What is it I'm doing wrong?

Megavan, as ditmog suggested, yours would seem a case of a putting the cart before the horse. Before you are ready for meditation, the mind has to be prepared in many ways. Partly through cultivating discipline, equanimity, introspection, and other practices that quiten the mind and turn it inward. Only when the mind is somewhat quiet will even a glimpse of meditation be possible. And from your impatience, it is clear that you are not prepared.

So don't rush into meditation - it's like trying to drive a car without learning how the controls work. Even if you do get the thing started, you're likely to crash and burn.

I strongly, very strongly recommend a period of study, introspection and withdrawal into yourself. The study is particualrly important, since it gives you the intellectual understanding, the theory of the practice. The study may be of Vedanta, of Buddhism, of Daoism.... whatever works for you. But you must go in with a clear idea of what you're setting out to do, otherwise your actions will be weak and fruitless.

 

Meditation occurs anytime you focus on something. Right now, you're meditating about not meditating.

Fine tune that a little and you'll be fine.



x

 

Bhaskar and xexon, I love you guys! You are the perfect complements to each other, the theoretical and the practical. Poor Megavan, please stop beating yourself up for "not getting it." You are! As xexon so aptly put it, you are meditating about not being able to meditate! Any time you sit and observe what your squirrelly brain is doing is moving forward (if that's the right term for it). Use your frustration and distraction -- OBSERVE them, USE them to explore your thoughts, feelings, and see what you find out. Most of all, just stick with it, you ARE making progress, even if you don't realize it. You might like reading "Turning the Mind into an Ally" by Sakyong Mipham (of the shambhala tradition).

 

Megavan, I apologize if you are not female, for some reason I thought you might be, but looking back at your info, there's no indication.

 

Ah yeah, I have been meditating for 25 years plus and I'm not sure I understand what it's good for. It just is another experience.

The best way to learn to meditate is to be in an environment and around others who conducts that sought after state.

It's almost impossible to learn to meditate from scratch in ones familiar environment due to environmental and mental noize.

Best simple beginning meditation is merely sit up tall and shake out lightly for a second, then take one deep breath all the way in and all the way out, without straining, with eyes closed. And then just relax ones mind with itself for a few moments.

At first one would just do this for a few minutes tops until one feels spontaneously like going longer.

Strain is counteractive.

Most people do not learn meditation of any sort on their own. Drugs and music are not acknowledged types of practice.

Therefore people seek teachers and if they are wise they seek until they find someone they like. Just like in seeking a significant other.

Beating oneself up is foolish. And gets one nowhere. Ever.

I am not sure who to recommend any longer but if you search out -shine- -shamatha- -calm abiding- then you will find someone who teaches basic meditation.

Things like vipassana and kundalini and so on may be a bit more sketchy due to branding.

Essentially in sittig calm abiding meditation one just sits straight with eyes closed or almost closed and one does noting specific. Just sitting, that's it!

No goals. No bliss, no concentration. Nothing. Seeking nothing but to sit. Not even observing. It is said that just sitting straight alone straightens out ones nerves and energies.

Plus, not seeking to find anything or accomplish anything one has already entered the goal right from the outset.

 

When you learn to see God in all things, meditation occurs with eyes open.



x

 

There is no God.

 

Surprising connection, no?

 

No God?

That would depend on what your definition is. As I don't have deities in my world, my definition is outside of the mainstream.

My definition of God is the common clay that all of creation is made from.

Further, matter is just crystalized consciousness, given form by desire.


x

 

megavan, are you still there? has any of this been helpful to you?

 

I guess you think I should know everything by now and know God.

from the outset however I never believed in God. I felt more a connection to Trishakti, or The Goddess.

So just calling everything God as defined above by xexon is about as useful as saying God does not exist.

Plus, I am Buddhist. So it behooves me none to be baking half loaves of concepts and then trying to sell them.

I am just being honest as I can best be.

