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Why is meditation so difficult? And why can't souls learn to meditate in the astral planes? Can they learn to meditate in the astral planes?

In Voices of the Confederation, they keep stressing the importance of meditation. Hell, every LOO material stresses the importance of meditation, but ESPECIALLY Voices of the Confederation. You'd think a skill THIS ESSENTIAL to one's spiritual development would be a lot more easy and intuitive, so how come it's so difficult?
When you say meditation is difficult, what are you experiencing? And what is your definition of meditation?
(12-05-2018, 10:06 PM)xise Wrote: [ -> ]When you say meditation is difficult, what are you experiencing? And what is your definition of meditation?

I'm referring to such things as mindfulness meditation or the meditations presented in this thread:

https://www.bring4th.org/forums/showthre...?tid=14338

I try to do those forms of meditation (The body presence one and the meditation walk) and it's just difficult as f***.

I have also had difficulties in doing regular mindfulness meditation.

My mom also has trouble meditating. She tries to clear her mind and only manages to do it right before going to sleep. Go figure.
I'm thinking it may be because we are unconsciously putting up resistance to being present because we dissociate from the pain of feelings we would have to be present with.

But that's just a theory, and I'm interested in what others think?
(12-05-2018, 10:15 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]I'm thinking it may be because we are unconsciously putting up resistance to being present because we dissociate from the pain of feelings we would have to be present with.

But that's just a theory, and I'm interested in what others think?

How many hours have you tried total, and how many days ago did your semi-regular/weekly practice start?

Some random thoughts:

1) It's something that is learned as an adult (assuming you didn't do it lots as a child), so it takes time.
2) A main big part of many types of meditation is processing stuff in the subconscious, and also getting access to the subconscious. If we haven't done these things for years, there is a lot of stuff to process and the barrier seems very thick.
3) I believe there is a part of the mind - perhaps a part of the ego depending on your definition of the word - that resists going deep because it feels it will lose control.
4) I believe there is a part of the mind that simply fears what is underneath the surface or believes it cannot handle it.
5) There are also some people who claim they can't meditate, but often but no details are given. For example, do you feel so restless that you can no longer sit with your eyes closed? Do you fall asleep? How long are these meditations where you find it difficult?

Sometimes also your mind seems to guide you into another form of meditation, I know that doing one type of meditation for weeks straight is typically harder and less fruitful than occasionally changing what sort of meditation I do, then I often get much deeper results. So perhaps that's another thing to try - other types.

I would say it probably took me a total of 10-15 hours (half an hour over a few weeks) before I felt anywhere close to actually meditating when I first started. Otherwise, it just felt like I was sitting with my eyes closed waiting for the time to pass, which still occasionally happens to me on a weekly or biweekly basis.
(12-05-2018, 10:33 PM)xise Wrote: [ -> ]
(12-05-2018, 10:15 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]I'm thinking it may be because we are unconsciously putting up resistance to being present because we dissociate from the pain of feelings we would have to be present with.

But that's just a theory, and I'm interested in what others think?

How many hours have you tried total, and how many days ago did your semi-regular/weekly practice start?

Some random thoughts:

1) It's something that is learned as an adult (assuming you didn't do it lots as a child), so it takes time.
2) A main big part of many types of meditation is processing stuff in the subconscious, and also getting access to the subconscious. If we haven't done these things for years, there is a lot of stuff to process and the barrier seems very thick.
3) I believe there is a part of the mind - perhaps a part of the ego depending on your definition of the word - that resists going deep because it feels it will lose control.
4) I believe there is a part of the mind that simply fears what is underneath the surface or believes it cannot handle it.
5) There are also some people who claim they can't meditate, but often but no details are given. For example, do you feel so restless that you can no longer sit with your eyes closed? Do you fall asleep? How long are these meditations where you find it difficult?

Sometimes also your mind seems to guide you into another form of meditation, I know that doing one type of meditation for weeks straight is typically harder and less fruitful than occasionally changing what sort of meditation I do, then I often get much deeper results. So perhaps that's another thing to try - other types.

I would say it probably took me a total of 10-15 hours (half an hour over a few weeks) before I felt anywhere close to actually meditating when I first started. Otherwise, it just felt like I was sitting with my eyes closed wiating for the time to pass, which still occasionally happens to me on a weekly or biweekly basis.

