How hard is it to get good at meditation, and what’s it like once you do reach a proficient level?
I live a really stressful life so i decided to take up meditation - the mindfulness of breathing. I only started a few days ago so im pretty crp at it, but im determined to get good. I have a few questions. If you could shed some light on each of them, id be grateful.
1. How long, on an average scale, would it take to get reasonably proficient at it? ( i have a busy mind and i find it hard to concentrate on bearthing alone. Howeve, i hope that it will pass with practice.)
2. Once you do reach that level, what is the meditation experience like? Do you see things, feel things, or anything?
3. Can you do it more than once a day? I was thinking of doing it once at night and once in the morn, until I get good at it. Then maybe bring it down to one good session a day.
4. DOES IT WORK 
Thanks very much to those you give some valuable input.
Happy Christmas!
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I’ve been practicing meditation for over 30 years. It has benefited me tremendously. But to ask "Does it work?" is kind of like asking "Does honesty work?"
There are many forms of meditation, but by and large the name of the game is mindful, attentive connection with what is most matter-of-factly real. Quieting your thoughts is useful, but the idea isn’t so much to achieve a certain state as it is to cultivate a certain RELATIONSHIP to whatever state you are in fact currently experiencing. And meditation helps make that relationship into one of intimacy and clarity and honesty.
It can sound paradoxical, but there’s a good reason for saying that meditation isn’t really about reaching a certain level. Because having an achievement-orientation can get in the way of really engaging with the way things already are, which is what meditation ultimately is for.
We typically ignore or distract ourselves from the way things are by thinking too much and staying too busy. The spirit of meditation is much like the playful bumper sticker that says, "Don’t just do something — stand there."
Life is a miracle. Being is a miracle. Meditation is about the almost ridiculously simple project of connecting with the miracle of things as they always already just are.
Yes, deep states of relaxation are possible, and altered states of mind are true and realizable experiences. I know that first hand. But those sorts of occurrences are really just servants to helping us get acquainted with how our hearts and minds operate, and to help us to be more humbly attentive to our being alive.
At some point you may wish to consider going on a meditation retreat. I have graduate degrees in both religious studies and psychology — and it is matter-of-factly the case that I have learned much more about religion and human psychology in my meditation retreats than I did in my graduate studies.
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1–could take years depending on lifestyle, general pace and attitude
2–becomes a positive addiction especially when you start seeing beneficial effects
3–you can do it as often as you had time for
4–benefits are too numerous to mention both mentally and physically
I have been meditating for about 2 years now. I am still not "great at it". Find something to focus on like counting your breaths in and out. Imagine that when you breathe in you are inhaling relaxation and that it is filling a deep void. When you exhale imagine that you are releasing stress and tightness. Start with your eyes, mouth, and neck and try to relax them as you breathe out. Then work your way down to your shoulders and on downwards. By the end every muscle in your body should be relaxed. This should help your mind unfocus.
I am not really sure about meditation on the level of say Buddhist monks who have the ability to control the physical functions. For me it is just a deep deep sense of relaxation and openness. You become more aware of your body and what it does.
Yes. I meditate in the morning and at night before bed.
Yes it works for me.
Merry Christmas to you too.
Hi, I am not exactly a zen master of the mind, but I meditate every day because I have some crazy sleeping problems
My method;
- Sit with your back straight. Never do it lying down
- Close your eyes but don’t clench them. This is easier to do when there’s no / little light
- Breathe sequentially (may be the wrong word), you inhale initially by expanding your diaphram, then when you cannot comfortably extend it more, expand your ribs.
- Exhale in the same order; Diaphram then ribs
- Count the inhalation, not the exhalation
- When you get to 10 inhalations, start back at 1
=]
The funny breathing helps you keep your thoughts from wandering, as well as being super relaxing, with any luck the breathing and calm mind will become second nature within ~2 weeks.
I usually do it once per day before I sleep, but it’s not like you can overdose on serenity lol.
You won’t see visions, you won’t "feel one with the universe" like people on TV, you won’t unlock your latent mutant superpowers, ect
It’s just relaxing. Not magical
YES IT WORKS
Merry Christmas =]
prayers and it gets easier with time….sure you can pray 3 times a day if you wish…..pray for salvation…..to you too!
Most of the great Teachers recommend 2 hours a day.
To become proficient one ought to persevere 6 months.
Any that yu do will eventually help yu - many busy folks
due 15 minutes once or twice a day.
It is commonly sedd : it takes about 20 minutes to reach THE ZONE
on an average.
Remember 2 hours a day is about 10% of yir day.
THE GOAL is to reach a Brighter — More Positive
Peace*FULL view of Life.
With Practice this will occur naturally.
Training the Mind is like training the Wind.
bet PRACTICE gives yu a greater attunement
and brings yu eventually POWER over your/self.
This is a little different w/ each person.
As the Universe has made each of us as unique as the snowflake
different every time and therefore able to develop our own ‘ special
function ‘ in the Universe - making us " Needed. " every time.
It may be difficult bet persevere — there is no greater skill in this
World worth attaining.
It is yoor ‘ personal key ‘ to accessing " the U N L I M I T E D. "
Remain curious about it — some extraEXTRAORDINARY People
have taught a great deal about it.
i have hung out w/ many who have transcended sleeping and eating
thru the willFULL and Lengthly Practice of it.
Sit uprite ——- Breathe Deep.
Imagine yirr —– self 2BE
a SUN s h i n i n g SO BRITE !!!
Yu cood CHANGE the World.
Meditation works if you meditate on something constructive.
It is a method of reaching your inner mind, and fairly quickly making positive pro active changes in your life, and not just vegging out and finishing up warm and fuzzy.
There are a couple of Cd’s on focussed meditation worth investigating, at Friends With Cancer, where they have successfully helped many people.
1. It depends on your moral standard, inborn quality, spiritual development, determination, duration, frequency of meditation sessions.
2.When you reach certain level, you’ll feel very peaceful in meditation. In advanced level, one becomes enlightened and can see all the truths.
3. Up to you.
4. Up to the practitioner.
The mediation mechanism is well explained in the ‘China Falun Gong’ book. The effects and advantages are discussed in details in the Zhuan Falun Lecture. Both books and meditation demonstration video are free to download from the URL listed below. If you need any help, contact a local practitioner in your area for free instructions.
Falun Gong was found in 1992 by Master Li Hongzhi in China. About 100 million followers like the practice in over 80 countries worldwide. Falun Gong is an ancient practice for the body, mind, and spirit based upon the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Falun Gong consists of five sets of powerful exercises.
Falun Gong, Tibetans, other Buddhists, and Daoists have been persecuted in China. The most offensive human right violation is the organ harvesting from the Falun Gong practitioners in China. Can you kindly sign a petition to stop persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, please ?
http://cipfg.org/en/news/petition.html