How best to go about learning meditation?

For those of you successful in meditation, please talk about how you think it would be best to learn this.

While I can read books on the subject and practice and read stuff on the internet about it, I'm not sure if this sort of learning is the best way? But it might be the only feasible way.

I remember reading some advice that was basically, "Get a teacher for meditation." Get someone who can watch you, and if your breathing wrong they can tell you how to work on it. Maybe you are holding your arms the wrong way and you'd have no idea, and that is going to mess you up. Anything.

So I'm just looking for advice, as a person who is interested in meditation and would love to get really good at it. I am also interested in astral projection, but I want to learn to meditate good as well.. even various forms of meditation. What would you who are successful in meditation advise?

read this

en.wikisource.org...

And then practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice .

Then repeat.

Meditation is basically a centering and alignment of ones self and the universe. Due to the nature of our intelligence aswell as how we live our lives in scociety,it is easy to loose ones self in all that is going on.

Our emotions can govern the way we act and feel on a daily basis.

Where as a child runs and plays and has fun and doesnt think about say cigarrettes.The same child can grow up to become addicted to ciggarettes and such,and can't quit.

As we start smoking say,perhaps we get used to feeling a certain way,such as one will feel "having a smoke".as they say. The person cant really explain it yet they cannot go without it.

You will hear such words as willpower fate and innerself.But on paper or in text these things can seem pretty silly or distant.Like i dont know myself distant..

Alright, the best way to begin this journey into meditation,is to start to mentally log yourself and the ways that you are. A key to self alignment is to know who you are. In this there can be many different parts or what i call fields.

The fields ill say to you now are part of the major alignment study I call the will of one.

There is three parts to an individual.You guessed it past present and future. Imagine that all these versions of yourself to be one. Within memories you can see who you were at different times.The moments of these past times are what usually make up a better part of the present self.

All moments of these past versions of yourself are key to knowing who you are now. When we start off as babies we are somewhat clear of sub-concious baggage as it were. This is saying that while we were beaten up by a bully in grade school,and dont really remember it,it may still be the reason for our getting upset at certain situations.Such as name calling.

Yet at some point in our life this baggage was not there.

Meditation is in many ways the practice many people use to try to clear this baggage away. This for many is a daunting task.

As we go through life we add on to our repitoire of memory,we are consantly connecting with this repitoire to react to different things.

In a way this is saying we are programable,and unchecked this can get us into some strange and painful situations.

Okay back to these fields. In meditation within the will of one teachings. It is said to creeate personas of the past present and future self of who you are.

For many people we will find a timid scared child persona of the past , a hardened persona of the present,and rarely a solid persona of the future.

of course this heavily weighs on the way you were raised.Many men in our scocieties are taught at an early age many horrible things when it comes to who you are.Such as keep it in,don't cry be a man.

Don't forget that we are entity creatures each living a separate life within a melting pot of other lives.What works for one does not work for the other.Being taught not to cry and to not show emotion"to be a man".Ends up usually with someone who cant relax or express softness,happiness,anger,sadness(aswell as other emotions) properly.

On the other hand more and more in our scociety we are recognizing these things,and parents are teaching children to be more open with their feelings.

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Sometimes we can easily get lost within our emotions.The more we feel certain things and go through certain events we will become used to feeling and going through these things. We call this conditioning.

Conditioning is what brings us to the present self. "The good the bad and the ugly"things we witness go through etc.,are what make up our meta-physical state of being in our present state. This is constantly changing,while we may feel "stuck",or even trapped in certain ways,our present states are in constant change,depending on what exactly our meta physical self is going through at a certain moment. For example,everyday a person starts drinking say a beer after a long days work. While we simply think its just a way to unwind,while we are doing so night after night after night.We are conditioning ourselves for this moment to become needed in order to complete a daily mental schedule,our meta selves will get used to this being"unwind time" so when we do not get to that moment,it may be hard to deal with.

First off there are several types of meditation,which many use for different reasons. The major and more common use is to as i said before keep track of this meta physical self which is enclosed within this flesh and blood. As the day goes on whatever stress and events an individual goes through,one will try to exsist outside of these events as ones self looking in and not the person who went through these events themselves.