Thanks for answering Xise. And those are very good reasons to give.

I can't say for sure how many hours I've spent or how many days ago I've tried.

I know that I just try to do the first presence building exercise for 5 minutes and find it difficult to maintain.

If I'm lying down, I fall asleep. If I'm sitting straight, I get distracted with thoughts in my head.

When doing the walking meditation, I get distracted with all kinds of thoughts in my head.

I stopped doing guided mindfulness meditation because Agua told me that guided meditation isn't actual meditation, by nature of the fact that mediation is supposed to make you present and remove thoughts from your head and by their very nature, guided meditations are putting content in there. And I'm kind of trusting his judgement.

Still, it might help to try and do traditional mindfulness meditation every now and then with my legs crossed.

MY primary concern is the presence building meditation though.

I only try to do it for 5 minutes a day and I have a hard time concentrating. If I try it lying down, I just fall asleep or get distracted. But I can still get distracted while sitting down.
Brother, I still sometimes have 30 minutes of distracted thinking. Other times I go instantly into meditation.

Interestingly, it's when I manage to push through the distracted thinking at the 20 or 30-minute mark I have some really deep and insightful meditations.

Sounds like you're on track. Try to sit with those distracting thoughts for longer, and I'm sure you'll see results.
(12-05-2018, 10:44 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]If I'm lying down, I fall asleep. If I'm sitting straight, I get distracted with thoughts in my head.

When doing the walking meditation, I get distracted with all kinds of thoughts in my head.
The misconception about meditation is that the goal is to "empty your mind". The goal is to train your mind. If you have thoughts in your mind, your goal isn't to silence them, but to guide them. When you have a thought, don't think "oh! I got distracted! Augh!" and continue feeding into the anxiety. Instead, just observe that you had a thought and then guide yourself back to your chosen meditation. New thought comes back into your mind? Once you notice it, guide yourself back with love and compassion.

Many of us are stuck because we have trouble applying selfless love to ourselves when we could easily give it to another.

Meditation is an exercise. You don't get strong by going to the gym and picking up a 300 pound weight today, right now. You progressively pick up weights, adding a little more at a time. When you observe that you had a thought and steer yourself back to your meditation, you just successfully did some mindfulness right there. Each time you walk that path back to your meditation, you will beat it into your head and the next time, it will be easier.

And frame how you put your learning in your mind differently. It is not that you are getting distracted. It is that you are learning to meditate. Instead of thinking, "I am distracted", when you catch yourself wandering down a thought trail think, "I am learning to meditate." That is all you are doing.

It's taken me four years of having a lot more time to meditate than the average human to get to a point where I can just DROP in. That's like a university degree's worth of time spent sitting with myself. I started out as someone with uncontrollable mental chatter and intrusive voices.

The best things in life are not "easy".
(12-05-2018, 11:07 PM)Tae Wrote: [ -> ]
(12-05-2018, 10:44 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]If I'm lying down, I fall asleep. If I'm sitting straight, I get distracted with thoughts in my head.

When doing the walking meditation, I get distracted with all kinds of thoughts in my head.
The misconception about meditation is that the goal is to "empty your mind". The goal is to train your mind. If you have thoughts in your mind, your goal isn't to silence them, but to guide them. When you have a thought, don't think "oh! I got distracted! Augh!" and continue feeding into the anxiety. Instead, just observe that you had a thought and then guide yourself back to your chosen meditation. New thought comes back into your mind? Once you notice it, guide yourself back with love and compassion.

Many of us are stuck because we have trouble applying selfless love to ourselves when we could easily give it to another.

Meditation is an exercise. You don't get strong by going to the gym and picking up a 300 pound weight today, right now. You progressively pick up weights, adding a little more at a time. When you observe that you had a thought and steer yourself back to your meditation, you just successfully did some mindfulness right there. Each time you walk that path back to your meditation, you will beat it into your head and the next time, it will be easier.

And frame how you put your learning in your mind differently. It is not that you are getting distracted. It is that you are learning to meditate. Instead of thinking, "I am distracted", when you catch yourself wandering down a thought trail think, "I am learning to meditate." That is all you are doing.

It's taken me four years of having a lot more time to meditate than the average human to get to a point where I can just DROP in. That's like a university degree's worth of time spent sitting with myself. I started out as someone with uncontrollable mental chatter and intrusive voices.

