Supressing thoughts vs Meditative state

[effortlesslumen]

I am able to to keep my mind comepletely empty when i concentrate on it for some short time, but it sometimes feels more like im forcefully supressing my thoughts and i am tensing up a little. So is this the effort of meditation or just avoidance? Its more like im turning down the volume when i think about it.

Edited January 28, 2023 by effortlesslumen

[vishnusavestheday]

Try to implement a sense of impossibility into your meditation

[tuku747]

 

"You" can't do It! You ARE It!

Edited January 28, 2023 by tuku747

[Jordan]

Are you getting any noticeable benefit from your mind being silent? Does it seem like your consciousness has changed? Increasing your ability to notice things like your thoughts and emotions, increasing sensory clarity, improving your ability to focus are all things that may be pointing to moving in the right direction. I think it might help with your concentration doing what you are describing.

Edited January 28, 2023 by Jordan

[effortlesslumen]

38 minutes ago, vishnusavestheday said:

Try to implement a sense of impossibility into your meditation

On this i have to contemplate.

[Jordan]

The forced concentration is needed in the beginning. Eventually if you do it for a while and enter access concentration. You will become absorbed in the object and the effort will go way down. 

[effortlesslumen]

25 minutes ago, tuku747 said:

 

"You" can't do It! You ARE It!

So its more about being present. Waiting for the meditation to arrive.

I was aware that i could supress my thoughts to a certain degree, but I always had the feeling i should not do it this way. 

But it kept on gnawing on me, if there aint a reason to explore it more. So i made the decision to ask here. 

[effortlesslumen]

16 minutes ago, Jordan said:

Are you getting any noticeable benefit from your mind being silent? Does it seem like your consciousness has changed? Increasing your ability to notice things like your thoughts and emotions, increasing sensory clarity, improving your ability to focus are all things that may be pointing to moving in the right direction. I am not sure if what you are doing helps with any of that. 

I chose not to explore it further so i cant tell, because i was afraid of walking into a dead end. I think I should do some more reading on that topic and try out some more techniques on the side . But maybe there is nothing wrong to try it more deliberate.  The comment you made about forced concentration being necessary als resonates with me as does the Alan Watts video.  

Edited January 28, 2023 by effortlesslumen