11
votes
After months of daily meditation I can't concentrate
There are several things I would advise:
Start with your body. Change your attention from "life" to feelings in your body: tensions, emotions, energies etc. Reconnect with the parts you've not been ...
- 58.3k
7
votes
How to 'Let Go' in Meditation?
Great question, you hit the nail on the head with this question.
The goal of Buddhist path is liberation of mind. Liberation of mind is cessation of grasping and attachment. Cessation of grasping and ...
- 58.3k
6
votes
What are we supposed to do while meditating?
There are many kinds of meditation, and as many ways of explaining them as there are people. After years of study and practice, here is a meditation I recommend. I call this "the coming to one's ...
- 58.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Types of Concentration?
It might be difficult for readers to understand exactly what you're experiencing in your meditation. You learn techniques of meditation to get you started on a path, but eventually that path must be ...
- 393
4
votes
How does one cultivate uplifted energy (paggaha)?
I think something is lost in translation here. It has been mentioned before that Thanissaro Bhikkhu sometimes is off the mark in his translations. If we look at some other translations of the Nimitta ...
- 1,822
4
votes
How does one cultivate uplifted energy (paggaha)?
From your quote, it sounds like the lack of uplifted energy is the hindrance of sloth and torpor, one of the five hindrances to practice. To quote Ajahn Brahmavamso:
Sloth and torpor refers to that ...
- 37.4k
4
votes
Accepted
jhānas, Zen, and how to practice concentration meditation
Ajahn Brahm wrote a book about jhana called 'Mindfulness, Bliss & Beyond'. It is 291 pages long. The first 65 pages are at this link.
The method in this book emphasizes 'letting go' & is thus ...
- 40.5k
4
votes
How much should i try while meditating?
I recalled a dharma talk by Ajahn Thanissaro Bhikku on Youtube. In it he compared mindfulness and meditation to a skill. And like anything else in life you need to practice to become good at that ...
- 1,705
4
votes
What am I doing wrong?
I think you did a really good job of breaking down your doubts into individual points.
1) Everywhere I keep reading stuff of the kind "Observe your thoughts without judgment". What does that ...
- 1,603
4
votes
How do I focus from the distraction of people who look attractive?
Since you are philosophical, ponder: "What is beauty? Why does it exist? What is its purpose?"
In Buddhism, five questions are always asked about a thing:
(1) How does the thing arise (samudaya)?
...
- 40.5k
4
votes
Sexual Ethics in Buddhism
Why is lust seen as being unskillful?
Your question goes directly to MN1, which is a difficult sutta:
relishing is the root of suffering.
Briefly, the delusion of lust assumes that one can ...
- 9,336
3
votes
What to do when a thought comes up while meditating
The thing I've learned from meditation so far: Don't try to be clever, just follow the instructions!
Anapanasati (meditation on the breath) works just the way it should be. It was highly recommended ...
- 1,765
3
votes
What to do when a thought comes up while meditating
It is important to understand what is meant by 'right view' (samma ditti) which covers the origination of thoughts, the causal arising of thoughts, and the non-self nature of thoughts and the entire ...
- 1,663
3
votes
Can cold showers benefit or harm our practice (our concentration)?
Let me tell you a story from Lord Buddha's time....
One day a maid who was a follower of Lord Buddha went early in the morning to the nearby river to bring water.
She saw a sage in the river taking ...
- 3,953
3
votes
Accepted
Meditating as sleep aid
This is my experience/opinion, it's unreferenced and it may be wrong.
There's a form of meditation called awareness of the body or awareness of the breath. Maybe that form (or something like it) can ...
- 46.3k
3
votes
Meditating as sleep aid
Yes Meditation can help you sleep...
There is a meditation called "Meththa" also known as the "Loving kindness Meditation". This Meditation is very helpful to the daily life as ...
- 3,953
3
votes
Meditation Into A Dream State
Before I became Buddhist I did a lot of random "spiritual" practices, including "astral travel". The later is when you try to retain "waking" consciousness as you fall asleep.
I only had mixed ...
- 58.3k
3
votes
During meditation how do I focus
To focus, you remember to keep the mind on the meditation object (breathing) &, when the mind strays, just bring it back to the object.
When the mind strays, it is not "you" that is ...
- 40.5k
3
votes
How do I focus from the distraction of people who look attractive?
You thinking seems to be tainted by Vipallasa
what is impermanent is taken to be permanent;
what is painful is taken to be pleasurable;
what is not self is taken to be a (or ...
3
votes
What meditation is best to learn to "control" your mind?
Any thoughts, including negative thoughts, are triggered by some stimuli, and have a sensation associated with it.
The best would be to deal with them as per in the Suttas. Suttas like: "Dhātu ...
3
votes
What meditation is best to learn to "control" your mind?
To say “to control the mind” sounds a bit too aggressive. Mind is a delicate thing, and not easy to tame. Taming it is like catching a fish with bare hands. Compare it to a Fish in a river are ...
- 9,695
3
votes
Accepted
What meditation is best to learn to "control" your mind?
That's a nice question.
My first thought if I may mention it is that "controlling the mind" might be an odd question. I think that the mind is a sense-organ (for ideas and feelings and so on), like ...
- 46.3k
3
votes
Sati-Sampajañña (Mindfulness)
This is through maintaining Sati, Samadhi and Sampajanna it self.
1st one should keep your mindfulness in the 4 Frames of Reference. You should have Sampajanna in the following way:
purpose (...
3
votes
Accepted
Anicca (when and how?)
The Buddha put high emphasize on Anicca and thus it shouldn't be dismissed.
The Buddha put an emphasis on many dhammas.
The Buddha did not actually teach to constantly remind oneself of anicca ...
- 40.5k
3
votes
After months of daily meditation I can't concentrate
First of all, keep in mind that lay life is not conducive for high proficiency in concentration, so, be patient with yourself.
Inability in concentration means that the mind is under influence of ...
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