The best things in life are not "easy".

Wow. Thanks for the perspective, Tae. I'll endeavor to be kinder to myself as I move forward in my meditation. Thank you for your input. Truly Smile
(12-05-2018, 11:14 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]Wow. Thanks for the perspective, Tae. I'll endeavor to be kinder to myself as I move forward in my meditation. Thank you for your input. Truly Smile
We are all beings who care very hard. Sometimes we get so swept up in the notion presented by the "polarity" concept we mistake self-care for selfishness. To be gentle to yourself as you learn is not self-serving, because it's that self-work that will enable you to assist those around you in their times of learning. It's one of a few messages I believe I may have acquired from a higher source, basically to tell the love-compelled ones to remember to extend selfless love to themselves too. A very different thing than egotistical self-love, of course. The goal is to assist yourself through the mental journey with compassion so that once you make it through the rough points you have the skills to extend love to all those around you. There is no shame in being a work in progress, because if that was not what you wanted to experience, you would not be here.

Take care, and you're welcome. Smile
Since I discarded all false definitions of meditation and all tries to do it in a way that didn't suit this mind/body complex (e.i., sitting with the eyes closed for longer periods of time), it isn't hard for me any more. It turned out to be the natural state of being.

A couple of suggestions





It can be done in many ways: dancing, walking, singing or making music on an instrument, doing some kind of art etc.
(12-05-2018, 10:00 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]Why is meditation so difficult? And why can't souls learn to meditate in the astral planes? Can they learn to meditate in the astral planes?

In Voices of the Confederation, they keep stressing the importance of meditation. Hell, every LOO material stresses the importance of meditation, but ESPECIALLY Voices of the Confederation. You'd think a skill THIS ESSENTIAL to one's spiritual development would be a lot more easy and intuitive, so how come it's so difficult?

As most things here, it takes a fair amount of time to build/crystalize/manifest.

What meditation techniques do you use?

I like focusing on each subsequent chakra, beginning at red ray, and feeling and rejoicing in there energies. So you stimulate or focus on each one and there particular energy you feel from that center. Bringing the energy up into the orange, and feeling/being its energy. You do this all the way up, and each one has a true color or true feeling. Then you begin harmonizing and blending these energies together.
It was the prompting of the Conferdation that catalyzed me into establishing a daily meditational practice! I just thought, why am I not doing this right now? Something so easy and simple? And ever since then I’ve been meditating daily.

What do you think meditation is? Maybe your preconceived ideas about meditation are holding you back???

It doesn’t have to be difficult at all. Take it slow. You are doing work below the level of conscious awareness in meditation. (THAT inspired me greatly.)

What you need to do is to designate a time of day to meditate. I prefer the mornings. And then all you need to do is to sit, breath, and be silent in body and mind. That’s all there is to it. You can do it for 5-10 minutes. Do what feels right for you! Make this time special; make it your own. Continue to do this every day for a week. You will begin to make a habit of it. And then meditation will become apart of your daily life.

I understand the difficulty in trying to establish this practice. You can move past it, I assure you! Persevere and believe in yourself, my friend
(12-05-2018, 11:14 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]
(12-05-2018, 11:07 PM)Tae Wrote: [ -> ]
(12-05-2018, 10:44 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]If I'm lying down, I fall asleep. If I'm sitting straight, I get distracted with thoughts in my head.

When doing the walking meditation, I get distracted with all kinds of thoughts in my head.
The misconception about meditation is that the goal is to "empty your mind". The goal is to train your mind. If you have thoughts in your mind, your goal isn't to silence them, but to guide them. When you have a thought, don't think "oh! I got distracted! Augh!" and continue feeding into the anxiety. Instead, just observe that you had a thought and then guide yourself back to your chosen meditation. New thought comes back into your mind? Once you notice it, guide yourself back with love and compassion.

Many of us are stuck because we have trouble applying selfless love to ourselves when we could easily give it to another.

Meditation is an exercise. You don't get strong by going to the gym and picking up a 300 pound weight today, right now. You progressively pick up weights, adding a little more at a time. When you observe that you had a thought and steer yourself back to your meditation, you just successfully did some mindfulness right there. Each time you walk that path back to your meditation, you will beat it into your head and the next time, it will be easier.

