Trying to meditate...

I've been looking for something spiritual that I can do for myself. I haven't been doing psychedelics or pot at all lately, and I think I should be spiritual without that for a while anyway...I've tried a few times to meditate, and it seems I lack the patience for it, and when I try, I get very anxious, and get almost into a "bad trip" type mood where I can't focus on anything and its uncomfortable. I also have depression so that might have something to do with it. When I take psilocybin or LSD, I can get into a meditative state on these by just closing my eyes and feeling the energies around me. How should I relax when I meditate so this doesn't happen? What advice do you have?

 

that's what i was like. search on google for buddhist mantras and try to learn some... they are amazing, and help a lot
-peace

 

Cool, I'll try that. My buddy also agreed to show me some stuff he knows, which will help. Thanks.

 

Getting a blowjob can be very relaxing.

What? Seriously.

 

read this thread
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/5322920/an/0/page/0

 

Man, I'm in the same fucking place, though I only ever used weed. Still, I'm having the same issues. I'm just trying to relax, mainly. Wean myself more off from TV and the internet which I use too much. And when I stop going oinline, I'm just watching TV, it's ridiculous. Too much stimulation, infotainment, and the like, it's making me feel both depressed and angry. And overall just too stimulated. I'm trying to exercise more, to burn off some energy so I don't get pent up energy/tension; I think that's an important part of it...have an active lifestyle. But I'm only just starting (well, restarting after a long time away from both exercise and meditation), so any advice on the spiritual side would be helpful.

 

Usually I'm calmer outside, I might try that. Its pretty fucking cold out now, so I can't do that for very long. When it warms up, maybe.

 

Thanks, Chodpa. Thats helpful.

 

Moroccan Raccoon,

In a very real sense we are already meditating; much of what we experience cannot be easily, if at all, conveyed through words; and life is riddled with paradox. Think of the world as your Guru; your experience is teaching you, offering lessons constanly. Think of meditation as an exercise similar to physical exercise; hear yourself. Meditate, silently, as you hike, as you trek through the world; there are many ways to meditate. Contained within any pain or discomfort that you experience are great lessons; truly.

The meditation description that you provided to us sounds good to me; and you backed away from discomfort, and that is part of a lesson; that is good. Cultivate sophisticated detachment; examine your self, your experience, with healthful detachment; falling short of this is an oppourtunity and part of the process.

Add this link to your experience: http://www.dhamma.org/vipassan.htm . Vipassana and Shamatha can be viewed as general descriptive categories that encompass all forms of mediation; Shamatha = Prayer = Mantra and so on; Vipassana = Silent Contemplation of the Self = Mindfulness and so on; a paradox is that Shamatha and Vipassna require one another and a contained within eachother. These terms are also used to describe specific methods, a specific practice, of mediation. So go for a silent hike, and listen to the self; incessantly listen to the self.

Peace,

David


.

 

There is an old Henny Youngman joke:
A man goes to the doctor. He says, "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
The doctor says, "don't do it!"

Most of spiritual life is learning to not do things which in both the short and long runs gives us misery. That means giving up things which which we might like, but are harmful. Just adding meditation on top of a undisciplined life will not clear up all our problems. But after cleaning up our lives, meditation can really be helpful.

 

From my awareness, the roots of all of understandings and actions are intuition; 'rational' action has at its root intuition. I believe that meditation can be a powerful healing tool that can change one's life.


.

 

For me the root of all techniques is to come immediately back to the present whenever we remember we forgot it. What is in the present? Discover it for yourself. Maybe it's just boredom. Be with it. It is yourself. Don't deny anything, any feeling, or thought but also know that they are just mostly just excess spin off from reality and stick with reality as dull, torpid, happy, sad, miserable, sick and awesome as it can be. Just stick with the present. And place yourself in its arms as if it's ones mother, ones brother, ones sister or lover, the present is where awareness can see into the flux of time and space. Right now. There's really no thing there. It's just unconditioned mind. If you sort of make the vow to stick with unconditioned mind in the present then everything really takes care of itself. This is the ultimate wisdom of all time. Cut through all discursiveness to the moment, over and over and over, but at the same time one does not concentrate against thought or feelings or anything at all. But one cuts through them all to the moment. I cannot give you peeps a more Dzogchen truth to ponder. Without touching anything one accomplishes all. If you know this you know the "Great Perfection."