Meditation - a general interest thread.

I started meditating about 20 years ago because, at that time,  I felt the need to find peace and I knew somehow that it was within. I read about meditation and got as far as the line that says....switch off your thoughts.... and found that I couldnt do that... my thoughts had a lot to say. Then I bought a guided meditation tape (yes a tape lol) but I found that I just listened to the soft voice and relaxed, but didnt find peace. I tried music to meditate to and that helped for a short while. 

Then I gave up tryjng to meditate, but I realised that just having that short time each day to sit quietly and relax felt good. So thats what I did and in time, I drifted quite naturally into a meditative state. Over the years the meditative state became deeper (or higher - depending on which way you look at it) and without defining any specific intention, my time out took me into some different states.

Sometimes I would enter a dream state and would go on a journey that would offer some teaching or understanding from it. Sometimes, I would feel lkke I was floating higher and higher and would reach a state that I felt was healing. Other times I would be in a state of concious notningness. And at times I would just fall asleep. Because of these experiences, Ive come to trust that time out to bring about what I need. So I am often a little dubious about meditating with intention to reach something specific.

I have tried different types of meditation practise and really enjoyed them. I particularly enjoy meditating with others... that is quite special. But more often than not, I still just sit quietly and trust.

Im interested in hearing about other peolles experiences with meditation.

Yes i think meditation is a great practice for bringing one into their inner sanctuary from within, I have never studied or practiced meditation much myself, but I honor those who do. I believe that if many more so called religions practiced meditation, that the world would be a far better place, many religions are too aggressive, believing they are the right way and everyone else is following the wrong way, meditation if practiced by these people would calm them down and be more compassionate towards other belief systems.

I don't switch my thoughts off it's nigh on impossible, they can be put to one side though

Violet wrote:I don't switch my thoughts off it's nigh on impossible, they can be put to one side though

Yes i agree, thoughts are always going to come to the surface, its simply observing the thoughts and seeing them for what they are, just thoughts. The mind will always chatter, that's its job, again i believe if we watch the mind chattering it will eventually quieten down, knowing that it has been caught out.

I lift heavy things.

I lift light things.

Violet wrote:I don't switch my thoughts off it's nigh on impossible, they can be put to one side though

Its an interesting idea that thoughts exist when theyre not being thought. 

I found that any intention wasnt conducive to the meditative state. Maybe because intentions are form of thought.

Gemmy wrote:I lift heavy things.

I dont understand your post. Can you explain please.

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:I lift heavy things.

I dont understand your post. Can you explain please.

He does weights and all the gem stuff.

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:I lift heavy things.

I dont understand your post. Can you explain please.

I don't think much, but I can lift heavy things.

Blueanchor wrote:

Violet wrote:I don't switch my thoughts off it's nigh on impossible, they can be put to one side though

Its an interesting idea that thoughts exist when theyre not being thought. 

I found that any intention wasnt conducive to the meditative state. Maybe because intentions are form of thought.

Yep. Well said. Meditation is essentially the cessation of volition.

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Violet wrote:I don't switch my thoughts off it's nigh on impossible, they can be put to one side though

Its an interesting idea that thoughts exist when theyre not being thought. 

I found that any intention wasnt conducive to the meditative state. Maybe because intentions are form of thought.

Yep. Well said. Meditation is essentially the cessation of volition.

The third of the Four Noble Truths!

A smart bloke that Buddha eh!

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:I lift heavy things.

I dont understand your post. Can you explain please.

I don't think much, but I can lift heavy things.

What is your interpretation of thought?

Blueanchor wrote:I started meditating about 20 years ago because, at that time,  I felt the need to find peace and I knew somehow that it was within. I read about meditation and got as far as the line that says....switch off your thoughts.... and found that I couldnt do that... my thoughts had a lot to say. Then I bought a guided meditation tape (yes a tape lol) but I found that I just listened to the soft voice and relaxed, but didnt find peace. I tried music to meditate to and that helped for a short while. 

Then I gave up tryjng to meditate, but I realised that just having that short time each day to sit quietly and relax felt good. So thats what I did and in time, I drifted quite naturally into a meditative state. Over the years the meditative state became deeper (or higher - depending on which way you look at it) and without defining any specific intention, my time out took me into some different states.

Sometimes I would enter a dream state and would go on a journey that would offer some teaching or understanding from it. Sometimes, I would feel lkke I was floating higher and higher and would reach a state that I felt was healing. Other times I would be in a state of concious notningness. And at times I would just fall asleep. Because of these experiences, Ive come to trust that time out to bring about what I need. So I am often a little dubious about meditating with intention to reach something specific.

I have tried different types of meditation practise and really enjoyed them. I particularly enjoy meditating with others... that is quite special. But more often than not, I still just sit quietly and trust.

Im interested in hearing about other peolles experiences with meditation.