And frame how you put your learning in your mind differently. It is not that you are getting distracted. It is that you are learning to meditate. Instead of thinking, "I am distracted", when you catch yourself wandering down a thought trail think, "I am learning to meditate." That is all you are doing.

It's taken me four years of having a lot more time to meditate than the average human to get to a point where I can just DROP in. That's like a university degree's worth of time spent sitting with myself. I started out as someone with uncontrollable mental chatter and intrusive voices.

The best things in life are not "easy".

Wow. Thanks for the perspective, Tae. I'll endeavor to be kinder to myself as I move forward in my meditation. Thank you for your input. Truly Smile

I agree. I like to think of thoughts like a breeze blowing. You wouldn't try to stop the breeze but perhaps you would like to observe it instead. Or like you say, direct it. Stillness is something that requires practice, gentle practice.
There is nothing you must do from the astral plane until you accomplish what is desired here.
Mindfulness is just being saturated in the moment and things change from one moment to another. What captivates you this moment will very possibly change in the next. When something captivates you, go ahead and be captivated with all your attention to it.
(12-06-2018, 10:17 AM)Nau7ik Wrote: [ -> ]It was the prompting of the Conferdation that catalyzed me into establishing a daily meditational practice! I just thought, why am I not doing this right now? Something so easy and simple? And ever since then I’ve been meditating daily.

What do you think meditation is? Maybe your preconceived ideas about meditation are holding you back???

It doesn’t have to be difficult at all. Take it slow. You are doing work below the level of conscious awareness in meditation. (THAT inspired me greatly.)

What you need to do is to designate a time of day to meditate. I prefer the mornings. And then all you need to do is to sit, breath, and be silent in body and mind. That’s all there is to it. You can do it for 5-10 minutes. Do what feels right for you! Make this time special; make it your own. Continue to do this every day for a week. You will begin to make a habit of it. And then meditation will become apart of your daily life.

I understand the difficulty in trying to establish this practice. You can move past it, I assure you! Persevere and believe in yourself, my friend

I really loved what you said Nau7ik last year.. I am glad to tell you so now !! lol
I believe the secret of success is to be prepared to meditate and never feel the bliss. Sometimes silence is all we get for our efforts. We must acknowledge that we might meditate all our lives and never hear the voice of the higher self. If we start meditating with an agenda we run into disappointment. If meditation can make us kinder it means we take advantage of this incarnation.

Meditation technique means to calm our thinking mind in favour of our observing mind. We are here for a reason. To experience. Our observing mind keeps us in God's Creation. However our thinking minds have the tendency to isolate ourselves in our inner worlds. Illusion and veil separates us from Creator in the first place. Uncontrolled thinking mind separates us even from the Illusion. Double separations do not cancel each other but rater multiply by square rule.

The Creator made a world for us but instead of using it we decided to make a different world for ourselves and live in it.

Mediation returns the brain to our observing mind reconnecting us to Creation and increasing our chances to learn of it and evolve because of it.

Once we start paying attention to the world around us without judging it we are on the right track with meditation.
Meditation is the simple act of simply "Being". I think the reason most people struggle with the concept of Meditation, is they see it as something it isn't. In my research and what I was taught in Zen, is that Meditation does not have to be an active activity. That is a contradiction? No, it isn't. As I stated in a corresponding Thread, every activity can be a Meditation. Probably the most simple is a Walking Meditation. Allow the body to walk, (on auto-pilot). The body can take care of itself and leave it to Mechanical Mind. While walking, allow the Mind to be still. Mindless Meditation. As I progressed through the different schools of thought, and I tried various Mantras, none ever did what I was told they would do. Eventually, Zen found me, and I was taught by a very good Teacher. The easiest and the best form of Meditation is simple "Still Mind".

The more that we learn to still the Mind, the easier it becomes to remain in the Mindless State for longer periods of time. Do we think because that is all we can do, or do we learn to train the Mind to think, (when it is allowed). I decide when I want to think. Once the Mind is trained, it becomes easy. It takes time, although there are innumerable benefits. The Mind remains clear when it is not constantly thinking and seeking attention.
(12-05-2018, 10:00 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]Why is meditation so difficult? And why can't souls learn to meditate in the astral planes? Can they learn to meditate in the astral planes?

Meditation is not an act it's a 'state', to be 'meditative'.

