length vs number of times of meditation

Question

Is doing 10 min meditation 6 times same as doing 1 hour meditation? Or is doing 30 mins 4 times same as 2 hour meditation ?

Thanks for answer can i go more than 1 hr say 90 mins?

Answer 1

Shoot for the hour. It takes the mind about 25–30 minutes to really settle. It’s a lot like impurities settling out of a glass of water. Just being on the cushion and not allowing your mind to kick up other detritus by doing willful activity allows it to move into a deeper state of calm. You almost don’t even have to do any “concentration” work those first 30 minutes. It happens almost on its own.

After that first 30 minutes, you’re going to find that it’s much easier to follow whatever meditation object you’ve selected. Your thoughts race less and the object is more stable. You are also going to feel much, much better at the end of the session.

But! 90 minutes is really the sweet spot. In Zen temples, they used to meditate for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn down - about 45 minutes a piece. I think the Tibetans have a similar time standard. After an hour, provided that you’ve sat straight through without moving, piti (a kind of energy current that can sometimes be exhilarating) starts to arise. Depending on the level of your practice, your body might start shaking, you might feel like you want to jump up off the cushion, or, if you’re advanced, you can surf that current, relax into it, and let it dissolve into incredible bliss.

Doesn’t 90 minutes sound great? Do 90 once you’re able to. But start with 60. Long unbroken sitting is always better than short intermittent sits.

Answer 2

There are no specific limitations or rules regarding meditation. You can practice "samatha" meditation for a healthier mind, "metta" to reduce hatred and find inner peace, and "vipassana" to gain insight into the true nature of life. All these meditation techniques aim to accumulate positive karma.

If you engage in "samatha" and "metta" meditation, you will generate positive karma. On the other hand, practicing vipassana not only accumulates positive karma but also cultivates the skill to break the cycle of rebirth.

As a Buddhist, meditation is always beneficial. However, your choice of meditation should align with your goals, and the frequency of your practice should suit your individual needs.

Answer 3

I have bought a new heavy duty motor pump, I use that in fields to pull water from earth.

1. During initial days, it needs to be settled properly so using for few minutes or so at regular or irregular intervals might damage the motor. It needs to be run properly under controlled voltage and for ample time.
   Similarly, adhittahana ripes and more likeliness arise if meditation is done for long time instead of few minutes.

2. If during initial days, motor is given excess load by using for longer time then it might damage itself badly, same way for meditation if done by a newbee might do damage instead of good.

3. After enough time and once it's settled, motor can be used for small durations.. similar way meditation can be done for short intervals depending upon the spare time one gets or it can be done while doing some work too.

But as it's heard that meditation is more than this materialistic motor as once a meditator ripes, it can be done for days too.

So choose time wisely, can start with 30 minutes to 1 hour to few hours and then according to need, will, time from few minutes to days.

Answer 4

Ultimately the goal is to be lucid, clear thinking, relaxed, calm all the time, any posture, any activity. So the question you ask, those differences are relatively minor and irrelevant to the main goal. Only if your goal is to attain certain deep samādhi states is contiuous single long session of relevance.

Answer 5

Meditating one minute per day at the same time of day every day for 30 days is much more powerful than meditating 30 minutes on one day only.

Answer 6

I think Both have different impacts. Also, these two are dependent. You can't do continuous 60 min meditation directly without practicing if regularly. and to practice, you have to start from small (like 5 or 10 min.)

If you are new, stick to the small length meditation regularly. if you are able to meditate successfully for small time, increase the time.

Specifically for your question, I think small meditations are best.

Answer 7

What we reach for in meditation is an inner state or attitude, not cumulative sitting time.

In early practice it's good to set a fixed length for a meditation, That can be 10 minutes, or 30, or 60, or 22.3. 90 is probably a practical upper limit until you crack the code. In early practice the point is to discipline the fractious mind, because the mind will desperately look for excuses to stop early. At some point you'll start to experience what I think of as 'attention waves' or 'time bubbles', where you sink into decent meditative state and then pop out, cyclically. At that point you can start being less dependent on the clock and let the cycles carry you to their natural conclusion. When you really get the swing of things you can just meditate without worrying about the clock, because your mind won't be trying constantly to drag you pit of it. At that point 'more' is not necessarily 'better'; 'more' might just mean you're avoiding bringing the fruits of your practice back out into the world.

To be honest, meditation isn't about the amount of time you spend on the cushion. Meditation is about experiencing that one moment where you are perfectly attuned and at peace. More time on the cushion (within reason) creates more opportunities for experiencing that one moment, but… It's like sitting on a rock waiting for a bird to fly by. Sitting on the rock isn't the point, it's just what you have to do to see the bird.

Answer 8

If one is having a wonderful time with oneself, why not? Just tell ourselves:

"OK mini-me, I have neglected you all this while. I am going to forget about the whole world and give you all the attention that you truly deserve. We will just enjoy ourselves for as long as you like. I won't let myself slipped into the past or into the future. I won't allow myself to be pulled into the world or let the world enticed me away. I'll just be right here, right now with you. Let's make some good memories together!"

And when one is truly 100% present, delighted and at ease with the here and now; let the mind play with the meditation object, have fun.