Meditation is multi-faceted. It has a myriad of possibilities.
here are a few words I associate with meditation
Calming,
Centering,
Focus,
Isolation,
Connectedness,
Augmenting
it has the ability to be anything you want it to be.
Meditation is multi-faceted. It has a myriad of possibilities.
here are a few words I associate with meditation
Calming,
Centering,
Focus,
Isolation,
Connectedness,
Augmenting
it has the ability to be anything you want it to be.
Sometimes people mistake meditation as a ritual instead of a practice. Meditation is an extremely personal practice. It means so many things to so many different people and is utilized by so many for different reasons IMHO.
MINDFULNESS
GHD
...ask for Kam
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"Fool me once, then shame on you. Fool me twice, then shame on me"
I try to do a few minutes of Hou Tien chi meditation every day. It really helps my Taiji, and it regulates breath, chi, and makes you stronger.
If I knew any I'd do Shien Tiech chi meditation too, but as of now I don't.
The main purpose of it for me is, well, GET STRONGER!
Shut up and train.
LUEsers unite
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I like Starchasers quick answers to it. I got into Meditation and Chi Gung after I had been studying Northern Shaolin for about 6 months. I was learning the Mantis style which is a very aggressive style and I noticed I was maintaining the aggression even after I was finished training. I was sizing people up and just carrying that attitude with me. First of all, that's not how I am, and second, i didn't like that I felt that way when I didn't intend to. I started out just doing simple grounding exercises from Chi Gung and then took up sitting meditations to work on simply focusing on the present. It wasn't hard to calm everything down and turn off that Mantis spirit, it just takes a little effort.
I meditate now to focus my mind and to be mindful of emotions that are out of balance and when I think on them, I can bring them back to balance.
Mantak Chia said something like
"beginers meditate to relax, advanced practitioners relax to meditate"
GHD Right on!
Bless you
As Starchaser107 wisley stated, meditation is multi-faceted, and is different things for different people, For me, I meditate for many reasons, but primarily as a way to clear my mind. This alone allows for more mental clarity, focus, relaxation, centering, but most importantly self knowledge. I personally consider meditation to be a crucial aspect of my martial arts training. It is a very important part of the systems that I study. In fact, it is the base from which all else comes.What do you feel meditation is for and what is its purpose in your life? Do you think its JUST energy? Or does it involve something deeper?
There is really only one purpose to meditation and that is MINDFULNESS. All the other items mentioned are what are considered side benefits of meditation. When one is Mindful, then he is aware and in the moment. An example of side benefits of awareness and being in the moment is knowing if you are relaxed or tense and if you are tense, you will be able to use your mind to relax. Being in the moment and aware also has obvious benefits for the martial artist.
GHD
...ask for Kam
------------------------------------------------
"Fool me once, then shame on you. Fool me twice, then shame on me"
Meditation one key goals is to achieve Non-self, and she past the physical aspect of this world. With Mindfulness, a person can realize the true aspects of life and nature: that nothing is permanenthere, everything is always changing, and the best thing to try to do is livein the present.
"Don't Focus on the Fingers or You will miss all the Heavenly Glory!"
Morbicid-"Maybe some moves are made just so that, if u somehow manage to pull them off in a fight, u get some serious bragging rights.
Many famous fighters have done this (roy jones jr, chuck norris, Morbicid, etc)"
Greetings..
I see repetitive mentions of "mindfulness", when in fact, that is precisely what i intend to avoid.. I intend to avoid engaging the mind during the unfolding experiences, such that i don't introduce prejudices to the perceptions.. "mindfulness" is useful while moving toward the meditative state and afterward as we assimilate the experiences into a beneficial concept, but.. during meditation we should be empty, void of thought and permitting the experience to by-pass the prejudices resident in the mind and go directly to the spirit/soul where it can be referred to in its unprejudiced state.. naturally, immediately upon referring to it we introduce prejudices, but at least we have a clear starting point..
Be well...
