argh...DISTRACTIONS!

[Jeff_Mash]

There really isn't much you can do to stop outside distractions.  Hopefully, though, you can work around them.  Here is what I have done.

1) Get a fan or some kind of white noise maker.  If there is some outside distractions going on (in my case, I live behind a high school), then a fan humming or a white noise maker is enough to keep my mind focused on that and at the same time, not distract me from my meditation.

2) Get earplugs.  These are only a few bucks, and they provide a good layer of insulation from the outside world.

3) In extreme cases, you could always set your alarm clock to wake you up in the middle of the night after you've already been sleeping for a few hours and try to project then.  Chances are the only distraction you'll have is your mind wandering back to dreamland!

[Lefthandblack]

http://www.nlpinfo.com/mindsync/index.shtml

Hello Datura,
cool name btw.
The above link leads to a piece of software called mindsync.
If you have not heard of it, it is basically a "white noise" generator
with the added benefit of the ability to produce inaudible sound waves
which can be fine tuned to achieve a desired brainwave pattern.
I just thought it may be a solution to your problem.

[jc84corvette]

I do this when I get rare distractions:

1. Put headphones on and listen to a "snow channel" with the volume at a level that blocks out the foreign noise(s).

2. Do your OBE/AP/Meditation exersizes EARLY or LATE in the day when all people are sleeping, etc.



As Robert Bruce said in Astral Dynamics, learn to ignore the outside noises and stop the thinking witch is "What was that" after you heard a noise. Mr.Bruce can meditate when he has many small children crawling on him! Thats just WOW!

[Nagual]

I just wanted to add that, we could think that distractions always happen when we don't want them, but it might be that we are just more receptive...  Like, if you watch TV, there could be a lot of noise outside and not paying attention to it.  But if you are looking for silence, you will notice them...

[Jeff_Mash]

Another thing to remember is that is can be more distracting trying to ignore the noise instead of simply focusing on it.

For example, let's say there is a barking dog outside.  If you're trying to meditate, it's going to seem damn near impossible if you keep mentally saying, "I'm going to ignore this dog."  

BARK BARK.

"....I'm ignoring this barking noise.  I am not listening to.."

BARK BARK  

"AGGHHHHHH!"

You see, sometimes what I do in situations like this is tell myself to do the opposite.

"Ok, you little bastard.  You want to bark.  Fine, all FOCUS on your bark instead of trying to not focus on it."

Then what I do is associate the bark with a part of my relaxation.

"Everytime I hear a bark, I will become more and more relaxed."  Then for each bark, I may focus on a part of my body and imagine the bark relaxing that body part.

This technique can work for almost any annoyance, like a dripping faucet.  Granted, it may take some practice and patience, but it's a great way of turning around the distraction to work in your favor.

[Nick]

Hi Datura,

There is nothing to add beyond the excellent advice already given by Jeff Mash and others. However, I did want to welcome you to the Astral Pulse forums. Please stop by as often as you can and share your experiences with us.

Also, there is a search engine at the top of the page that helps when you want to zero in on a particular topic. There is also a File Library with some excellent resources such as e-books for download. Looking forward to hearing more from you. []

Very best,

[Datura]

Excellent advice indeed, and some of it so obvious -  I can't believe I didn't think of earplugs. What a chucklehead I am []


@Lefthandblack: Yours is a cool name too. Thanks for the link, I'll try it.

@jc84corvette:
Ah, yes, I remember reading about "meditation despite children" in Astral Dynamics and being impressed, but I'd forgotten about it. I'll have to reread that section. Meanwhile, I'll raise you with this:
http://www.buddhismtoday.com/english/vietnam/figure/003-htQuangduc.htm
Absolutely unimaginable...

@Jeff:
Great advice - turning the distraction into something positive sounds like the answer to aspire to. I'll do my best []

@Nick:
Thank you for the kind welcome - very civil of you. Actually, I've been lurking here for a while. There's an amazing wealth of information here; it's a miniature Akashic record that even a rank beginner like me can use. Guess I'd better get back to studying it []

peace
Datura

[jc84corvette]

Wow thanks for that great link Datura! Totally unbelievable.

[Datura]

Hello. My name is Datura. My respect and thanks to all who contribute to this wonderful resource. I hope you can help me with my problem.


I live in a rural area. My house is silent as a tomb for 23 hours a day. Yet whenever I choose to sit down to meditate or attempt an AP (no success yet, but I know I'll get there eventually) suddenly everyone and everything seems to make a deliberate effort to distract me. Sometimes it's surreal. Mostly it's just annoying.

A few days ago I started meditating and, after half an hour or so, had just managed to still my thoughts for a few minutes (quite good, for me) when a local woman turned her car onto its roof on the road outside my house, and had to be cut out of it. I've still no idea how she did that...but she wasn't hurt, thankfully.

Yesterday I had just started to meditate when the local farmer began chainsawing the hedge outside my window. He does own the hedge, to be fair, but it nearly made me jump out of my skin (not nearly enough, ironically, since that was my aim. Perhaps I should ask him to try harder next time []).

And early this morning I woke with my consciousness split and vibrations humming in my chest, and thought the circumstances were the best yet for me to try for an OBE, when my father went to the bathroom and produced some of the most...I think I'll say "robust noises"...I've ever heard. Eventually you start to wonder whether someone's trying to tell you something. I know it's not meant to be easy (inner voice said so), but sheesh...


I'm assuming it's not just me, so my question is: what do you all do? What tricks do you use to avoid external distractions? I can distance myself from the noise of my own thoughts, given enough time...but how do you keep going when your cat is tapdancing on the piano keyboard, when your neighbour drops his anvil down the stairs, and when New Orleans jazz funerals swing by your window?


thanks for reading
peace
Datura