Home Meditation

[Chiburi]

As I might have said before, gym is my first choice for a place to meditate. Concentrating on repeating the simple set of movements and just doing it is what 'empties my mind' and so on. Also, sitting in a plane on its way to drop off altitudes is a time for myself, when I try to get rid of all the thoughts that might be bothering me when I have my feet on Earth. With green light and time to jump comes nirvana

I do sit down at times, close my eyes and 'meditate,' too, but a lot of problems would be solved if people stopped worrying about 'how to's for such a simple act, IMHO!

Just my two cents, as always

[Barthox]

Originally posted by Chiburi
I do sit down at times, close my eyes and 'meditate,' too, but a lot of problems would be solved if people stopped worrying about 'how to's for such a simple act, IMHO!

I hope, I understood your comment correctly, if not I apologize in advance! ;-)

I believe you are right, ... if you are a bit more than a beginner.
But if no one has ever told you 'how to', how can you do it?

Take my case, I have only done a little bit of mediatation at the end of a few Aikido sessions, and that was more than ten years ago. Today, I'd really like to do it again, but I do not have the faintest idea as to what I should do. In what position should I be, how should I breathe, what should I do about those lingering thoughts spinning in my mind (well, I guess I know the answer to that one!), ...

Again, sorry if I'm beside your point.

[Chiburi]

Xavier,

No need to apoligise. I myself should've explained myself better! I wanted to make the point that in my opinion what makes beginning meditation so difficult are all the things you hear and learn about "correct" ways of meditation. What I wanted to say that one (unless your aim is to practice a certain type of meditation that belongs to some specific "school" of meditation, and therefore follow the traditions that go with it) shouldn't, even in the beginning, get stuck with these "how to's," f. ie how to sit, breath, what to concentrate on, and so on

I could add at this point that I do not fall in a clear niche in what comes to meditation, although my ideas about it seem to go among the lines of what Zen Buddhism teaches -- in case that helps you I do not practice any type of formal meditation. From a very utilitarian point of view I could say that I "do what I do" with the intention of achieving peace of mind, relaxation and simply put a break from daily life during which I let myself get back on track. Despite not sticking to formal guidelines or how to's, it seems to work.

Of course one could argue that what I'm doing does not qualify as meditation, that it's simply concentrating and clearing your thoughts, et cetera. Since I haven't dedicated my life to seeking enlightenment, perhaps meditation is indeed the wrong term to use in a strict sense. I have to admit that I can't say I know what meditation is, and that being the case all my opinions about it are pretty much worthless. However, I believe my meaning to be what the majority of martial artists understand or at least classify under meditation.

I guess it is hard to start meditating when someone tells you to when you don't have the slightest clue of what it is. As I pointed out above, I don't think you, as a martial artist, should worry about not doing it the right way. At first, concentrate on just concentrating and relaxing, and once you've achieved what feels to you like meditation, you can study all different types and schools of meditation. At that point you'll know what you're looking for. If you worry too much about not doing it correctly, there's no way you can concentrate on meditation. Do it on a sofa if it feels better than the hard floor. Generally, breathing deep will help you relax and calm down, which will in turn help you concentrate. Let's put it this way: meditation is being with yourself, and once you're at it, forgetting about yourself, just being. Close your eyes, relax, breath deep and just let yourself be. If thoughts come to your mind, let them come and they'll go. It's like little kids; not giving them attention makes them disappear and go bug someone else. Eventually you'll be able to "clear you mind" from unwanted thoughts. That's how I do it, but I can't guarantee it's meditation or that it works for you. For myself it gives what I believe meditation is all about, but I too am working on it. I am a beginner as well!

I guess I ended up with a little dilemma by telling you a "how to" for meditation, but in case you really feel you can't meditate without some advice, take it, work on it, and find your own way of doing it. No one can tell you how to do it, you have just got to learn. What comes to this rather long piece of writing, I hope you picked up the useful stuff along the way

PS. Liege has the best "gauffres" in the world

Cheers,

[Chiburi]

[I apoligise for the double post]

[Barthox]

Thanks Chiburi, it did help me finally making up my mind on the distinction between relaxation and meditation.

