Might as well start another meditation thread.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Gem

Ok, an empty cup seems to rule out expectations and become a vessel within which anything that arises may be contained.
I would never specify what might arise because I can't possibly know that, I can be confident that something will occur, though.

Re: empty cup ruling out expectations...Actually, not really...

Any person that has ever prayed, "Lord, I am Your empty vessel...
use me, fill me, allow me to feel Your Divine Love."
Is empty, but waiting...in waiting is expectation.

Picture a hungry child holding a cup....there are many things going on there...
there is humility,
there is need,
there is hunger,
there is hope, (and the sibling of hope)...
expectation and maybe excitement.

All these, and the child still is holding that empty cup.
(If that helps what I mean better and experience better.)

I wonder if a Buddhist would see that differently...truly being empty,
still like a pond, no expectation, somehow blank...a Buddhist doesn't think in terms of a Diety, mostly.
I'm only speculating there...wondering.

See, there are different approaches in meditation, which we know.

'Specify' was never said by me, btw.

And as I like to say, any approach to meditation is great...it has to fit the person.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Re: empty cup ruling out expectations...Actually, not really...

Any person that has ever prayed, "Lord, I am Your empty vessel...
use me, fill me, allow me to feel Your Divine Love."
Is empty, but waiting...in waiting is expectation.

Picture a hungry child holding a cup....there are many things going on there...
there is humility,
there is need,
there is hunger,
there is hope, (and the sibling of hope)...
expectation and maybe excitement.

All these, and the child still is holding that empty cup.
(If that helps what I mean better and experience better.)

I wonder if a Buddhist would see that differently...truly being empty,
still like a pond, no expectation, somehow blank...a Buddhist doesn't think in terms of a Diety, mostly.
I'm only speculating there...wondering.

See, there are different approaches in meditation, which we know.

'Specify' was never said by me, btw.

And as I like to say, any approach to meditation is great...it has to fit the person.

I don't think expectations and meditation go together. One can not know what experience will arise from moment to moment, but they do sometimes undertake practices such as visualisation or mantra to bring about a desired experience, but to me, meditation has very little to do with the nature of the experience and more to with the awareness of the experience. This means that experiencing God like states or experiencing a solid physical state has no bearing on meditation. These experiences are waited for, they come and they pass, but something is present when waiting, present when it comes and remains present after it's passed.

I went to meditate with a Buddhist group who meditated by visualising some enlightened dude, which I figure is similar enough to deity. I also undertook formal training in breath awareness and Vipassana meditation which has no visualisation strategies, so Buddhists of different schools must be doing different meditation practices.

Every one can find the meditation practice that is suitable to them, but there is a common denominator to all practices and all experiences, and that is the meditator themselves.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by awakenow

Hi Folks
I have been meditating nigh on every day for 30-45 minutes for several years now. Why? I use the meditation in quite a "busy" way, I guess....the following is a quick list of the things I get done.
Ask for meditation help from the creator, re-new psychic protective structures, open chakras, send/ask for forgiveness in all lives, ask for help to be wholly myself and remove blockages to spirit, pay homage to about 25 significant etheric beings and my own energy bodies, bring in healing and peace to the earth, connect with my spiritual teacher, ask for healing support from 5 etheric beings, send healing to about 30 friends/family.
That's it. I have worked hard to achieve a general level of inner peace and part of my life's purpose is to serve the spiritual hierarchy. These things influence the nature of my meditation.
Much love to all

Thank you.

That is certainly a highly productive meditation session. Of my own bias I went straight to the 'general level of inner peace' and to me that is essence of meditation practice: a peaceful presence of mind.

The reason I think so is, we can't presume that the experience we have during a meditation practice will be uber-spiritual. Some of my hour sits are merely constant distractions and pains in the body... nothing at all I could describe as 'spiritual'... but I don't become disappointed with it, or frustrated or forlorn and forsaken. I just accept that the mind is unstable and it hurts. SO... in meditation, a peaceful presence of mind is a priori to any experience which may, (or in the case of expectations, may not), occur.

Every happiness to you,

Gem