Meditation 101

Originally posted by KneverKnight
Why are we servants to lawns? Time for me to cut grass yet again.

I'm not that "deeply" into meditation, I think of it as being like a computer restart; the mind gets a chance to let go of all the conflicting thoughts running around in there and is refreshed. Nothing too cosmic about that.

does your mind sometimes have to run scandisk before it restarts?

I know mine does.

Originally posted by frogstomp
does your mind sometimes have to run scandisk before it restarts?

I know mine does.

I have to de-frag a lot.

Originally posted by Metamorphosis
I've heard about the voraciousness of goats...reminds me of the Buddhist tale told at the beginning of the movie "Little Buddha" (Bertolucci's film -- you'd enjoy it if you haven't seen it yet). In the tale, a priest is sacrificing goats, when he notices one goat weeping. He tells the goat not to despair. The goat replies "I'm not crying for me ...[text shortened]... is the Biblical scapegoat...the repository for the projected guilt of an entire community...

I try to be real nice to our goats...🙂

Originally posted by frogstomp
does your mind sometimes have to run scandisk before it restarts?

I know mine does.

Would be nice to re-format the damn thing, sounds too dangerous though, don't have a back-up ...
I'll stick to trying to pay attention to whateverthehellitis I'm doing, no enlightenment in sight, but maybe, one day, if I'm lucky, a clue

😛

Just beware of the GIFs -- God Insinuating Files -- or the JPEGs -- Jesus Please Execute Gameplan. They can show up at inopportune times and make difficult the installing of the meditation software necessary to fix our faulty hardware, so that our minds can be ridded of the Trojan Horse viruses that are busy corrupting our perception of the universe.

🙄

Now where were we...?

One of the things that attracted me to meditating in the first place was that it seemed like a practical way to deal with depression. Not some pie in the sky reward of an afterlife, or a distant promise of enlightenment, just a way to deal with the mundane, but real, things that one must do to get through a day.
We will meditate, but first we wash our rice bowl.

Originally posted by KneverKnight
One of the things that attracted me to meditating in the first place was that it seemed like a practical way to deal with depression. Not some pie in the sky reward of an afterlife, or a distant promise of enlightenment, just a way to deal with the mundane, but real, things that one must do to get through a day.
We will meditate, but first we wash our rice bowl.

Yes, for sure. The best practical way to deal with depression is probably regular exercise, strong enough workouts to get the endorphins happening in the brain chemistry (endorphins are related to opiates, hence the "well-being" felt after a good jog or other solid workout). Meditation goes well with exercise, as the relaxation tends to reduce blood pressure and anxiety. It does this by helping us to gain a better hold on negative emotions by increasing perspective. Meditation doesn't make negative emotions (or negative thoughts) disappear -- and who would want that anyway -- it simply makes them easier to manage because it increases the "space" between the observer part of our mind, and the emotion itself.

Originally posted by Metamorphosis
Yes, for sure. The best practical way to deal with depression is probably regular exercise, strong enough workouts to get the endorphins happening in the brain chemistry (endorphins are related to opiates, hence the "well-being" felt after a good jog or other solid workout). Meditation goes well with exercise, as the relaxation tends to reduce blood ...[text shortened]... cause it increases the "space" between the observer part of our mind, and the emotion itself.

True about the excercise, for me lifting heavy weights is bliss, especially if the gym lacks a huge booming stereo, just concentrate on what you are doing and focus
Meditating before or after a workout would be good, might draw some blank stares tho ...
I think I'll take ten minutes before the workout to try that.
Thanks.

Originally posted by KneverKnight
True about the excercise, for me lifting heavy weights is bliss, especially if the gym lacks a huge booming stereo, just concentrate on what you are doing and focus
Meditating before or after a workout would be good, might draw some blank stares tho ...
I think I'll take ten minutes before the workout to try that.
Thanks.

I've found that meditation after working out is best, because at that point the exercise has done its job, which is to get energy moving. A river that is moving is clean; a river that is blocked soon gets stagnant. Staying alive is a key to well-being, via moving energy. At that point, meditation can do its job, which is to bring awareness and perspective to the flowing river. This is also why meditators undergoing a disciplined program (as in the Zen sesshin or rohatsu) usually engage in plenty of physical work.

I at one time when staying in an ashram worked in landscaping, and found it an effective way to stay grounded while doing hours of daily meditation....