Meditation Is Not What You Might Think

It seems everyone is interested in meditation...talking about the wonderful benefits, recommending classes and discussing the different ways to "do it". But, for a beginner, just what is "it"? And how do you do "it"?

Our busy, hectic, lifestyles may seem to prohibit this peaceful practice, or provide a convenient "excuse" not to begin, or continue, to meditate...but, the happy news is, you CAN successfully benefit even if you practice for short periods. With the simple technique described below, you will begin and incredible journey. There are 100's of styles, traditions and forms of meditation, but this simple practice has always been highly recommended. It is said, "Here is where the beginner begins and the Master ends".

Sit comfortably, preferably upright and alert. If unable to sit upright, lie down. When sitting, allow your spine and back muscles to support you, if you're able, otherwise use the back of the chair. Especially for beginners, if you're uncomfortable, your mind will be distracted and you will not benefit fully --- it will distract you from your process. You may alter things for your needs. If sitting in a chair, feet flat to the floor, thighs parallel to floor, feet aligned with knees, knees aligned with hips and shoulders, back straight (but not rigid), hands resting in lap, palms down. Do not slump or slouch --- imagine your head suspended by a golden thread from above. The suspension point is the crown of your head, so your chin is slightly tucked inward. If you slump or tire, just pull your sting upward! You'll feel weightless and relaxed. Remember, alter your position somewhat if needed. You will slowly become very comfortable with this position.

To sit on a mat, cushion or pillow, sit cross-legged, half or full lotus, depending on your ability. Do not force this, or any other posture; move gradually into it. Whether practicing indoors or outdoors, the air should be fresh and well-ventilated, without draft or high wind and clothes should be loose and comfortable.

You may close your eyes (unless this causes you to fall asleep) or gaze with almost-closed eyes as if looking downward and inward. If you wish, rest the tip of your tongue on your upper hard palate behind your teeth. Unless there is a physical restriction, breathe through your nose.

Traditionally, the best times to practice are upon arising and in the evening or before bedtime. With hectic modern schedules, any time is fine. Don't allow a "lack of time" to stop you. You can still benefit even if you practice for "odd moments" throughout your day --- you will be surprised how a few minutes here-and-there add up for your peace of mind. Recommended practice time is 20 minutes, twice per day --- IF YOU CAN ... some people practice more often and for more than 20 minutes. Remember, this is personal; just do your best and enjoy. Do not practice when exhausted; avoid eating 30 minutes before or after practice. Practice for a few minutes at first in a quiet environment. The time will lengthen as you become more comfortable...you'll probably surprise yourself! You may use soothing music as a pleasant background.

YOUR PRACTICE

Sit comfortably...allow yourself to become aware of your environment as you gently and slowly close your eyes...become aware of your body...feel yourself sitting...feel the contact your body makes with each surface...feel body parts touching other body parts (hands resting in lap, legs crossed)...feel your body resting comfortably and safely in the surrounding air...draw your awareness inward as you feel your body relaxing into the surfaces...calmly be aware of your breathing, without altering your breath...rest your attention either at your navel or your nostrils...calmly feel and be aware of the rhythm of your breathing...if thoughts come into your mind, don't try to stop or avoid them; just be aware of them and let them drift away --- don't follow them and don't try to solve problems...thoughts will always come; just smile as you notice them...observe them and let them go as you return to awareness of the soothing flow of your breath...always, as your mind wanders, bring it back to your breathing...You may wish to imagine or think of your breath as a color or a light or a pleasant thought moving in and out of your body in a smooth flow --- words like "peace", "calm", "tranquility", "love", "light", "safety", and the like are fine...use whatever you wish...you may repeat such words in your mind in rhythm with the flow of your breathing...smile inwardly as you meditate...just sit and listen to your breath and the calming thoughts...be aware...rest in the stillness and silence of this peaceful, powerful moment...and for just this moment, you can release all thoughts, worries and concerns and just be tranquil and serene.

When you feel that you have practiced for just the right amount of time, slowly return to awareness of your body...awareness of being in your environment...turn your attention outward and slowly, gradually open your eyes. You may stretch and/or rub your palms together, place them over your eyes, then rub gently down your face and back of head and neck several times. Then simply proceed with your normal activities.