TaiChiBob.. "the teacher that is not also a student is neither"
I think that is posited on a misunderstanding of mindfulness as it relates to meditation. Being mindful simply means being aware and awake and not clinging to each little bubble of thought that randomly goes through your brain during meditation. If you just want to experience what happens as it happens, but you don't want to be mindful, then what is the "you" that will be doing the experiencing. If you completely shut off your mind (if that's even possible) you wouldn't remember what you experience during meditation, so how could you interpret it later?
The cinnabun palm is deadly, especially when combined with the tomato kick. - TenTigers
Mindfulness is not the mind...that is the constantly chattering monkey mind. Mindfulness is Awareness of the moment without predjudices or at least being aware of predjudices, pre-conceptions, etc.etc. Mindfulness is like holding up a pure and clear mirror to reflect (show) what is really there (or not there!)Originally posted by TaiChiBob
Greetings..
I see repetitive mentions of "mindfulness", when in fact, that is precisely what i intend to avoid.. I intend to avoid engaging the mind during the unfolding experiences, such that i don't introduce prejudices to the perceptions.. "mindfulness" is useful while moving toward the meditative state and afterward as we assimilate the experiences into a beneficial concept, but.. during meditation we should be empty, void of thought and permitting the experience to by-pass the prejudices resident in the mind and go directly to the spirit/soul where it can be referred to in its unprejudiced state.. naturally, immediately upon referring to it we introduce prejudices, but at least we have a clear starting point..
Be well...
dwid understands it.
GHD
...ask for Kam
------------------------------------------------
"Fool me once, then shame on you. Fool me twice, then shame on me"
Meditating without being mindful is just developing concentration. It is said that, that is the slow way of reaching enlightenment. But if you are aware of all that goes on in you body while breathing in and out with mindfulness, and shooting down the all thoughts that go into your mind, you are essentially being empty and only focusing on your breathing and what is happening to your body at the present moment. With alot of patience and practice, you will reach the first major goal of Buddhism: that is understand non-self. It may sound redundant like my last post but, eliminating the concept of I from your mind is not as easy as it sounds.
"Don't Focus on the Fingers or You will miss all the Heavenly Glory!"
Morbicid-"Maybe some moves are made just so that, if u somehow manage to pull them off in a fight, u get some serious bragging rights.
Many famous fighters have done this (roy jones jr, chuck norris, Morbicid, etc)"
Greetings..
Surely, i understand the concept of mindfulness.. the concept that "i" is not "what 'i' am".. i am not what i "think" i am, i am that which does the thinking.. i sense that we are dealing with the limitations of linguistics here.. i don't contend your explanations of mindfulness and i understand its application toward meditation.. my only assertion is that its best, for me, is loss of even the notion of mindfulness.. no longer concerned with the mechanics of meditation, or the the efforts to control the "mindful experience".. i become the experience.. (it is a most magical moment).. even entertaining the thought that this is really neat disolves its purity, to pursue it makes it more elusive.. it seems, to me, that hanging on to concepts like "mindfulness" is just one more speck of dust on "the mirror"...
Be well...
TaiChiBob.. "the teacher that is not also a student is neither"
Hey there BobOriginally posted by TaiChiBob
Greetings..
Surely, i understand the concept of mindfulness.. the concept that "i" is not "what 'i' am".. i am not what i "think" i am, i am that which does the thinking.. i sense that we are dealing with the limitations of linguistics here.. i don't contend your explanations of mindfulness and i understand its application toward meditation.. my only assertion is that its best, for me, is loss of even the notion of mindfulness.. no longer concerned with the mechanics of meditation, or the the efforts to control the "mindful experience".. i become the experience.. (it is a most magical moment).. even entertaining the thought that this is really neat disolves its purity, to pursue it makes it more elusive.. it seems, to me, that hanging on to concepts like "mindfulness" is just one more speck of dust on "the mirror"...
Be well...
Exactly...mindfulness is experience...being 100 % in the moment without concern...just being aware, no thought, no concern for control or no control...mindfulness is the just classical term to try to define the experience in the written word.
Be well...and...be there!
GHD
...ask for Kam
------------------------------------------------
"Fool me once, then shame on you. Fool me twice, then shame on me"