On What You Meditate ?

[Kiefer]

Hi, I just wanna know on what you focus your attention when you meditate ? And how many time you meditate a day or a week ?

Personly, i focus my attention on my breath but my mind don't stay focus a long time and i just meditate  5 - 10 mn a day.

[Nick]

I spent most of the '90's visiting the local Zen center, and have ended up following the breath. Just starting out they tell you to count breaths up to ten but after a while that just gets in the way. These days, I use a personal variation, but it usually starts with following the breath and then that just drops away as well.


Nick

[Kiefer]

When you meditate, you overcome the trance state in 10 mn ? 20 mn ? 30 mn ?

I suppose that it depends of your practice.

[Tom]

It takes 10 to 15 minutes for me to stop moving in my mind after I sit down to meditate. This is very common. The momentum from all the activity right before meditation is harder to stop than just the movement of the body. Fighting the momentum directly just makes it worse.

[Nick]

The state that I generally want to get to is the so called: mind awake, body asleep state. So it usually takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes depending on factors such as, am I too restless, etc.

What I've been doing these days is called  Phasing. One of our moderators here, Frank, has written a number of detailed posts on Phasing and they are a good to read if you are interested. There is a nice explanation of it in our new FAQ forum.


Very best,
Nick

[TradeMAAK]

All the time. On current moment.

[overfien]

meditation should be done, while going into the sleep state.  I personally use the duality method or a Koan.  While meditation empyting your mind.  Focusing would be more like concentration = projection.  Not what were trying to do here.  Meditation takes you to the 6 dimension (casual plane).
5th being the astral (seperated by the mental/astral), the 6 plane being the casual, buddhic, atmic, slightly hitting the tree of knowledge or as said in the kabballah daath.

[Tyciol]

Energy or Breathing or a Topic or Freethought.

Is there anything else?

[daidaluz]

Meditation , to me is just entering into a trance state by focusing in whatever you want.  
Sometimes I focus in the light of Buda and the way it goes around people.
Sometimes I focus in a color or an emotion and forget about anything else. If I stay relaxed , concentrated and keep my mind clean I enter into a trance-like state; sometimes I feel some  sensations like spiritual Ecstasy that I think is impossible to attain in any other way.
It works great to me sitting in the Lotus position.

[CaCoDeMoN]

For me most enjoyable kind of meditation is driving a car with clear mind(without thoughts at all), and just observing the lanscape. When I've tried this first time,I was shocked, it was like a feeling that I've spent my whole life with eyes closed. But now I can't do this until I replace the clutch in my car...
Also the Vipassana meditation is very helpful, especially to deal with unwanted thoughts and emotions.

[tro-flow]

All the time. On current moment.

Yeah that's what I call meditating. I know exactly what you mean. I actually meditating whilst typing this.

I also take the time sometime to sit down and practise my control. But the way of focus is just the same as in every moment of the day, clear, consious and relaxed. Doing what you are doing. Continuously, non stop in contact with myself.

I read a book about tai chi ones it also said that training yourself all the time is the best way.

To me meditating is like a good conversation with mother nature. Enjoy it and letter her flow.