Usually by 'difficult', people actually refer to it's difficult to silence the mind.
Yes it's difficult because by it's nature the mind will not stop, it went into an endless loop throughout it's lifetime. Like a looping stored procedures in the computer.

To 'stop' the mind, it need to be given a task.
That's the reason why many recommend to focus the attention to the breath.

Many others recommend to start recognizing the mind as it is (noisy, never stop) but start to dis-identify yourself from it, by for example thinking "Who is this bastard (or b****) that keeps on talking inside me when I've told him/her to shut up!". A dis-identifying process when performed, is already a progress in spiritual sense.
Sadhguru describe this as "Making a slight distance between you and yourself".

Another way is to count the words that appear inside your head.
By merely an intention of "I'm counting the words inside my head".
Maximum you will get 8 words, because after that.. silence... the mind is then busy waiting for the words that actually coming from itself.

And yes becoming meditative is possible in any planes, including astral planes..
(12-05-2018, 10:00 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]Why is meditation so difficult? And why can't souls learn to meditate in the astral planes? Can they learn to meditate in the astral planes?

In Voices of the Confederation, they keep stressing the importance of meditation. Hell, every LOO material stresses the importance of meditation, but ESPECIALLY Voices of the Confederation. You'd think a skill THIS ESSENTIAL to one's spiritual development would be a lot more easy and intuitive, so how come it's so difficult?

A couple of things come to mind.

One is a narrow definition of meditation. Meditation is not only sitting in the lotus position and being able to absolve all thoughts from the conscious mind. It can be getting into the groove when doing something creative; losing oneself in the beauty of a nature. These things are meditations to a lesser extent, but they are meditations, and they contribute to the ability to get into a proper state for deeper meditation. 

Two is focus. Most people are pretty scattered in everyday life. This is partially due to the amount of things everyday life throws at us. But developing focus in everything you do is a precursor to being able to meditate at deep levels. Don't allow distraction, set boundaries in mundane things. This will help the one-pointed focus and discipline needed for deep meditation. The more ordered and without clutter your life is, the less your thoughts will be chaotic and insistent when trying to shut them off.
(12-05-2018, 10:00 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]Why is meditation so difficult? And why can't souls learn to meditate in the astral planes? Can they learn to meditate in the astral planes?

In Voices of the Confederation, they keep stressing the importance of meditation. Hell, every LOO material stresses the importance of meditation, but ESPECIALLY Voices of the Confederation. You'd think a skill THIS ESSENTIAL to one's spiritual development would be a lot more easy and intuitive, so how come it's so difficult?

Meditation is not difficult. It is the person who is attempting to Meditate that is the problem. The solution, you are trying too hard. Just relax, sit quietly, and allow Still Mind to find its place. A technique that I was taught by my Spiritual Master is the easiest. Simply stop thinking. First begin for a couple of seconds, and slowly extend the time. Meditation should be the natural order of things, in that is to return to your natural State of Stillness. When I was first taught Meditation, it was the labour-intensive Mantras. Why spend fifteen minutes trying to still the Mind with Mantra, when simply stilling the Mind is just that. Stilling the Mind. The advantage with that technique, it can be done anywhere, eyes open or closed. Who says that Meditation must be done with eyes closed?

Be Still and At-One.
.
I believe the original poster - years ago now - is referring to the practice of meditation. 

In the practice, on the way in toward the meditative state lays 'pratyahara' ( deep relaxation. peace ), this is the area many find difficultly in breeching. And rightly so when experiencing a world which acknowledges, incentivizes, accepts only those high beta waves. In high beta deep relaxation is not possible. In high beta, a lifetime principally lived in high beta it is quite difficult, yes, getting out of high beta. Quite difficult to gear down. Learn how to gear down. Moments, glimpses will provide the way. But regular practice will of course be the key. This means, as many of you/us have, finding a way suitable to where you are. 

The most pleasant way I discovered for myself along the way, is WINDOW GAZING. - gazing in general ( tratak ) is very good but window gazing is exceptionally good.

Notably for a very world-oriented person. Can you see why this might be so?

How many of you gaze? ( do you window gaze?

______________________


Everyone who has commented here in this thread so far, how often do you formally practice?

Do you have a formal space for your practice?
,
(07-27-2021, 06:47 PM)omcasey Wrote: [ -> ].
I believe the original poster - years ago now - is referring to the practice of meditation. 

