pattricia Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Yes i like this thread too... one question, can you over meditate? like can it make you feel a bit low?... I would also like the answer to your question. Im guessing PaliRichard will say "No" you cant over meditate. I should imagine the longer you meditate, the more relaxed you become. I do 12 mins, but sometimes I lose track of time, and it runs into 15 mins. Benefits of meditation this week include: Never feeling afraid Never feeling panicky........................................thats good enough for me.!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaliRichard Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Yes i like this thread too... one question, can you over meditate? like can it make you feel a bit low?... That's a very good question, and I'm afraid I can't give you a 'one size fits all' answer. I think in general 'over meditating' will not, if you are doing it correctly, make you feel 'low', I have been sat on mountains in Sutherland for days (with breaks for the obvious bodily functions) and had no detrimental side effects. Having said that, the mind can be over concentrated and become fatigued. For me viewing the mind as a muscle seems to work, for others it may be different, but over excercise can be damaging to a muscle and in the same way over exerting the mind can too. It is an aspect of Buddhism that awareness (meditation) should be cultivated from waking until sleeping, and this can be achieved. I expect it comes down to experience and what you are 'adding' to the method, but simply watching the breath, the core of most meditation, I would imagine the only side effect of that would be becoming so relaxed that you lose concentration and fall asleep. Others may have different experiences, and I would be intetested to hear their thoughts on this question too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Overall Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks for the reply, ive been feeling a little tired recently, i do tend to try and concentrate, maybe too much?...in other words maybe i should stop trying so hard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaliRichard Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks for the reply, ive been feeling a little tired recently, i do tend to try and concentrate, maybe too much?...in other words maybe i should stop trying so hard... Definately stop 'trying' altogether, just 'do'. I'm not sure what method of meditation you use so I can't really say more than that, but doing, and trying are entirely different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Overall Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Definately stop 'trying' altogether, just 'do'. I'm not sure what method of meditation you use so I can't really say more than that, but doing, and trying are entirely different. I've been using simply being, and meditation without borders...the last one gives you the option of learning to meditate, are you best just sticking to one? I find when I'm told to disregard any thoughts, I am trying.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janie48 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I like this thread. Thank you all for contributing your insights. Just like to say, that any critisizm I have ever aimed at any other person, for whatever reason or fault; 9 times out of 10, that very same fault manifests in my own being. Indeed, where that not the case, I would fail to recognise it as a fault in others. Plus, it's not my place, or obligation, to go about offering unsolicited advice or pointing out other peoples' flaws. None of us are perfect,it would be a nice world if we were.... but wouldn't it be a boring one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaliRichard Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I've been using simply being, and meditation without borders...the last one gives you the option of learning to meditate, are you best just sticking to one? I find when I'm told to disregard any thoughts, I am trying.. I've just had to google both the things you've been using as I confess I was unfamiliar with both. Are you interested in Buddhism, or just meditation? If you're not that interested in Buddhism I would avoid the simply being, I think it is a very difficult call because I know Tibetan Buddhists are very good meditators, but they do it, as would be expected (and quite natural) from the 'Buddhist perspective'. Having said that meditation without borders seems to me a bit too commercial, I'm always wary of that, let me stress, as I had too early on in this thread with another group that I am not calling into question the validity of the organisation. In fact if anything it is a personal predudice, because in Buddhism it is forbidden to charge for teachings (and yes that does mean I am against the publication of Buddhist books for profit), so bear that in mind. I think with any organisation like that the quality of instruction is going to be relatively similar, and that, as with anything, depends on the insight of the instructors. In short, if you're not interested in Buddhism from the Buddhist perspective, go with the latter - but be wary not to part with money (or not too much at least - you know your budget) for 'guided' meditation. I would stick with just one - at least until you find if it's 'working' for you or not, I'd recommend a session every day for three weeks will be enough time for you to notice wether the 'goals' you have are being fulfilled. Language is difficult regarding meditation, if I may offer a tip - I would say don't disregard thoughts, or you might find your trying to fend them