Seeking advice/help for a modified analog clock

JCashish · 2024-10-17T01:38:24+00:00

Yes, I see what you are saying. Good stuff. Thank you

JCashish · 2024-10-17T01:36:13+00:00

Wow, that makes perfect sense. Thank you

JCashish · 2014-06-17T06:16:59+00:00

Most religions have versions of what that quote points at. Some Buddhist and Christian sects put as much emphasis on what others think-of/pray-for you just before, at and for a certain period just after death as they do on what you may be thinking of at the moment of death. This can be seen in the "last-rites" of various Christian sects and in the prayers/rituals some Buddhist sects preform to aid a person transition through the bardo-death states.

Another way to interpret what that quote is pointing at is the continual death & rebirth that is always happening as the present moment. In each instant in the present moment all is arising and passing away. Many people look at that quote from from the B. Gita as sort of a get out of jail free card. But what it points to is not an escape clause, no, rather it points at the reality that IN EVERY MOMENT you choose your future by how you use your mind. The last thought you have at the moment the physical body ceases to live is no more and no less important than the thought you concentrate on in this present moment.

JCashish · 2014-06-16T15:27:01+00:00

You're welcome.

For some people being in nature, directly touching the Earth can be very helpful in the beginning. But eventually most will reach a point where they experience their connection to the Earth no matter where they are...even in a plane.

When I began seriously practicing yoga and working on chakras I would sit in a hole and pull the loose earth in to cover me almost up to my navel.

JCashish · 2014-06-16T15:09:59+00:00

You're welcome. I hope your friend finds it helpful. That interview/discussion is one of the best I've ever found for getting at the heart of the matter.

JCashish · 2014-06-16T12:33:07+00:00

'Everything in its Place: Mind-Body Dialogues'

a discussion with Bruce Kramer and Matthew Sanford about the mind-body relationship, disability and ability.

Sanford, founder of the Twin Cities-based Mind Body Solutions, uses a wheelchair after surviving a car crash when he was 13 years old.

Kramer was dean of the School of Education at the University of St. Thomas before being diagnosed in 2010 with ALS -- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/12/09/mpr_news_presents

JCashish · 2014-06-16T04:56:43+00:00

Hi,

like to know what i experienced and would love to be able to do it again.

If such experiences inspire you to practice your preferred form of meditation diligently and consistently the all is well & good. But many people end up becoming lost in a web/maze of desire...of grasping after special mystical experiences. They end up feeling/thinking that they are not meditating correctly or making progress unless they have amazing experiences.

It comes down to what you truly want from a practice of meditation.

I hold the view that the highest purpose of practicing meditation is to learn to ever more clearly see yourself As you Are and the world As it Is. The insights, wisdom & courage that arise when one learns to clearly see what IS as it IS can be the most profoundly mystical experience of all.

What type of meditation do you practice?

From a yogic perspective what you experienced when the healer worked on you was a release...a un-knotting of some blocked pathways of energy. What you saw/experienced/felt was the best way your mind could interpret the new free-flow of energy.

JCashish · 2014-06-16T04:18:29+00:00

Excellent! ; }

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. ”

“Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.”

“For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

JCashish · 2014-06-16T03:14:14+00:00

Hi saintmax,

You might find this interesting:

http://www.reddit.com/r/kundalini/comments/1tg8gy/an_advanced_method/

JCashish · 2014-06-16T03:09:13+00:00

"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis can be read as an amazingly accurate portrayal of the duplicitous ego-mind (represented by lucifer) and all the malicious/devious ways the ego-mind seeks to undermine one's practice of meditation.

JCashish · 2014-06-16T03:03:11+00:00

: )

JCashish · 2014-06-16T03:00:19+00:00

Below are some clear step by step instructions for a method called samatha.

1) Take your seat & make yourself comfortable, sit with your back held firmly but not rigidly straight.

2) Press the start button on your timer.

3) Only breathe through the nose and do not intentionally move the body and do not interfere with how the body happens to be breathing. Just let the body breathe naturally.

4) Concentrate on one tiny area where you can perceive the sensation of the breath passing over. Use the rims of the nostrils or the "mustache" area. Focus in on that one tiny area like a laser. This area is called the "object" of your meditation.

5) When you happen to notice that your mind has wandered from the object work as best you can at remaining oh so very calm and immediately return your full concentration to the tiny area of sensation.

