And then there is always the question of how much Buddhism for beginners is present as well.
― Santa’s Got a Brand New Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 December 2021 20:21 (two years ago) link
What I ended up doing is getting her both "Real Happiness" by Sharon Salzberg, which is a very approachable 28-day program, and then "Mindfulness In Plain English", which is a fabulous foundation but too much for someone who isn't already super motivated, I think. My recommendation to her will be to start with the Salzberg book, and after that dip into the other book as desired if she wants to deepen / inspire her practice.
― lukas, Thursday, 16 December 2021 20:26 (two years ago) link
Sound good!
― Santa’s Got a Brand New Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 16 December 2021 20:57 (two years ago) link
'This the season... to remember that evergreen Ram Dass quote.
― Circle Sky Pilot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 December 2021 15:13 (two years ago) link
Which one?
"hey maharishi, put this under your tongue"?
― lukas, Thursday, 23 December 2021 18:17 (two years ago) link
Ah, no. One version is: if you think you are enlightened, go home for Thanksgiving.
― Circle Sky Pilot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 December 2021 18:22 (two years ago) link
I've built a fair collection of 'beginner's guides' and 'how to's - enough to look at the stack and understand books aren't going to be the thing that'll shove me into regular practise.I joined a zoom meeting with my local Buddhist group and enjoyed the half-hour meditation a good deal (if enjoyed is the right word) and felt good afterwards but didn't really want the hour afterwards of chatting etc. It's scared me off going back (disorganisation and apathy also relevant here).Does anyone know of a podcast or YouTube channel of guided meditations for beginners? Or do I just need to get on and find a teacher?
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Thursday, 23 December 2021 20:30 (two years ago) link
Some of the popular apps seems to have a lot of free content, like Insight Timer, I think,
― Circle Sky Pilot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 December 2021 20:47 (two years ago) link
Some friends of mine use Waking Up, Headspace and Calm but I wouldn't really know.
― Circle Sky Pilot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 December 2021 21:20 (two years ago) link
One version is: if you think you are enlightened, go home for Thanksgiving.ha. yeah ...
― lukas, Thursday, 23 December 2021 21:39 (two years ago) link
Time for the Xmas LK meditation.
― Santa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 December 2021 15:03 (two years ago) link
Dedicated the merit....maybe I will keep that to myself.
― Santa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 December 2021 19:10 (two years ago) link
Happy New Year! How’s it going?
― (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Razor (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 January 2022 05:59 (two years ago) link
Pretty good! Feels like I'm developing some stability of attention in my home practice. Before I only ever accomplished that on retreat, or by going after the meditation object really greedily. Needless to say, this is a slow process.
Looking for a metta / brahmaviharas retreat, the only one I've found so far conflicts with a wedding, pah.
Yourself?
― lukas, Wednesday, 5 January 2022 00:26 (two years ago) link
I'm really glad I have been doing it consistently these past few years. It is much easier for me to get into some version of the proper state, I can't say on demand or as needed, but more often, more readily or something like that. Agree that it is a slow process but, as one of my teachers said the other day, "if it's not slow, it's not real."
― (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Razor (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 January 2022 00:50 (two years ago) link
I really like that it is a technique or set of techniques actually, that is broadly applicable. And the fact that it requires practice, takes a long time to internalize and that various sorts of perceived "failures" are built into the practice!
― (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Razor (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 January 2022 17:16 (two years ago) link
Back on the horse. I really fell off in the last quarter of 2021.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 5 January 2022 18:35 (two years ago) link
Welcome back!
RIP Thich Nhat Hanh, 10/10 human being.
― lukas, Saturday, 22 January 2022 01:55 (two years ago) link
Yes, RIP, almost did the revive myself for that reason.
― Tapioca Tumbril (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 22 January 2022 02:03 (two years ago) link
starting a ten minute a day thing. finally feel like i really need it and like it. excited to keep going.
― the cat needs to start paying for its own cbd (map), Saturday, 30 April 2022 17:59 (one year ago) link
wait til u try 11 minutes
― poster of sparks (rogermexico.), Sunday, 1 May 2022 23:13 (one year ago) link
I've been following some Jack Kornfield guided meditations on YouTube. They're about 25 minutes and are very simple, essential Buddhist meditations and just what I needed. I'm doing once a week at the moment but would like to try twice a week.
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Monday, 2 May 2022 10:42 (one year ago) link
― Wile E. Is President (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 2 May 2022 11:58 (one year ago) link
Probably shouldn’t go there, but noticed someone on another thread said they didn’t like the words “holding space.” I can imagine in another context it could be used by someone as a kind of cop out, but the way meditation teachers use it totally works for me.
― Wile E. Is President (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 4 May 2022 10:48 (one year ago) link
i set up a little meditation room in the closet of my new place! i love it. got a small altar that sits on the floor and a larger buddha statue than i had before and a little ceremonial water bowl. it's wonderful to have a place just for this one thing.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 5 May 2022 17:24 (one year ago) link
Jealous!
