Are Meditation Retreats A Waste of Time?

[Ishanga]

12 hours ago, r0ckyreed said:

I am curious as to how me sitting down and focusing on my breath is not going to be a waste of time.

2 years ago, I meditated for 4 hours straight, and it seemed like a complete waste of time. I was sitting, focusing on my breath, and counting my breaths, and that was pretty much it lol.

I don't really see how meditation is going to add to any existential understanding of reality.

One thing that I did gain from my meditation retreat was that I learned how to deal with discomfort and boredom, but me sitting and counting my breaths didn't add anything else. There was no insight from no thought.

It is kind of frustrating because I have read a lot of meditation books, and it just doesn't seem to be as effective as simple contemplation. 

The only meditation technique that has worked was Leo's Satisfaction Meditation. But that meditation doesn't gain me any insight that reality is imagination. All meditation has ever done for me is give me insights into equanimity and suffering. 

It seems like I gain more contemplating something for 10 minutes than I ever could from a 2 hour sit.

I think a good 10 minute meditation session a day is good, but anything longer than that seems like a waste of time, and one is better off approaching women to see if their meditation practice can hold to the test. I agree with Owen Cook that sitting down and meditating is a waste of time. I can meditate while I am thinking, making a business, and socializing with women. I see the benefits of a 10 minute sit and an occasional 1 hour sit, but there is a threshold to where a certain amount of sitting time on the cushion doesn't add anything more to your life. 

Sadhana practice, what many call meditation is not about Adding, its about taking away, all the crap, conditioning, Karma, the things that don't allow You to experience Reality as it is.. One important question is why are we not born with naturally? We wouldn't survive as a species if we did, we would be too busy admiring a flower or sunrise and missing the Tiger about the eat us alive, so we have to Strive for Realization/Awakening, we have to stop identifying with our Body, Genetics, our Mind Past/Future Memory/Imagination complex, we can do this via Meditation, plus its healthy for us, if You are not is vibrant Health then Awakening won't happen easily for You, so there are foundational, Stabilizing things that we need to do for the Body and Mind to allow higher Energy Intensity to happen which is the pre cursor to Enlightenment!!

Daily practice is critical, and it doesn't take 4 hrs, just 30min of consistent practice, as well as once or twice a year take time off for yourself, go to a retreat and delve deeply into the practices and be in consecrated places, this helps tremendously as well!!

[UnbornTao]

Depends on why you take meditation up.

Its function is healing and mindfulness, so that's what you'll get.

[Meliodas]

15 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

To the contrary. Daily meditation is a waste of time. Retreats is where results happen.

Meditating for 4 hrs does nothing. Meditating for 100 hrs does something.

how does one meditate for 100hrs , if they can't do 4hrs?

 

[Space]

Group retreats are a waste in my opinion. I've done 5 group retreats and every time being around so many other people is just a major distraction and annoyance. People coughing, farting and making annoying noises. 

The ideal situation is to rent an Airbnb and do a solo retreat. The downside is that costs a lot. You can do home retreats but it requires a lot of discipline to not distract yourself with the usual home distractions.

 

[Husseinisdoingfine]

19 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

To the contrary. Daily meditation is a waste of time. 

Waaaaaaaahhttt????

Does this mean I should abandon my daily meditation habit? What should I do?

[Alexop]

9 minutes ago, Husseinisdoingfine said:

Waaaaaaaahhttt????

Does this mean I should abandon my daily meditation habit? What should I do?

I think he meant a waste of time regarding awakening, my mini meditations help me be more happy, focused and basically more conscious. I suffer less, but maybe won't  "awaken" me to alien intelligence

[Alexop]

2 hours ago, Space said:

Group retreats are a waste in my opinion. I've done 5 group retreats and every time being around so many other people is just a major distraction and annoyance. People coughing, farting and making annoying noises. 

The ideal situation is to rent an Airbnb and do a solo retreat. The downside is that costs a lot. You can do home retreats but it requires a lot of discipline to not distract yourself with the usual home distractions.

 

completely agree, I think we need to be very careful about any group activity, the most growth I got in life is from spending time alone and contemplating life, not being around a bunch of spiritual clowns.

[universe]

22 hours ago, r0ckyreed said:

I will just have to find the time to do a more intensive meditation retreat.

The main thing that is holding me back is that I have 120 hours of paid vacation time per year, and I honestly would rather use that time to travel and go on adventures around the world than to spend all that time, confining myself in one room, one space, just sitting and meditating. 

Maybe confining myself in extreme solitude like that could elevate my consciousness, but I just have too much of an adventurous personality to just sit still and do nothing.

Either you do it or don't.

Or you could try psychedelics if time is of the essence.

[r0ckyreed]

5 hours ago, universe said:

Either you do it or don't.

Or you could try psychedelics if time is of the essence.

I’m thinking a short 5 minute daily practice in morning and evening would be good for me and then go and experience life while I am still alive. I never know when I will die. I don’t want to spend my existence in a monastery or cave. I want to spend it being adventurous, curious, and ambitious. Awakening is mysterious, and I believe it can happen when I least expect it. 

Edited February 19 by r0ckyreed

[mmKay]

On 18/2/2024 at 1:53 AM, Thought Art said:

@Leo Gura my daily 30 minutes in the morning is not a waste. It’s very important for me. 
 

