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Author Topic: Meditation?  (Read 3209 times)

flashicity

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Meditation?
« on: December 26, 2014, 02:03:23 am »
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!

Gaudior

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2014, 07:22:48 am »
Quote from: flashicity;168174
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!

 
Hey there,

Well, I personally do Zazen, which is the type of meditation done in Zen Buddhism. It's super easy to practice and understand.

http://zmm.mro.org/teachings/meditation-instructions/

I hope this helps ^_^
I talk to plants.

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2014, 01:47:34 pm »
Quote from: Gaudior;168177
Hey there,

Well, I personally do Zazen, which is the type of meditation done in Zen Buddhism. It's super easy to practice and understand.

http://zmm.mro.org/teachings/meditation-instructions/

I hope this helps ^_^

 
Building off of what Gaudior says above, Buddhism (and there are several varieties) offers really the world's expert information on meditation, IMHO. One doesn't have to be Buddhist (I'm not) to put their many meditation practices to good use. So I'd say any Buddhist text on the matter is a good place to start.
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

GoddessGal

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2014, 08:44:34 am »
Quote from: flashicity;168174
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!

 
Hello, I often do Metta Meditation, also called Loving Kindness Meditation.


http://www.buddhanet.net/metta_in.htm
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

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selena_11

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2015, 10:23:10 am »
Quote from: flashicity;168174
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!

 
Personally, I started out with just using guided meditation in YouTube. There are quite a few different versions from different paths.  Then I found which types seemed to work better for me so that I could start focusing on those.  For example, I really enjoy doing both meditation with "nature sounds" or outdoors (following more of a yogic approach), as well as chakra meditation.

Freesia

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2015, 06:33:39 pm »
Quote from: flashicity;168174
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!

 
Meditation can be difficult habit to kick in unless you have the natural ability to zone out. I have a brain that never shuts up and lets me focus on breathing. But I found that I can watch something and not think of something else that needs to be done. Meditation for me is watching water boil, a fire, my pet snake slither, or my cat wash her ears. Repeating a mantra and doing artwork is also good for getting out of my own head.

habbalah

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2015, 09:11:33 am »
Quote from: Freesia;168723
Meditation can be difficult habit to kick in unless you have the natural ability to zone out. I have a brain that never shuts up and lets me focus on breathing.


I have the same problem. What helped me is when I started out, I did some guided meditations (you can find tons of them on youtube). Once I was ready to do it on my own, I found an app on my iPhone called "relax melodies" that has a bunch of calming noises that you can use on your own, or mix together.

The sound of wind chimes really helped me because it's an unobtrusive noise that I can tune out, but it keeps me from hearing every other sound in the house and being distracted by them.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” -- Bruce Lee

Freesia

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2015, 08:33:32 pm »
Quote from: habbalah;168761
I have the same problem. What helped me is when I started out, I did some guided meditations (you can find tons of them on youtube). Once I was ready to do it on my own, I found an app on my iPhone called "relax melodies" that has a bunch of calming noises that you can use on your own, or mix together.

The sound of wind chimes really helped me because it's an unobtrusive noise that I can tune out, but it keeps me from hearing every other sound in the house and being distracted by them.

 
I love youtube, it has so much information. I was chanting Kuan Yin's mantra, but fell out of the habit. Meditation is not my strength, relaxing makes me fall asleep or feel guilty for not being useful. I plan on taking up spinning and using that as a meditation tool.

Jainarayan

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2015, 03:11:46 pm »
Quote from: Freesia;168723
Meditation can be difficult habit to kick in unless you have the natural ability to zone out. I have a brain that never shuts up and lets me focus on breathing. But I found that I can watch something and not think of something else that needs to be done. Meditation for me is watching water boil, a fire, my pet snake slither, or my cat wash her ears. Repeating a mantra and doing artwork is also good for getting out of my own head.

 
I could never carve out the time to sit, eyes closed, breathe and chant a mantra either. Maybe because I was forcing the issue. Like you, meditation for me is zoning out, staring at something and letting thoughts come and go. Something many (most?) people don't realize is that there is no single definition for meditation or practice. It's whatever floats your boat and gets the job done.

Aett of Cups

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2015, 10:10:54 pm »
Quote from: flashicity;168174
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!

 
Quote from: selena_11;168714
Personally, I started out with just using guided meditation in YouTube. There are quite a few different versions from different paths.  Then I found which types seemed to work better for me so that I could start focusing on those.  For example, I really enjoy doing both meditation with "nature sounds" or outdoors (following more of a yogic approach), as well as chakra meditation.

 
This is a lot like my own early experiences.  I just kind of jumped in with a very questioning attitude.  I jettisoned a lot of what I found, but the stuff that stuck was quite helpful.

Here's one possible source, but - as with any - ignore it if you try it and it doesn't work for you.

http://www.bookofspirals.com/basic-meditation-notes.html

Good question.  Meditation is one of the most universal - and yet, one of the most confusing - topics for a lot of pagans.
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Ghost235

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2015, 10:19:03 am »
Quote from: flashicity;168174
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!


Bokar Rinpoche wrote a very good book on the topic, linked here.

A few things from my experience as a meditator.  Your mileage may vary.

1.  Short controlled bursts work really well.  The formula of 5 minutes +1 minute per year you have been meditating is the formula I have found quite effective.

2.  It isn't about forcing an absense of thoughts.  You aren't trying to stop conscious thought.  The idea is to be mindful of your thoughts as they arise and fall without attachment or aversion.  As you do this more thoughts will naturally subside on their own over time.

3.  Meditation in extreme doses can produce negative side effects, you can hear more about that here.  However, in order for those side effects to manifest you have to either have profound pre-existing conditions or meditate for hours at a time over a span of weeks.  So if you find you like meditation and want to really ramp up your time and/or intensity on the cushion, make sure to sit down with a very accomplished and qualified teacher(of which I am not one, FYI).

LittleBitWitchy

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2015, 11:34:01 pm »
Quote from: flashicity;168174
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could please give me any book or website recommendations for learning how to begin to meditate? Thank you!


If you want something geared for beginners that isn`t founded in any particular spiritual background, check out: Head Space.  This site is more about teaching you the basics of meditation in order to make the brain less chaotic.  Which, I think is essential if you want to eventually use meditation for anything deeper.  Although all the other sites people have been posting look great, too :ange:

Ecco

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Re: Meditation?
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2015, 08:21:41 am »
Quote from: Freesia;168723
Repeating a mantra and doing artwork is also good for getting out of my own head.


For me personally this has been this most effective way of meditating. I also utilize two sticks I chose as a form of simplistic percussion instruments to tap out a beat around which my thoughts, breath, and words wrap around. It does an excellent job at wiping out any excess distractions for me since it physically involves my body, but the rhythm I chose is repetitive enough to lull me into a meditative state.

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