The Purpose Of Meditation

[Salty Booger]

Meditation for me can happen anywhere: sitting in a chair, resting in bed, standing at the street corner. I find it restful and centering.

How about you?

Photo by Sadaham Yathra from Pexels

 

[JustGeorge]

Actually, I find the opposite. When I meditate, I tend to become stressed out; maybe not immediately, but soon after.

I think I suppress a lot of stuff, and it comes up. Kinda like how a resting cat suddenly sits up and feels the immediate urge to bring forth a hairball...

 

[Salty Booger]

Actually, I find the opposite. When I meditate, I tend to become stressed out; maybe not immediately, but soon after.

I think I suppress a lot of stuff, and it comes up. Kinda like how a resting cat suddenly sits up and feels the immediate urge to bring forth a hairball...

Maybe that is your purpose for meditating, too explore your negative feelings, or to spit out that hairball?

 

[JustGeorge]

Well, its not going to dislodge itself....

 

[Left Coast]

Meditation for me can happen anywhere: sitting in a chair, resting in bed, standing at the street corner. I find it restful and centering.

How about you?

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Photo by Sadaham Yathra from Pexels

I am developing a routine meditation habit several times a week, usually at night before bed. Often I find it peaceful and calming, other times my monkey mind is too active and I can't sit for too long. Trying to learn to just observe that and let it be, rather than give in to it.

 

[Windwalker]

Maybe that is your purpose for meditating, too explore your negative feelings, or to spit out that hairball?

I found as I went deeper into meditation, there was quite a lot of that hairball stuck in the throat that came up. Lots of darkness we'd wish kept hidden in the corners, being the monsters that we made them into. Sometimes meditation alone is not the sole cure. It certainly helps to be objective about internal stuff, but sometimes you've got to look right into the muck, roll up the sleeves and dig into that historical stuff. Bypassing it's not the best route.

Certainly though, develop a regular meditative practice. But that's not the only place to focus. It will help make the hard work easier though. So wed the two together.

 

[Salty Booger]

I am developing a routine meditation habit several times a week, usually at night before bed. Often I find it peaceful and calming, other times my monkey mind is too active and I can't sit for too long. Trying to learn to just observe that and let it be, rather than give in to it.

Possibility an opportunity to watch the thoughts moving through your mind?

 

[The Hammer]

Actually, I find the opposite. When I meditate, I tend to become stressed out; maybe not immediately, but soon after.

I think I suppress a lot of stuff, and it comes up. Kinda like how a resting cat suddenly sits up and feels the immediate urge to bring forth a hairball...

Ditto, meditation can be a blessing and relaxing activity, but it can also dislodge some stuff that I was not quite expecting.

 

[Salty Booger]

Ditto, meditation can be a blessing and relaxing activity, but it can also dislodge some stuff that I was not quite expecting.

They are just thoughts. You are not your thoughts. Trying to hold them down is like trying to smooth rough water with a flatiron (Alan Watts). Better to watch them until your mind gets bored with them. (Alan Watts).

 

[The Hammer]

They are just thoughts. You are not your thoughts. Trying to hold them down is like trying to smooth rough water with a flatiron (Alan Watts). Better to watch them until your mind gets bored with them. (Alan Watts).

The issue isn't ignoring the thoughts, I am fine with that, and gotten much better at it then I used to be. I have traumas in my past that crop up though that I am working through. These are not always conducive to meditation and can lead to disassociative episodes if not careful. They are just thoughts, but thoughts can have a very real affect on the body, and ones perception.

 

[Salty Booger]

thoughts can have a very real affect on the body, and ones perception.

Very true. What's worse is that it can create a feedback loop between the two--mind, body, mind, body. Unfortunately some people turn to drugs and alcohol to fight those negative thoughts.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Meditation for me can happen anywhere: sitting in a chair, resting in bed, standing at the street corner. I find it restful and centering.
How about you?

About same. Not in bed, not at the street corner. I must will it.
I mean I will not go into a trance while talking to you. I never did that kind of meditation. Is not meditation about awareness?

.. and I can't sit for too long. Trying to learn to just observe that and let it be, rather than give in to it.

Meditation does not require you to sit for long. You can fold up meditation for some other time if you so desire, just like a prayer mat and keep it in a corner. What is meditation if you have not learnt to control it? Yeah, serious about it.

 

[Jedster]

They are just thoughts. You are not your thoughts. Trying to hold them down is like trying to smooth rough water with a flatiron (Alan Watts). Better to watch them until your mind gets bored with them. (Alan Watts).

Nice.
A much better idea than trying to 'stop the mind', which many people struggle to do.

Great responses in this thread.

