Good At Meditation - What Does This Mean?

Out of curiosity since I read it just recently: 'I am good at meditation' could somebody explain me what that means?

If I say I'm good in breathing than I have as well no real clue bout the meaning. Is it good cause I survived till now with breathing? I understand if somebody would say 'I'm good in 100m sprint cause I run it in 11 secs.' which means there is some kind of comparision. But how you compare mediation? So, what does a good meditation mean?

 

Good at meditation means you are good at achieving a state of calm relaxed meditation, and know when you are in the meditative state. To become good at meditation requires regular daily practice, and you will need to give up a bit of your free time, usually about 30 - 40 minutes during the day or evening to achieve this. If you have any further questions then please ask.

 

Reg. the time to spend to do it regularly I agree. But I cannot really agree with the term 'good' at meditation - sorry. Well, perhaps you could easily get to some specific state but does it mean your are good in it?
Plus I wonder if a calm relaxed mind state is THE purpose of meditation. The reason why I'm doubting is due to 2 points

1. How you recognize that you are calm or not?
2. If you are not calm, than this is NOT mediation?

add 1) Means: There has to be some kind of checking activity in it to recognize that you are calm or not. And the checking activity isn't meditation at all.
add 2) I see the big danger that one clings to the state of calmness and tries to push out everything which interferes with that 'special' state. So, one tries to make it dry and clean, void of everything - but daily live isn't like that - so it's an artificial state.

To my understanding meditation allows you to perceive what happens at just that moment. e.g. recognize ones breath, hearing the birds outside. Calmness is a byproduct which is a big and very attractive one. I don't say one has to avoid it, but e.g. sometimes it might not be supportive if decisions need to be done quickly. IMHO meditation is not separeted from daily live - but the special Dojo-training is quite supportive.

My view - how does it resonate? Curious...

 

The only checking activity you need to recognize to determine if are calm or not, is your very own sense of perception about yourself. The checking activity as you call it is a self verification within you which you naturally recognize within yourself when you are in a state of meditation. Basically meditation is an altered state of consciousness which you intentionally put yourself into. The way you meditate is entirely up to you as there is no specially set method you have to follow, just do what feels right for you.

You don't have to be in a calm mental state to meditate of course, anything you do that results in all your thought being concentrated on something is a form of meditation. Driving is a perfect example of this, you are indeed meditating when you drive because all of your concentration is focussed on your driving.

 

Is it like that? You put yourself into something else - really?

If I follow your driving sample - which I find reasonable - you don't put yourself into a 'driving' state. Well, yeah, you need to get into the car, start the engine, take off - that's all you need to put into. But how happen the rest? If your mind is busy you won't recognize a pedestrian crossing the street and you'll hit him/her. If you wanna compare meditation and driving than you have to take into account that things might happen - although they shouldn't. If a pedestrian crosses you cannot say 'That's invalid - get out of the traffic.' or 'I ignore you and you are in my way, I cannot let my driving state be interrupted'. Most naturally you would stop, let him pass and than continue driving.

That's the way I see meditation. Calm down, don't check, just do it. If something appears try to handle it, let it go, come back to your practice.

AND I agree completely with you that recognition of oneself is necessary. But ONLY that, nothing more. No influence to the direction as it might turn out, no direction where it should flow, no pre-justice - just let it flow and deal with whatever comes. Therefore the curiosity reg. 'good at mediation' cz you don't know in advance what will come next. Hard to predict if your response was good or bad - especially when the result is unknown (either short-term or long-term).

My view

 

When you get into your car for a drive somewhere your thinking process automatically shifts into driving mode which is an altered state of consciousness. As long as you continue to calmly concentrate on the road ahead of you and vehicles nearby you will minimize the risk of having an accident. Admittedly if your concentration isn't where it should be while you are driving then you could have an accident, but then you will have consciously broken your altered state of consciousness by thinking about something else. So yes you do put yourself into a meditative state of mind quite easily when driving even though you may not realise it. The rest of your post of course is absolutely correct.

 

and that is why they put blinders on race horses....

 

Good question!

As has been stated getting still and regular meditation is paramount.

It is a fallacy when people say they can still the mind – if you are not aware of your thoughts before they enter your head what control do you have? There are techniques to slow things down, even Light and Sound meditators that have gone beyond the mind still get dragged back into mind turmoil while meditating.

