Integration of meditation or meditation to reach a goal?

[Serrao]

I think I understand this "letting go" and "having no goal in meditation". I strongly think now that the method to achieve the highest goal, according to certain teachings, is to have no goal at all and letting go of everything.
There is a saying: "Why farm peanuts on top of a diamond mine"?

[Serrao]

Originally Posted by Serrao

I strongly think now that the method to achieve the highest goal, according to certain teachings, is to have no goal at all and letting go of everything.

This is called detachment and is one of the core teachings in Hinduism.

Originally Posted by Serrao

There is a saying: "Why farm peanuts on top of a diamond mine"?

And I bet there are some (known) extraordinary peanuts inside of the diamond mine too.

[VinceField]

Originally Posted by Serrao

Is letting go the only thing you "do" in your meditation or are there also other aspects part of your sitting practice?

ps. If this question is too personal and private I understand that and you can just ignore it and don't answer. I'm only curious about the different aspect(s) of the sitting meditation practice of others too.

My practice is a combination of elements. One of the more dominant elements is letting go, along with awareness of the breath. It is not awareness of the breath in just one spot, like the nostrils or the abdomen; it is a full body awareness. In the beginning of the meditation I start by focusing my awareness on the feeling of the breath wherever I happen to experience it (abdomen, chest, throat, head, etc). I then move my awareness throughout my body in an energy circuit fashion to stimulate my entire energy body, which makes expanding my awareness to experience the entire body as a whole to be much easier and increases the experience of energy in the body. Anther element includes being aware of intruding thoughts, stopping them in their tracks, and releasing them from my mind. I also bring my awareness onto the nature of feelings and the sensations in my experience (pleasant or painful, although it's always pleasure ) to gain insight into this, and also awareness of the state of my mind (emotions and deflilments that may arise and their cause). There are probably some things I am leaving out but this is what comes to mind for now.

I also do Metta meditation, which is similar to the above method, except instead of having awareness of the breath, I focus my mind on feeling goodwill and the wish for true happiness for myself and all beings.

[Serrao]

Originally Posted by VinceField

My practice is a combination of elements. One of the more dominant elements is letting go, along with awareness of the breath. It is not awareness of the breath in just one spot, like the nostrils or the abdomen; it is a full body awareness. In the beginning of the meditation I start by focusing my awareness on the feeling of the breath wherever I happen to experience it (abdomen, chest, throat, head, etc). I then move my awareness throughout my body in an energy circuit fashion to stimulate my entire energy body, which makes expanding my awareness to experience the entire body as a whole to be much easier and increases the experience of energy in the body. Anther element includes being aware of intruding thoughts, stopping them in their tracks, and releasing them from my mind. I also bring my awareness onto the nature of feelings and the sensations in my experience (pleasant or painful, although it's always pleasure ) to gain insight into this, and also awareness of the state of my mind (emotions and deflilments that may arise and their cause). There are probably some things I am leaving out but this is what comes to mind for now.

I also do Metta meditation, which is similar to the above method, except instead of having awareness of the breath, I focus my mind on feeling goodwill and the wish for true happiness for myself and all beings.

Very nice and interesting practice you have, Vince.
Did you construct and develop it on your own? Or was it tought to you by a Master?

My practice is mostly about the awareness of and cleaning up organs, chakras, the spine and the joints in an energetic way, mostly with the aid of the breath. Furthermore I contemplate about (my ) life and I have a part where I (try to) meditate without object. I almost don't practice Metta in my sessions, but I defenitely (try to) practice it in daily living. I also do asana yoga before I meditate.

[VinceField]

I practice in line with Theravada Buddhist teachings. The method I use is a combination of different elements from the instructions of various prominent ordained Theravada teachers that I have experimented with and found to be the most conductive to progress.

I likewise do asana yoga before meditation.

[Cmt12]

Originally Posted by jonesboy

What is unfulfilled? A thought...

Let it go and you will progress much faster.

There is no pain or loss except for that which you hold onto. Accept "What Is" letting go of the attachment to the thought and be in the snap of the finger like present moment.

Pain is holding on to a memory. Let go of the story.

Fyi I posted a method for integrating emotions in the spiritual development section.

Unfulfillment is there when thoughts are absent; it is a feeling. It's what drives the seeking. If we weren't unfulfilled in some way, we would not have a need for growth, expanding awareness, new insight, or spiritual development in general.

It is a constant whisper that most people try to ignore. Detaching can be a useful technique, but 'letting go' is not a solution to the ultimate problem. It's just another form of ignoring the whisper or turning away from the challenge and telling yourself that it's not there.

Eventually, as is the way of life, a significant pain or loss will turn the whisper into shouting and you'll either have to go deeper into denial or you'll acknowledge that the problem never went away and was never solved. Like I said, the wise ones are those that get deceived by this less and less after each time they experience it, thus being more time efficient and growing at a faster pace.

[Serrao]

Originally Posted by VinceField

I practice in line with Theravada Buddhist teachings. The method I use is a combination of different elements from the instructions of various prominent ordained Theravada teachers that I have experimented with and found to be the most conductive to progress.

I likewise do asana yoga before meditation.

Thanks for sharing.