Meditation is a cultivation process --- be patient and natural, enjoy each moment, do not "try hard"...just allow and everything will naturally fall-into-place. The biggest blocks to meditation are impatience and expectations. Just continue to repeat the simple process and you Will benefit. Don't wait for or desire "spectacular" results; that is a distracting disturbance...in fact, if you can keep from doing that, THAT is spectacular! Don't be impatient with yourself or disappointed if today's practice wasn't as good as yesterday's practice...that happens! Just rest for a moment...ssshhhh...rest in the stillness and silence, and enjoy!

MEDITATION IS...

• Allowing your mind to be alert and attentive
• Allowing your mind to be calm, concentrated without strain and focused
• Increased awareness of the world around you
• Being in the moment - not worrying about the past or future
• Pleasant
• A process more than a goal...a beautiful, inspiring journey rather than just a destination

BENEFITS

• Decreased stress, tension, depression, anxiety - more balanced emotions
• Strengthened immune system, improved health
• Sense of identity and connection, Improved confidence and concentration
• Peace of mind, optimism and self-worth
• A sense of greater spiritual connection

MEDITATION IS NOT...

• Falling asleep
• Going into a trance
• Shutting yourself off from reality
• Becoming lost in thought and/or forgetting who and where you are

Good source:
http://www.erowid.org/spirit/meditation/meditation_essay1.shtml

Why we need Meditation

With the hectic pace and demands of modern life, many people feel stressed and over-worked. It often feels like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Our stress and tiredness make us unhappy, impatient and frustrated. It can even affect our health. We are often so busy we feel there is no time to stop and meditate! But meditation actually gives you more time by making your mind calmer and more focused. A simple ten or fifteen minute breathing meditation as explained below can help you to overcome your stress and find some inner peace and balance.
Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist tradition. This is a profound spiritual practice you can enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in meditation.

The purpose of meditation is to make our mind calm and peaceful. If our mind is peaceful, we will be free from worries and mental discomfort, and so we will experience true happiness; but if our mind is not peaceful, we will find it very difficult to be happy, even if we are living in the very best conditions. If we train in meditation, our mind will gradually become more and more peaceful, and we will experience a purer and purer form of happiness. Eventually, we will be able to stay happy all the time, even in the most difficult circumstances.
Usually we find it difficult to control our mind. It seems as if our mind is like a balloon in the wind – blown here and there by external circumstances. If things go well, our mind is happy, but if they go badly, it immediately becomes unhappy. For example, if we get what we want, such as a new possession or a new partner, we become excited and cling to them tightly. However, since we cannot have everything we want, and since we will inevitably be separated from the friends and possessions we currently enjoy, this mental stickiness, or attachment, serves only to cause us pain. On the other hand, if we do not get what we want, or if we lose something that we like, we become despondent or irritated. For example, if we are forced to work with a colleague whom we dislike, we will probably become irritated and feel aggrieved, with the result that we will be unable to work with him or her efficiently and our time at work will become stressful and unrewarding.

Such fluctuations of mood arise because we are too closely involved in the external situation. We are like a child making a sandcastle who is excited when it is first made, but who becomes upset when it is destroyed by the incoming tide. By training in meditation, we create an inner space and clarity that enables us to control our mind regardless of the external circumstances. Gradually we develop mental equilibrium, a balanced mind that is happy all the time, rather than an unbalanced mind that oscillates between the extremes of excitement and despondency.
If we train in meditation systematically, eventually we will be able to eradicate from our mind the delusions that are the causes of all our problems and suffering. In this way, we will come to experience a permanent inner peace, known as “liberation” or “nirvana”. Then, day and night in life after life, we will experience only peace and happiness.

Source how-to-meditate.org

Man Becomes Piano Prodigy Overnight After Suffering Brain Injury

A Denver, Colorado man became a piano genius overnight after hitting his head on the bottom of a pool.
Six years ago, then 40-year-old Derek Amato dove into the shallow end of a pool and hit his head, according to a report on the Today Show. He suffered a severe concussion, hearing and memory loss.

But a few days later he sat down at a piano for the first time and played an original composition until 2 a.m.
“As I shut my eyes, I found these black and white structures moving from left to right, which in fact would represent in my mind, a fluid and continuous stream of musical notation,” Amato said in a blog post on the Wisconsin Medical Society website.

