I started to meditate a few months ago, with a very nice group of people.
This is the MOST powerful resource for anyone having a difficult time.
I will post a few quotes from time to time.
I hope this helps.
“While it is absurd to reject medical science, the principal factor in overcoming illness is the patient and his or her “life force.” In medical terms, it is our capacity to heal ourselves. Life force is a mystic phenomenon that transcends human understanding.” – DAISAKU IKEDA
Those of you that can meditate, I beg you to sit down for an hour and two and do it without apps or gimmicks, on a daily basis.
It will be most life changing
Better yet. Sit for an hour with a Tibetan Singing Bowl, making sounds by rotating a metal rod around the edges of the bowl. Also light incense and a few candles. That’ll clear your head…
Oooommmmm. Ooooooommmmm…
Aaaaauuuuuuuooooommmmm…
That type is called transcendental
It’s very relaxing, but the benefits that come from the concentration meditation is life changing. Allows us to truly live no matter how much pain we have
Can you explain the process?
Is it something like:
yes, the key is to “note” the thoughts and emotions that come, and then bring your attention back to the breath.
over time your concentration on the breath gets longer and longer, and you will be able to take 10 in and out breaths before breaking focus. this builds concentration
also, the life changing aspect really comes from noting and observing the thoughts and emotions that come. over time as you “note” them, what happens is you begin to gain clarity behind those thoughts and emotions, and you gain control over your emotions. this key part, is life changing. this is supposedly the state that buddha entered.
i think about being able to go back to access this state every single day for the past few years. i hope the day comes soon when i can enter again
Don’t worry about sitting for an hour if you’re new to it. Start with three, five or eight minutes. Try that for a week if you want.
I agree about avoiding gimmicks. You don’t need a guided meditation talk (but it’s fine if that helps). You don’t need to pay for an app (iPhone timer will do). And you don’t need music.
The Dharma Seed podcast has many talks. See also How to Meditate by Lawrence LeShan and Insight Meditation by Joseph Goldstein.
thats the common advice, but imo its better start sitting for an hour. when i was young pre PFS i tried both, and i really felt that the hour minimum is the best way to start.
for me its like lifting weights, in the beginning you dont say okay im only going to do 1 or 2 sets instead of a full training session because my stabilizer muscles havent developed yet and it makes it harder
you just go in and do the full training session with the appropriate amount of weights for your muscle’s strength levels.
but im sure if someone gradually increases the time by starting with less, as long as they are consistent then overtime it will come (assuming PFS doesnt ruin it for them like me)
There’s also no required daily sitting time. Personally I aim to sit for 10-30 minutes a day, depending on the time I have available.
I find it helpful to have a designated space in my apartment for meditation, with a cushion, a bell and a light blanket. Just a little corner.
i guess ill agree to disagree with that. i was a regular practitioner pre PFS
i had two 1 hour sessions per day. personally thats what gave me the best results, but i wont say that others cant get what i experienced without it. thats something an individual has to determine
Indeed it’s an individual journey which is why rules don’t make sense to me (and teachers I’ve heard also avoid prescriptions about meditation). Great that you found a rhythm that works for you.
i agree with that as well.
do you personally still make progress via meditation or still reap its benefits despite having PFS?
Actually I would say I am reaping benefits because of PFS.
What helped me the most was to join a meditation group.
You read interesting stuff together and then meditate, you make new friends, etc.
Avoid the do-it-yourself instructions.
I think meditation is always good practice through illness and health. Certainly I have meditated on the First Noble Truth, “there is suffering” (dukkha).
(For those who may not know, dukkha is a Pali word often translated as “unsatisfactoriness.”)
We aren’t guaranteed a blissful, easy path. Just sitting with that is worthwhile. Then there are the second, third and fourth noble truths which point to why it’s unsatisfactory, that it has an end, and that there’s a way forward (eightfold path). I like the eightfold path because it’s values that I can embrace; acting on them gives my life meaning and value.
I don’t exactly look to meditation for benefits, although it definitely has benefits. It’s a practice for me, a way of getting in touch with reality and coming to terms with reality.
Haha we have different views about what works. As I see it, there is no one best way to meditate. I’d encourage people to experiment and find what works for them.
Same for PFS. No one has the answer so prescriptions don’t make any sense.