they tell me to meditate, sit there with legs crosses and relax and I inhale and exhale.
that's what I could understand from meditation, but then what should I do, after I feel disconnected from my body and clear everything in my mind and just relax it thinking about nothing..there's only blackness I can see through my closed eyes...should I just keep that position with this clear mind set? or should I think about something really really hard and focus on it so it can manifest and actually happen?
Please, only buddhists or any peaceful person who believes in buddhism answers me, and please make the answer clear, so I can learn from your experience, and meditate the right way.
Note: I really feel lost when I'm in the darkness, so I spuntanously think of a thing and lock my focus on it naturally.
Update:what are those comments you've written, you guys?
I wanna be on the buddhist path, no greek, roman GODs no Cults, NOT f*king Sh*t
all pagan cults have adapted meditation from the root, Buddhism, and nothing else.
I need a Righteous Wise Buddhist, GOD!!!!!
You really need to check out "The Depth Factor" meditation program, it's the best, it's been voted as the number 1 meditation program made so far. Here is their official web-site: http://www.thedepthfactor.net/
It combines binaural beats and ancient meditation techniques to deliver the best meditation experience. This is perfect course for a beginner or an intermediate. Good luck!
The best one to teach you how to meditate is an older Buddhism monk or nun, who has both the training AND has developed the skills.
But that's is difficult to find unless you are prepared to travel.
SECOND best option is this online book about Theravadan Buddhism's Mindfulness (Vipassana) meditation Free to read.
The first few chapters are about what Buddhism is and isn't, what meditation is and isn't. And they he gets into the instructions, as well as advice about how to handle the difficulties most of us run into as we try to learn how to meditate:
The book is called "Mindfulness in Plain English"
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
You need professional help , you may join a free course here :
http://www.dhamma.org/
They provide free food & lodging
The course is for 10 days
But they expect any donation at end
Yes , the idea is to keep the mind blank
No thoughts , thats the aim
If you have just started
you may not experience anything
but it requires patience
are you ready to devote your lifetime
on this single idea
if yes , then only you are worthy
if you get bored in a few minutes
and say that it yields nothing
there there is no use
Yes , one day you feel bored
and you think of abandoning it
But then think of Buddha
and many of his disciples
Think , if they could do it you can too
------
However , dont loose heart
there are other types of meditation too
-----------
Groundwork : 5 principles of morality --
No stealing, No speaking lies, No violence(be compassionate) , No sexual misconduct & No intoxicants. These principles keep your mind at peace and help you concentrate without any worries.
Without practicing these principles , its almost impossible to meditate.
-----------
1. Ana Pana : Breath & Focus
This is what you are doing
by focusing on breath & keeping mind blank
This is the simplest and this is what Buddha did
to achieve final nirvana
and beware as you advance
you may start seeing visions (while awake)
some very pleasant
and some horrible
but again , neither indulge
nor be afraid so as to run away
Nature conspires to turn you back
do not give in.
2. Vipassana : Body & mind
This is one of the main practices
This is what Buddha devised for his disciples
after achieving his enlightenment
as a shorter & safer path.
Here you scan your whole body
from head to feet & back
You watch for any sensations
on the body & later within.
The reason is that sensations are tied to
emotions and emotions give rise to thoughts
So to keep thoughts at bay we focus on sensations
Wherever we find any , we focus on that
with a mind set of
neither like nor dislike
So we learn to detach from sensations
and with emotions alongwith it.
Then we also keep watch on every sense organ
in every action.
Say, while eating we keep watch within mouth
we try to watch the sensation of taste within mouth
and become detached - neither like nor dislike
similarly if we smell or hear or see etc.
This is the path of detachment from senses .
So by scanning the whole body (with no thoughts)
one day you will be ready for next step - trance
3. Trance
By following step 2 and 1 again & again
automatically , one day
you will experience trance.
You will feel withdrawn from outer body
and suddenly your brain & spine
will come under your awareness
as a very intense feeling of glow
you will feel radiating from within
with happiness and the feeling
will greatly strengthen your faith in the path
------------
So dont loose heart
Its the highest quest
and the highest cannot be achieved
by trivial effort
try try & try again
http://www.thisismyanmar.com/nibbana/biograp2.htm
http://zencohen.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Ven-...
http://www.thisismyanmar.com/nibbana/biogrphy.htm#...
http://www.forum-nangpa.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=7...
look carefully at some of the images of experienced meditators. you have to notice how they pay attention on nostrils. the in and out airs are noticed and concentration is established like the candle fire burning constantly inside a room not disturbed by wind etc.
