How do you do your active meditations?

[Gem]

Originally Posted by acitak

"Meditation is being present, so it's not something you do, it's something you are."

You are right, it is wrong title question. What is meditation? You must have intention to meditate or be at present moment , but at the same time reject all intentions.

I always say 'what is meditation' is a much better question than 'how to meditate', and basically, when you think there is someone there doing the walking, that's subtly different, but also very different, to being present while walking.

'What is being present', is probably the question at point. There is a perpetual presence of awareness that endures all the changes, that which you know has remain with you your life long, but we can be distracted from that by the experiences... but when our attention is extended to an object of concentration, it's like the awareness stretches out to 'touch' that object, and there's a slight elastic pull that draws that attention back to the source of awareness, which is how we 'know the way home'... so when the intention is 'rejected', as you put it, you 'surrender' to self, as you so succinctly expressed it...

[JOHNTY]

Greetings,

Having never done it, it sound an interesting thing to do - stepping outside of one self. The only thing I feel I should be aware of is not only my medative running but also of my running into traffic.

I'm 71 so I'll try walking first.

Any tips on how to do this type of meditation and what its purpose is?

[athribiristan]

Its pretty easy, in fact in some ways its easier than sitting meditation.

First some definitions, as people tend be confused unless some terms are understood. In my way of thinking we have three components: Body, mind, and awareness.

Body is simple enough. Awareness is what people call the soul, higher self, soul consciousness etc. It is completely non-physical. Mind is the bridge between the two: the brain and the thoughts that happen there.

My idea with moving meditation is to give the body a thing to do, as well as the mind. The mind can easily be programmed to do dishes, or drive to the store without any input from awareness. It is this distraction that frees up awareness to do its thing.

Other than that, the purpose is the same as any other meditation. Nothing else changes. You breathing is the same, your focus is the same, your goals are the same. I find it works better the more active I become, power walking is better than a leisurely stroll. Having said that however, you don't want the motion to become distracting. It may take some time to find a rhythym that works for you but it shouldn't be too hard.

[acitak]

Hi, Johnty , funny thing about any meditation is that it is not purposeful at all. Purpose is characteristic of ego-mind and meditation is always beyond mind.
Simple start with any active meditation is to always remember yourself(your body) whatewer you are doing. If you wash dishes remember yourself(your body) ,when you walk ,the same, remember your body, it will require a lot of concentration at first, you just try to remember yourself(body) again and again.
Later try to remember your body and surroundings at the same time.
The key is that when you remember your body and surroundings at the same time ,mind chattering cease, and you will see that something is changed.
All best

[JOHNTY]

Greetings,

Many thanks for that. I'm actually quite a good walker but never thought about doing much else but walking.

Start walking .. find a good, steady rhythm .. notice everything (for safety sake) yet see nothing, yourself becoming one with your surroundings.

Or something like that: ...yes? .... NO?

[VinceField]

I believe that saying things like "meditation has no purpose" or "meditation is beyond mind" is unnecessary, potentially confusing, and largely inaccurate.

There is a purpose for meditation. The purpose may vary from person to person. Some want to train their minds, to eliminate unwholesome states of mind, and to cultivate wholesome states of mind. Some want to connect with God or Higher Self. Others simply want more peace and happiness in their life. These are all purposes that meditation can potentially bring about.

Meditation is not "beyond mind." Everything that occurs in meditation is somehow related to the mind. The direction that one chooses to take their meditation in is a product of the mind. Every perception experienced in meditation is perceived with the mind. There is no perception without mind, as by definition, it is mind that perceives. Those who believe otherwise likely have created their own idiosyncratic definitions and beliefs which do not agree with the basic definitions and language that most people use.

Johnty, there are different methods for walking meditation, just like with sitting meditation.

One method is to concentrate on your breath as you walk. The main purpose of this is the development of tranquility and concentration.

Another method is to note the movements of the feet while walking, and to break each step into 6 different parts- lifting the heel, lifting the foot off the ground, moving the foot forward, moving the foot down, touching the heel to the ground, touching the ball of foot to the ground and completing the step. The main purpose of this method is to develop greater awareness of the body, leading to insight into the nature of the body and the mind's ability to perceive it, and giving the mind something dynamic to develop strong concentration. Some people start with noting just three movements- rising, forward, touching- and as one's perceptual abilities develop, more movements are able to be perceived. It's taught that eventually the meditator will be able to note a separate aspect of movement each and every moment with clarity.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by acitak

Hi, Johnty , funny thing about any meditation is that it is not purposeful at all. Purpose is characteristic of ego-mind and meditation is always beyond mind.

Nicely said. Meditation isn't of the mind; it's of that which is aware of the mind.

Simple start with any active meditation is to always remember yourself(your body) whatewer you are doing. If you wash dishes remember yourself(your body) ,when you walk ,the same, remember your body, it will require a lot of concentration at first, you just try to remember yourself(body) again and again.

Yep, it's like being aware of the details of sensation in every moment

Later try to remember your body and surroundings at the same time.
The key is that when you remember your body and surroundings at the same time ,mind chattering cease,

A bit wider there, being aware of all the senses at once.

and you will see that something is changed.

It is can be said like, 'I am aware of my body' but effect is more like 'I am aware and my body is here', the change, as I see it, is the attention rests in awareness, or resides in the self which remains, and the body is currently the object of attention. Make any sense?

All best

Thanks

[VinceField]

Originally Posted by Gem

Meditation isn't of the mind; it's of that which is aware of the mind.

From Wikipedia:

Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or for the mind to simply acknowledge its content without becoming identified with that content,or as an end in itself.

A mind is the set of cognitive faculties that enables consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory.

Mind is that which enables a being to have subjective awareness and intentionality towards their environment, to perceive and respond to stimuli with some kind of agency, and to have consciousness, including thinking and feeling.

By definition, there is no experience apart from the mind, and that which is aware of the mind is the mind. It is simply the mind being aware of itself.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by VinceField

From Wikipedia:







By definition, there is no experience apart from the mind, and that which is aware of the mind is the mind. It is simply the mind being aware of itself.

I'm not sure if mean that awareness is an aspect of the mind or if the mind is secondary to awareness, but what I mean is there exists a stillness of presence through which all the mind's movements occur. It's true to say that no experience occurs to this, and all experiences only occur to the mind, yet there is that which remains unperturbed, unaffected and ever present in self knowing.

[athribiristan]

Originally Posted by JOHNTY

Greetings,

Many thanks for that. I'm actually quite a good walker but never thought about doing much else but walking.

Start walking .. find a good, steady rhythm .. notice everything (for safety sake) yet see nothing, yourself becoming one with your surroundings.

Or something like that: ...yes? .... NO?

You got it.