Types of meditation and how to perform them...

[Jeia Ra Manuk]

well yes, of course. i think it`s pretty much the point of this thread. i presume people would provide the title and description of the meditation they want to discuss. and if someone doesn`t provide one of the two elements, we can always ask for clarification, correct?

love,
ra ma

first off sorry to interrupt but it seems like there are a million definitions of meditation these days just like there is a million different kinds of enlightenment....... so before we know the method to do something wouldn't we first have to know and or define what is meant by the term meditation in this context?

[Chris Hamilton]

from spiralcycle:

so before we know the method to do something wouldn't we first have to know and or define what is meant by the term meditation in this context?

as a very simple answer to that, i would say that meditation is a personal contemplation, normally performed individually, but sometimes in groups. the type of contemplation is what this thread is about. chris

[SpiralCycle]

jeia ra manuk: "i presume people would provide the title and description of the meditation they want to discuss. "

i am guessing by naming and describing any type of method for -?- is a meditation. i am just curious what it is they are trying to get to by the method and type or what the focal point is.

chris hamilton: "as a very simple answer to that, i would say that meditation is a personal contemplation, normally performed individually, but sometimes in groups. the type of contemplation is what this thread is about. "

so in your opinion meditation by definition is contemplation. so this thread is a conversation of types of contemplation? i am curious why they wouldn't replace the word contemplation with meditation or visca-versa. i thought part of meditating was to clear the mind from thoughts but i guess that has been my own experience from classes and teachings from people such as osho but as i have mentioned there are many types it seems (this is not the same as methods or ways to meditate, many meanings to the same word which many methods try to prevail to). i guess i am still a bit confused.

[Jeia Ra Manuk]

well, if we are gonna go into this... isn't not thinking actually thinking? ha. but i know what you mean.
in western philosophy, meditate/meditation means to contemplate and overall stress your brain to produce incredible insight.
in eastern philosophy, meditate/meditation means to empty your mind of thoughts, which is usually achieved by singling out thoughts. (relax your brain to produce insight)

if you are interested in what meditation is in the eastern understanding i recommend you watch this video (being interested in osho, and if you haven't seen this yet and if you have, watch it again and listen closely, this is it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pevq...layer_embedded

love and light,
ra ma

[MarkM]

jeia ra manuk: "i presume people would provide the title and description of the meditation they want to discuss. "

i am guessing by naming and describing any type of method for -?- is a meditation. i am just curious what it is they are trying to get to by the method and type or what the focal point is.

chris hamilton: "as a very simple answer to that, i would say that meditation is a personal contemplation, normally performed individually, but sometimes in groups. the type of contemplation is what this thread is about. "

so in your opinion meditation by definition is contemplation. so this thread is a conversation of types of contemplation? i am curious why they wouldn't replace the word contemplation with meditation or visca-versa. i thought part of meditating was to clear the mind from thoughts but i guess that has been my own experience from classes and teachings from people such as osho but as i have mentioned there are many types it seems (this is not the same as methods or ways to meditate, many meanings to the same word which many methods try to prevail to). i guess i am still a bit confused.

my take on meditation is as my take on 'fun'... many different types, or does it go beyond an attempt to catalog/enumerate? to me meditation can mean something as basic as attempting to get behind the chattering mindstreaming with its concerns of normal life, trying to discern what may lie beneath. this assumes that the mind is not me, yet a discussion of what is me and whether 'i' can be apprehended beneath my mind could be fun!

contemplating seems a passive, inward and pensive thing, perhaps experiencing without struggling to apply logic or reasoning - but that's just me - contemplation could involve reviewing the events of the day, for example, and trying to figure stuff out. meditation can be thusly defined, why not? it's like trying to find the dividing line between fun and exhilaration... good luck with that, in terms of definitive distinction!

its maybe the mind which seeks distinction, or comparative differences and evaluating in a relative sense through constant effort, but whatever you call it, there's the concept of stilling the mind enough so that a stiller, smaller voice can be discerned... a place where relaxation can apply to the mind to the point of letting go of mental effort. it would seem to me that, uh,... never mind, i don't want to think anymore...

just feel it. mark

[Chris Hamilton]

well, seeeee i thought spiral's question was really good, because had we ever thought exactly what was meditation? the best question, spiral, and started us thinking beyond our own ideas of what exactly meditation is from different perspectives. look at religions-they call it prayer, although i personally think the approach is different, as prayer generally gives thanks or asks for help from a deity considered outside our selves. meditation on the other hand is accessing our god within and getting our own answers from inside. thank you spiral for asking this question. chris

[Jeia Ra Manuk]

chris,
so true about religion and prayer, thanks for raising that point. and thank you spiral from me as well!
i always have problems when it comes to defining certain things, mostly due to the fact that for 15 +/- years i was self teaching myself about all this stuff and had formed a lot of the same concepts as we discuss here, just in a bit of a different light.
i guess from now on, when discussing the mechanics of mediation we shouldn't mix it with philosophical though, be it ours or someone else's. it would be besides the point if someone was teaching you a physical activity and giving you a lecture at the same time. hehe.

love and light,
ra ma

[EcyaC]

does anyone have any prayers or mantras they would like to share while going into and out of meditation?

would be great!

after much meditation, both contemplative and silent, i've concluded to "officially meditate" is to put yourself in time-out. i rarely have to be in time-out these days, thanks be to god. ammmen...

