What exactly is meditation?

[sky]

Originally Posted by Gem

I'm not a big reader either, and I'm not really into that whole knowledge game. That's why I don't quote 'important people' to try to convince people that I'm right. All that is said as truth is subject to critique anyway, because it is to discern, have self-determination, and never take to be true anything which isn't directly realised.

I am a very big reader, I could read 16 hours a day if I had the time, mybe that's the reason I sometimes give my eyes a vacation

Here's what I wrote earlier.
I tend to balance walking and sitting times. so I start with 20 to 30 minutes of walking alternated with 20 or 30 minutes of sitting.
When I learned I did only 3 part walking. Raising(whole foot), moving(foot through the air),Placing(setting foot on floor and shifting weight)
Sitting just rising(belly rising), falling(belly falling)

In meditation, either walking or sitting I try to synchronize my thinking with my experience of all the sensations that make up one step or one breath. Softly noting raising(when my heel comes from the floor) lifting (when my foot comes completely loose from the floor) moving (when my foot drifts forward) lowering(when my foot descends towards the floor) touching (when my foot touches the floor) and pressing( when i shift my full weight(85kg) on my foot) then repeat with the other foot. Noting a step that way There are myriads of other sensations that make up one step. There is thinking happening, tension somewhere in the body, an itch, a sight, a sound. feeling my muscles pull around the knee and upper leg when my foot leaves the ground etc.

In sitting there's a similar train of observing experience.
There's the rising and falling of the belly which I use as an anchor, the same at the movement of the feet. softly noting rising and falling as the belly rises and falls.With that however one can experience the start of the rise, the middle, the end, the absence of movement all together.

[sky]

Originally Posted by catsquotl

Here's what I wrote earlier.
I tend to balance walking and sitting times. so I start with 20 to 30 minutes of walking alternated with 20 or 30 minutes of sitting.
When I learned I did only 3 part walking. Raising(whole foot), moving(foot through the air),Placing(setting foot on floor and shifting weight)
Sitting just rising(belly rising), falling(belly falling)

I practise Tai Chi which is another form of ' walking meditation ' If I do it outside I feel every stone/gravel that I step on, ouch... Meditation definitely heightens the senses....

[Gem]

Originally Posted by sky123

I am a very big reader, I could read 16 hours a day if I had the time, mybe that's the reason I sometimes give my eyes a vacation

Oh really? We are completely opposite.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by sky123

I practise Tai Chi which is another form of ' walking meditation ' If I do it outside I feel every stone/gravel that I step on, ouch... Meditation definitely heightens the senses....

Yep, as I was explaining about ananpana for 'heightening the senses'. I just put in terms of the mind getting sharper and more sensitive in perception, but satipatthana doesn't make a clear distinction as the body sense and the mind perception are more or less interdependent - (it's related to the teaching on dependent arisings).

As for sensations during practice..

I've been increasing my meditation time over the last 6 weeks.
From walking/sitting for 15 minutes each, now up to 30 minutes each.
Planning to work up to 45 minutes each during march/april to prepare for a 10 day retreat at http://www.vipassana-dhammacari.com/main_eng.html

I usually have to exert some effort at the beginning of walking to keep the sensations of my foot in mind for the first few minutes as the husstle and busstle of the day subside. Then I usually ignore the little distraction for 5 to 10 minutes only stopping and noting the larger distractions. Usually thoughts that I find myself following. Noting them they disappear quite quickly and I start again by noting standing(3times) then intending to walk(3 times) then start walking.

When my timer goes of I note stopping, as mindfull as I can walk to my sitting spot noting as many sensations and actions as I can. When I sit I start with noting sitting, sitting and then usually the breath presents itself. If it doesn't I make an effort to notice the belly rising at the in breath. After a few minutes I switch from rising, falling to rising, falling sitting as notes. where the last outbreath I just try to see what comes up.

Insights or experiences in this can change from meditation to meditation. some times it feels like hard, boring work. At others the mind settles down quickly and everything feels pleasurable and peaceful. Over the course of many sittings I have found a few things I can think of that calm the mind more quickly, but as many times they don't work(striving, striving) and I let go and note what is there instead of what I want to be there..

The most fun insight I often have is that the last few minutes of most meditation sessions I know the bell wil ring soon and I wait for the session to end. It feels almost imbearable to wait. I feel me whole being waiting for release... Then the bell sounds. nothing has changed but the sense of relief is enormous and I feel I can sit for hours. It's one of the clearest signs to my how the mind and expectations rule an experience.. Because all that changed from the buildup of tension as I await the end of meditation to this feeling of release is a stupid timer going of.

With Love
Eelco

[sky]

Originally Posted by Gem

Oh really? We are completely opposite.

It takes all kinds to make the world go around

I must admit though I prefer oral to reading when studying Buddhism, just listening is more pleasurable for me..

[sky]

Originally Posted by catsquotl

As for sensations during practice..

