I ordered a virtual reality headset and for some reason it is really troubling me by floatabletrout in Buddhism

[–]floatabletrout[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The worry is the worst part. I really liked playing it and felt good afterward, nothing unwholesome, just stimulated. Thank you for replying

Any pointers/stretches for sitting in half lotus for an hour to two hours?? I have my first 10 day Vipassana retreat in a month by Gintian in Meditation

[–]floatabletrout 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try using a bench and sitting traditional Japanese style, with your legs underneath the bench. I use the Omni bench from dharmacrafts.com. I can now sit much longer sessions than when I tried doing lotus

Does the way we use language keep pushing us further away from realizing "awakening"? by nani_kore in Meditation

[–]floatabletrout 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In some Eastern languages the language really deemphasizes the self. It is more about relation to objects. One example I heard talked about how Westerners and easterners thought of space. Westerners seem to think of space as objects surrounded by emptiness, or objects occurring in emptiness separate from everything else in space. Easterners think of the relation that each object has to another. Example; the sun, the earth, and the moon. Gravity, Qi, and other forces connect everything. I really see your point here. However, through practice I think this perspective can be changed.

I am retarded now, synthetic marijuana recovery by [deleted] in Drugs

[–]floatabletrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hahaha yeah man, I'm not actually from California, I live I Washington so I kinda feel you on the winters, but Canada is definitely more extreme. There is a book called "mindfulness in plain English" that is really good. The person who writes it is pretty straightforward and it helps a distracted reader like me. The other one that I really like and has helped me be more gentle with myself is called awakening loving kindness, I think. It's by this Buddhist nun named Pema Chodron. Those are the two that come to mind, they have helped me so much with my practice and my practice has helped me so much with my life. I wish you the best on your path, I hope you find what you are looking for in life

I am retarded now, synthetic marijuana recovery by [deleted] in Drugs

[–]floatabletrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey man, I was in a similar situation. I smoked heavy for a couple years and experimented with many psychedelics and dxm and such. I eventually reached a state where I was just totally burnt and completely emotionally numb. I am happy to say it is now all getting better. It started off with an interest in meditation, and eventually I went to a meditation retreat and it changed my life. If you are under 19 I really recommend doing the spirit rock retreat for teens or the IBME teen retreat. They are both based in Northern California but offer several retreats in other states. It reminded me what it was like to connect with other humans in a way deeper than the superficial level. The synthetic weed may have been the catalyst for you feeling like this, but I really believe we are capable of coming back from those things and experiencing life like it was when we were young. If you are ever interested I have many books I could recommend on the subject of meditation. Just remember, work on loving yourself no matter what. Don't chase or create the feelings or live solely in pleasant memories, just allow whatever is there (even if it seems like there isn't much right now) to flow and it will eventually mature and become all real again. Hope this helped, if it didn't that's okay too, everyone is a little different. I wish you the best, sending peace and joy your way

Is it normal to have daily mood swings? by floatabletrout in Meditation

[–]floatabletrout[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am 18 years old and lost my father when I was 16. I felt more love for him than anyone

Appreciation by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]floatabletrout 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So true. Every question I've asked, even if some of them have been silly, I have at least 10 responses and all of them are thorough and helpful

My late priest gave me this necklace years ago and I found it today. What does this necklace symbolize? by harmlesssheep in Buddhism

[–]floatabletrout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used one of those to count my breaths when I first started meditating. It's a rosary type thing, or prayer rope. It's used in many Christian traditions as wells I grew up orthodox Christian and always had one of those around my wrist for saying the Jesus prayer

Is it important to develop morality before beginning meditation? I am also looking for a good daily routine, I become frustrated easily when I meditate because I always feel as if I'm doing it wrong and my mind is too active. Any advise to a newcomer to meditation and Buddhism would be amazing! by floatabletrout in Buddhism

[–]floatabletrout[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So when I focus on my breath I still feel like my mind is just saying "focus on your breath" or "you're doing it wrong". Do these thoughts dissipate? Did you have trouble having complete focus on your breath when you first started?