― brisk money (lukas), Thursday, 5 May 2022 17:45 (one year ago) link
🙏🧘♀️🪔
― Wile E. Is President (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 5 May 2022 17:47 (one year ago) link
Good weekend to have a practice.
― Johnny Thunderwords (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 7 May 2022 15:23 (one year ago) link
Did a longer sit than normal this morning, 90 minutes. All kinds of pain and tension and annoyance and blahhhhhh. Felt great when I got up though.
― brisk money (lukas), Friday, 20 May 2022 22:28 (one year ago) link
90 is nice!!
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 21 May 2022 02:24 (one year ago) link
For a long time it didn't feel like there was much of a point in going longer, because I'd started to get a lot of dullness. That's a lot less of an issue now, though. No idea why.
― brisk money (lukas), Saturday, 21 May 2022 05:36 (one year ago) link
90 was about as far as i ever got at my most obsessive just after getting sober, doing 2 or 3 of those a day just to stop thinking about liquor, but that feels real distant these days where 20 minutes is an accomplishment
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 23 May 2022 18:57 (one year ago) link
Never gone for more than the usual 15-30 minutes myself. Not sure if I am scared of one of those psychotic breaks I've read about or...
― Apollo and the Aqueducts (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 23 May 2022 19:25 (one year ago) link
Yeah, I have some free time right now, and I feel like I notice a difference the rest of the day.
― brisk money (lukas), Monday, 23 May 2022 20:11 (one year ago) link
Is anyone else doing zazen and can anyone recommend any guided zazen? (Or is that a contradiction in terms?)
I've used the usual Headspace / Calm options on and off for the last few years but nothing really stuck. In the last year I've been investigating Zen as a broader philosophy/religion in a much more involved way and started doing twenty mins of zazen a day back in February, eyes open, no guidance/music. Some days it feels amazing, some days it's boring and fidgety. I feel like a lot of the stuff I've read about zazen seems to point towards not using music, guidance etc as these are all distractions. I might be wrong on this? Basically, would love some pointers from anyone here who's doing it as well!
― bamboohouses, Tuesday, 24 May 2022 10:52 (one year ago) link
re: music, calm/headspace, etc, there's nothing wrong with relaxing but I wouldn't call it meditation.
"some days it's amazing, some days it's boring and fidgety" sounds like it's working as designed
― poster of sparks (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 24 May 2022 20:38 (one year ago) link
agree with that.
my #1 pointer is to find other people to practice with or at least talk with about your practice. this thread in a pinch but real-time humans even better.
this looks cool (Kozan is a wonderful person): https://www.upaya.org/program/the-ease-and-joy-of-mornings-online-version/?id=2470
― brisk money (lukas), Tuesday, 24 May 2022 21:03 (one year ago) link
Many zazen teachers are down with counting breaths if you need an anchor.
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Tuesday, 24 May 2022 21:34 (one year ago) link
BH you may like Treeleaf Zendo, who's been doing the "online meditation" thing since like 2007 somehow
https://www.treeleaf.org/
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 24 May 2022 22:50 (one year ago) link
Thank you everyone - some really useful pointers all round here, very much appreciated.
― bamboohouses, Wednesday, 25 May 2022 09:05 (one year ago) link
🧘♀️
― Double Elvis on the Dime (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 5 June 2022 16:12 (one year ago) link
Things to think about:Second arrowsMustard seeds
― Ride into the Sunship (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 19 June 2022 11:30 (one year ago) link
🙏 😊 🧘♀️🧘🧎♀️
― Build My Gallows Hi Hi Hi (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 4 July 2022 04:29 (one year ago) link
Short moments, many times.
― L.H.O.O.Q. Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 13 July 2022 12:25 (one year ago) link
Glad to have my practice right now.
― death generator (lukas), Wednesday, 13 July 2022 17:40 (one year ago) link
Tell me about it
― L.H.O.O.Q. Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 13 July 2022 17:40 (one year ago) link
Life is just A LOT right now and having an hour a day where I'm just kind of holding space for myself is so helpful. I kind of establish an intention at the beginning of the sit to create a warm and welcoming environment for all and sundry to arise. Sometimes that feels impossible, but it's a good direction.
― death generator (lukas), Wednesday, 13 July 2022 17:51 (one year ago) link
Somebody on another thread complained about the term “holding space.” I didn’t want to get into it with them and could perhaps guess what context they had encountered but it is enormous useful and beneficial in this context.
― L.H.O.O.Q. Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 13 July 2022 17:55 (one year ago) link
Bringing the meaningful into the mundane.
― L.H.O.O.Q. Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 14 July 2022 12:34 (one year ago) link
Somebody on another thread complained about the term “holding space.”
truly we live in the age of pointless complaints, "holding space" is a good term.
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Thursday, 14 July 2022 13:51 (one year ago) link