Questions tagged [meditation-concentration]
Questions concerning concentration within meditation. This includes but is not limited to jhanas and one-pointed practice.
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How concentrated is access concentration and how would one recognise it?
A meditation teacher I once had said that access concentration (the stage before the jhanas) is the same level of concentration that one has when reading a good book or when fully engaged in ...
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Does Zen distinguish between concentration and insight meditation?
Both the Theravada and Tibetan systems distinguish between two aspects of meditation -- concentration (aka shamata, serenity, calm abiding, shiney or zhiney (Tib.)) and insight (aka vipashyana, ...
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What are we supposed to do while meditating?
Yes I have meditated and I have searched the Internet this question before landing here, what I describe below is a mixture of what I have read of what one should do during meditation and what ...
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How does one cultivate uplifted energy (paggaha)?
In the sutta quoted here the Buddha recommends cultivating in equal measure concentration, equanimity and uplifted energy.
As far as I know, in order to develop concentration one focuses the mind on ...
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Meditation Into A Dream State
Does anyone know if one can fall asleep into a dream while in the process of mindful insight practice and still maintain mindfulness and concentration? This would be different than establishing ...
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After months of daily meditation I can't concentrate
I'm doubting if I will be able. Not even a single breath my mind stop talking. I start with metta and try to sit for at least half an hour to an hour a day. I don't skip even a single day. It's a huge ...
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How to 'Let Go' in Meditation?
"And what is the faculty of concentration? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, making it his object to let go, attains concentration, attains singleness of mind.
Indriya-...
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Meditating as sleep aid
Every book that I have read about Buddhism and medititation says that, as meditation cultivates concentration and awareness, one should never fall asleep while doing it.
So, what about when I cannot ...
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Can following Buddhist practices help me in my studies?
I am a student and follow Buddhist ideas. Can Buddhist practices increase my capabilities to be a better student? More discipline? Clearer mind? What practices would be of the most benefit to achieve ...
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Types of Concentration?
My field of perception is very wide. It often becomes so wide that it loops back onto itself in some odd kaleidoscopic fashion.
This has rendered my previous methods of concentration unhelpful. ...
user17652
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How do you "meditate on" a saying or subject?
When you search for "meditate on" on Google, suggested completions include scripture, love, death, a word.
I have read a lot about meditating by using your breath as a focal point, but have never ...
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Through the Processes of Jhana does it have a Permanent effect or temporary effect on your life
Is Jhana like a meditative absorption state? I've come across this term.
Is Jhana like a barrier, once broken, you go onto the next barrier, and so on and so on. Is this process a permanent effect ...
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Meditation through clearing the mind of all thoughts
Is it good practice in meditation to focus on having no thoughts? A purely empty mind. Whenever a thought arises, it is cast off.
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Was the Buddha known to chant during his meditation?
Did the Buddha chant some mantra or holy word throughout his meditation? Or he was just silent to realize what is coming through him to interpret?
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What meditation is best to learn to "control" your mind?
I want to learn to in a sense control my mind. By this i mean focus on the thoughts and mindsets that are beneficial. And not focus on the harmful, negative thoughts. I always believe that we are who ...
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How do I focus from the distraction of people who look attractive?
I am a 21 year old college student studying physics. When I walk around campus, I am in a meditative state; enjoying the surrounding nature and the mathematical fruit it bears.
My thoughts become ...
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Is Jhana Required For Awakening?
I've found this to be an interesting question with highly respected monastics falling on both sides of the answer.
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What did the Buddha mean when he spoke about samma samadhi?
What did the Buddha mean when he spoke about samma samadhi?
Did he mean access concentration (upacara samadhi) or full absorption (appana samadhi) or momentary concentration (khanika samadhi)?
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Are there different factors for access concentration depending on which jhana an individual is entering?
I have heard that a practitioner does not go from first jhana directly to second jhana or from second jhana directly to third jhana and so on. Instead, they go through momentary and access ...
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Should I decrease the amount of time I practice concentration meditation?
I have been following buddhist practices for little over three years now, and samadhi - or concentration, as you prefer - meditation was obviously part of my practice. As I was often taught from some ...
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jhānas, Zen, and how to practice concentration meditation
I've read about the jhānas which one can experience from concentration (samatha) meditation. I have been practicing some form of mindfulness, breathing meditation, but have not experienced a state of ...
user8619
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Is it possible to attain wrong mindfulness and wrong concentration?
Concentration and mindfulness is a rare achievement. People can have wrong views , wrong intentions but it seems they are able to achieve high concentration and mindfulness.
My question is : Is it ...
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Purpose beyond first Jhana?
If access concentration, or at most the first jhana, is the requirement for successful insight meditation what is the purpose of the other form and formless jhanas?
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Jhana practice and Dry insight practice together
Is it possible that a meditator uses jhana practice and dry insight together?
I mean: not combined in the same meditation session, but clearly in separate, distinct meditation sessions.
Both ...
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Awareness of two things
I started to read Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (the PDF, version 3).
Before page 22, there's some text which says that (I paraphrase) sensations are fleeting and that consciousness-of-...
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Anicca (when and how?)
