No reason to meditate
 

There is a reason though it is unlike any usual reason.

Just to relax - as one might feel tensions in the body.

It's a good exercise to feel the body from the feet, moving slowly upward, relaxing each part as you go. Repeating this over and over is by itself a wonderful meditation. It keeps the mind in the moment with attention within the reality of the body as it actually feels.

It connects to the mind as the tensions which are noticed in the body correlate with tensions of the mind. As mental stress shows up as tension in the body, as the body relaxes, so too does the mind.

The art is this watching, noticing. Noticing what sort of tensions are being held in the body, and by becoming conscious of these, ceasing to hold that tension.

One can continue, and repeat feeling from toes to head, and see if any part resumes holding tension. Without judgment, one can stay with a tense spot for a little while and see if it releases. If it does, then continue as you were. If it doesn't, then be with the tension for a little while, maybe a minute or less, feeling it more thoroughly, then continue the exercise as you were.

In this way, the meditator stops doing the activity which is tensing. In awareness of the body, previously unconscious holding of tension is made known and resolved. By noticing where tensions lie, they are released into no-effort. To lose tensions, gaining none, as these come and go.

So from the toes to the crown, moving quite slowly, feeling each part carefully, relaxing as you go - arriving at the crown, and starting again.

You funny,
What do you think meditation is?

The there's nothing to do schools of thought are right, they often forget to mention though that reaping the benefits of nothing to do often comes after years of preporatory work.

With Love
Eelco

The ability of being consciously aware without stillness of mind being disturbed.

Ten reasons not to meditate.
 

10 Reasons You Should Never Start Meditating



1. You won’t be able to worry obsessively.
Meditation opens the door to inner peace. You’ve got a reservoir of untapped ease and relaxation waiting to be discovered. So if you’re the kind of person who likes to worry and fret over every last thing, don’t start meditating. You’ll be disappointed.

2. It will kill your commitment to stress.
Ready to chill out and master the art of doing nothing? Then meditation is definitely for you.

But if you feed off stress and if you like to scream down life’s super highway like a runaway tractor trailer, slamming into the side rails and fraying your nerves, then forget meditation. It will have the opposite effect.

3. It will take away your excuses to be unhappy.
Do you want to be happy? If you do, you should meditate. If you like being in a good mood and seeing the light in everything, then definitely sit on the cushion and get peaceful. Meditation is a serious mood enhancer and it brightens everything.

But if you don’t want to give up your rationale and justifications for being unhappy, you should abandon your meditation aspirations right away.

4. You won’t be able to run from yourself.
Meditation is like a mirror. It reflects you to yourself. It can help you accept yourself as you are, without judgment. But if you’re not ready to get intimate with your own motivations, drives, fears, desires, obsessions, fantasies, etc., meditation is going to be a turn-off.

5. You'll have to give up your existential doubt.
Do you like doubt? I doubt it very much. But if you are into that, then don’t start a meditation practice. You see, meditation gives you confidence. Every time you sit down to meditate, it restores your confidence in the goodness of life.

When you really get the hang of it, you can develop some really nasty anti-doubt habits. Let me warn you now. Before long, you’ll be convinced that life is a total miracle and positive beyond imagination.

6. So much for unconscious eating!
Meditation and mindfulness is all about slowing down. If you like to eat unconsciously, you probably shouldn’t meditate. If you think of your meals as something to get through, rather than a rich moment in time, then you should not adopt a posture of mindful eating.

Mindful eating means slowing down and savoring every bite. It means you don’t rush through your food. It’s all about the rich fullness of this moment right now and how the food, the company, and the light flooding through the windows all contribute to you being awake and aware.

7. Want to freak out? Don’t meditate.
If you like to freak out on occasion, you shouldn’t meditate. If you like to generate anxiety, stress, and trigger adrenaline dumps to jack your nervous system, meditation isn’t for you.

Here’s the problem. If you start meditating, you’re going to end up all grounded and centered. You’ll be so immersed and undivided in the present moment, there won’t be any time to freak out. It just won’t occur to you.

8. Forget multi-tasking.
Do you like to have 10 things going at once? Are you a manic multi-tasker? If so, you shouldn’t start a meditation practice.

The big issue here is that it will start to improve your focus. You’ll find that your ability to do one thing really well with great precision and subtlety will keep increasing. And with it, you’ll lose your capacity for distraction.

9. Be careful; it will make you more conscious.
Becoming more conscious doesn’t always feel good. And meditation makes you more conscious.

If you prefer to react to the world like an emotional gunslinger, shooting from the hip and blissfully unaware of your motivations, you shouldn’t start meditating. Seriously, it can get pretty uncomfortable because you’ll be more responsible for your actions.

Once you get the hang of meditation, your awareness becomes more refined. You'll develop the capacity to see and objectify emotional triggers and reactions. And then you’ll have the capacity to make a choice before you react. In the process, you’ll become more conscious. It can be a real burden.

10. It will deprive you of...almost everything.
Meditation is the opposite of noise, action, business, and things. It’s all about silence, stillness, and nothing.

:D

What exactly are the "there's nothing to do" schools of thought that you are referring to and why do they abandon or neglect to mention the years of preparatory work? And what exactly are the preparatory work that they omit to participate in? Sorry, I do not quite understand and hope you don't mind explaining. :)


What an eloquent and succinct description!

That sounds like a wonderful form of meditation to me... so it seems like one variation rather than an alternative to meditation (relaxing through the body and releasing tension... breathing~assumed... and flow found within the body) witnessing, rubbing, and acknowledging everything and intentionally releasing - from the areas that feel free and supple to tough spots that frequently pinch and show up...

Meditation can be many diverse experiences, IME. whatever forms of flow, witnessing and being with oneself with focus and compassion...

Schools known as neo-advaita.
You can Google it or for 1 explanation by Rupert Spira.
Click here

With love
Eelco

Hello Imzadi, you might find this video interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PFxAiVwfis

EDIT: This talk as well, have not listen to it all im at 28 mins atm... think iv heard parts of it before though... here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plReSufdbqE

EDIT AGAIN: There is also a member on this website who has his signature as this too "A really egoless person is not humble at all. He is neither arrogant nor humble; he is simply himself."

As for the prepatory work.
That would be finetuning ones discernment.
Meditation techniques may help with this.
As may contemplation.
As may supreme worship.

With Love
Eelco

Thank you Eelco and Nature Grows for the information, I will take a look at your links soon!


Interesting quote! I think arrogance can be perceived as one aspect of ego and self deprecating humbleness could be the other side of the same coin. One leads to a superiority complex the other illustrates a certain identification with inferiority; both of which derives from ego. However, I think humility can simply be described as the lack of arrogance without diving into inferiority thus creating a rather conscious equanimity.