[SpiralCycle]

i am glad you guys were open to the conversation. sometimes it saddens me to see such important words made to fit every occasion. i know that it is hard not to get words to have different meanings but some words to me are important and when everyone uses it for any reason it can really harm original texts and it's intentional use. i even went on a trip yesterday myself because it said the root word was dhyai and i tried to find the origins of dhyai and sometimes it went to ancient buddhism and sometimes it went back to zoroastrianism.

the scholars trying to find the origins mentioned even they weren't sure sometimes it's original use and thought it could be the energy observing thought or contemplation on thoughts or contemplation itself. just from what i have learned most of the great teachers who taught meditation said it lead to great extended periods of experience that they could not describe in words or brought their entire consciousness into what seemed a whole new reality waiting to be discovered, such words were used like nirvana, enlightenment or samadhi which are now even obscured .

i am not trying to bash on people here i just think generally speaking using or pointing out a certain dialect can be very helpful in many ways so it is not obscured to others and gives them a chance to understand so they can find different contexts of the word in case they need to fit a different parameter intended. many great people pushed these words originally and when it gets translated so many times the relevance is greatly diluted. one easy example is all the translations of the bible haha. thank you guys for considering this i think the direction the conversation went was in a way which i couldn't have asked for better myself! :d

to keep this thread on topic i will give a type of meditation i like. for me meditation is an act of silencing the mind (especially the ego; please research the ego more if you are not sure exactly what i mean) or experiencing reality without any intentional or subconscious influence. i find one of the best methods for thoughts to stop surfacing more and more is to keep a safeguard running in the back of your mind to notice the thoughts continually coming up so it drops the identity that your mind subjugates itself to constantly making biased forms of the present moment by allowing the thoughts to fall away.

when you can see how much your mind (ego in this case) surfaces to judge or make opinions or just wander off will see how cluttered and biased the ego can be. my favorite action to allow this is taking deep breathes through the nose and just paying attention to breath only as a bonus sometimes you can feel your heart beating! buddha after much of his time trying to open others up to this experience started to mention this often. also as many know and pointed out in an edgar cayce reading (i believe) that crossing your legs and sitting upright comfortably can set the tone to help you focus more and was described as "somewhat helpful" in the reading.

i think meditation is very very important especially in this context. it can help you live outside of the self inflicted pain we feel day to day. also you start to feel more comfortable leaving the bounds of space and time which is only a perception that we have been constantly force-fed to see since early childhood. many people are starting to understand that space and time are an illusion but it is a whole different ballpark to experience it for extended amounts of time. it can definitely be scary because it is the ego that thinks it keeps you alive by over scheduling, worrying, seeing how much you do and do not have, what you can do in the future, who you are, if you are loved, if you understand things or not, if you will have enough money, ect ect.

now regular mind functions are a-okay such as; counting change, wondering where you left your keys, balancing a budget, learning how to do something new, but a lot of the things we have learned to do come natural and will come natural which is a much more relaxing life scenario. just remember one of the biggest indicators that the ego is under control is when you have negative emotions surfacing often. usually we experience emotion based on the thoughts that feed them but sometimes feeling things such as frustration and sadness are inevitable because it very en grained into our biological makeup the key is to know when it is being self inflicted.

i am also open to the methods of perceptual reality expansion or relaxation you guys posted here and have actually looked into some, thanks.

[SpiralCycle]

well, if we are gonna go into this... isn't not thinking actually thinking? ha. but i know what you mean.
in western philosophy, meditate/meditation means to contemplate and overall stress your brain to produce incredible insight.
in eastern philosophy, meditate/meditation means to empty your mind of thoughts, which is usually achieved by singling out thoughts. (relax your brain to produce insight)

if you are interested in what meditation is in the eastern understanding i recommend you watch this video (being interested in osho, and if you haven't seen this yet and if you have, watch it again and listen closely, this is it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pevq...layer_embedded

love and light,
ra ma

that osho video is exactly the definition of what i believe was the original concept of meditation itself. p.s. no not thinking has nothing to do with thinking and again if there was not a difference between no thought and thought there would not be an expression for no thought. just as there isn't an expression for an earth that doesn't exist. but i understand what you mean and think we have cleared it up.