Meditation Techniques - How to decide?

[Verg0]

Lately I've been more curious about the question of 'What is Meditation' and 'How to practice it'.  But the 'How' implies a method. 

So over the years I've kind of tried out and explored different things. 

Zazen, breath awareness, chanting Hindu/Buddhist/Sikh Mantras, Concentracion, Mindfulness, Yoga of different kinds, Contemplative Prayer, 'I am awareness', Self Inquiry| Enlightenment Intensives, Neti Neti, Tantra, Vipassana, other Buddhist Methods and so on and so on. 

During this journey, I lost touch with the understanding that meditation is a happening, a blossoming, whole within itself. It doesn't have a reason or a purpose. I forgot that. So I searched for something ... The 'Most effective / true / resonant' technique or 'practice' to get me to God-Realization / Oneness / Awakening / Enlightenment/ Self Understanding/ Peace / Bliss .... And whatever else "I" desire. 

So much Selfishness on the journey to Selflessness. 

Now after a Vipassana Retreat I realized again that you cannot "do" meditation. The Vipassana technique (as taught by Goenka) was related with so much "Doing/Work/ Effort". Completely besides the point of Meditation as I understand it. 

 

But now there is still the question: 

I want to live meditation. Create the atmosphere of body, mind and surrounding that meditation can blossom. 

With a path or a 'Practice' to go into depth with. The exploring of the wide range of perspectives and techniques is wonderful, and there are infinitely more to explore. And almost all claim that THEIR thing is THE thing. Still I feel a calling to dedicate myself to something , consistently to go more from breaths into depth. 

 

How to decide? I find it difficult to commit to only one single "practice" or tradition as many are so wonderul and many resonate. 

There might be value to deepen understanding and experience in one particular field (like zen, daoism, Shaiva tantrism, etc.) and really go deep with it. 

But there might also be value in continuing to develop my own understanding and my own 'practice' and walk my own path. Without accepting or commiting to what any authority or framework is saying. Cause that's what true Spirituality is. Deepening your own understanding of reality and developing an intimate connection with Life, Love and God. 

But then my mind comes in again and says : "But how to do it?" 

And the search for the end of seeking begins anew. 

 

But I also realized during my retreat: 

To enjoy the process of seeking the end of seeking is to find it. 

[r0ckyreed]

There is no such thing as a meditation technique. You are correct that meditation is a happening and not a doing. Techniques are just more doings. 

 

[Salvijus]

3 hours ago, Verg0 said:

How to decide? I find it difficult to commit to only one single "practice" or tradition as many are so wonderul and many resonate. 

Mmm. Can relate to this. Been in this situation myself. In my experience it can be quite torturous not to know where to go. 

I have a belief and also it is backed up with other scriptures and other material that confirm this, that we all belong to a certain group from birth and we have certain karmic connections to certain traditions much more so than to other traditions. 

The problem is with some people like myself is that they are very open minded and are able to appreciate the diverse expressions of spirituality and different traditions. And it's good. And it has its place and it is even beneficial to learn from them. But this confuses the hell out of them which direction to go. 

A simple visualization exercise you can do to know what your heart feels closest connection to. Ask yourself where would want to go after death, what heaven, in whose hands would I fully trust my life into.  Would you like to fully surrender your life after death in the hands of Jesus, or Muhammed, or Shiva, or Krishna, or Lao tzu, or Buddha, or Durga, or this teacher or that teacher, or this goddess or that goddess etc.

You will feel immediately that you feel a clear "no" to most of them. And when you find the one that you feel, "yea, I could fully give and trust my life into the hands of this being after death and be happy" that is your lineage. There could still be ego negotiating and debating if other paths are better and what not and not fully accepting it. But that's temporary. Eventually heart will settle where it is meant to settle and where it belongs. And you will see that restlessness and the desire to look anywhere else will vanish. You will feel like at home. 

Nothing wrong in exploring different paths tho. They all contribute nicely aswell to the spiritual progress. 

 

Edited March 26 by Salvijus

[Verg0]

@r0ckyreed Great insight! 

But then, how to raise ones awareness of that happening? 

I might resonate more with doing a lot of nothing in the mountains then to work in a restaurant on the city. 

Both are Meditation. But my awareness or the atmosphere might be enhanced by creating a certain atmosphere (through surroundings, singing, movement etc). 

 

[Verg0]

@Salvijus very interesting perspective and great visualization exercise. Thanks for sharing!! <3

[emil1234]

"And the search for the end of seeking begins anew"

nice quote haha, ty for sharing. enjoyed the read, resonated a lot

[Hojo]

Do you game? There are several games that if you understand fully you automatically enter flow states. People who can do this are already meditating. If you have a game that you can enter a flow state in you are doing half the work already now while in the flow state of gaming start saying mantra. You know the game you dont have to think about the game so you can focus on mantra while playing the game.

If you game alot you can literally pound out 4 hours of mantra without realizing it. After you are done your mind is blank.

Edited March 26 by Hojo

[r0ckyreed]

5 hours ago, Verg0 said:

But then, how to raise ones awareness of that happening? 

That is the million dollar question. That will vary to each person. For me, it is contemplation that raises my awareness the most. For you, it may be visualization or body scan, chakra meditation, or whatever. Just sit and notice everything just happening entirely on its own. Then, think about free will.

[Ishanga]

You want to be Meditative, or at Ease all the time, as a baseline State, now if this is not happening naturally, and cannot be initiated spontaneously at Will, then something has to be done (the stress response has taken over your base state, too much thinking probably too), action or "doing" has to happen, the methods just clean the slate so that naturally You are at Ease and peace, Bliss, Health arise like the sun does every morning! 

Try Isha Kriya its 12 min and pretty effective, its simple and easy, if You want more try the Inner Engineering program by Isha/Sadhguru, it works wonders!

 

[Jordan]

A meditation technique is something you do that gives you a chance to put you in a state of meditation. You could define meditation as a mental state. Like sleep is a state, you can not force yourself to sleep, just do things that increase the chances of slipping into that state. The meditate state can be entered in a similar way without effort but in an environment that increases the chances. The technique that you could choose is whatever takes you into that state the quickest.