Can't Meditate? Is meditation hard?

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Gem

Just went for a look on you-tube, and found this. A bit different to what I say, but very similar. Approved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq-RHgSYVNw

Do you wash your finger after meditating?

[sky]

Originally Posted by A human Being

Agree with that, we all have different issues and temperaments and so there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, I don't think.

According to the Pali Canon when The Buddha taught His Son Rahula,
he wanted Him to have a full set of tools for all the problems that might come up during Meditation. It’s obviously up to us to work out which particular tools are going to work for us and which ones will work at different times under various situations, there’s no one size fits all in The Buddha’s teachings, we learn through experience

[Gem]

Originally Posted by sky

An interesting Article on the Four Tetrads of Anapanasati Meditation as taught by The Buddha....

https://www.wildmind.org/texts/anapanasati/anapanasati3

If you read the first reply from the questioner, it demonstrates the uncertainty I allude to and resolve. The teacher then say's 'there are many ways to...' (which I also resolved), and then he specified the precise method I discuss here.

After that, he returns to ambiguity sending the reader to different articles which will increase the reader's uncertainty - followed by some things that are wrong... and this questioner is nowhere near full body awareness.

Sometimes a teacher has many accolades, but I wouldn't want anyone to be led astray by this.

Better to feel the air at the 'touching point' like the bloke in post #48 says.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Do you wash your finger after meditating?

Tee hee. Giggles.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Gem

If you read

Yes I've read..... its an interesting article and can be found in various Pali Canon Teachings.....

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Gem

'Different things work for different people' is a popular notion, but it is not the case at all. 'This is what works', and what works works for everyone is the case. Not this will work for one person but not for someone else so you aren't sure if this will work for you. This works. Period. You can be sure.

Not for me it doesn't, I've tried it and I can just feel that it isn't the right practice for me - what works for me personally, as I've said, is the method I mentioned a little earlier in the thread. Maybe it could be effective for others, maybe not - all I can say with certainty is that it's effective for me. I don't know how you can speak with such certainty about what is going to work for everybody.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by sky

According to the Pali Canon when The Buddha taught His Son Rahula, he wanted Him to have a full set of tools for all the problems that might come up during Meditation. It’s obviously up to us to work out which particular tools are going to work for us and which ones will work at different times under various situations, there’s no one size fits all in The Buddha’s teachings, we learn through experience

Interesting, this seems like a much more nuanced approach to meditation.

The article you posted on the four tetrads of anapanasati meditation made for very interesting reading, by the way, thanks for sharing! It's very much in line with my approach to meditation, it makes a lot of sense to me.

[A human Being]

When you say it works, Gem, what do you mean by that exactly? To what end does it work, what does it achieve? You may have already covered this, but I'm still not clear on the purpose of the approach you're advocating.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by A human Being

When you say it works, Gem, what do you mean by that exactly? To what end does it work, what does it achieve? You may have already covered this, but I'm still not clear on the purpose of the approach you're advocating.

It's geared toward purifying the life form and resolving misery by taking the path of truth to liberation. I've heard you describe your approach and it's the same as what I'm talking about, but a bit further along, as the feeling we begin with at the nose later extends throughout the whole body.

The first principle is non-volition, which is achieved by seeing it 'as it is' (not making it 'as you want it to be') The cessation of volition is the fundamental key for purification. The next aspect is depth of awareness as pure awareness is what purifies, but that awareness has to be pure, which is to say, free of desire and aversion... which means it's important that reactive tendencies be resolved.

I said earlier on there is a reason we go for the feeling at the nose as opposed to feeling the breath moving the belly or torso etc. The area at the nose is much smaller giving the mind a more point like focus, and a smaller area enables you to feel at more subtle levels. Later on this ability to feel at a subtle level is extended to every part of the body, and pure awareness permeating deeply purifies deeper and deeper in the life-form (mind/body), which eventually opens up to channel the great outpouring - to be expressed in every aspect of life.

At first, you just feel something at the nose, but as the feeling there becomes clearer, you can feel smaller details and are able to hone in on something very subtle which changes very quickly. Of course, very subtle aspects of feelings are also small (like an individual pin in pins and needles is small). Just continuing to feel something will have a nice calming effect, but it won't really penetrate, so once the feeling is pretty clearly felt, you find the subtler nuances of the feeling and concentrate on that. These too become clear, and they also contain a myriad of even subtler feelings, and again you can find the subtlest nuance and pay attention to it. By this process, it follows that the sensitivity of the mind is developed and your ability for perception is greatly enhanced, which means there is conscious awareness at deeper levels of the life-form. That ability is needed when the meditation extends to the rest of the body so you can be aware of the very subtle aspects of the life-form - and be purified that deeply.

People will start this at the nose, and be more like, I can't feel anything, nothing is happening, this isn't working, and all that, so it never surprises me that people say 'it doesn't work for me', but this isn't a 'candles and petals' meditation. It's quite serious work and requires all of your attention.

When you shift from wanting/not wanting to just being here with what is, the dynamic tension which feeds the ego is switched off. This is like throwing a handful of water into the fire. There is a kickback because ego has to travel from the last moment to the next moment, and when you disrupt its fuel supply there's a bit of a panic, albeit largely unconscious... that's always a battle over who rules the roost. Are you the master of the mind or is the mind your master? This so called 'panic' will generate wilder self defeating thoughts and also manifest in discomforts in the body because the ego can only continue to rule the roost by keeping you distracted. Even as I describe this meditation something inside knows the ego complex is being exposed, which will throw up the reactions that have always worked to keep you distracted so far... in that sense, when the meditation seems like it isn't working, actually, something deeper is coming to light, and one has to recall who has mastery - the one aware.

[A human Being]

I understand the logic of the approach you're suggesting, and I appreciate you elaborating. I disagree with your contention that concentrating attention in the nose to begin with is the best way to go about it, though, I've made considerable progress in my meditation practice by taking a different approach - I'm not saying your way won't be effective for some people, I'm just saying it might not necessarily be the best approach for everyone.