The Buddha put high emphasize on Anicca and thus it shouldn't be dismissed. Now my question: When should one remind oneself of the transience of all phenomena? I doubt in every occassion.
If I for ...
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What am I doing wrong?
I was introduced to meditation many years ago through a short course and a book. Essentially I tried the mindful breathing meditation. I kept at it for a couple of years after which different ...
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Meditation for higher concentration
What kind of meditation can help one to have a higher concentration; maybe lasting for hours or days? I am a Buddhist, specifically Theravada, and I am trying to keep my mind on one thing. Buddha kept ...
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Effects of samatha
Are there any negative effects of samatha that were mentioned in the Pali Canon (Tripitaka), the commentaries, or just from your experience?
I have heard on an occasion that someone who might ...
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Immaterial Absorptions and cultivating wisdom
Is it correct that only the 4 lower jhanas (rupa jhanas) are useful for cultivating insight (panna) because the meditator's mind is too absorbed when he enters successively the immaterial jhanas (...
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I Seem to have Developed the Faculty of Introspection But Not Mindfulness (Contact)
Alright, this will probably sound odd for most people on here: I cannot seem to place my mind on an object, as in make my attention rest upon an object as to define it more or emphasize it. However, I'...
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What exactly are the last two of the Arupa Jhanas? How can we transcend them and for what?
In the words of Buddha, the world in which we are living is generated as the following:
From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications.
From fabrications as a requisite condition comes ...
user635
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During meditation how do I focus
What is the best way to focus?
And also how can I stop passing judgment on myself during? Its really difficult.
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How much should i try while meditating?
I have just started meditating and was wondering how much effort should I put into not getting distracted ?
As I have noticed while practicing there are varying degrees of trying I can use the more I ...
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How buddhist meditation leads to liberation?
Buddha taught meditation to develop concentration, calm of the mind to finally experience nibbana.
Other religions (Hindu yoga, etc) also taught meditation.
So in which way Buddhist meditation is ...
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What is the difference between access and absorption in Vipassana meditation?
I've been studying Visuddhimarga and facing this doubt. In 3.1 (Kammaþþhána-gahaóa-niddesa), regarding how many types of concentration there are, I can get the concepts of distration/non-distraction, ...
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Concentration Meditation and Alertness
I am wondering how concentration meditation (i.e. shamatha) compares with other techniques or remedies for awareness and alertness. Does anyone know whether meditation increases alertness more than ...
user7302
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What to do when a thought comes up while meditating
From the meditation podcasts I have heard when a thought comes up acknowledge it by saying "thinking" and then try to gently return back to your breath.
There is something else I tried ...
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What is the best distance for kasina meditation between person and object?
Some websites show that it is ideal to get 1.5 m distance between the person and the kasina object.
Is there any science behind the recommendation to get that specific distance?
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Can cold showers benefit or harm our practice (our concentration)?
I actually have two different questions :
Can cold showers benefit our practice?
Someone once told me not to take showers when doing a lot of meditation because the cold reduces the concentration ...
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Where to concentrate exactly during meditation?
In a chance I had read 'Mindfulness in Plain English' by the Buddhist monk Venerable H.Gunaratana Mahathera.
It says "After joining inhaling with exhaling,fix your mind on the point where you feel ...
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Sati-Sampajañña (Mindfulness)
Hello folks I have some questions on mindfulness.
How do I maintain mindfulness in stressed or high stimulus environments? It's easy at home and when I do my things alone but once I'm at work (...
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How do you identify the 5 factors associated with Jhana?
How do you recognise the different factors associated with Jhana and the level of Jhana you are in? (Not necessarily when you are in Jhana.)
More particularly how do recognise the factor of applied ...
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Open-monitoring meditation versus doing nothing
In psychology, there is a form of meditation called 'open-monitoring', which involves paying non-judgmental awareness to everything that arises in the present moment. I have heard, and read, that ...
user7302
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How can i use meditation to concentrate!
I want to use meditation as a way to deeply concentrate, I always feel as if im in my head and it stops me from doing what I want to do and stops me from getting work done. I want to use meditation. I ...
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Doubt while Meditating regarding Breath
When i am meditating, my breath which was normal(means three seconds longer both in and out), is becoming one second long or only half second long(extremely short in length).
How to manage if breath ...
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Is there such a thing as Excessive Concentration?
Is there such a thing ? My guess is things like OCD etc. are extremes of concentration. Yuttadhammo Bhikku, for example, alludes to this excess concentration in some of his videos (I couldn't find ...
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How long would it take to enter 3rd and 4th Satipatthana?
Let's say I am meditating for 2-3 hours each day. How long would it take?
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Is it counter productive to accumulate a lot of ideas while meditating?
I'm not particularly into Buddhist style meditation but wasn't sure where else to ask. I tend to accumulate a lot of random ideas that filter in and after my session I jot them down - is this counter ...
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Help finding “Breath Energy” as described by Thanissaro Bhikku
I plan on calling the Metta forest monastery with this question shortly but have not had the opportunity yet to do so.
In “With Each and every breath” and in many of Thanissaro’s guided meditations he ...
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