Zennnnnnnnnn....meditation experiences...
Kushikushun
Posts: 1,263
Now I am putting myself on the line here..no idea how ppl here feel about these things. Be nice 
I have started a course in Zen meditation some months ago and was wondering if anyone else here has any experience with it as well?
Let me first of all say that I am not religious, not buddhistic, dont like to think in dogma's or labels. But I do enjoy Zen meditation and line of thinking. I feel it is a very sobering practice which is helping me to put my two feet firmly onto the ground. People who say that it is oh so spiritual and floaty should really try to sit still for ten minutes. It sucks...haha! I really have bumped into myself numerous times while meditating. It helps me to deal with other stuff better though. Meditating is experiencing life in a mini-version to me.
One of preconceptions about Zen is that you are not allowed to think at all. That is not the case..you are allowed to think what you want, just do not go into these thoughts but return to concentrate on your breath each time a thought floats by. This way you start observing your thoughts and letting them go. Someone told me it is like thos glass snowballs that you can shake. When you sit down the snowflakes start to slowly come down.
Ok, enough already! Wanna hear what you think!
For more on my meditation experiences see my website: http://meditation-air.blogspot.com . Feel free to comment there as well!!
Take Care.
I have started a course in Zen meditation some months ago and was wondering if anyone else here has any experience with it as well?
Let me first of all say that I am not religious, not buddhistic, dont like to think in dogma's or labels. But I do enjoy Zen meditation and line of thinking. I feel it is a very sobering practice which is helping me to put my two feet firmly onto the ground. People who say that it is oh so spiritual and floaty should really try to sit still for ten minutes. It sucks...haha! I really have bumped into myself numerous times while meditating. It helps me to deal with other stuff better though. Meditating is experiencing life in a mini-version to me.
One of preconceptions about Zen is that you are not allowed to think at all. That is not the case..you are allowed to think what you want, just do not go into these thoughts but return to concentrate on your breath each time a thought floats by. This way you start observing your thoughts and letting them go. Someone told me it is like thos glass snowballs that you can shake. When you sit down the snowflakes start to slowly come down.
Ok, enough already! Wanna hear what you think!
For more on my meditation experiences see my website: http://meditation-air.blogspot.com . Feel free to comment there as well!!
Take Care.
Why not be mediocre and be the best at it that you can be?
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There must be something we can eat
Maybe find another lover
Should I fly to Los Angeles
Find my asshole brother
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Dave's on sale again
We kissy kiss in the rear view
We're so bored
You're to blame
Try to see it once my way
Everything zen
Everything zen
I don't think so
Raindogs howl for the century
A million dollars a stake
As you search for your demi-god
And you fake with a saint
There's no sex in your violence
There's no sex in your violence
Try to see it once my way
Everything zen
Everything zen
I don't think so
I don't believe that Elvis is dead
I don't believe that Elvis is dead
I don't believe that Elvis is, Elvis is
There's no sex in your violence
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
meditation is bullshit...
I mean, cool, I just sleep instead.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
Some of my friends have a hard time dealing with my Zen stuff..haha..They say I think too rationally ,lol and don't get stressed out..haha
So where is the obstaining from commenting gone....?
Getting yourself to focus and pay attention to what you are doing is all that Zen is about, so no surely no failure at all! Better to run with attention then to meditate and be distracted...:D
I read a good book about "Flow" a long time ago. The author (Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi; famous psychologist) describes that when you are doing something with your fullest attention you get into a state where all else falls away and this he calls flow. This is such a positive experience that it provides you with a lot of energy. He says that in certain professions people need this to do their job well, surgeons for example are in a state of "flow" when they perform well uhh...surgery..
It may sound all "out there" as some here seem to think...but it isnt at all, being highly concentrated and doing everyday stuff such as washing the dishes with focus brings your feet way more to the ground then any other things. And I need it, I think too much...head in the clouds and all
I have finally found my master then...:D!
Funny that your friends say you think too rationally, while the preconception on zen or meditation is that it is spiritual and all that blabla!
It does really help to not become stressed about things that really arent worthwhile. However, I am still learning..haha..
What say you about this?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43006-2005Jan2.html
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
-C Addison
oh ahnimus you disappoint me. :rolleyes: i find meditation a 'godsend'. ( oh yes the atheist really said that.) my mind gets so full of crap and races so much that i have to remove myself from it. i also need that time to centre my breathing and reconcile with the fact that the only thing that truly matters in my life is my children. what i do for them and how i conduct myself, so to best benefit them. i am not always successful but to take that time out is important. to dismiss it flat out as bullshit is to miss the point i think.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
yeah they say that at times...LOL.. but then realize it and correct themselves at times..It's funny..
They always ask me how I do it...and I tell them..while they are stressing out about that the coffee they just ordered they put too much sugar..lol..I'm like the extra sugar is really gonna ruin your day eh?..hmm.. wow...
I have no idea if the meditation that I do is Zen or not. I learned from a trained psychologist. Then started meditating with guided cd's. And have since gone and done more practice with another psychology group. I have found the practice VERY beneficial. From what I have read of your experience and practice, mine is very similar. I find meditation a way to sooth, calm and centre myself. And the health benefits of all that deep breathing are obvious. They have improved my health immeasurably.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind,
Possessing and caressing me.
Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world,
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes,
That call me on and on across the universe,
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box they
Tumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe
Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world,
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Sounds of laughter shades of earth are ringing
Through my open views inviting and inciting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a
Million suns, it calls me on and on
Across the universe
Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world,
Nothing’s gonna change my world.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
-Oscar Wilde
I learned a lot more from reading The Art of Happiness and other Buddhist/zen books.
naděje umírá poslední
I am still figuring out whether this is my thing or not..ah well, it sure feels beneficial to my mental health. But I am kinda thinking that when I get less stress from work and study and I can start living outdoors more, I will feel less need to meditate. We'll see....
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
Backpacking/hiking/skiing do it for me. I do stop at certain points to "meditate", clear my head. The more outdoors and isolated the better for me. Those experiences help me more than anything else to reenergize, and feel reconnected.
I get tired of bullshit, I go out and walk for a few hours with my dog.
And that failure's no success at all."
"Don't ya think its sometimes wise not to grow up."
"Cause life ain't nothing but a good groove
A good mixed tape to put you in the right mood."
It's just a useful tool to have Kushi. Even if you don't do it regularly once you have the basics down, you can get back into it pretty easily when you need to. Willingness being the key.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Yep. I do the same thing. I go fishing, or kayaking, or dissapear into the hills on my mountain bike for a few hours. I always come back feeling a lot better.
-C Addison
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
-Oscar Wilde
Abook girl, are you doing it just on your own or with a cd? Because the cd can really help you in the beginning. Even, just music, wind sounds, whales, waves, that kind of thing. To help focus your mind on, so you can get your breathing into sync. And please don't be added extra pressure on yourself to do it right!! When I started I was doing that all the time! It's a real problem. I went to a group at my counsellors and I found that having someone else guide you through was really beneficial and they would always remind us any thoughts, just let them go. Maybe try for shorter periods of time. Like say you are going to do 3 minutes. 3 minutes is still very refreshing and much easier to achieve. And you'll probably find that you go over the 3 minutes anyway!!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift