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
6
votes
What is Direct Seeing?
In the Theravada tradition, we learn Yoniso Manasikhara. It means paying wise attention. And the knowledge or vision gained by paying wise attention is called the Yathā Bhūta ñāna Dassana or the ...
- 25.7k
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 ...
- 57.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Is practising mindfulness ever a bad idea?
Yes, practicing mindfulness can be a bad idea.
When one practices mindfulness, he opens his eyes and comes to see more and more things that were previously unnoticed. That is the reason why beginners ...
- 5,188
6
votes
Is there any benefit in abstaining from listening songs?
If you stop listening to songs, eventualy the odds of fragments of song poping in the mind would shrink, but is that realy what you are looking for ?
A better way to approach this would be to let go ...
- 617
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
Accepted
Is it useful to meditate upon hunger?
Absolutely... this is an important topic for new monks and intensive meditators alike. As the Buddha himself said in the Sabbasava Sutta:
“What taints, bhikkhus, should be abandoned by enduring? Here ...
- 24k
5
votes
Mindfulness, conciousness and directing attention
From a traditional Buddhist perspective, the purpose of mindfulness is threefold:
At a superficial level, the level of mere beginner or layperson, we pay attention to what we do and how we do it, ...
- 57.2k
5
votes
In visualisation meditations, I don’t know “where” to look
This is more like a general comment than an on-point answer... You know why you're having this problem?
Because visualization is a kind of fabrication. You're creating the experience, assembling it ...
- 57.2k
4
votes
Is it useful to meditate upon hunger?
Like Sankha said "it depends on what kind of meditation your doing"?
If your doing insight meditation you can meditate on the physical sensation of hunger.
However,if your doing concentration ...
- 3,092
4
votes
How to be mindful while studying?
I am not sure if this fits your tradition, but perhaps it might be a value addition to you or perhaps another reader.
The best source to find out on how to be mindful is to get the information from ...
4
votes
What is the proper mindfulness anchor for a stream-winner?
Recollection of the memory is not attending to the present but attending to sanna (past perception that has been stored). The best the recollection of the memory can do is inform one of the path that ...
- 3,398
4
votes
Accepted
mindfulness thinking about future and past?
As you suggest by writing that your work involves ‘going’ into the future and past, the reality of our experience is that past and future exist only in thought (which includes memories, imagination ...
- 116
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
How to practice Mindfulness Meditation?
The word 'mindfulness' means 'to remember' or 'keep in mind'. In the context of Buddhism, it means 'to remember' to practise the factors of the eightfold path.
For example, if you are speaking/...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Should I meditate on one thing or just any sensation that arise?
The main objective of meditation is to maintain a mind of equanimity (calmness).
When the mind is calm, it can also develop insight.
Meditating upon one thing helps establish equanimity (calmness)....
- 38.5k
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
Accepted
Can/should we actively use thoughts as part of mindful awareness?
Mindfulness (sati) does not mean "awareness" or "observation" of objects.
Mindfulness means to carry or maintain a wise thought or view in the mind.
The original scriptures say:
One is mindful ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Unpleasant side effects of meditation
Kimattha Sutta explains the purpose of skillful virtues or sila, and shows its effects on the mind and on meditation.
When you have problems with meditation, it's a sign that you should take a step ...
- 36.4k
3
votes
Tips to improve mindfulness in daily life
If you meditate regularly, the mindfulness in daily life will increase automatically. Perhaps a useful tip may be to have an activity - e.g. brushing your teeth (as suggested by a teacher in the ...
- 2,700
3
votes
Accepted
Can meditation strengthen the sense of self?
Just do what you're doing. When you notice your self, don't fight it. Your sense of self is there for a purpose. The purpose is to find out the cause. Once the cause of self is found, the cause is ...
- 2,667
3
votes
Moving from absorption to self-awareness
In Buddhism
awareness is on:
Arising and passing of phenomena pertaining to the mind and matter process (Samudaya-vaya-dhammanupassi)
more particularly:
through sensations (as you experience ...
3
votes
How to be mindful while studying?
This is a tricky one. I have my method, and hopefully you will find it useful.
During study the mind is actively engaged in understanding the subject at hand. So it is strenuous and perhaps pointless ...
- 563
3
votes
Should we "ignore" feelings while being mindful and aware of the present moment?
Any experience you should be equanimously and objectively aware of perceiving (desirable, undesirable, neither) and sensation (pleasant, unpleasant and neutral) of the arising and passing or the ...
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
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
Is practising mindfulness ever a bad idea?
Mindfulness isn't about self-diagnosis but it can easily lead to self-criticism if one isn't careful.
It is about being present and objectively being aware of what it is without judgment.
This is ...
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