Meditation (mystic, blood, attend, experience, bless)

[stephenw]

I'd like to find out about the practice of meditation. Can anyone point me to any good on-line resources or indeed any good books.
Thanks
SW

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by stephenw

I'd like to find out about the practice of meditation. Can anyone point me to any good on-line resources or indeed any good books.
Thanks
SW

Heather (Mystic Sang'ha) leads meditation at her Dharma group. When she gets back, you might PM her for more information.

[zenzero]

Friend Stephenw,
Besides what Sunstomne has mentioned, you could check out BuddhaNet - Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network for some place conducting meditation classes near by your residence.
other hand myself have never attended any courses or classes but practice meditation all the time.
The root of life in beings lies in breathing; meaning we live till we breath and so every breath brings in life in the body and every exhalation means death.
The secret of life lies in your breath.
Just by being constantly aware of your own breathing at all times itself is the most direct and best meditation one can practice. One will slowly become aware that one does not breath properly. Normal person has shallow breathing pattern. By deep breathing one takes in maximum oxygen which is then distributed through the blood to each cell of the body. As we need oxygen so does all our cells to live healthily. If they live healthily we live the same way. Each person's personality, depends on his breathing pattern. One's emotion too changes the beathing pattern.
Meaning to say that breathing is the key through which one can travel inwards to the very core of one's being which is akin to the core/source of life.
Finally one has to become a witness even to his own breathing without partcicipating in it in any way but before that the whole jouney needs to be travelled.
Love & rgds

[MysticSang'ha]

There are many different avenues and approaches to meditation, Stephen. I agree with zenzero wholeheartedly, but it would be silly of me to dismiss other approaches and methodologies to meditation. In my most basic definition of it, meditation is practice - it's the practice of becoming familiar with the mind.

The most common method of this practice is sitting meditation, and we are seeing this practice becoming more mainstream. It's a very effective way of steering clear of worldly distractions, and paying more attention to the mental distractions, preferences, and habits that pop up within us. As zz inferred, paying attention to the breath is a remarkable and time-tested method to calming the "monkey mind" and focusing on (in the Mahayana schools at least) the concept of emptiness.

What I personally believe beginning practitioners fail to realize, is that this is practice. Paying attention to the breath is not the end-all and be-all of meditation......it's mind exercise. Like any other monotonous activity free from many distractions, it's an exercise in concentration and awareness. When one becomes more familiar with the mind, one can more easily adapt and cope with life's curveballs and the REAL (or at least, those that appear more real ) distractions that can materialize before us. We can cope better with suffering, loss, anxiety, stress, anger, you name it.

I hope my earlier suggestion is helpful for your search. There's also "Meditation for Dummies," which actually is really good!

Happy sitting!!




Peace,
Mystic

[stephenw]

That is an excellent book you pointed me to Mystic.Amazon.co.uk: How to Meditate: A Practical Guide: Kathleen McDonald,Robina Courtin: Books
Thank you.
I've started sitting in meditation. I'm only doing 10mins at a time. It's fabulous to just sit there concentrating on the breathing. Some of the stuff that floats across my mind is funny.
I'm a happy person anyway, but I can see why many statues of Buddhas are sitting there smiling or chuckling.
It's certainly adding to my daily chuckle quota.
Interesting stuff.

[zenzero]

Friend Stephenw,
This is the best turn in life.
All through past lives one had been looking outwards BUT MEDITATIOn is the turning point to look inwards.
Not that I am perfect in meditation myself and days goes by when I do not get then few moments of nothingness but my experience is that the feeling you get just by watching your breath and the mind in turn is the biggest kick one can give oneself. Meaning to say the pull og those moments are so graet that one is automatically drawn into doing it more and more.
My best wishes to you and do continue the practice as a seperate item daily and also while doing any other thing; by and by the awreness of not only the breath but also of the outer world will increase by and by.
Wait for the day when the mind goes blank for few moments that is the day you will be born again.
Till then humans live but like dead people but after that glimpse each moment is like opening of each petal of a lotus. You can feel growing each moment, slowly and surely a never ending process.
Since samadhi / nirvana are far away for me, cannot comment on that. But am happy with what I have an dkeep doing my karma without any expectation even of the nirvana type.
Once again, Best wishes on your journey.
Begining is the end in itself.
Love & rgds

[MysticSang'ha]

Originally Posted by stephenw

That is an excellent book you pointed me to Mystic.Amazon.co.uk: How to Meditate: A Practical Guide: Kathleen McDonald,Robina Courtin: Books
Thank you.
I've started sitting in meditation. I'm only doing 10mins at a time. It's fabulous to just sit there concentrating on the breathing. Some of the stuff that floats across my mind is funny.
I'm a happy person anyway, but I can see why many statues of Buddhas are sitting there smiling or chuckling.
It's certainly adding to my daily chuckle quota.
Interesting stuff.

That reminds me of one group meditation at our Dharma center that nearly had me rolling on the floor, but thankfully I kept my composure for the other practitioners sake.

We were given a visualization exercise, which is not uncommon, of Buddha sitting in front of us, with light emanating from him, smiling down at us with complete love and acceptance.....and despite the fact that the details that were given to us about Shakyamuni Buddha were numerous and thorough (like his earlobes, his hair curled, the cone reaching up from his crown chakra....), I somehow couldn't stop visualizing Mickey Mouse in front of me with his perpetual smile on his face staring down at me in front of Cinderella's Castle. I didn't generate this vision, and the more I fought it to try to visualize something more "appropriate" culturally, the more I kept wanting to burst out in laughter because Mickey Mouse kept invading my thoughts.

So, I just went with it. And Mickey Mouse became my Buddha for quite a few months after that. He still warms my heart and makes me smile whenever I see him, but needless to say, the mind offers us some very interesting stuff that tickles and awakens the sense of humor.

I'm so full of joy that you've found value in your practice. May you be blessed, Stephen, with great fortune and happiness!!




Peace,
Mystic

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by MysticSang'ha

We were given a visualization exercise, which is not uncommon, of Buddha sitting in front of us, with light emanating from him, smiling down at us with complete love and acceptance.....and despite the fact that the details that were given to us about Shakyamuni Buddha were numerous and thorough (like his earlobes, his hair curled, the cone reaching up from his crown chakra....), I somehow couldn't stop visualizing Mickey Mouse in front of me with his perpetual smile on his face staring down at me in front of Cinderella's Castle. I didn't generate this vision, and the more I fought it to try to visualize something more "appropriate" culturally, the more I kept wanting to burst out in laughter because Mickey Mouse kept invading my thoughts.

So, I just went with it. And Mickey Mouse became my Buddha for quite a few months after that. He still warms my heart and makes me smile whenever I see him, but needless to say, the mind offers us some very interesting stuff that tickles and awakens the sense of humor.

That is soooo awesome!