In the practice, on the way in toward the meditative state lays 'pratyahara' ( deep relaxation. peace ), this is the area many find difficultly in breeching. And rightly so when experiencing a world which acknowledges, incentivizes, accepts only those high beta waves. In high beta deep relaxation is not possible. In high beta, a lifetime principally lived in high beta it is quite difficult, yes, getting out of high beta. Quite difficult to gear down. Learn how to gear down. Moments, glimpses will provide the way. But regular practice will of course be the key. This means, as many of you/us have, finding a way suitable to where you are. 

The most pleasant way I discovered for myself along the way, is WINDOW GAZING. - gazing in general ( tratak ) is very good but window gazing is exceptionally good.

Notably for a very world-oriented person. Can you see why this might be so?

How many of you gaze? ( do you window gaze?

______________________


Everyone who has commented here in this thread so far, how often do you formally practice?

Do you have a formal space for your practice?
,

I have not tried Window Gazing, (per se), although the technique I mentioned, (above), has similarities because you still the mind and not focus on anything. It simply is the State of "Being". The Mind is Still, and you allow yourself to be in the present, (in the moment). I think there is a lot of misinformation and rhetoric regarding Meditation, because in the West it is seen as something Mystical and Unworldly. The fact is, it is not. Although I had teachers who taught me different techniques, in the end you develop your own methods, because Meditation should be something that is personal to you. I no longer use Mantras because it takes too much time. Or, simply by stilling the Mind, the Mantra becomes the long way about trying to achieve the same thing. Mind on, Mind off. The advantage using that technique, it is a faster way to access Intuitive Mind. It is a switch that can be switched-on, or switched-off, at Will.
(07-27-2021, 06:47 PM)omcasey Wrote: [ -> ]The most pleasant way I discovered for myself along the way, is WINDOW GAZING. - gazing in general ( tratak ) is very good but window gazing is exceptionally good.


This reminds me of Sadhguru's story about his childhood years.
He basically just gaze at everything, even in classroom he gazed at the teachers and the chalkboard.
And even when the teacher is angry at him, he just gaze at the angry teacher.
*Cricket sound effect*

By 'gazing' one will merely 'observe' without much involvement nor attachment.
No judging, no solving (as there's no issue to solve in the first place), no analyzing, just observe.

Which is what 'consciousness' really is actually, an observing point of view.

Can I meditate while I'm watching a movie? No
Can I be meditative while I'm watching a movie? Yes
Although, I can tell you from experience that gazing this way at people can freak them out a little bit. Wink
.
Gazing takes me into a very clear state of awareness. 

Only in the very beginning stages is tratak at an object, and even when the attention is being directed at an object its purpose is simply to hold the attention still. So the attention is more on stilling the attention, than the object. - which will disintegrate as the practice culminates. In this higher form it is called "drishti" true seeing. So, tratak guides the practice from dharana ( contemplation, concentration ) into dhyana ( absorption, meditation ). 

The gazing practices are all very good.. if you have a challenging time with more traditional type silent sits, and even if you don't, this practice has its purpose. 

You can choose:

Bindu gazing *gazing at any object
Eye gazing *either with another person, or 3rd eye gazing
Mirror gazing
Candle flame gazing
Window gazing

Windows are gateways, thresholds between one space and another space. The visual metaphor of the window does work a unique sort of magic. 

It offers a unique set of opportunities. Maybe try it and see what happens.

A window with a view tends to be most effective.

An open sky is what I like.
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(07-29-2021, 12:59 PM)omcasey Wrote: [ -> ].
Gazing takes me into a very clear state of awareness. 

Only in the very beginning stages is tratak at an object, and even when the attention is being directed at an object its purpose is simply to hold the attention still. So the attention is more on stilling the attention, than the object. - which will disintegrate as the practice culminates. In this higher form it is called "drishti" true seeing. So, tratak guides the practice from dharana ( contemplation, concentration ) into dhyana ( absorption, meditation ). 

The gazing practices are all very good.. if you have a challenging time with more traditional type silent sits, and even if you don't, this practice has its purpose. 

You can choose:

Bindu gazing *gazing at any object
Eye gazing *either with another person, or 3rd eye gazing
Mirror gazing
Candle flame gazing
Window gazing

Windows are gateways, thresholds between one space and another space. The visual metaphor of the window does work a unique sort of magic. 

