Huz

This is a monastery I found out in Japan which has the most intensive zazen practice I have seen so far with about 2000 hours of sitting mediation a year. It is run on a donation basis. For anyone looking to pursue satori (enlightenment) seriously check it out. It is one of the only monasteries that accepts foreigners in Japan. http://antaiji.org/en/ Also, would love to know your guys opinions on it

@Sri McDonald Trump MaharajIt's so sneaky. I defiantly realise that I have created a map for enlightenment. My scientific mind likes to rationalise. I just feel that to deepen my practice and discipline myself I need to go to a zen school. At the moment I feel lost delving into spirituality without guidance. This is soto zen which isn't as militaryesc then rinzai zen which really abuse the students. You have any advise for not mistaking the map!

Do you mean that when people get into zen they are expecting the practice to benefit them. i.e. they use the map of zen thinking they will become self-realized.

@Sri McDonald Trump Maharaj Yeah, i think thats cool. I can't speak any but going to study Japanese for a year then apply. At they end you would probably come out speaking near fluent Japanese.

@charlie2dogs Zen practice emphasis its practising on satori. Which is realising your true nature. Its a form of buddhism which is near of completely based on the buddha teaching of realising the true nature of self and to purge suffering. Their daily way of living is based around zazen which is regarded as a means of insight into the nature of existence. I am pretty sure the millons of people that are practicing mediation aren't devoting an intensive amount of time to the practice. Their experience of life (especially in the western world) perseveres the ego, making it harder to transend. I believe in order to become enlightened you basically have to give up all temptations in life and go for it fully. The reason why the millions find it hard to realise the nature of self is because they have too many distractions. For me it would be difficult to fully live under self realisation in the UK because my ego and my lifestyle here is not suited for practising 5 hours a day. Where as Antaji they do periods of 4am-9am, 10am-3pm, 4pm-9pm of sesshin (Strong determination sitting/enquiry at the end of every hour they do 10mins zazen walking) for 5 days straight.

It is when you are conscious of your thoughts and separate the meaning from the experience. You become conscious of how your mind assigns meaning to the thoughts. Check out Leo's last video on thoughts. Its is his technique and explains it in a lot of depth.

Hi guys, I just apply for the retreat in august. In the application it gives a section of previous drug use. I put what i have done in the past. All the hard drugs and soft drugs. I have stopped them now completely and put that in the application. You guys think that will hinder the application? Anyone who has applied done the same?

Any reason?

@cetus56 haha was meant to be a joke.

I think its the phenomena when you suddenly come to the realisation where you are both a man and woman simultaneously... We haven't made a deep existential investigation of your sexual organs. Once we unravel the egoic self we will see the truth of transgenderism.

Dude tell me about it!!! So easy to become unconscious with thoughts. Its like sometimes in a situation if you think a thought it effects you deeply. Then when you think that a thought with similar content it doesn't do anything. I have started to notice sometimes when a thought impacts me that there are very close relations to "I/me" in it but when it doesn't there aren't.

it is just a label but we do classify do nothing as a mediation

http://www.ichingonline.net?

@cetus56 I have never heard of it. What is it sounds cool?

@cetus56 I get you, its the will of universe that I didn't get accepted. Maybe it just wasn't my time or I wasn't actually ready.

I think the idea is to come to realisation of not knowing what the fuck a thought actually is and also to de-attach yourself from them. You as a "self" have probably detached yourself from sights, sounds, smells etc so why shouldn't you detach yourself from thoughts. They are an object of experience as real as the red cup you actually saw. But for some reason we identify ourselves with the story our mind creates out of it. That story is an illusion which gives birth to the illusion of self, that is separate from the external world. So thoughts are the bugger. If we manage to detach ourself with from all objects of experience i.e. sights, sounds, smell, taste, feeling (those are easily done with practice) and thoughts. Then we are left with nothing at the core which is our true being. Maybe with high enough awareness you will get insights of how thoughts are created and why they appear. But I am no way near that stage.

@cetus56 Haha speaking of the self. Once I heard the news "I" was getting upset. I set out my summer plans for it etc. Sent many emails to them pleading for a place. Then I realised the whole point of my mediation practice was to accept what is. Ironic that I was struggling to accept the failure of admission to the very practice which is training me to accept. But then I decided to do an enquiry on the being who is upset. I couldn't find it, but didn't transcend the illusion. Feel better though

Are you doing the technique for sights or for thought? The situation you are are describing to me is that you look at something then make a judgement on it, which is different from observing your thoughts. What you should do in the case of seeing the red cup is observe without any perception. So you look at the red cup without any thoughts at all. If a thought arises, don't worry, become aware of it and it will disappear then stare at the cup again. If you take the example of thinking of a red cup. So a thought arises "a red cup". Acknowledge the story it is telling you. It could be "I like red cups, and want to own one". Then split it into what it literally is i.e. an image of you holding a red cup, an image of a red cup on the table, the sounds "my red cup" (be mindful of the meaning it creates in your mind, and flatten that).

Turns out I go rejected because of my history of depression and anxiety last year not the drugs. They said if I feel stable in a year then I can apply again. I told them I feel stable now but they wouldn't give me the place

When I flatten an image I imagine a stamp imprinting it on my mind, I find it's easier to look at it as it is without content

I would advise sit for an hour and which ever thought comes up flatten in and write it in a diary. You should have done enough practise that it will stick with you throughout your day and you can do it mentally. This is what kickstarted me. Do it with negative thoughts because those are the hardest to be mindful over.

No one answered, but just doing the process in your mind for the majority of the time really boosts you mindfulness of your thoughts. Which I think is the hardest experience to develop mindfulness over

its quite enjoyable if you apply mindfulness to the sensations. Haha i have to be careful, would be a peculiar thing to become addicted too

did you guys get pins and needles like feeling all over your body?

I am about to finish my second to last year of university. Throughout my years I have wasted a lot of time. Watch hours upon hours of tv/video games in my childhood. Become very socially scared to the point where I always stayed at home. I have only had one relationship. Partaken in drug abuse. Letting others dictate my path for me. Now I am actualising I feel like I am taking control of my life, slowly. I have got one dilemma. At this stage of my life what should I pursue. I don't know my life purpose so shall I focus on that. Or focus on enlightenment. Its very time consuming to do both simultaneously. I am asking your guys opinions of what you would do if you at this stage. I am edging towards pursuing the truth but got worries what life is going to be like down the years without discovering my life purpose to developing any tangible skills for sustenance.