13
votes
Unpleasant side effects of meditation
My local Buddhist temple's resident teacher Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo has this beautiful metaphor of the "poop soup", highly relevant to yours (and the rest of ours) situation.
In this metaphor ...
- 57.2k
11
votes
Accepted
My short story with anxiety problems - could meditation be the cause?
Pleased to meet you Robert.
It is very difficult to answer your question precisely however it is certainly likely/probable that practicing the meditation & the accompanying mental solitude is ...
- 38.5k
7
votes
Accepted
Opening my third eye experience
Yeah, initially you may experience all kinds of glitches. When you don't meditate a lot of energy is stuck at different layers of your body-mind, and when you start meditating those layers start ...
- 57.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Can Buddhism help me find my passion?
The "passion" you talk about sounds like a craving for something which you haven't defined. Your question seems to be asking, "I crave something (I crave something to feel passionate about), but I don'...
- 45.2k
6
votes
Accepted
The formless jhanas in this world
When a meditator achieves e.g. the 5th jhana of infinite space, is he
or she still in this world?
Yes, he doesn't disappear. When you sleep, you are not aware of what's happening around you. But ...
- 25.7k
6
votes
Why does my mind feel slow to think nearly half day after my meditation?
Re: mind feeling "very slow", "very slow to think of anything" -- when someone tells you something, can you reply immediately without thinking? That's a sign of good meditation.
If your "very slow to ...
- 57.2k
6
votes
Accepted
What are the broad categories of the different types of meditation?
THE BROADER CATEGORIES ARE MENTIONED WITHIN SOME OF THE TYPES OF MEDITATIONS LISTED BELOW, and ALSO IS LISTED HERE:
Reflective meditation
There are a series of meditations that can put you in the ...
- 9,585
6
votes
Unpleasant side effects of meditation
A couple of days is not enough time for your 10 minute meditation to have resulted in any change in your mood, feelings, or anything else. Were those panic attacks accompanied by difficulty breathing? ...
- 2,456
5
votes
Why does my mind feel slow to think nearly half day after my meditation?
If "slow to think of anything" means less distracted thoughts then that's good. But if that means your overall awareness/mindfulness decreases instead of increases then you might want to check your ...
- 9,691
5
votes
Accepted
What happens to my body when I breathe out?
There are a few mental cultivation techniques which involve breathing. E.g. there is Paranayama which pre-dates Buddhism. Here you do try to regulate the breath.
In Anapana there is no regulation of ...
5
votes
Accepted
Why is my head going all Poltergeist on me
The experience you describe is not a common experience but meditators do get very uncommon experiences due to sudden outburst of past Karma / Snakhara. When you have stopped creating new Karma though ...
5
votes
How to cultivate sexual energy with Meditation?
Mr/ Mrs Jyo Soudagar - Ajay should not cultivate it, if he/she meditates, but should abandon it, when ever such comes along. Listen to or read, Mr/Mrs Jyo Soudagar - Ajay, what was said in the ...
- 436
5
votes
Reasons against practicing insight meditation as a main (sitting) practice for medical or other recondite-subject majoring students?
I did my first longer vipassana retreat while I was a postdoc researcher (applied math and numerics), and did many more since then. I found it beneficial to have days/weeks dedicated for intense ...
- 931
4
votes
Is it possible to see the counterpart sign (nimitta) with eyes open?
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, no matter how many books are written about the pudding. Once eaten there can be no mistake about it.
As a samatha meditator, both the signs exist for both ...
- 3,398
4
votes
Accepted
eye movement during meditation
If you feel alert, and not sleepy or distracted while it happens, it may be one of the things that naturally occurs as you start to get deeper concentration.
A number of vaguely unpleasant ...
- 796
4
votes
Can binaural recordings enhance my meditative experiences?
Some sounds can help meditation. The vibrations arising from loudly reciting Bija mantras like Om can put one's mind at rest. Binaural sounds seem to work similarly.
In Vajrayana Buddhism and ...
- 7,433
4
votes
Does Buddhism cause longevity?
Quoting from Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Last Days of the Buddha,
And the Blessed One said: "Whosoever, Ananda, has developed, practiced, employed, strengthened, maintained, scrutinized, and
...
- 45.2k
4
votes
Is there awareness of impermanence during the formless meditations
If you choose to see things as they are or investigate the Dhamma. Since in the 8th Jhana there is a residue of Perception and Feeling hence you should direct your observation to understand the ...
4
votes
My thinking mind as subject of my meditation stops my thinking
Mindfulness of mind is one of the four Satipathanna, that is, foundations of mindfulness. This is the basis of meditation that the Buddha taught. Generally speaking, as far as I know, meditation based ...
- 814
4
votes
Is it possible to use meditation to gain Self control?
Self control of gained through mastery over the mind, i.e., developing Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration in the Noble Eightfold Path.
The lack of mastery over the mind would ...
4
votes
Is it possible to use meditation to gain Self control?
No. Don't expect anything from meditation. The moment you start expecting some results like self control or universe control, you're lost. You will keep thinking of result that you desire (that is ...
- 2,234
4
votes
Are there meditation practices that improve logical problem solving skills?
I am not aware of any meditation practices that improve logical problem solving skills. However (although I am not an academic), I have found, in my experience, the more clear & calm the mind is, ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Are there meditation practices that improve logical problem solving skills?
I've heard that when you sleep on a problem, you're mind thinks of a solution during the rest. That's kind of how meditation works, a sort of self-induced slumber (though its important not to fall ...
- 1,333
4
votes
Awake mind after meditation
But when I try to concentrate more during meditation, my mind becomes charged...
If what you are describing here is concentrate with more effort (rather than meditating for a longer duration) then ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Retaining courage during mediation
The fear is instinctual (due to the ego fading/dissolving/melting somewhat). This instinctual fear can only be endured with composure & with the full acknowledgment it will pass. After the mind ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Why is focusing on the breath more difficult than focusing on Mantras, and how important is it before vipassana?
When reciting a mantra you have vitakka and vicāra which helps you get close to the 1st Jhana. But this is also accumulation of Fabrications (more particularly Verbal Fabrications) which should be ...
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