of the practice.
Taking a breather, is the beginning of getting out of this mental maze.
Reacting to the maze only serves to make the walls seem real, which they are not!
Non-meditation is just 'being', then one is no longer practising!
Have a Good Day.
Tony
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/group.php?groupid=62
Meditation practice is the simplest of activities...breathing!
It's not something that you actually 'do', it does itself, just try and stopping it!
However when it finally stop, it's time to move on!!!
Watching-the-breath-meditation is used to stop the mind from wandering, and is an excellent starting point. At death there is no breath, so we do not just stop at breath meditation, it's a simple stepping stone.
What we are actually doing is resting in space. In breathing outer space we expand inner space.
Inner space is our true, empty, essence, pure, open, and lucid.
The process.
One can meditated anywhere and at any time, remember meditation is just 'being'. But just 'being' is not so familiar as we think! Our lives are busy so we need some 'breathing space'! We need to create a gap in our habitual patterning of speed, of grasping, of being the same old mental me.
Any of the senses may be used, but the breath is more in tune with our subtle inner system.
This practice slows our system down, so we are barely alert. Too alert, and we get tensions and conceptualise. It's a matter of loosening our grip on the material world, but not entirely.
So to start, find somewhere quiet to sit. One may sit on a cushion or chair. The posture should be upright, but not stiff. This allows for the breath to flow freely and keeps us awake. Hands resting on the thighs or lap, eyes open, gaze not strained, either cast down in front or straight a head. One can close one's eyes, but then we tend to drift off more easily.
Be aware of sound, touch, smell and the quality of light, and of course the breath. If you are just doing that, you are now meditating. Which is a cessation of habitual mental elaborations and activities.
Thoughts will come into the mind, just note and let them go. However our patterning is to think, especially circling thoughts! This is why one watches the breath. If thoughts are really strong one can count the breaths, on the exhalation breath from one to ten. If one gets caught up in thoughts just go back to one. Don't make this too much like mental gymnastics, just enough to realise one can just rest and be aware.
Gradually one will experience gaps between the breaths or thoughts, and this will expand.
At times the thoughts will seem worse, this is merely because you are noticing more! Hooray!
15–45 minutes twice a day would be good, but just do what you can, though a little discipline wouldn't go amiss these days. Don't try to prolong the practice, take little breaks. One is just practising letting go...and one has to even let go of the practice.
Taking a breather, is the beginning of getting out of this mental maze.
Reacting to the maze only serves to make the walls seem real, which they are not!
Non-meditation is just 'being', then one is no longer practising!
Have a Good Day.
Tony
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/group.php?groupid=62