A couple of points to be aware of are:
1. There are times when you feel like you have had a bad meditate – the only bad meditate is not meditating. It is a journey some days are not good but that is OK you are still moving forward and things will get better.
2. There is a misconception that people that see a lot and have many experiences are good meditators

 

Interesting wording.... how could this work that somebody goes beyond the mind? I mean, everything is created by mind alone... how do you go beyond?????

 

Our mind deciphers the input. Our minds do not create but interpret.

You can go beyond the mind. It is a sense of being in the particular state. For instance, i have been water. Running down slight rapids, viewing the world through the 'eyes' of being water. Looking at my surroundings and having the sensation of floating along. Even had fish swim through me. I could see my surroundings, new I was water and just let it happen.

Sometimes i just have an overwhelming urge to cry or laugh. No visual, just feelings. Meditation is allowing ones senses to run unrestricted and embrace all one sees, feels or senses.

Meditation is beyond mind. But you need to let go and ride along. Trying to work out 'why' or 'how' meditating works, is keeping one from the experience.

5 minutes a day is enough and is a good start until one can improve his/her technique.

Meditation cannot be 'explained', it is meant to be felt for the understanding to begin.

 

when i was a 'good meditator' i followed a teaching and tried at it - since i do not follow any teaching very well anymore i am no longer a good meditator

i am still a better meditator than many since i can at will sit down and settle down - i am better at meditation anyway than someone who took it up yesterday or someone who can only meditate when they are stoned

i will never be a good meditator again though since i have lower back problems now it's hard for me to sit for more than a half an hour

 

I can agree with some point you mentioned, xenan, like meditation cannot be explained althought to some extent it can be. Like the car driving sample from Backcat. On the one hand you cannot explain car driving on the other you can. The technical details could be explained, the reduced stress hardly and that's the way you drive most comfortably.....

Agreed as well, and doubting the sample with your water. To my experience one senses something (or feel smth) and - as you mentioned - the mind deciphers it. The mind deciphers the sensations as something one knows, like water - flowing water - and the mind goes along with the interpretation. Not good, not bad, just not beyond the mind. Its just a mind story which was created out of the sensations. To my understanding the difficult stuff is to follow the sensations, the feelings without getting lured away into an abyss of stories...

is it required to follow the teachings to be a good boy? I mean I appreciate the teachings as well as some kind of orientation so one couldn't get lost. I wonder about question if one shouldn't develop one's own approach to it. And if you develop than most likely you wouldn't follow the teachings - more a don't ignore them, take them into account, respect them, scrutinize them. And does this make you a good boy or a bad boy? Don't know....

Is it really required to have the formal outside position of sitting meditation? Isn't it more an inner position, an inner attitude which makes meditation hitting the real world? I just wonder if meditation is really restricted only on formal stuff - plus if it could be evaluated in good and bad terms of mediation.... Just curious about the concepts behind (which is the reason to have started this thread :blush5: ).

 

Good question - you can't go behind your mind with your mind.

In simple terms that which is observing is not the mind but you don't know that with your mind, in fact some people say that they are not their mind but it is only just a theory or a belief.

To get true separation you need to have a second initiation into Light and Sound - the first is a permanent revelation of the Spiritual Light and Sound and the second is a vast expansion and the mind is witnessed and so much more....

 

Don't resign yourself to that fact that you can't be a good meditator because of your back issues - it is not necessary that you have to sit cross legged to meditate, get a good chair that will support you.
My wife has back issues and she meditated (in a chair) for one week this year for a second initiation and that is a really advanced state.

 

haha - advanced meditation state
read some longchenpa or gurdjieff

 

hmmmm.... second initiation? Why is this required? I mean Buddha attained enlightenment without additional prerequisites...

Yeah, true - mind cannot go beyond mind - neither could any other idea go beyond this.... nevertheless enlightenment is possible, so how to achieve it?

Reading, thinking, responding :blush5:

 

Probably worth while checking out

http://www.lightandsoundmeditation.com/the-spiritual-journey

Enlightenment as - attained by Buddha is achievable and they do not charge for guidance or states of consciousness!

 

fuck me! nooooo
not more spiritual hierarchy shit - spiritual hierarchy means spiritual slavery at the other end

buddha has nothing to do with spiritual hierarchy

 

Thank you for your useful intelligent response!

 

buddha has nothing to do with initiations
that you think otherwise means you know nothing about buddhism