 

[PearlSeeker]

Meditation for me can happen anywhere: sitting in a chair, resting in bed, standing at the street corner. I find it restful and centering.

My purpose is theosis and union with God. In life this means for me to tune to God's will/true Self in everything (go with flow). But my heart is not free. It's thrown around by compulsions, ego attachments, distractions, restlessness, lack of mindfulness ... That's why I need spiritual discipline (and meditation as a part of it). I have just engaged in more regular meditation practice...

"Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it." (T. Aquinas)

 

[ajay0]

The purpose of meditation is to link us back with existential or living reality through present moment awareness rather than living in our own psychological worlds through incessant and compulsive thinking and emoting, and living in past or future through memory or imagination.


The mind is an excellent instrument which helps us in planning, understanding cause and effect, calculating and so on. As long as it is a servant to us it is useful.

Trouble begins when we identify with the mind and its thoughts and emotions and try to find our identity in them. This is what is meant by the ego in eastern philosophy, and some live most of their lives in compulsive thinking and emoting. This is where the mind ceases to be a servant and starts becoming our master instead and traps us in an unreal psychological world of thoughts, images and emotions we have created unwittingly.

Intense desires in the form of cravings and aversions heavily generate compulsive thinking and emoting incessantly. All vices such as greed, lust, hatred, arrogance, inordinate attachments leading to crimes such as robbery, rape, murder, substance abuse are but manifestations of cravings or aversions.


Ramana Maharshi associated the untamed mind with Maya or illusion.

Krishna and Buddha emphasized the importance of a trained mind which is subservient to our will and does not get carried away with compulsive thinking and emoting.


Whatever harm an enemy may do to an enemy, or a hater to a hater, an ill-directed mind inflicts on oneself a greater harm. Neither mother, father, nor any other relative can do one greater good than one’s own well-directed mind. ~ Buddha ( Dhammapada 42-43)

For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.~ Krishna ( BG: 6.6)



Meditation is but living in the present moment awareness, and most authentic meditation technique focuses on breaking the grip of the psychological mind on us, so that we become in tune with existential living reality rather than our self-created psychological reality. Neurosis and psychosis are extreme cases where the grip of psychological reality overwhelms the living existential reality heavily.



These articles can help you understand this subject better....


The Mechanics of Human Suffering


Being Conscious


Vernon Howard on conscious sweeping as a spiritual exercise...

 

[Aupmanyav]

My purpose is theosis and union with God.

My belief says that I am always one with Brahman, no separation ever. Even if I am evil, I am still That. It is a strict non-dual belief.

 

[PearlSeeker]

My belief says that I am always one with Brahman, no separation ever. Even if I am evil, I am still That. It is a strict non-dual belief.

Agree with advaita. Brahman and true Self is the same. But you can't be really blessed if you don't personally realize this unity and shine it in manifestation. All is One but some manifestations are more pure. You can be more/less connected to true Self. I believe life(s) is for learning and evolution of souls. Water that doesn't flow becomes stale and murky.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Agree with advaita. Brahman and true Self is the same. But you can't be really blessed if you don't personally realize this unity and shine it in manifestation. All is One but some manifestations are more pure. You can be more/less connected to true Self. I believe life(s) is for learning and evolution of souls. Water that doesn't flow becomes stale and murky.

Brahman does not need blessing and we are that. Monism. All things are equally pure in Advaita, since they are all but Brahman. As I said, there is never a separation, so we do not believe in getting connected. Of course, some have a veil of ignorance over their eyes. These people will not realize the truth and will not realize that all that they see is none other than Brahman. A Sanskrit saying expresses that very forcefully:
"Eko sad, dwiteeyo nasti; nasti, nasti, na nasti kadachana"
(What exists is one, there is no second; no. no, no, not in the least)

 

[Starlight]

I get tired of meditation.. I also feel more depressed. I'm struggling with depression and meditation does not helping me..
But mindfullness do help me alot. If I drink tee, then I try to be in the present moment.. If I feel a lot distress then I try focusing on the now moment. When I focus on now moment then I think "right now i have to breath.. right know i'm safe.. Right now i can relax"..

 

[The Hammer]

Very true. What's worse is that it can create a feedback loop between the two--mind, body, mind, body. Unfortunately some people turn to drugs and alcohol to fight those negative thoughts.

I agree, drugs and alcohol are not the fix for that sort of mind/body feedback loop. Unfortunately modern society isn't conducive to breaking that chain, nor does it even seem to encourage it, quite the opposite in fact.

"Saddle your soul and let it ride
With blind eyes, you’ll surely find the way
Draw your breath in – let your thoughts fly
Let it out slowly – on winds you’ll bide"