Explain meditation/tips

[Darren]

Hi everyone,

How would you define meditation because i have researched and toyed with obe for a long time now but i think i need a build up in my spiritual journey toward regular obe attempts/it being one of my main goals.

I really want to start meditating regularly as a way to have a time for me to solve all these questions in have in daily life and to just try and slowly bring my spiritual life up and running again, have a bit of routine.


Sorry, but in a nutshell i want to start meditating but have had no luck in researching any 'methods' or tips in how to start and where to go from there.

I've had a big intuition for a while that meditation is the key for me to kick start my spiritual journey back to life.

I would be very grateful if anyone could give me any good links or personal tips or methods.

and please could someone explain the true meaning and process of meditating and how it differs from obe and other trance states.

Thanks allot, and thanks for the forum and its locals.

[Stillwater]

Well, a singular defintion is fleeting, as meditiation is many things to many people. Many integrate meditation into a belief stucture, or have preconceived notions of what it entails, but I do believe a singualr definition exists.

As I understand it, the essence of meditation is focus, and the ability to maintain concentration on a simple object. This state of focus is called Samadhi in Sanskrit, and is defined by the ability to control one's own thoughts, allowing them to rest gently on the object, while "whisking" other thoughts aside as they arise.

The object of mediation is that which the mind rests on; it can be a mantra, the heartbeat, a counting sequence, or even the breath. The object itself is not so important, but rather our ability to maintain it as the center of our awareness. We do not need an elaborate mantra in order to progress, as the magic is not in the mantra itself so much as our focus on it- the breath always works for me.

The posture of meditation is of some importance, but there is open-ness here- the goal is to place the body in such a way that there is no un-needed tension ( I usually sit in lotus, but that is just my body). This is achieved for different people in different ways. Most like to sit, but lying on the back is more suitible to others. If you sit, the spine should be erect, but not tense, and the legs however they comfortably lie. Some may rest the hands palm-in palm with the thumbs resting on each other, as this helps maintain focus.

The "goals" of meditation, if they are universally recognized, may be said to be thusly: ability to maintian focus elsewhere and ignore "scatter-brained thoughts; the ability to better understand our own ego, and how it may cause it to perform actions we otherwise would not do, and to circumvent the ego in many cases; a greater sense of being in the singular moment, and not in need to do what is utterly unecessary in life; and the ability to see simple beauty in elegance in everything, among other things.

There may be "spiritual" benefits as well, but these are beyond my sphere of reference, and I try not be caught up in what I cannot adequately explain.

We must remember that progress in meditation cannot be forced, as it is something that must proceed naturally in order to be efficient. Expectations are useless, and only hinder progress. We must not worry if meditation does not conform to our pre-concieved notions (heck, part of meditation is dropping these!). Finally, although profound insight may result, we must not look to meditation as a cure-all, as it cannot work without the proper mindset, and it is only a part of a larger concsientious lifestyle.

If you want a quick start, simply set aside a half hour daily, come to a quite and comfortable place, take an appropriate posture, level the eyes with a simple downgaze, and focus on your breathing, allowing it to be the center of your awareness. There is inhalation, rest, exhalation, rest.(When I was your age we trudged 27 miles through hot plasma, and we liked it, we did!)[only 20, lol]. If you get bored with this, you can explain away the boredom as an external thought- you are truly maintaining focus when you feel nothing else but the rythms of the breath, and feel as though you could sit there forever. Remember, do not force anything! This applies to posture, and your focus as well.



I hope that sorta' helps. Be sure to post anything you are unsure of, and remember that my words are not totally exhaustive of the subject.

Goodluck,
Stillwater

[Darren]

Thanks StillWater, that was a great reply.

What about energy work and other things people do whilst 'meditating'?
Do they get into a trance state through meditation and work from there?

This is sort of what confuses me, is meditation a place where you can gain knowledge and answers? So many people talk about these things. The topic seems so loose.

People talk of visions or going places via meditation, energy body activity and other stuff, do you experience anything more than a focused mind?

Thanks, sorry if i seem stupid but i want to try and understand its potential.

[Stookie]

A good place to start would be learning about consciousness. Most agree that there is a continuum of consciousness that starts at the physical level and moves "inward". (Inward is a general term). There are some schools of thought that separate it into "focus levels". Robert Monroe created a great model.

This is a great read on the subject: http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18027

Meditation (for some) is when you move your focus of awareness into a different area of consciousness, outside of the physical. There are many ways of achieving it, no set method.

And yes, you'll experience much more than a focused mind. Maybe not immediately, as it takes LOTS of practice. I think the best thing to do is keep an open mind, not expect anything, and see what happens.

I suggest reading Robert Monroe's "Ultimate Journey". It's a fun book and is a good place to start for learning about consciousness.

[Darren]

Thanks, ok that sort of answers a few of my questions. Another thing that confuses me about Focus levels and Monroe's explanations, is the phasing.

What is the difference from phasing and projecting, but a theory on whats happening?

Phasing ''teleports'' you to a location. Projection sends you out of body, via your exit technique??

Thanks.

[Stookie]

Exactly. OBE's, astral projection, phasing, meditation, etc., are just different terms/methods for focusing awareness away from the physical.

[The AlphaOmega]

Well I think that everyone probably has their own variations on meditation, but mine is to simply calm the mind.  I do this by sitting in the lotus position, which is not necessary but I have conditioned my body to know that when I sit in that position, it's meditation time.  Like lying down and knowing it's time to rest.  My next step is to take deep, slow breaths and counting each one, usually 10-20.  And lastly, I just gaze into my closed eyelids at the darkness... I think of it as a void.  There are no responsibilities, no worries, not hate, not stress, no work, no school... just the void of nothingness.  You'd be suprised to learn how good it feels to bask in total nothingness.... what is there to think about?