This is what many call the observer self or true observer or something along those lines. This meditative state is to dissassociate oneself with any"baggage"as it were which might effect the way one feels. This is not easy.

If one is working on finding out what makes up their present self(which is as i said usually step one) it will become easier to acknowledge why certain things make you feel certain ways.Aswell as know what these feelings will do to your overall meta self.

Anyways I hope this helps if you need (or want) more info from me just say so in this thread and i will be happy to add to what ive already said or explain that which i already have.

Tor.

Novise, there is no limit to the volumes you can read about what meditation is and how to do it. The fact is, it's quite simple. What's complicated is how to discipline oneself to actually practice enough to learn how to reach a meditative state. If you're motivated, then you will succeed.

What: Meditation, in a nutshell, is fixing the mind; controlling it so that one's attention isn't distracted by wandering thoughts. The more you still the mind, the more the true self becomes evident. Experience of the true self is the goal.

How: Use an image, a sound, or a mantra as a means to focus your attention. Why? So that when your mind wanders, you have particular thing to draw your attention back to. That is why it makes no difference what you use--any mantra, a candle, a painting, a symbol. Those are all means; the goal is control over your mind, to be able to still it. Soon, thoughts won't distract you from your object of meditation. With much practice, with a steady, controlled mind, the object of your meditation will disappear also. That is called samadhi.

Some say practice in concentration is needed in order to meditate. Others say meditation is the means to attain concentration. This is semantics. The thing that matters is that you practice controlling the mind. Your intuition will lead you where you need to go if you just learn control. The message of Cug above is correct: practice.

The fickle mind is difficult to control. However, it can be controlled by practice and detachment. ~ BG

A technique that I think you will enjoy and find easy is to sit comfortably in a quiet environment, eyes closed, and listen any steady sound. It might be a clock, or the hum of your computer, or crickets. If it's quiet enough, the best sound to listen to is the ringing or tone in your own ears. Whatever you listen to, each time the mind wanders, bring it back to the sound. Don't get discouraged. Bring it back over, and over, and over. I believe this method is easy and effective because listening to a sound is less complicated, therefore less distracting, that reciting a mantra or gaze fixing.

Please remember that excessive study of meditation or yoga becomes a means to procrastinate. It's much more productive to just spend your time practicing control of your mind. You don't need books for that. The concept is simple, the techniques are simple. Leave esoteric study to those who want to build pride in their knowledge. There are many who know much more about talking about meditation than they know about actually being in a meditative state. Work on the latter. Quietly build your skills and don't worry about anything else.

A yogi whose mind is controlled and situated in yoga is like an unflickering lamp in a windless place. ~ BG

Good luck!

Hello Novice how are you today, fine I hope. I had simple instructions to get you started but yuefo said it so well there's no point in my trying to explain it. I will give you the name of a creator of good meditation music that I found very helpful when I got started and someone I still use today, 48 years later. His name is Steven Halpern and he has a web site where you can sample some of his music and also purchase it. Good luck on your journey and don't get discouraged, it's a long road to inner peace. Remember Practice, Practice, Practice.

As stated above, practice is essential. Much like you I began my meditation journey around 2 years ago not knowing where to start. I found these audio downloads to be very good in helping me learn to meditate:

www.audiodharma.org...

Also I might recommend attending a Buddhist center somewhere in your area. Often you can go to free beginner meditation classes. Also you may be able to sign up for free personal instruction. Even if you don't align completely with the beliefs of Buddhism, this religion can teach you loads about meditation.

Dont be apprehensive about using the internet to accumulate knowledge about meditation. Just realize that there are many different methods, none more valid than the other. And dont pay for anything either. Meditation is one of the greatest gifts of god, for no one can take it away from us. Anyone who knows the true value and secrets of meditation does not seek to profit from it, only to help others attain the beautiful benefits that come from being mindful.