I've been increasing my meditation time over the last 6 weeks.
From walking/sitting for 15 minutes each, now up to 30 minutes each.
Planning to work up to 45 minutes each during march/april to prepare for a 10 day retreat at http://www.vipassana-dhammacari.com/main_eng.html

I usually have to exert some effort at the beginning of walking to keep the sensations of my foot in mind for the first few minutes as the husstle and busstle of the day subside. Then I usually ignore the little distraction for 5 to 10 minutes only stopping and noting the larger distractions. Usually thoughts that I find myself following. Noting them they disappear quite quickly and I start again by noting standing(3times) then intending to walk(3 times) then start walking.

When my timer goes of I note stopping, as mindfull as I can walk to my sitting spot noting as many sensations and actions as I can. When I sit I start with noting sitting, sitting and then usually the breath presents itself. If it doesn't I make an effort to notice the belly rising at the in breath. After a few minutes I switch from rising, falling to rising, falling sitting as notes. where the last outbreath I just try to see what comes up.

Insights or experiences in this can change from meditation to meditation. some times it feels like hard, boring work. At others the mind settles down quickly and everything feels pleasurable and peaceful. Over the course of many sittings I have found a few things I can think of that calm the mind more quickly, but as many times they don't work(striving, striving) and I let go and note what is there instead of what I want to be there..

The most fun insight I often have is that the last few minutes of most meditation sessions I know the bell wil ring soon and I wait for the session to end. It feels almost imbearable to wait. I feel me whole being waiting for release... Then the bell sounds. nothing has changed but the sense of relief is enormous and I feel I can sit for hours. It's one of the clearest signs to my how the mind and expectations rule an experience.. Because all that changed from the buildup of tension as I await the end of meditation to this feeling of release is a stupid timer going of.

With Love
Eelco

I never expect anything when I meditate, I just do it. I just accept whatever comes along and if it's beneficial then that's a bonus...

[Gem]

Originally Posted by catsquotl

As for sensations during practice..

I've been increasing my meditation time over the last 6 weeks.
From walking/sitting for 15 minutes each, now up to 30 minutes each.
Planning to work up to 45 minutes each during march/april to prepare for a 10 day retreat at http://www.vipassana-dhammacari.com/main_eng.html

Cool, man, that retreat will be a great life experience

I usually have to exert some effort at the beginning of walking to keep the sensations of my foot in mind for the first few minutes as the husstle and busstle of the day subside. Then I usually ignore the little distraction for 5 to 10 minutes only stopping and noting the larger distractions. Usually thoughts that I find myself following. Noting them they disappear quite quickly and I start again by noting standing(3times) then intending to walk(3 times) then start walking.

When my timer goes of I note stopping, as mindfull as I can walk to my sitting spot noting as many sensations and actions as I can. When I sit I start with noting sitting, sitting and then usually the breath presents itself. If it doesn't I make an effort to notice the belly rising at the in breath. After a few minutes I switch from rising, falling to rising, falling sitting as notes. where the last outbreath I just try to see what comes up.

Insights or experiences in this can change from meditation to meditation. some times it feels like hard, boring work. At others the mind settles down quickly and everything feels pleasurable and peaceful. Over the course of many sittings I have found a few things I can think of that calm the mind more quickly, but as many times they don't work(striving, striving) and I let go and note what is there instead of what I want to be there..

Yeppers, the meditation is 'what is' in the way it's experienced by you.

The most fun insight I often have is that the last few minutes of most meditation sessions I know the bell wil ring soon and I wait for the session to end. It feels almost imbearable to wait. I feel me whole being waiting for release... Then the bell sounds. nothing has changed but the sense of relief is enormous and I feel I can sit for hours. It's one of the clearest signs to my how the mind and expectations rule an experience.. Because all that changed from the buildup of tension as I await the end of meditation to this feeling of release is a stupid timer going of.

With Love
Eelco

Yep, well said. I use a timer as well, and sit for an hour, and sometimes that hour lasts a very long time, but I havn't been practicing formally lately, though I do mean to get back it, because really, my day to day life is much better when I meditate in a formal practice. Fior a while there I was commuting to the city, and used the train trip as meditation time, which wasnt as good a proper formal practice, but still really good. I'm inspired to take a retreat again too, but I have completed numerous retreats at dhamma centres, and I since taken to retreating on my own at home. I prefer it on my own, though it takes a special discipline and probably wouldn't be realistic for less experienced meditators, and all in all, the benefits of retreating at a proper facility are better for several reasons. So well done, your coming retreat sounds fantastic.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by sky123

It takes all kinds to make the world go around

I must admit though I prefer oral to reading when studying Buddhism, just listening is more pleasurable for me..

Yes I think the oral discourse is way more beneficial than reading suttas and a lot of internet nonsense. If you learn the meditation in the ashram setting, you can see how the dhamma teachings are delivered without notions of right vs wrong. It's delivered as 'right' as that word is used in the 8 path teaching, and that is a far more subtle meaning of 'right' in life. Then we're only concerned with generosity with metta and the genuine wish for the happiness of others.