It offers a unique set of opportunities. Maybe try it and see what happens.

A window with a view tends to be most effective.

An open sky is what I like.
.

Another technique I was taught which could be useful, is something matt black. That is better than windows or mirrors because it is a point of focus. It is also used in Scrying, (Magic Mirror). In the days of Polaroid cameras, it was once possible to take a blank photograph, leaving a black image on the cardboard that would had been the image. Anything that can be held easily, or placed somewhere in matt black is useable. The technique is to stare into the blackness of the object, and feel the image emerge in Sub-Conscious or Intuitive Mind. Once again, I would use Still Mind.
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Yes it is very good!

This would fall under the category of Bindu Gazing.. any object may be used, but traditionally the bindu is a large black dot, placed roughly arms distance from you at eye level. The gazing can be practiced with eyes open or open closed. If the eyes are closed you have a built in black screen right there in front of you. Look into it and hold steady.
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(07-29-2021, 02:22 PM)omcasey Wrote: [ -> ].
Yes it is very good!

This would fall under the category of Bindu Gazing.. any object may be used, but traditionally the bindu is a large black dot, placed roughly arms distance from you at eye level. The gazing can be practiced with eyes open or open closed. If the eyes are closed you have a built in black screen right there in front of you. Look into it and hold steady.
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There are as many Meditation techniques as there are people. I first learned Meditation is ISKCON and then went into Zen. I prefer the latter. I learned from experience, that Hindu Meditation is too rigid and it does not give the individual the freedom to explore other possibilities. Going from one extreme to the other, I have a wide and varied tastes in music. Everything from hardcore Dance Remix to Sufi, Pakistani and Moroccan music. The point is, I can use the different genres of music for Meditation, and slipping into Samadhi. Basically, it is allowing yourself to enter the "State of Being", no matter the situation. When I lived in Canada, I took the bus from Toronto to Vancouver fairly frequently. I often encountered people who said they couldn't sleep on the bus because of the noise of the engine. Once again, it is not resisting the situation and embracing it. I always concentrated on the sound of the engine, and went into a deep sleep. What am I saying? Embrace the moment. Whether it is to sleep, or to reach Samadhi, no matter what technique you use, embrace it. Embrace the moment.
(12-05-2018, 10:00 PM)EvolvingPhoenix Wrote: [ -> ]Why is meditation so difficult?

3 sources which may aid you in your quest:

Initiation by Elizabeth Haich

Raja-Yoga by Swami Vivekananda

The Secret of the Golden Flower by Thomas Cleary

Initiation by Elizabeth Haich was mentioned briefly in the Ra material:

Quote:Questioner: I have a book, Initiation, in which the woman describes initiation. Are you familiar with the contents of this book?

Ra: I am Ra. This is correct. We scan your mind.

Questioner: Jim has read the entire book. I have only read part of it, but I was wondering if the teachings in the book with respect to balancing were your teachings, Ra’s teachings?

Ra: I am Ra. This is basically correct with distortions that may be seen when this material is collated with the material we have offered.

In Initiation, Elizabeth Haich writes:

Quote:Right here on earth people can reach this fulfilment, this salvation, this state of eternal bliss - or as Orientals call it, Nirvana. The door is open for every person when he finds the key.

This key is yoga!

Our friend's Indian doctor went on to explain that every human act or activity which is done with concentration is actually yoga, as the only way we have of reaching the great goal is through concentration.
In studying yoga systematically, however, we learn techniques for developing and improving our powers of concentration, and these are methods which have been perfected through thousands of years. There are various paths in yoga: physical, mental, and spiritual exercises in concentration.

These exercises develop the highest abilities of the human being, opening up his spiritual eyes, his spiritual ears, and teaching him to be master of himself ... master of creative forces ... master of the forces of fate. The pathway to happiness is opened up, or to express it another way, the path to self-realization - to God!

The highest and at the same time the most difficult yoga path is that of Raja Yoga. Raja means 'king', and if we translate the term literally, we find that this yoga path is known as 'regal yoga' or 'majestic yoga'. It is the shortest path, but at the same time the steepest and bumpiest. It is the pathway Jesus taught in the Bible. With patience and perseverance, however, one reaches the goal.