Meditation is hard for me, that's why I kinda gave up a short while ago. It feels as though when I want to meditate I'm expecting something to happen, entering a differently state of mind but because I'm expecting it, it doesn't happen. At times when during the day I seem to just slip into these day dream states which are very nice and peaceful and feel as though the outside world doesn't exist. When I use to actually try and meditate though, I would get very strong vibrational, floating sensations, my body would feel as light as a feather. I would see bright lights, flashes. It was a nice experience. One thing I learnt from all that was that we cannot make our thoughts disappear, they are always going to be there and by focusing on something else they seem to get quieter and quieter.

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:I lift heavy things.

I dont understand your post. Can you explain please.

I don't think much, but I can lift heavy things.

What is your interpretation of thought?

Everything imagined.

gigpdo wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Violet wrote:I don't switch my thoughts off it's nigh on impossible, they can be put to one side though

Its an interesting idea that thoughts exist when theyre not being thought. 

I found that any intention wasnt conducive to the meditative state. Maybe because intentions are form of thought.

Yep. Well said. Meditation is essentially the cessation of volition.

The third of the Four Noble Truths!

A smart bloke that Buddha eh!

A genius

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:I lift heavy things.

I dont understand your post. Can you explain please.

I don't think much, but I can lift heavy things.

What is your interpretation of thought?

Everything imagined.

In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:
I dont understand your post. Can you explain please.

I don't think much, but I can lift heavy things.

What is your interpretation of thought?

Everything imagined.

In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:
I don't think much, but I can lift heavy things.

What is your interpretation of thought?

Everything imagined.

In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

No. Its about being open to the unknown. Even considering the possibility that there is unknown.

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:
What is your interpretation of thought?

Everything imagined.

In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

No. Its about being open to the unknown. Even considering the possibility that there is unknown.

There are no "doors" of possibility?.. that does not make sense!..even to a layman like me!
But there is a door,but its not made of wood or hinged or has a doorknob,..its more of a portal and its not so easy to pass through,or find,..I have been on the precipice of that portal,more than once,the word door is used to make it easy for the uneducated to understand!

See my signature...it says it all!

gigpdo wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:
Everything imagined.

In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

No. Its about being open to the unknown. Even considering the possibility that there is unknown.

There are no "doors" of possibility?.. that does not make sense!..even to a layman like me!
But there is a door,but its not made of wood or hinged or has a doorknob,..its more of a portal and its not so easy to pass through,or find,..I have been on the precipice of that portal,more than once,the word door is used to make it easy for the uneducated to understand!

See my signature...it says it all!

They are only metaphors. Why havent you walked through the door?

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:
What is your interpretation of thought?

Everything imagined.

In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

No. Its about being open to the unknown. Even considering the possibility that there is unknown.

Ok, I don't see that involves imagining anything, though.

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:
Everything imagined.

In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

No. Its about being open to the unknown. Even considering the possibility that there is unknown.

Ok, I don't see that involves imagining anything, though.

From what I can work out from those that have followed eastern philosophies and religions, I wonder if the translation of words for thought or imagination dont translate well nto English. Wherever it has come from, I do feel that the benefits of of deep thought or contemplation and imagination have become lost in spirituality. Though I recognise that there are benefits to letting go of mind chatter and gaining perspective of perception.

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:
In meditation yes. In life, the imagination is the muscle that opens the doors of possibility.

I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

No. Its about being open to the unknown. Even considering the possibility that there is unknown.

Ok, I don't see that involves imagining anything, though.

From what I can work out from those that have followed eastern philosophies and religions, I wonder if the translation of words for thought or imagination dont translate well nto English. Wherever it has come from, I do feel that the benefits of of deep thought or contemplation and imagination have become lost in spirituality. Though I recognise that there are benefits to letting go of mind chatter and gaining perspective of perception.

Often Eastern terminology can't be accurately translated.  In that the spiritual precedes thought there is no way of working it out, but in the meditations I have found there are long chains of thought that start to unwind, and contemplation isn't really an effort of thought as much as it a free flow of thought, and imagination is what the mind does, so we know the nature of thought is, in essence, incredible.  Once it is seen to be fundamentally untrue, it loses its importance, so we can think or not think for all the difference it makes, and that to me is a mind that's free to think, and also free of its own thoughts.

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:

Blueanchor wrote:

Gemmy wrote:
I don;t see how that would work... like imagining a goal?

No. Its about being open to the unknown. Even considering the possibility that there is unknown.

Ok, I don't see that involves imagining anything, though.

From what I can work out from those that have followed eastern philosophies and religions, I wonder if the translation of words for thought or imagination dont translate well nto English. Wherever it has come from, I do feel that the benefits of of deep thought or contemplation and imagination have become lost in spirituality. Though I recognise that there are benefits to letting go of mind chatter and gaining perspective of perception.

Often Eastern terminology can't be accurately translated.  In that the spiritual precedes thought there is no way of working it out, but in the meditations I have found there are long chains of thought that start to unwind, and contemplation isn't really an effort of thought as much as it a free flow of thought, and imagination is what the mind does, so we know the nature of thought is, in essence, incredible.  Once it is seen to be fundamentally untrue, it loses its importance, so we can think or not think for all the difference it makes, and that to me is a mind that's free to think, and also free of its own thoughts.

Yes, thats how I understand thought. Although I do interpret imagination in a different way.