Question of the Week: 3/03 - 3/09
Today I have an audio post for the question of the week.
This is my first attempt, so it is a no frills, simple recording. If there is general interest in this kind of thing, then I will continue to post audio from time to time. (I hope so, as it was surprisingly easy to do.)
Just let me know in the comments, or through the contact page.
You can also download this clip.
9 Comments
Hi,
I’ve been reading your posts for quite some time now, and am finding them (and the comments) quite interesting.
It would be great if you could include a download link for your audio posts, for those of us who are not always online. I could then download the podcast and listen to it later.
Thanks
Thank you Nicolette for the suggestion. I just checked Houndbite.com and it is possible to download the file.
If you go to the page for this particular audio post @
http://www.houndbite.com/?houndbite=2328
…there should be a link on the audio player itself that says Download Houndbite. From there is it easy to grab.
I am glad you mentioned this. From now on, I’ll include the link for download in the text portion of the post. (And I’ll get around to adding it to this post sometime tomorrow.)
Thanks again!
I totally agree with you. I regularly meditate. I usually sit on the floor and do it. But, I do on the train sometimes. Very flexible. It is very important for me to maintain the thought(infinite wisdom, love, life, abundance, joy and harmony) during meditation all day long. My mind oriented by positive meditation in the morning will create a positive day. This will continue in my life. You know what I mean…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts…
Hi Takuin - I liked this format, would be happy to hear more of these! =)
Thanks, Jacob. There are more on the way.
I am thinking of making this a regular feature. I have not thought at all about the frequency of posting, but a few times per month wouldn’t be difficult to manage.
Thanks, Akiko. See you when you get home.
@Takuin
Interesting. I’ve been meditating for some 33 years. For me its a time for being being alone. For stepping out of expression. The role of it has evolved over time and at key points of opening, I had to sort of relearn.
But your point is very good. I do know many meditators who keep it as a kind of separate thing. And all of my best openings have happened in the world, not in practice.
The continuity is also true on another level. After I had been practicing for a short while, I discovered the the inner meditation never stopped. In the practice I was simply bringing it back into my awareness.
Nice to hear your voice. Put a sound to the idea. (laughs)
Thanks Davidya.
When this reduction (for lack of better word) goes on, everything slides comfortably into place. Finally, one realizes that the round peg does not go into the square hole.
It is not as if these things are put into place forcibly, but they just happen to find their place peacefully.
The idea of bringing peace through a forced meditation is just more of round peg/square hole nonsense. This is not saying that meditation itself is nonsense. But the problem arises when one sits in order to control oneself.
For many (far too many?) people, meditation is the vain attempt at controlling thought. And what is the instrument that one might use to control thought? Is it a separate instrument, separate from the thought it wishes to control, or could the one instrument be responsible for the whole thing? (I am not posing this to you, by the way. It is just interesting to consider.)
It is a very interesting word, Meditation, if you look into the etymology. It means to think over, but it also means to measure or limit. It eventually evolved into continuous calm thought upon some subject.
It is fascinating to think over (meditate) on this. When one sits to meditate, are they measuring? Limiting? If they try to suppress or control one thought with another, then measurement is taking place. “This thought is better than that thought.” And it certainly is limiting.
But these are not questions for me to ask. However, they may be interesting for one that is about to sit on the cushion.
Ah, my meditation is not one of control. It is described as restful alertness. From my review of meditations, many are either of control or of focus on an idea or object. Both of these are mental exercises. This is not stepping into being, without mind - at least not directly. How can mind control itself? And thoughts are natural. What is the point of controlling them? The key to me is to move past mind and the thoughts take care of themselves, calmed by being.
hmm - the etymology is interesting. English is a particularly good language for wandering meanings. Like Enlightenment (laughs).
In my practice, I don’t sit with an idea. They simply arise when suggested by events, experiences, and others, like Takuin.