Most people who are always discussing God are not in first hand knowledge and experience of It. Or they mistake beliefs for actual experience, like most Christians. Before they start their wars.

 

Xexon, I agree w/ you.

Peace and love

 

Just reading through all this - perhaps for some breath techniques aren't the best way into meditation. With pranayamas, it's often been said that you really need a competent teacher or you can get into a mess.
That though is not the same as Vipassana, which is simply observing the breath, rather than trying to control it.

Personally, I have found the simple technique of mantra very effective.

This can be done whether you believe in God, Goddess or Buddha -

Another form of trataka (gazing) would be to place an image of a chosen deity or equivalent in front of you and concentrate on that - you can also repeat silently or mentally a mantra or word which goes with the deity selected - so if you had a picture of Rama, you could just repeat Ram Ram.....

I'd agree with Yogi Bhairava on some of his points - meditation is about spiritual realization, not becoming more effective at work, improving memory etc etc. These things may come as a result of it, but are not the main aim.
Also, meditation is definitely about concentration.

 

Does meditation have to be about spiritual realization? Or should it be called "relaxation techniques" when someone seeks being more effective at work, improving memory, etc.? I guess what I'm asking is does it matter why someone has decided to try to meditate?

 

No it doesn't. But as you find your consciousness expanding from meditation, you will automatically drift in that direction.

Theres's nothing wrong with using meditation techniques to relax from a busy day. It can't do anything but improve you. That too is automatic.

All effort bares some kind of fruit.


x

 

Relaxation etc is very good. It can help diminish stress, and the truth is that many people have simply forgotten how to relax. There is a kind of 'cultural imperative' in modern life which says that you must be doing doing doing all the time. Just sitting quiet is actually regarded by many as a waste of time, perhaps because they have become incapable of doing so for more than a couple of minutes.
There is a culture of 'doing' which disregards simply 'being'.

Perhaps some techniques of meditation can help in this. But mainly, these systems, esp Hindu and Buddhist techniques, were developed with a specific goal in mind - some kind of realization, however that is conceived of. Some are not particularly relaxing. Pranayama as taught in hatha and kundalini yoga for instance can actually demand quite some effort. Many people regard hatha yoga asanas (postures) as only a kind of physical exercise, and many simply can't get their bodies into such positions.

There is a difference between relaxation and meditiation. If any of these things help, then personally I can't see what anyone could object to in that.

But if it can lead to experiences of an inner or higher spiritual reality, then that has to be a higher goal than simply wanting to use it to make one more effective in the usual round of life activities.

Does it matter why one wants to meditate? I suppose it doesn't in a way. If you just want to feel more relaxed and have a break from the round of activities, then that would seem to be ok. The thing is though, that it can lead to much more than that.
My advice would be: if it works for you and is helping then it's all to the good.

 

A very apt spelling error

 

Thank you, you all have articulated much better than I could have the distinctions between meditating and just relaxing. But, what I also wanted to draw out is that, in my opinion, it doesn't matter what drew a person to try meditation/relaxation/breathing techniques, whatever. The fact that a person tries (and hopefully continues in a committed way) is the first step to self-awareness and wherever that might lead. You all might not fully appreciate how new these concepts are to most Americans. So much pressure, so many struggles in the day, and most of us are not equipped with the spiritual foundation to find our way through it. We all just need to keep encouraging the newcomers to take baby steps and find their own way

 

It was early, hadn't even had a glass of juice yet.

x

 

I wasn't trying to make any claims about what you should or shouldn't know. I just find it strange that someone who has been meditating for so long can make blanket claims about the existence/nonexistence of God. Yet now say it behooves them not to bake half loaves of concepts....

I'm not saying Xenon is right, I'm not saying you're wrong. You're both entitled to arrive at your own conclusions through your own experiences. I just find such a blanket statement strange.

Perhaps it's not the concept of God that evades you, as you mention a connection to Trishakti, but a semantics issue derived by the constant definition of everything in our known universe.