I want to stress the importance of not having any goals or expectations while meditating. Don't try to imagine yourself into some high energy state. Dont try to have visuals or auditory phenomena. Just breathe and become one with the experience. Be consistent and practice your technique, and a beautiful process will unfold before you.

Good luck on your journey, as I am sure that it will be life changing.

Theres a lot of good books and sites, however, its best left up for practice like the others said. Its more of a personal experience and once you keep at it (don't give up), be consistent and persistent. Don't expect anything, just be. With experience you will have an inner wisdom. Don't know much other advice other than techniques.

I appreciate the advice everyone. I think this is really going to help as I get started with it. I have a question though. Can you guys talk about noise/distraction levels and practicing meditation? Anywhere I go there is going to be some small amount of noise, and interruptions. I'm wondering if a meditator is better off getting used to meditating with distractions around, or if he/she would be better off making the effort to find a way or place to not have the distractions and noise. Maybe you are supposed to wear some headphones or something? But that'd be distracting too lol. I think you guys can help me with this one, so I asked.

I really wish you all well in your own meditating, this advice was generous of you.

Hello again, I found it easier to begin in a quiet setting where I felt safe. Once you feel comfortable with your meditation practices then I would suggest a noisy place with many different sounds so that you can experience the fading out of each one. After you are able to meditate in a noisy enviroment you will be able to meditate quite easily anywhere. The best place to begin is in bed when the rest of the house is asleep or at least is settling for the night. Hope this help's, until next time....

I have used techniques modified and tuned by people like Dick Sutphen and Stuart Wilde. They both have tapes and cd's that have guided meditations and they also teach different techniques in their books also. They also encourage individuals to design their own guided meditations because these usually will have subliminal triggers from your own sub conscience in them. Meditations designed by others are not always as effective as ones tailored by you for effecting changes in your conscience. and sub conscience mind.

I found that Stuart Wilde's Theta-metronome tapes were especially helpful for training the mind in achieving altered -states of awarness.

WARNING !! Do Not Use Theta-metronome Tapes or CD's while Driving!!

These are very powerful tools and can induce some unpredictable results. Practice these things in a close and safe environment where you are properly grounded.

Good Hunting!!

Excuse the short post, as I'm just about to go and grab something to eat.

It's funny, I was thinking about making a thread asking what are the best ways to go about meditating last night as I'm thinking of 'starting off' pretty soon.

Thanks

Novise,

Let me suggest that you begin by setting aside 30 min. in the morning and 30 min. at night to begin quieting your mind and internal dialog. This practice is very helpful for establishing the ground work necessary for entering into deeper trance or meditative states.

You will find a lot of internal chatter at first, because the ego is in constant need of stroking and approval, this is not your higher-self, but you probably already encountered this in your first attempts to meditate. This is very common and can sometimes distract you so much in the beginning that you can get frustrated by it. It is actually a positive indication that you are beginning to break the ego's control over your mind. Practicing silence is also a very powerful tool for quieting the ego.

The higher-self is not full of chatter and distraction, it is self-aware, non-judgmental and non-ego driven and usually is just below the surface of your waking conscious mind. This "higher-self" is what your are becoming aware of, that is why you are searching down this path.

Wow great advice and posts. Hat tip to OP and especially to Yuefo and Vipassana.

Regarding this:

Originally posted by sharkman
You will find a lot of internal chatter at first, because the ego is in constant need of stroking and approval, this is not your higher-self, but you probably already encountered this in your first attempts to meditate. This is very common and can sometimes distract you so much in the beginning that you can get frustrated by it. It is actually a positive indication that you are beginning to break the ego's control over your mind. Practicing silence is also a very powerful tool for quieting the ego.

This really is happening to me as a newbie. As soon as I was relaxing, my self-defeating and distracting thoughts would enter my relaxation. I liken it to driving down a dark unlit road at night. Then these negative thoughts would appear in my headlights, much like a sign post or warning sign or speed limit sign to distract me on my dark road. I try to ignore them, or not read them and they seem to become less frequent.

I now know I need to keep at it and this frustration is common among beginners. Thanks Sharkman and everyone for sharing.

Regards....kk