In the blog post, he also described playing for his mother:

"We found the nearest piano as I asked her to sit next to me. I remember asking her if she was ready. I shut my eyes and hoped that I would again see these black and white structures moving left to right. I began to play as if I was exploring some unfound treasure that had been locked up all this time in my head. My mother sat and cried, and then asked me, "what are you doing." My response was simple, "I guess God decided to give me my birthday present a bit early this year mom."

Amato is one of just 30 known "acquired savants" in the world. He's working on another recording of original music.

Source:
Man Becomes Piano Prodigy Overnight After Suffering Brain Injury - Business Insider

Personal and Historical Perspectives of Hans Bethe

Follow the link to receive Three Lectures by Hans Bethe

IN 1999, legendary theoretical physicist Hans Bethe delivered three lectures on quantum theory to his neighbors at the Kendal of Ithaca retirement community (near Cornell University). Given by Professor Bethe at age 93, the lectures are presented here as QuickTime videos synchronized with slides of his talking points and archival material.
Intended for an audience of Professor Bethe's neighbors at Kendal, the lectures hold appeal for experts and non-experts alike. The presentation makes use of limited mathematics while focusing on the personal and historical perspectives of one of the principal architects of quantum theory whose career in physics spans 75 years.
A video introduction and appreciation are provided by Professor Silvan S. Schweber, the physicist and science historian who is Professor Bethe's biographer, and Edwin E. Salpeter, the J. G. White Distinguished Professor of Physical Science Emeritus at Cornell, who was a post-doctoral student of Professor Bethe.

Source:
Personal and Historical Perspectives of Hans Bethe

Native American Code Of Ethics

Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often.
The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
~
Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path.
Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem
from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.
~
Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others
to make your path for you. It is your road, and
yours alone. Others may walk it with you,
but no one can walk it for you.
~
Treat the guests in your home with much consideration.
Serve them the best food, give them the best
bed and treat them with respect and honor.
~
Do not take what is not yours whether from
a person, a community,the wilderness or from a
culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.
~
Respect all things that are placed upon
this earth – whether it be people or plant.

You are the miracle

4 Qualities of Mind that Alleviate Suffering

Article © 2011 Toni Bernhard. All rights reserved.
A Bite of Buddhism | Psychology Today - StumbleUpon

The four sublime mental states (also called the four heavenly abodes) are qualities of mind that we cultivate in order to alleviate our suffering and the suffering of others. In the language of the Buddha (Pali), they are called the brahma viharas, which means "the dwelling place of awakened beings."
The good news for us unawakened beings is that it's easy to begin cultivating the brahma viharas. Indeed, they are an integral part of other religious, spiritual, and humanistic traditions. I present them here with a distinctly Buddhist "flavor."
Metta. The traditional translation for metta is lovingkindness. Meditation teacher, Sylvia Boorstein, uses the word "friendliness." Some Buddhist scholars say that friendliness (specifically, "boundless friendliness") is a more accurate translation of metta because metta derives from the Pali word mitta which means "friend."
Whether you prefer the word lovingkindness or friendliness, the Indian sage Neem Karoli Baba captured the essence of metta when he said: "Don't throw anyone out of your heart." That would, of course, include yourself. It would also include that relative who is a thorn in your side. And it would include that politician whose views you abhor.
I like to think of metta as the simple act of well-wishing. Pick some phrases that resonate with you: may I be peaceful; may you be free from suffering; may all beings be safe and happy. I've started practicing metta as an antidote to judging others. As soon as I catch myself judging another ("he shouldn't eat so much," "she shouldn't watch so much TV"), I immediately begin to say my metta phrases, wishing that the person be happy and free from suffering. Although I think of myself as a non-judgmental person, I'm amazed at how often I find myself engaged in petty judgments. I love the effect that switching to metta has. The judgment dissolves and I feel such a human connection to others because I'm wishing for them what I wish for myself.
Sylvia Boorstein once said that she practices metta by just looking at a person and silently saying, "I love you." That's her well-wishing phrase! When she told this story, I thought "I can't do that." But I've tried it and I can. I've done it in the car. I've done it in the waiting room at the doctor's office. When I do, I feel genuine love for utter strangers. I see that we share this life with its joys and its sorrows, and we share this planet with its beauty and its troubles.
The essence of metta practice is to engage all people regardless of whether we share the same world view. Of course, I have my "edges" (certain politicians), but that's why we practice. Sylvia says the best way to cultivate metta for someone with whom we vehemently disagree is to recognize that all beings, including that person, want to be happy.
Karuna. Karuna means compassion. It's often referred to as the quivering of the heart in response to suffering. As with metta, we cultivate it both for ourselves and for others. Responding with compassion to our own suffering gives rise to compassion for others because, as the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron said, "Sorrow has the exact same taste for all of us." And yet, many of us find it hard to cultivate compassion for ourselves. We're our own harshest critics.
The Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh, helped me learn to cultivate compassion for myself. In his book, Commentaries on the Diamond Sutra, he describes how our body responds naturally—without thought—to its own pain:

 When our left hand is injured, our right hand takes care of it right away. It doesn't stop to say, "I am taking care of you. You are benefitting from my compassion."

I fell and broke my ankle a few years ago. Before any thoughts about what happened formed in my mind, just as Thich Nhat Hanh said, my hands had already reached out to care for the pain.
Inspired by his teaching, I consciously cultivate compassion for myself by picking a phrase that speaks directly to whatever the source of my suffering is at the moment: "It's hard to be too sick to go out today," "My sweet body, working so hard to support me." Sometimes I stroke one arm with the hand of the other as I repeat my chosen phrase. And, just as Pema Chodron said, as I've learned to cultivate compassion for myself, my heart has opened to others who are suffering.
Mudita. There's not a one-word translation in English that conveys the meaning of mudita. So, unlike compassion for example, we are not necessarily raised to value mudita. It means to feel joy in the joy of others. When we're dwelling in the heavenly abode of mudita, we feel joy when another person is happy.
We may not have a one-word translation in English for mudita, but I'm happy to report that neither do we have a one-word translation for the German word schadenfreude which means feeling joy in the misfortune of others. I wish I could say that I've never felt schadenfreude. I have. But since I began practicing mudita, I've noticed that the slightest movement of my mind in the direction of schadenfreude intensifies my own suffering. I no longer take joy in other people's misfortune.
Just as metta is an antidote for our judgmental tendencies, mudita is the perfect antidote for envy. When I became chronically ill, I could be overcome with envy just hearing about people going about their mundane daily activities! It can be a challenge to cultivate mudita. Invariably, when my husband leaves on the six hour drive to visit our ten year-old granddaughter in Southern California, envy still arises, despite 20 years of Buddhist practice. But as soon as I recognize it, I reflect on how unhappy it makes me and how it doesn't get me any closer to Los Angeles!
Then I begin to practice mudita, reflecting on the wonderful time they'll be having together. It helps me to be very specific in this reflection—to visualize them talking and laughing together at places I know they love to go. After a while, that envy is replaced with joy in their joy.
Upekkha. Upekkha means equanimity. It refers to a mind that is calm and steady in the face of life's ups and downs. This is a tall order because it means opening our hearts and minds not just to pleasant experiences but to unpleasant ones too. Resisting the latter just adds our own stress to what is already difficult. Lama Yeshe beautifully expresses the essence of equanimity: "If you expect your life to be up and down, your mind will be much more peaceful."
Most Buddhist teachers present the four sublime mental states in the order I've written about them: metta (lovingkindness/friendliness), karuna (compassion), mudita (joy in the joy of others), and upekkha (equanimity). But in her book, It's Easier Than You Think, Sylvia, with her usual common sense and clarity, starts with equanimity. She says that an equanimous mind holds all things in "an ease-filled balance."
Then, she says, from this place of equanimity, when we see people going about their everyday lives, friendliness (metta) is our natural response. When we see someone suffering, compassion (karuna) is our natural response. When we see someone who's happy, joy in their joy (mudita) is our natural response.
This is such an insightful approach to the sublime states. It's not surprising that it comes from Sylvia, because being in her presence (whether in-person or through her books) is like being sprinkled with angel dust—"heavenly abode" angel dust! My wish for you is that you begin, even in the most modest way, to cultivate the four brahma viharas.
© 2011 Toni Bernhard. All rights reserved.