off - which will make you notice them more. Everytime you notice that your mind has wandered - return to your breathing, it is the simplest yet in my opinion by far the most effective way of being aware and improving concentration. Do not try to watch your breathing, just do it, and when you are aware of the thoughts running away with you, return to the breath. the secret is not to try to 'empty' the mind or 'ignore' the thoughts, just let them be and return to your breathing, when you do this the thoughts will dissipate by themselves. I'm sorry for the rather long post but I wanted to get quite a bit in, I hope it has been of some help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johncocker Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Yes i like this thread too... one question, can you over meditate? like can it make you feel a bit low?... I've met monks in burma who do a 3month rains retreat every year some of them do it in a isolated cave away from everthing, no human contact at all somebody leaves food and water for them every day a distance from their cave. I stayed at a theravada monastery in an isolated area of australia a few years ago were a little old aussie lady in her sixtys((she was the director of an AA clinic in sydney and an ex alcoholic) was just completing a 5 month silent retreat she hadn't spoken to anyone in 5 months , just picked up her food every day a couple of hundred meters from the kitchen and then went back to her little one room hut in the bush,the closest contact she had with anybody was just seeing someone maybe 50 meters in the distance. IT took her quite a while to get her voice back I did a 10 day silent retreat at the same place once and totally lost my voice, it took me about an hour to get it back to normal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Overall Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I've just had to google both the things you've been using as I confess I was unfamiliar with both. Are you interested in Buddhism, or just meditation? If you're not that interested in Buddhism I would avoid the simply being, I think it is a very difficult call because I know Tibetan Buddhists are very good meditators, but they do it, as would be expected (and quite natural) from the 'Buddhist perspective'. Having said that meditation without borders seems to me a bit too commercial, I'm always wary of that, let me stress, as I had too early on in this thread with another group that I am not calling into question the validity of the organisation. In fact if anything it is a personal predudice, because in Buddhism it is forbidden to charge for teachings (and yes that does mean I am against the publication of Buddhist books for profit), so bear that in mind. I think with any organisation like that the quality of instruction is going to be relatively similar, and that, as with anything, depends on the insight of the instructors. In short, if you're not interested in Buddhism from the Buddhist perspective, go with the latter - but be wary not to part with money (or not too much at least - you know your budget) for 'guided' meditation. I would stick with just one - at least until you find if it's 'working' for you or not, I'd recommend a session every day for three weeks will be enough time for you to notice wether the 'goals' you have are being fulfilled. Language is difficult regarding meditation, if I may offer a tip - I would say don't disregard thoughts, or you might find your trying to fend them off - which will make you notice them more. Everytime you notice that your mind has wandered - return to your breathing, it is the simplest yet in my opinion by far the most effective way of being aware and improving concentration. Do not try to watch your breathing, just do it, and when you are aware of the thoughts running away with you, return to the breath. the secret is not to try to 'empty' the mind or 'ignore' the thoughts, just let them be and return to your breathing, when you do this the thoughts will dissipate by themselves. I'm sorry for the rather long post but I wanted to get quite a bit in, I hope it has been of some help Thanks for this post, it's been a big help.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutch Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Meditation goes much deeper than the technique which may be useful to reach "the experience" of meditation but the thechnique is not meditation in itself. It is good to exhaust all the energy involved in searching, looking, meditating, efford, trying. To the point where all these energy's get so fed up and exhausted, that they give up and give up so totally that they just dissapear, unexpected, totally, gone foreever. Just before the greatest moments of silence is often extreme activity of tiring energies struggling and fighting to be acknowledged. Your mind knows, when you meditate, that the meditation will kill its existence. it fights and struggles to the last moment to stay in charge. But then mind gives up, tired, fed up, and deeper moments of silence come and mind will never be in charge again to the levels it was before. In the beginning is always the most difficult because mind and emotions are fully in charge and in the foreground, overwhelming. Very very tiring. When mind is no longer in charge it is still there for you to use when you need it for practical purposes. You will never be a slave victim of its dreams expectations, hopes, desires, misery of minds struggle to get somewhere meaningless. You are watching mind now. Mind cannot play its stupid little games no more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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