In Raja-Yoga, Swami Vivekananda writes:

Quote:In the first place I will ask you to analyse all the various religions of the world. You will find that these are divided into two classes, those with a book, and those without a book. Those with a book are the strongest, and have the largest number of followers. Those without books have mostly died out, and the few new ones have very small followings. Yet, in all of them we find one consensus of opinion, that the truths they teach are the results of the experiences of particular persons.

The Christian asks you to believe in his religion, to believe in Christ, and to believe in Him as the incarnation of God, to believe in a God, in a soul, and in a better state of that soul. If I ask him for reasons he says, " No, it is my belief." But if you go to the fountain head of Christianity you will find that it is based upon experience. Christ said He saw God; the disciples said they felt God ; and so forth.

Similarly, in Buddhism, it is Buddha’s experience. He experienced certain truths, saw them, came in contact with them, and preached them to the world. So with the Hindus in their book the writers, who are called Rishis, or sages, declare they have experienced certain truths, and these they preach.

Thus it is clear that all the religions of the world have been built upon that one universal and adamantine foundation of all our knowledge direct experience. The teachers all saw God ; they all saw their own souls, they saw their eternity, they saw their future, and what they saw they preached. Only there is this difference, that in most of these religions, especially in modern times, a peculiar claim is put before us, and that claim is that these experiences are impossible at the present day; they were only possible with a few men, who were the first founders of the religions that subsequently bore their names.

At the present time these experiences have become obsolete, and therefore we have now to take religion on belief. This I entirely deny. If there has been one case of experience in this world in any particular branch of knowledge it absolutely follows that this experience has been possible millions of times before, and will be repeated eternally. Uniformity is the rigorous law of nature; what once happened can happen always. The teachers of the science of Yoga, therefore, declare that religion is not only based upon the experience of ancient times, but that no man can be religious until he has the same perceptions himself.

Yoga is the science which teaches us how to get these perceptions. It is useless to talk about religion until one has felt it. Why is there so much disturbance, so much fighting and quarrelling in the name of God? There has been more bloodshed in the name of God than for any other cause, and the reason is that people never went to the fountain head; they were content only to give a mental assent to the customs of their forefathers, and wanted others to do the same.

What right has a man to say he has a soul if he does not feel it, or that there is a God if he does not see Him? If there is a God we must see Him, if there is a soul we must perceive it; otherwise it is better not to believe. It is better to be an outspoken atheist than a hypocrite. The modern idea, on the one hand, with the "learned," is that religion and meta physics, and all search after a Supreme Being, is futile; on the other hand, with the semi-educated, the idea seems to be that these things really have no basis, that their only value consists in the fact that they are strong motive powers for doing good to the world. If men believe in a God, they may become good, and moral, and so make good citizens. We cannot blame them for holding such ideas, seeing that all the teaching these men get is simply to believe in an eternal rigmarole of words, without any substance behind them. They are asked to live upon words; can they do it? If they could, I should not have the least regard for human nature. Man wants truth, wants to experience truth for himself, to grasp it, to realise it, to feel it within his heart of hearts; then alone, declare the Vedas, will all doubts vanish, all darkness be scattered, and all crookedness be made straight. " Ye children of immortality, even those who live in the highest sphere, the way is found; there is a way out of all this darkness, and that is by perceiving Him Who is beyond all darkness, and there is no other way."

And lastly, Ra’s words:

Quote:Many use the trunk and roots of mind as if that portion of mind were a badly used, prostituted entity. Then this entity gains from this great storehouse that which is rough, prostituted, and without great virtue. Those who turn to the deep mind, seeing it in the guise of the maiden, go forth to court it. The courtship has nothing of plunder in its semblance and may be protracted, yet the treasure gained by such careful courtship is great.
Would highly recomend going to some of the free/donation based Goenka 10 days retreats.    A couple of them will help a lot deeping the practice. I can't even imagine not going to silent retreats and trying to learn meditation from threads and videos, seems really difficult.

After the Goenka retreats maybe check Banthe Vimalaramsi videos he makes it easy. Or read Webu Sayadaw (A true Adept).

It takes time and effort and patience.  But retreats are important to start in my opinion at least for the vast mayority of people.

I am more into Zen/Anapana meditation but Vipassana helped me set the roots strong. 

As a good friend told me 'the important thing is to keep walking'  to never stop. Even you go slow , if you fell, if its hard, if its easy, standing up and just keep walking to the One infinite creator.
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