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The way I usually meditate is just sitting in a quiet place and trying not to think, if a thought pops into my head I just let it float away. What are these adv

The way I usually meditate is just sitting in a quiet place and trying not to think, if a thought pops into my head I just let it float away. What are these advanced meditation techniques for? Being able to raise your body temperature doesn't seem that useful compared to having a clear mind?

agumonkey 7y ago
Unless you're stuck in the cold. (source: me waiting outside at night :) Body temperature might cause other somatic benefits (ala wim hof) but I'm wildly speculating here.
schainks 7y ago
Recommend you read this book to learn more: https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Master-Journey-Secret-Mongolia/dp/0553379089/ https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Master-Journey-Secret-Mongolia/...
- deleted 7y ago
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rojobuffalo 7y ago
I think one idea is to gain a better understanding of how thoughts and emotions manifest themselves physiologically. What are the physical sensations that accompany embarrassment, frustration, joy, etc.. Having some familiarity with those patterns in the body, and a practice for being able to pay attention to and change those sensations is a good tool kit to have.
mtalantikite 7y ago
Tummo is explained pretty well in “The Bliss of Inner Fire” [1]. The practices from Vajrayana Buddhism are very different than what you’d find in a Theravada vipassana practice. It relies on lots of visualizations and breath work. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Inner-Fire-Practice-Naropa/dp/086171136X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=inner+fire&qid=1574787632&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Inner-Fire-Practice-Naropa/dp/0...
dvfjsdhgfv 7y ago
Tummo is the basis of advanced forms of Vajrayana meditation; heat here is just a side effect. The aim of all of these Buddhist practices is the same: to recognize the essence of mind.
DennisP 7y ago
I don't know much about tummo but I am working my way through The Mind Illuminated, a book on a type of mindfulness meditation that gets into pretty advanced levels, so I can answer from that perspective. The book goes through several models of consciousness, but one is "moments of consciousness." In each of those moments, you could have your attention on the meditation object, or on something else ("distraction"). But you can also have moments in which you aren't conscious at all. Each moment is extremely brief, but if you have a lot of moments of unconsciousness, this is "dullness." Dullness is just as much a problem as distraction, and there are practices specifically to combat it. If you're just trying not to think, you might be dealing well with distraction, but you might also have a lot of dullness. It's easy to think you're very good at meditating, when actually you just have dullness. If you can fix both distraction and dullness, you can attain a high level of awareness of what's going on in your mind. This leads to the sort of insights that for Buddhists are the main point. It also has a lot of side benefits, like just being more present and alive in your everyday life.

agumonkey 7y ago

Unless you're stuck in the cold. (source: me waiting outside at night :) Body temperature might cause other somatic benefits (ala wim hof) but I'm wildly speculating here.

schainks 7y ago

Recommend you read this book to learn more: https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Master-Journey-Secret-Mongolia/dp/0553379089/ https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Master-Journey-Secret-Mongolia/...

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

rojobuffalo 7y ago

I think one idea is to gain a better understanding of how thoughts and emotions manifest themselves physiologically. What are the physical sensations that accompany embarrassment, frustration, joy, etc.. Having some familiarity with those patterns in the body, and a practice for being able to pay attention to and change those sensations is a good tool kit to have.

mtalantikite 7y ago

Tummo is explained pretty well in “The Bliss of Inner Fire” [1]. The practices from Vajrayana Buddhism are very different than what you’d find in a Theravada vipassana practice. It relies on lots of visualizations and breath work. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Inner-Fire-Practice-Naropa/dp/086171136X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=inner+fire&qid=1574787632&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Inner-Fire-Practice-Naropa/dp/0...

dvfjsdhgfv 7y ago

Tummo is the basis of advanced forms of Vajrayana meditation; heat here is just a side effect. The aim of all of these Buddhist practices is the same: to recognize the essence of mind.

DennisP 7y ago

I don't know much about tummo but I am working my way through The Mind Illuminated, a book on a type of mindfulness meditation that gets into pretty advanced levels, so I can answer from that perspective. The book goes through several models of consciousness, but one is "moments of consciousness." In each of those moments, you could have your attention on the meditation object, or on something else ("distraction"). But you can also have moments in which you aren't conscious at all. Each moment is extremely brief, but if you have a lot of moments of unconsciousness, this is "dullness." Dullness is just as much a problem as distraction, and there are practices specifically to combat it. If you're just trying not to think, you might be dealing well with distraction, but you might also have a lot of dullness. It's easy to think you're very good at meditating, when actually you just have dullness. If you can fix both distraction and dullness, you can attain a high level of awareness of what's going on in your mind. This leads to the sort of insights that for Buddhists are the main point. It also has a lot of side benefits, like just being more present and alive in your everyday life.