Questions tagged [meditation-practicalities]
The practical aspects of meditation including but not limited to timing sits, equipment, suitable location and scheduling practice.
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Meditation focus points and their ill effects
During meditation in past, it was observed that if focus is maintained on nostrils, tip of nose and center of forehead(between eyebrows) then it causes cold and cough within 2-3 days of such practice.
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Heart, mind, brain domination
What is effect of heart on mind in reality?
Is it the effect due to coziness felt across the walls of heart (similar to the one felt by a child sitting in the parent's lap) leading to the change in ...
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Will aiming for emptiness instead of awareness of breath help attaining meditative absorption states?
I am finding it difficult to focus on the incoming-outgoing breath. Whenever I become mindful of my breath, the Mind kicks in. I cannot even focus for 5-10 breaths, the mind activates. Giving the mind ...
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Controlling earworms during meditation
I've been practicing and managed to access first jhana, but I haven't found a solution to one obstacle that often frustrates my meditation: earworms.
(Earworms are musical fragments that play ...
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How to begin to practice vipassana meditation?
I've been practicing meditation and studying buddhism for years, and I've always been curious about vipassana, but I never knew how should I practice it, on what should I focus, etc.
So my questions ...
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Are Charnel Grounds still a thing?
I wonder in how far the burning of human corpses in the open is still a thing?
Ideally looking for a place where there are always burnings and corpses and mourning.
Heard it's suitable from the ...
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Motivation and long-term practice
I have been meditating (samatha-vipassana within the Theravada tradition) for many years now, and I see myself always falling in the same pattern:
(1) I have periods of very high motivation, which can ...
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Where should the eye be oriented during Vipassana (Anapanasati)?
Here is a general meditation technique of Anapanasati where one concentrates on the breath.
My question is during this meditation where should the eye turned.
Should they look up, or straight normally ...
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What other meditation techniques are attributed to Buddha apart from Anapanasati?
Anapanasati is a meditation technique attributed to Buddha himself and it is from Tripitaka.
What other meditation techniques are present in Tripitaka and are attribited authoritatively to Buddha ...
user20787
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While in Jhāna to walk or (reaching) Jhāna is not possible while walking?
How could one come, if any experiances and understanding, to the idea that one in Jhana isn't able to walk, not to speak of to listen and talk?
Maybe there is a different between sitting, standing, ...
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Are there any instructions on the pose of hand during meditation?
As I see and learn there are typically two different positions of palms and hand that
I see people meditating in.
One is keeping the palms turned up and kept on knees like this picture; which is a ...
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Should meditation be practiced without a goal?
I've been meditating for some time now and consistently everyday for about six months but I don't have a definite goal or intent - I do it because I like sitting down for 30 minutes or so without ...
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Can long sits be easier than short sits?
I tend to write down when I meditate, and also note the length of the sessions. Observing my notes, I had the impression that when I sat for longer times (40m - 1h), I also was paradoxically more ...
user7302
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Is the space between thoughts an indicator of meditative calmness?
In this answer, it is suggested that space between thoughts, less discursive mental activity, is related to relaxation and concentration. I know it is not advised to judge one's inner experience too ...
user7302
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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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Discrepancy between quality and consistency
In my meditation, I face a paradox. The quality of a single session of meditation is usually quite good for me. However, in terms of regularity across sessions, I struggle immensely, skipping sessions ...
user7302
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How to be meditative and involved at work?
At work, I try to be mindful, deliberate, and calm. I found with the help of meditation and being mindful makes me less distracted and less stressed at my work or whatever I do. But I also feel being ...
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Semi-consistent Long Sessions Versus Regular Short Sessions
I've noticed it's really difficult for me to be consistent, even with short meditation. I'm thus hesitating between:
10 min sessions every day
40 min sessions every 2 or 3 days
Which of these seems ...
user7302
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Does the breath literally stop in the fourth Jhāna?
I've been trying to understand the descriptions of each of the Jhānas in various Suttas, and I don't get what's meant by an element in some descriptions of the fourth Jhāna. For example:
When one has ...
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What is Wholesome Meditation?
Apologies, this question has been brewing for some time after observing so many expressions of suffering from maybe not so much as misinformation, but more misdirection.
Are there any scriptures ...
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Unpleasant side effects of meditation
I am 45 years old. I’ve come to realize that I have been more or less unhappy in my life. So I met a clinical psychologist and I do show some childhood codependency issues and we could no CBT and ...
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Listening to music while meditating
I listen to a very low background score on a meditation app called Calm while meditating. It's mostly non-obstructive and really helps me get into the space of calm.
Where I live, silence of the outer ...
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Shambhawi mudra and Buddhism
Do Buddhists use the Shambhawi mudra ?
What kind of tradition use it and for which purpose?
(if possible with some references)
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What do you wish you knew when you started down the path of buddhism?
This stack exchange actually lead me towards the path of finding a lama and becoming a Buddhist. Thank You!
This got me thinking, what would you tell sentient beings new to the path of Buddhism? Is ...
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Feedback - Are spaced-repetition cards useful for learning core Dhamma?
I've created an Anki deck (still WIP, link here: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/414202630), drawing on the translations available here in SuttaCentral (with direct links to those pages). My thinking ...
