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I've never understood why people treat meditation like they're cramming for finals, trying to fit as much as possible into a brief period. That's not going to h
by gyardley 12y ago
I've never understood why people treat meditation like they're cramming for finals, trying to fit as much as possible into a brief period. That's not going to help them incorporate it into their daily lives - if anything, it trains them to think of meditation as something outside their ordinary experience.
If you're at all interested in all the mental and physical health benefits of mindfulness, you do not have to go to this guy's extremes to get them. Try getting started with a guided meditation like Headspace (www.headspace.com) instead. Ten to twenty minutes a day is all you need, and it's great stuff.
- orasis 12y agoAccessing certain states of mind requires momentum above all else. Thus it is very valuable to meditate intensely for sustained periods of time. Otherwise, most people have little chance of breaking through.
- stolio 12y agoIf all you want is altered states of mind we have drugs for that :) When asked why Zen Mind Beginner's Mind didn't include much on Satori, Shunryu Suzuki admitted he'd never reached it[0]. He never broke through, he just sat on his cushion every day and when he did he was just sitting on a cushion. No fireworks, nothing special. At the same time he's also one of the most respected and widely read Buddhist teachers the West has even known. And, sadly this part is noteworthy, he's one of the few teachers in America who never had any major scandals. [0] - http://www.cuke.com/bibliography/ZMBM/preface.html http://www.cuke.com/bibliography/ZMBM/preface.html