Yeah, read the books about anapanasati too.
This is the right way:
http://www.galaxyoffiles.com/planet/4c1c24b2h32i0/...
the same one
https://docs.google.com/gview?url=http://sayadawut...
that's the basic mindset for someone who wants to meditate properly.
one must have the right view to start with.
The best way is to focus on a series of religious events and put yourself their with the god you choose as you imagine each event happening. Make sure you have no distraction.
1
If you are practicing pure Samatha meditation such as Anapanasati , you are supposed to concentrate all your awareness on one point of focus for as long as possible i.e. inhaling and exhaling breaths in your case. In fact, every meditation method (~40 types) in Buddhism has initial step to calm the mind and build up concentration or power of one-pointedness to some extent. So your goal is just to keep knowing only one point as long as you can during your meditation session.
I'll share with my experience with Anapanasati from a Theravada Meditation Center. You don't need to try to empty the mind, just try to aware only one thing repeatedly. The mind will automatically become clam, focus and empty of mental defilement.
First thing is to sit in a position that will allow you to sit longer. Don't stack one leg on top of the other. It will become painful very soon for beginners. Just sit with one leg in front of or outside the other. Both legs are bent and rest on the floor but don't overlap each other. Try to keep your back straight up but if it is too painful, let it drop naturally. You can place hands on top of the other (the back of one hand on the palm of the other) or one hand on each knee, whichever makes you more stable. The goal of sitting position is to be comfortable enough to develop concentration but not too comfortable to fall asleep.
Inhale and exhale normally. If you shift your concentration on your nose, you will notice that the breath is touching some part of the tip of the nose when you breathe. Close the eyes and try to keep the awareness only on the inhaling and exhaling breath at a specific place of the nose where the air touches as you breath. The mind will wonder to other places and senses. As soon as you notice that, recall and refocus on the breaths again.
You don't need to force to breath. It is not our job to breath. Breathing is automatic. Our job during mediation is to keep watching (with mind, not with eye) the breath or to repeatedly focus only on the breaths. If you think it helps, you can mentally note the incoming breath as "in-breath, in-breath" or "inhaling breath, inhaling breath" (not reciting orally, but noting mentally) and the outgoing breath as "out-breath, out-breath" or "exhaling breath, exhaling breath" etc.
It will become very peaceful and relaxing soon. But don't expect to achieve that peace in every meditation section in the beginning. Drowsiness, restlessness, discomfort, impatience, sensual desire can arise during meditation. Whatever the case, our job is to refocus the mind back to the breath whenever we becomes aware of its whereabouts or becomes aware of the appearance of hindrances. It will become a habit.
If you experience minor pain, you can deal with it in two ways. Pure Anapanasati requires us to ignore minor discomfort and keep focusing on the breath. Or we can combine with Satipatthana method and note that pain as "pain, pain" mentally for a moment until the mindfulness of the pain replaces the painful feeling. Then you can refocus on the breaths. If the pain become severe, you can change the position to alleviate the pain and refocus on breathing. In the beginning try at most 30 min at a time.
It is normal if the consecutive amount of time the mind stay on breath without wondering is less than a couple of minutes in the beginning. If you find it working, you can later increase to 1 hr or more in one sitting. Even after 7 days of meditation retreat with six or seven 1-hr-sections per day, one may find that the maximum amount of consecutive concentration is about 5 to 15 min segments in most section. But it will get better as one practices and one may even achieve Jhana where the mind stays focus on one-point for hours at a time. Imagine how peaceful it will be.
More info (only if you want to research more):
Buddhist meditations shut down thought process (Cinta-maya) and memorization (Suta-maya). It involves developing concentration and pure observation during the meditation. Tranquility or Samatha meditation involves the mind knowing or concentrating on only one-point of focus such as breath for a long period of time. Insight or Vipassana meditation involves the application of the concentrated mind to experience the absolute truth or the natures of the components of the aggregates; such as changing or a state of flux (anicca), unsatisfactory due to eventual dissolution (dukkha), lack of solid wholes or essence or self (anatta). About two types of meditation in Buddhism:
http://www.londonbuddhistvihara.org/med_aware/pmed...
About Satipatthana meditation:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/mahasi/...
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wa...
Translation of Anapanasati sutta:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.118....