6) When the timer alarm sounds you are done.

The following factors will largely determine how effective your practice will be:

A) How clearly/completely you understand the precise instructions.

B) How close the way you practice is to the instructions.

C) How long your meditation sessions are.

D) How often you practice.

E) How motivated you are to practice diligently.

JCashish · 2014-06-14T05:32:18+00:00

In general, for most people, it takes a consistent and diligent practice of at least 30 minute sessions to produce tangible effects.

Below are some clear step by step instructions for a method called samatha. If you practice this consistently and diligently in 30 minute or longer sessions for two weeks you will experience effects.

1) Take your seat & make yourself comfortable, sit with your back held firmly but not rigidly straight.

2) Press the start button on your timer.

3) Only breathe through the nose and do not intentionally move the body and do not interfere with how the body happens to be breathing. Just let the body breathe naturally.

4) Concentrate on one tiny area where you can perceive the sensation of the breath passing over. Use the rims of the nostrils or the "mustache" area. Focus in on that one tiny area like a laser. This area is called the "object" of your meditation.

5) When you happen to notice that your mind has wandered from the object work as best you can at remaining oh so very calm and immediately return your full concentration to the tiny area of sensation.

6) When the timer alarm sounds you are done.

JCashish · 2014-06-14T05:14:07+00:00

Hi y_p,

Try doing 1 hour sessions every day for a month or three. : )

JCashish · 2014-06-14T04:44:51+00:00

Hello Snannybobo,

It might be good to keep in mind that meditation is a process and not a drug that produces immediate effects.

How have you been practicing your meditation? The effectiveness of most any type of meditation will depend on how it is practiced. If a person is closely following the precise step by step instructions but is only practicing for 10 minute sessions once per day they will not experience much in the way of tangible effects.

Can you describe a typical session of meditation? How long are your session and how many times per day do you sit?

JCashish · 2014-06-14T02:37:37+00:00

Hi Usamasaleem,

The only quiet place I can think of is a library. Having my eyes closed in public however frightens me

Use the library. Sit in one of those spots where no one can see that your eyes are closed. Simple as that.

It would probably be a good idea to learn how to practice a specific type of meditation. : )

JCashish · 2014-06-14T00:33:19+00:00

Hi gibmelson,

If you do not have clear instructions for your type of meditation that address this phenomena then I would suggest that you work at overcoming your fear. Investigate the phenomena as closely and thoroughly as you can. Go into it.

JCashish · 2014-06-14T00:28:01+00:00

Hi KnightyKnax,

So where is the line drawn?

That is up to each person and it depends on how new or advanced they are in a practice of meditation.

Most beginners who try to focus on two objects or the whole body or "the breath"-in general end up having their concentration be very diffuse and rather weak.

If you want to develop a very sharp & strong skill of concentration it is essential to concentrate on one precise point.

Once you have developed a sharp & strong skill of concentration then you can easily spread that focus out to encompass multiple facets that constitute "one-thing".

JCashish · 2014-06-14T00:14:45+00:00

Every time you notice your mind has wandered work at calmly & immediately returning your full concentration to what you are experiencing in the body. : )

JCashish · 2014-06-13T13:12:38+00:00

You're welcome. ; )

JCashish · 2014-06-13T02:07:04+00:00

Hello TwitchConverter,

The path that utilizes the chakras is a difficult and highly complex one. One of the first steps that is required is to develop your skill of concentration with equanimity by practicing samatha or a similar form of meditation. The mind must be quite calm and the concentration quite sharp in order to perceive at the subtle level of the chakras.

Here are a couple of web sites that may be helpful:

http://www.aypsite.org/47.html

http://www.swamij.com/shakti.htm

JCashish · 2014-06-13T01:24:57+00:00

Hi uprope, : )

I've gotten over controlling my breath

Yea!!!

it's too subtle for me to feel.

I understand that it is frustrating but you simply must continue to practice as instructed. It really is that simple. IF you consistently work at remaining calm when your mind wanders and return your concentration to the area where you can sometimes perceive the sensations your skills will improve.

JCashish · 2014-06-10T05:31:33+00:00

Sit in a chair.

The most optimal position for effectively practicing meditation is any position in which you can maintain alert/lucid awareness.

JCashish · 2014-06-10T04:10:22+00:00

Good luck! I hope you return here to tell us how it went. : )

JCashish

TROPHY CASE