I admit I haven’t done a super long retreat though. I will plan one.

But, as a centering practice my sit helps out a lot. 
 

Sitting in silence for 30 minutes at least a day does have a usefulness for mindful, peaceful living… 

He means it's a waste as far as mindf*cking spiritual insight for most people.

For rewiring your brain for practical personal development focus and purposes it's as good of a remedy as there is for the endless stimulation this day. Just made a post on this few days ago.

Possibly Leos mind is built different and doesn't struggle with focus and distraction like us plebs

Also it's great self therapy as you dont distract yourself from your thoughts and it gives you room for working through recurring themes

[Ishanga]

15 hours ago, Alexop said:

I think he meant a waste of time regarding awakening, my mini meditations help me be more happy, focused and basically more conscious. I suffer less, but maybe won't  "awaken" me to alien intelligence

For sure a daily practice of meditation will help one awaken, simply because if You are more Happy, less stressed the process of Awakening will happen naturally.

Practices do not make Awakening happen, they just wipe the slate clean, take away everything that is preventing You from Realizing Awakening naturally, its all about one's Karmic Makeup, once that is dealt with, Awakening happens quickly and easily, Practices deal with that...

[Davino]

@r0ckyreed

Meditation is not good for vertical Awakening but is certainly good for horizontal awakening & baseline consciousness

[Alexop]

40 minutes ago, Ishanga said:

For sure a daily practice of meditation will help one awaken, simply because if You are more Happy, less stressed the process of Awakening will happen naturally.

Practices do not make Awakening happen, they just wipe the slate clean, take away everything that is preventing You from Realizing Awakening naturally, its all about one's Karmic Makeup, once that is dealt with, Awakening happens quickly and easily, Practices deal with that...

Personally I try to integrate spirituality in day to day life, maybe later I'll also try some more radical practices. I've seen too many people who rush into spirituality and fuck everything up, it is the day to day behaviour that makes the difference and that requires 15-20 years of holistic development.  If I want to see how spiritual you are I won't ask you about your awakenings, I'll ask your spouse and friends of an honest opinion on how you're treating them.

How connected you are to your needs and wants, how happy you seem to be etc..

Any idiot can take some mushrooms for a period and then talk about god.

Edited February 19 by Alexop

[Ulax]

Maybe try an insight meditation method like mahasi noting

[The Renaissance Man]

 

On 2/18/2024 at 1:49 AM, Leo Gura said:

To the contrary. Daily meditation is a waste of time. Retreats is where results happen.

Meditating for 4 hrs does nothing. Meditating for 100 hrs does something.

@Leo Gura do you still do your daily meditation? Or you just do that occasionally, because the vast majority of the value is in retreats?

[Ishanga]

50 minutes ago, Alexop said:

Personally I try to integrate spirituality in day to day life, maybe later I'll also try some more radical practices. I've seen too many people who rush into spirituality and fuck everything up, it is the day to day behaviour that makes the difference and that requires 15-20 years of holistic development.  If I want to see how spiritual you are I won't ask you about your awakenings, I'll ask your spouse and friends of an honest opinion on how you're treating them.

How connected you are to your needs and wants, how happy you seem to be etc..

Any idiot can take some mushrooms for a period and then talk about god.

Couldn't Agree with You More

[OBEler]

1 hour ago, Alexop said:

Personally I try to integrate spirituality in day to day life, maybe later I'll also try some more radical practices. I've seen too many people who rush into spirituality and fuck everything up, it is the day to day behaviour that makes the difference and that requires 15-20 years of holistic development.  If I want to see how spiritual you are I won't ask you about your awakenings, I'll ask your spouse and friends of an honest opinion on how you're treating them.

How connected you are to your needs and wants, how happy you seem to be etc..

Any idiot can take some mushrooms for a period and then talk about god.

I would then prefer to be the unhappy idiot with the mushroom experience rather than a brave yoga slave who is totally lost in hippy spiritualism. Because at least you know the real deal. That saves you a lot of time and waste of energy.

 

[gettoefl]

18 hours ago, Husseinisdoingfine said:

Waaaaaaaahhttt????

Does this mean I should abandon my daily meditation habit? What should I do?

to ask such a question means you don't know what meditation is

meditation is 3 things, find yourself be yourself rejoin yourselves

and the bad news is, only meditation attains these three things

basically meditation is showing up silently and letting god do its thing in whatever way it pleases, you do nothing

ego hates meditation and will resist even a 5 second session til its dying breath

something to contemplate

[Oppositionless]

meditation is super useful. it’s not going to bring you to the highest states of consciousness possible, but that’s not the point. meditation is like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. 

[Breakingthewall]

Meditation is essential to observe yourself in depth, and to remove the limits of the mind. Without meditation you do nothing in spirituality, you become a crazy person who believes things from books and memories of psychedelic trips.

The problem is if you meditate and don't go beyond the surface, then it is irritating and unpleasant shit. It has to be a deep dive, you must have broken the linear surface of the mind, for this it is very useful to have done enough psychedelics. You can also try meditation with low doses of THC, as long as it doesn't lead you to threads of ideas, then you haven't broken the ice yet.

Edited February 19 by Breakingthewall