Adam M

DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT ITS FUCKING AMAZING IVE DONE 2 RETREATS AND I CANT WAIT TO DO MORE

@Max_V I understand u entirely...... But I am talking about BEING AWARE of the present Everything always happens in the now but when we get lost in the content of our thoughts we lose touch with this truth... Right?

Too much porn, video games, and weed

Osho Dynamic Meditation Instructions: The meditation lasts one hour and has five stages. Keep your eyes closed throughout, using a blindfold if necessary. It can be done alone, and can be even more powerful if it is done with others. First Stage: 10 minutes Breathing chaotically through the nose, let breathing be intense, deep, fast, without rhythm, with no pattern – and concentrating always on the exhalation. The body will take care of the inhalation. The breath should move deeply into the lungs. Do this as fast and as hard as you possibly can until you literally become the breathing. Use your natural body movements to help you to build up your energy. Feel it building up, but don’t let go during the first stage. Second Stage: 10 minutes EXPLODE! … Let go of everything that needs to be thrown out. Follow your body. Give your body freedom to express whatever is there. Go totally mad. Scream, shout, cry, jump, kick, shake, dance, sing, laugh; throw yourself around. Hold nothing back; keep your whole body moving. A little acting often helps to get you started. Never allow your mind to interfere with what is happening. Consciously go mad. Be total. Third Stage: 10 minutes With arms raised high above your head, jump up and down shouting the mantra, “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” as deeply as possible. Each time you land, on the flats of your feet, let the sound hammer deep into the sex center. Give all you have; exhaust yourself completely. Fourth Stage: 15 minutes STOP! Freeze wherever you are, in whatever position you find yourself. Don’t arrange the body in any way. A cough, a movement, anything, will dissipate the energy flow and the effort will be lost. Be a witness to everything that is happening to you. Fifth Stage: 15 minutes Celebrate! With music and dance express whatsoever is there. Carry your aliveness with you throughout the ray My experience: I did this in a forest w/ a good friend. During the first stage I felt tingling in my feet and I was trying to become the breath. In the second stage I yelled my lungs out and I stripped naked and beat on my chest and made out with trees and it felt amazing. In the third stage I yelled HOO! and I felt energy building up in my arms In the fourth stage I stood still and I felt my cold hands become extremely hot very suddenly. I didn't move for 15 mins In the last stage I began to dance and I felt energy shoot out of my hands and all the energy dissipated out of my body and it felt amazing! A true celebration of life.

@Max_V Lost in thoughts

sounds extremely distracting, If your goal is to be aware of the present moment then I think that the music will pull you away from the now

Insight feels like "oooooooooooohhhhhhhh". Its like your thoughts are puzzle pieces and that moment when they finally fit together is an insight.

Just returned from my vipassana retreat today, probably did about 80 hours of meditation and I got some good insights about life. While talking to the teacher, I asked him about trying other practices... For the last 6 months I've been doing only vipassana meditation (similar to noting practice) for 2 hours daily and this was my second retreat. Basically my teacher said that you don't need to do any other practices, Vipassana is all you need really . After 10 minutes of respectful debate, I asked him about concentration, self-inquiry, visualization, etc. and he still told me that I should not mix practices. I told him that I wanted to try many different practices and that "I don't want to marry the first woman I fall in love with" but he just again said that Vipassana is a great practice and there is no need to do other practices. I was very confused after this conversation because everyone on actuaized.org practices a variety of meditations and this contradicts my meditation teacher's view. My teacher has practiced meditation for 10 years and was trained as a vipassana teacher in Thailand. Many monks spend 70 years with only one practice and they are extremely fulfilled so why should we have to do self inquiry and do nothing and mindful labelling etc... We concluded our disagreement with him saying "You can do whatever you want but don't blame me and I told you that you don't have to mix practices." This implies that he thinks that mixing practices may harm me/lead me off my path. Confused. Confused. Confused. Is my teacher being dogmatic (probably a little bit)? The way he speaks leads me to think that maybe he's onto something. Should I do only vipassana for the rest of my life? I'm probably going to dabble in other practices before I decide but is it beneficial to "get married" to one practice? An example of someone that I know that uses many different practices is Shinzen Young P.S. My teacher also said that you can't attain full enlightenment unless you are an ordained monk...Basically he explained that Buddhism has 4 or 5 main levels of enlightenment and the deepest ones can only be attained through a monastic lifestyle and that those people who claim to be enlightened but are not monks are likely at a lower level of enlightenment. What do you think about mixing practices? Is it okay or do they interfere with each other? Why do I need to do many practices when I can just stick to one? Thanks

@krazzer I find that they help to ground me. If I'm feeling lazy or unmotivated, after I hop out of a cold shower I feel like superman.

origami

@Leo Gura Thanks Leo. I guess that each meditation school is just a system and it has to hold certain beliefs for it to function in the way that it does. I've learned that it's important to remember that even those who diligently practice training the mind can still fall into certain mind-traps.