I think what I'm seeking to achieve is deep relaxation, which might lead me, unconsciously, to meditation, but I'll know that only if then.

I think the 'gauffres' are more famous abroad than in Liege ... ;-)

[Chiburi]

Originally posted by Barthox
I think the 'gauffres' are more famous abroad than in Liege ... ;-)

You're very welcome, happy to be of use. I lived in Belgium for about eight years, and during that time the best gauffres I tasted were from Liège.

Cheers,

[xanderd]

meditation still confuses me.

if theres no 'proper' way of doing it, then what does the work 'meditation' actually mean? There must be some defining guidelines as to what it entails.

Unless meditation is a goal ratyher than a process, i.e. clearing the mind, and it doesnt matter how you arrive there?

Anyway, I dont often make time for meditating, tho i wish i did it more, i guess i dont feel productive unless I am punching, drilling, practicing, lifting weights etc.

[glad2bhere]

Dear Alex:

".....if theres no 'proper' way of doing it, then what does the work 'meditation' actually mean? There must be some defining guidelines as to what it entails......"

I will do my best to offer an explanation from within the context of my own practice and faith. I am also a teacher and a counselor, as well as a Human Being. Now, while that must sound like an odd way to start this explanation, work with me for a minute and I think I can pull this all together.

Meditation is a way of training the mind and there by uncovering the true Self. The result of uncovering the true Self is that one can then deal with Life on Lifes' terms without the hinderance of illusions of who we pretend to be, or have been shaped into being by outside forces. It takes courage to drop those illusions in the first place, and real guts to face Life on Lifes' terms. But if someone wants to do it, the skills for doing it are available.

Now, I mentioned that I was a teacher and a counselor so lets pretend that the concept of "meditation" had never been invented. In counseling there has been a protocol recently developed called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprograming. In this protocol a client organizes a painful experience and while allowing that image to exist in his mind he participates in a rapid movement of the eyes. The trick is to allow the image to be what it is and cause the feelings that it does while remaining passive to its existence. This is not unlike meditation where one experiences intrusive thoughts but does not allow them to capture and hold ones' attention.

Still wondering? Well I also mentioned that I am a Human Being, and as such I am required to sleep a few hours within each 24 hour cycle. During that time strong experiences are expressed to my mind while my body is effectively "anesthetized" so that it can't act on the images. When you wake-up, your mind has been "reset" for another day. Once again its another way to look at meditation except that meditation is accomplished while one is still awake albeit in an altered state of consciousness.

You are probably wondering, "well, thats all well and good, but what does it have to do with Martial arts, or religion, or anything else." The answer is suprisingly simple. We rarely focus as intensely on some goal as we would like because our consciouness is often split among a number of distractions. The more we are able to focus despite past experiences, environmental noise, responsibilities, in junctions etc., etc., the more we are able to realize out of an experience. In this way meditation is the "weight lifting" our minds can do to build strong focus so as to get the best out of our religion, or MA or whathaveyou. In my own case, meditation helps me focus intently on following the Eight Fold Path when everything else in my life is pulling me in some other direction. Hope this is of some help.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[steve schoen]

I can see (and agree) that in today's style it is hard to "fit" time in to look inside yourself. Trust me I know. Squeeze it into say, doing a couple more reps? I got the problem of spending time with my daughter or hitting the mat.
My mistake is reading to much into what everyone says will "work". Instead of seeing what you can become instead of seeing what you are. I've looked to books by RVD, Glenn Morris and Thich Nahat Hanh to name a few.
Bruce, is it not active or walking medatation just a "branch" of bieng mindful?

Chiburi (and all) thanks for the tips. This thread has been a bright one.

I think that Barthox has touched on what I would have asked (if I logged on sooner!)

Thank you to all..

[glad2bhere]

Dear Steve:

Mindfulness is just a way of being and the activity in which you indulge is whatever venue you would like it to be for engaging in that mindfulness. Sweeping a floor is balancing your checkbook, is counting your breathes is eating your lunch.

Best Wishes,

Bruce