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Doesn't mahāyāna have a classification for jhānas?
Is it me or is it incredibly difficult to find resources on the 4 (or 8, with the arupas) jhānas and how to reach them in the mahāyāna/vajrayāna literature? Apart from vague references to samādhi in ...
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Deload weeks for meditation
I like to go to the gym and lift weights. If you do that you are recommended to take deload weeks where periodically you lift lighter weights or less frequently or both. It's meant to be very ...
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Does Vipassana arise from Samatha/Anapanasati meditation? or is it another trap of monkey mind?
I'm novice to meditation and Buddhism. Apologies if this is silly question
I've been practicing antipasti meditation for few months. While I watch/understand my breath, when a thought arise I use 6 ...
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How can you know that meditating isn't selfish?
Perhaps 'selfish' isn't the right word for it as the 'self' is not the goal. But if you define the 'self' as your inner core/soul is it still possible to meditate selfish? If so how to know this and ...
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How to proceed if I get current/vibration after meditation?
After exercise, when I concentrated on my heart I used to feel my hands becoming warm, but that was the only response I ever got from meditation and it did not last long. But I recently tried ...
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How to tackle cold? [closed]
Simple question -- how to tackle cold feeling during winter through meditation other than clothes or anything?
Asking for specific meditation details with insight for tackling cold without any ...
user17556
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Moving During Meditation
When I feel dullness in meditation, I tend to move about on the chair, e.g. tilt forwards or backwards, change position to prod myself to wakefulness.
Would such a method be detrimental? Should one ...
user7302
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Trying to Meditate Longer
I am currently meditating thirty minutes per day. I wonder whether I should meditate an hour instead or meditate for thirty minutes twice.
Basically, I meditate on compassion and after thirty ...
user7302
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Recovery from Meditation
When a person trains a muscle, there is a necessary recovery from training before one can train again. I'm wondering if there's such a thing with meditation sessions?
If so, how much time between ...
user7302
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What happens after anger disappears?
I practiced meditation few years ago,had reached a state where experience consepte of "I"was an illusion.when was Illusion of the I disappeared anger disappeared altogether. But I can't meditate ...
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What is the origin of Buddho meditation?
Some people say its from the forests of Thailand before Ajaan Sao's time -
Some people say it comes from the Pali Canon but was scrubbed over time
Some people say it comes from Sri Lanka
Some ...
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Relaxation of Mind
I've noticed what limits my activities in the day is a kind of mental saturation. I believe it's a kind of attention fatigue because when I walk in nature, I am more likely after to engage in projects....
user7302
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Walking bare foot?
q:
Why is it some monks (Yuttadhammo specifically) walks barefoot in his
alms rounds as well as while doing walking meditation?
Is there a purpose to it?
user16793
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Ideas to Contemplate When Meditation is Difficult
I wrote previously that somehow, my meditation practice suddenly became more difficult, without any cause. So, I wondered what measures could be taken. Since my objective -- for now -- is meditation ...
user7302
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How to differentiate between natural vs artificial breathing pattern during meditation?
When we do a simple observation of breath (in & out) during meditation, how to know if its natural flow I am observing or forced one?
Regards
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How to evaluate hindrances? [duplicate]
As a meditator, are there categories of hindrances which may occur during meditation practice? If yes, can you please elaborate it.
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Meditating When Demotivated
I had meditated for some time for 30 min once or twice daily. Now, I am suffering from what seems to be anhedonia, a difficulty in feeling pleasure and being motivated. It makes it incredibly ...
user7302
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Meditation practice - Meditation Odd Effect -
I am doing vipassana meditation from last six month and had done two 10 days course of S N Goenka Vipassana Meditation.Doing daily 2 hours meditation in morning and evening. I am having constant ...
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Where can I find a Buddist Monastery that practice hard training in india?
I have done 02 10days Vipassana Meditation (S N Goenkaji)and want to devote life for same. Interested in knowing is any monetary in india where I can stay for years or more and learn teaching of ...
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Sense of Accomplishment in Meditation
Regardless of a meditation's perceived quality, I feel that finishing a meditation provides some sense of accomplishment.
Nowadays, I am experiencing great lack of motivation, and when I set the goal ...
user7302
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Do Different Meditations Support One Another?
I have tried meditating on compassion, just as I've tried meditating on the breath. Currently, these days, I find it hard to meditate on compassion.
My question is: Would practising meditation of any ...
user7302
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Heat and Meditation
I was meditating and couldn't keep my eyes open. I wore a thick sweater, and when I removed this sweater, the lethargy dissipated and instead I faced distracted thoughts, but I meditated with much ...
user7302
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Can One Evaluate the Effects of Meditation?
I have been doing compassion meditation for a bit (about 13h of sitting meditation). I think perhaps I haven't meditated enough to see benefits, but I wonder:
When beginning, is it possible to have ...
user7302
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Applied Meditation
I noticed that in the case of metta bhavana, I seem to generate a lot of compassion while sitting, but as soon as I am in the real world I sometimes react impatiently or with irritation. The same goes ...
user7302
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Splitting Up Meditation Time
I'm wondering simply whether there is a difference between two thirty minute sits daily and an hour long sit daily? Which is more advantageous?
Thank you
user7302