My teacher's teacher is this old monk Ajahn Tong. Apparently he has been in robes since he was very young (now he's 91). I told my teacher that I wanted to try other practices so that I can get a broader understanding of the world. He replied by saying that after a certain point, you will just understand all other practices without needing to do them. He used the example that a monk who has meditated with vipassana for 20 years understands the yoga of the kriya yogis "they don't disagree." I said that you can only understand from a buddhist perspective/paradigm and that you would have to move into a different perspective to truly understand it. He just said that it is difficult to explain to me and that he doesn't want to tell me too much because it will not serve me. He's probably right...it's probably just all mental masterbation and monkey mind...I will still try to explore multiple perspectives while also valuing mastery in one practice. Thanks guys for all your replies, you have all truly helped me and probably helped others too Ajahn Tong: His teacher's teacher revived vipassana meditation that the Buddha taught and spread it throughout the world. Checkout his bio, its very inspiring, includes of stories of Ajaan Tong walking/running 9km to study the Dhamma every day at 11 yrs old. Bio: https://www.sirimangalo.org/bio/ "Why should we be mindful? The Four Foundations of Mindfulness are a device that stops evil, stops bad deeds, stops defilement. 'Sati nivaranam settham' – Mindfulness is an exceptional preventer (of evil states). During the time when we are mindful, evil won't enter in to reach our hearts. We will have pure hearts always. "It is like dark and shining light. Mindfulness is a shining light; all defilements, all evil states, are like darkness. When the bright light shines, the darkness disappears. For this reason, we should be mindful at all times – our mind will be bright, clean and peaceful all of the time." - Most Ven. Phra Dhammamangalajaan Vi. (Ajaan Tong)

@Azrael I think you're right. I think the mastery aspect will really supercharge my meditation results in the long term by sticking with one practice. I will definitely experiment with other practices too. However, I wonder if I choose vipassana as my main practice, would it be better do to 2 hours of vipassana or 1 hour of vipassana and 1 hour of contemplation. Maybe I have the wrong mindset about how meditation works but I'm confused about whether mastery in one practice is more beneficial than competence in many practices...my intuition tells me that mastery in one practice is probably the best, especially a beautiful practice like vipassana@Preetom

@Shan Hey I haven't used this product but it looks cool. I use a meditation cushion that I got from a store that was in Toronto...I recommend finding a store to buy a cushion from because you can try it out at the store and ask the clerk there to help you choose the right cushion. I also sit/kneel in that kneeling position you see in the video. It really helps keep my back straight which is very important. I find that my knees really hurt in the kneeling position though, especially on retreat when you are meditating for hours every day. Usually at home the pain is bearable and it even helps me with my meditation. I am always trying new ways to make the kneeling position as comfortable as possible for me. https://torontomindfulnesscommunity.org/resources/posture/the-posture-of-meditation-kneeling-with-a-cushion/ Here you will see tips about kneeling posture. If you click on "resources" at the top and click on "postures of meditation" you will also find links to sitting on a chair, and lotus posture

@Max_V You're right. What you're saying makes me feel much lighter, thanks. My intuition tells me to try other practices and be mindful. When you are in the present moment you always know what is the right decision to make, even if the decision might be no decision for the time being.

@Arkandeus Wow thanks dude, I really started to get insight into the magic of being during and after my retreat. I understand what you mean about him occupying his own reality and mirroring. I knew that this was the case but I was just worried about messing up my practice. Now I understand that most meditation practices are basically different ways of accomplishing the same thing, just being. I got a taste of what you are talking about this weekend, when I got back from my retreat I indulged in some food and the internet for a few hours and afterwards I still felt hollow. However, when I was finished I sat down for a few minutes to be mindful and I felt much better. The present moment is full and complete as long as you are mindful enough to acknowledge it. Thanks man! Good luck with your practice!

@spicy_pickles perfect! start with 1 minute sitting every day

@Salaam bro its a void...there's nothing there...good luck trying to grasp it at will

You can't do this...it's too extreme...you need to be more methodical and strategic (focusing on one thing at a time)...however you have the right idea though...

Nice! Good for you! I'm going on a 5 day retreat this weekend and I always feel so overwhelmed when I come back to the internet

@Afonso weed definitely has some potential for spiritual insights but I smoked weed everyday for a year and if you smoke recreationally you are definitely doing more harm than good. Also, weed causes a lot of brain fog that will restrict your ability to clearly and accurately break down your sensory field which is a very important aspect of spirituality. Buddhist 5 Precepts Refrain from Killing/harming living beings Refrain from stealing Refrain from wrong sex (cheating) Refrain from harmful speech (lying, gossiping, insults etc.) Refrain from using alcohol and drugs that cause heedlessness My meditation teacher told me not to smoke weed or drink alcohol because it changes the way your mind works and can cause obstacles for you as you continue to meditate... When I asked him about psychedelics he said that the mind may become lost in delusion My teacher knows a lot about Buddhist teaching and vipassana meditation but it is important to use your own judgement about things...his opinion is shared by many others though and it is worth taking into account. Ever since I quit weed my meditation has been clearer so I naturally associate weed with the opposite of growth

@2000 Read: Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha When I experienced the dark night I felt just like you are feelings...it is a sign of progress...don't stop meditating or you may get stuck feeling like trash forever!

"Enter their minds, and you’ll find the judges you’re so afraid of – and how judiciously they judge themselves." - Marcus Aurelius This one is sooooooo powerful to me whenever I worry about what other people think of me...this quote is seared into my brain and I might get it tatooed one day

@Jonson you're going to die very soon...enjoy your life in the moment while you can but don't spend too much time clinging to sensations. The Buddha teaches us that Everything changes, nothing is permanent Sensations don't satisfy you Sensations are not you I love my life too and I wish it would never end. But it will end and that's what makes it special. Spend your time in the moment just being Your post is very upbringing compared to people talking about how they hate their life. Good for you! Life is beautiful

@nexusoflife Are you suggesting that the world should be some other way than how it already is? You're right my friend. Shit is fucked up and that's exactly the way it should be because that's the way it is. You have the audacity to tell yourself that the way things SHOULD BE SOME OTHER WAY THAN HOW THEY ARE?? Why be depressed by the way things ARE? THATS HOW IT IS NOW SUCK IT UP AND LEAVE IT AT THAT. Don't let it depress you, that's weak, stop wallowing in your hatred for humanity. Sorry for the harsh tone but shit needs to be said Edit: Noticed how I'm saying that you SHOULD not worry about how the world SHOULD be...just trying to help