how do you "meditate on something"?

[Pernani]

It may sound like a silly question, but I keep seeing in the foum people giving advice and saying to meditate on: death, life purpose, answers... etc

Is it just another  way of saying to contemplate the given subjects?  all I know is that there simply exists meditation techniques that help raise awareness, but what does it rly mean?

[d0ornokey]

 

great video, highly recommend 

[Pernani]

45 minutes ago, d0ornokey said:

 

great video, highly recommend 

So it's just another way of saying contemplation 

[dorg]

In the initial stages meditation is contemplation to the extent that you are focused on something. Focusing on something is easier than focusing on nothing. However once you start 'seeing' or intuiting that your essential (true) nature is nothing or more correctly no-thing, then meditation becomes just being that.

The form of meditation one 'does' depends on 'where one is on the path'.

Edited June 17, 2018 by dorg

[DoubleYou]

@Pernani More like contemplating without using words all that much. 

Ask questions, and let meditation guide you to the answers. Which can be either conceptual or experiental.

For example, asking the question: Who am I? And experiencing the answer in the silence of meditation.

[DoubleYou]

 

31 minutes ago, Etagnwo said:

That's not how to practice who am I. 

You want to hold onto the ego and not let it think any more thought. 

If you want to practice that style of inquiry

I didn't know there were rules.

Im just sharing my own experiences.

[Rilles]

@Etagnwo How to hold onto the ego? To me the ego is very slippery since its illusory. Please share your inquiry process. Do you mean like the one Ramana Maharshi taught?

Edited June 17, 2018 by Rilles

[Dodo]

To meditate on music, you need to listen to music while meditating. 

To contemplate on musuc, you need to listen to music and contemplate it (perhaps about it's existence and meaning) .

To meditate on silence means withdrawing attention from sounds and placing attention on itself. 

Peace bro

[Ananta]

@DoubleYou  @Rilles

I've attached the teaching of  Ramana Maharshi's "Who am I" pdf. (Bottom of page)

It tells you how the inquiry should be done. 

Such as:

10. How will the mind become quiescent?

By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the
stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise
Self-realization.

11. What is the means for constantly holding on to the thought ‘Who am I?’

When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: ‘To whom do they
arise?’ It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire with diligence, “To whom has this thought arisen?”. The answer that would emerge would be “To me”. Thereupon if one inquires “Who am I?”, the mind will go back to its source; and the thought
that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the
skill to stay in its source.

 

Link:

who_am_I.pdf

 

 

 

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by Anna1

[Rilles]

@Anna1 Thanks Anna much appreciated!

[Ananta]

@Rilles Your welcome!

[Pernani]

12 hours ago, dorg said:

6 hours ago, DoubleYou said:

@Pernani More like contemplating without using words all that much. 

Ask questions, and let meditation guide you to the answers. Which can be either conceptual or experiental.

For example, asking the question: Who am I? And experiencing the answer in the silence of meditation.

So basically you just bring the topic of question into your awareness, get yourself a bit curious and then do whatever meditation technique you're using? Whats the appropriate technique for this? Maybe the do nothing meditation

Btw awesome content anna!

And idk why the reply function is screwed up, i cant answer outside the quotation box lol

[Pernani]

Im gonna bump this because i still need more clarification

[Shakazulu]

@Pernani hmmm, I say to cotemplate is to observe. Just watch yourself watching it 

[Joseph Maynor]

No.  But when I meditate insights come to me quite a lot.  I just do Do Nothing Meditation.

Edited June 22, 2018 by Joseph Maynor

[Faceless]

Premeditated meditation makes for limited insights. As long as there is a motive, choice, whole insight is not. 

Where there is a movement of time, insights remain finite and partial. 

 

Edited June 22, 2018 by Faceless

[Guest Quanty]

Is somewhat as Tantra Yoga when you channel with a partner of the opposite sex, but you do it with yourself focusing on what you like. 

[starsofclay]

@Pernani I would think the simplest way to meditate on something is to use it as a mantra, and then any incoming insights, whether during your meditation, during your day, or that night's  dreams would reflect the subject of your meditation. 

Edited June 22, 2018 by starsofclay

[Pernani]

On 6/22/2018 at 10:42 PM, Quanty said:

Is somewhat as Tantra Yoga when you channel with a partner of the opposite sex, but you do it with yourself focusing on what you like. 

I'm sorry but this makes no sense to me.

I suppose there is more than one way to do this, thank you for your replies!

 I think what i'll do is concern myself with the subject matter, get into that zone of questioning and wondering then maybe do the do nothing technique

[Jamie Universe]

I contemplated on mediation once, and I sort of had this insight. And from what I'm reading, maybe its true? Its..

"During the process of meditation your becoming what your focusing on" or rather what your practicing to be aware of is where your becoming conscious or more aware of.

Although I don't know how I apply this to do-nothing meditation, since your not really focusing in do-nothing. maybe by doing nothing your letting your mind into a state that doesn't include 'stuff' so it becomes nothing instead?

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm starting to realize meditation is even more confusing than I though D: