Learning to meditate

[Conservationist]

Saw this one on the internal list, figured you all would benefit:

http://archive.tm.org/book/intro.html

That's a good introduction to the concept. Of course, you will also want to browse Huxley's "The Perennial Philosophy" and maybe consider a book by D.T. Suzuki on Zen.

[Transcix]

I think it's important to note there are very many interpretations and forms of meditation, different varieties consisting of different procedures and involving different goals.

It would be nice to say that a person could pick up a book or two, learn about meditation, and if they practice it and like what it does for them then they can go on and learn more about it. But in my experience this often leaves people confused because their initial attempts prove unsuccessful and they are unaware of all the variables that are involved in the process--these variables being the elements they'll need to work with to refine their meditation style and technique.

I have no site to recommend, I would not feel comfortable making blanket recommendations (nor do I know of any excellent one off-hand, although I know many poor ones).

[wahn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsFlrdXVFgo

Find a local temple and practice with them every morning. When you are ready participate in a "zen night" (about 6 hours of meditation usually until early in the next morning). I guarantee that you will not regret it.

[Dinaric Leather]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsFlrdXVFgo

Find a local temple and practice with them every morning. When you are ready participate in a "zen night" (about 6 hours of meditation usually until early in the next morning). I guarantee that you will not regret it.

Why should an Indo-European adopt mongoloid Buddhist meditation rituals? Are you a multiculturalist or are you a north-east Asian? Those are the only possibilities if you are practicing such forms of meditation.

[nous]

Why?

[Nimbostratus]

Why should an Indo-European adopt mongoloid Buddhist meditation rituals? Are you a multiculturalist or are you a north-east Asian? Those are the only possibilities if you are practicing such forms of meditation.

Lol, what does "indo-european" mean in that context? A synonymy of indian which borns within Sanatha Dharma within a given caste? You should seek for your local form of paganism, instead, or the christian faith that gave shape to your community until modernity.

Zen is a great revival of Buddhist aryan tradition, which regains the simplicity of the original pursuit of Buddhism, and it is fully practicable for a Caucasian. See the The Doctrine of Awakening by Evola.

That said, I would have converted to Islam if I'd found that it was the right religion for me ( <3 sufism <3 ). I don't low my esoteric approach to a set of exoteric, circumstancial, temporal norms. That does make me a multiculturalist? Perhaps

[Arctic Sun]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsFlrdXVFgo

Find a local temple and practice with them every morning. When you are ready participate in a "zen night" (about 6 hours of meditation usually until early in the next morning). I guarantee that you will not regret it.

Why should an Indo-European adopt mongoloid Buddhist meditation rituals? Are you a multiculturalist or are you a north-east Asian? Those are the only possibilities if you are practicing such forms of meditation.

Ever lived just off a freeway or next to high-traffic railway tracks?  A quiet place is a quiet place, and deep thought is just the same.  I'm pretty sure you can get away with using an Asian-themed sanctuary for appeasing your indo-euro gods.  And if there is no such place to do so within your criteria, then opening one up that fits the bill might be an interesting endeavor.  

[reasonable]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsFlrdXVFgo

Find a local temple and practice with them every morning. When you are ready participate in a "zen night" (about 6 hours of meditation usually until early in the next morning). I guarantee that you will not regret it.

Why should an Indo-European adopt mongoloid Buddhist meditation rituals? Are you a multiculturalist or are you a north-east Asian? Those are the only possibilities if you are practicing such forms of meditation.

You have an extremely nuanced view of what determines whether something is worth doing or not.

[Conservationist]

It would be nice to say that a person could pick up a book or two, learn about meditation, and if they practice it and like what it does for them then they can go on and learn more about it. But in my experience this often leaves people confused because their initial attempts prove unsuccessful and they are unaware of all the variables that are involved in the process

Your approach is a destructive one: "this is too complex to begin at home."

There are many types of meditation, but almost all return to the same elements that are learned on that page.

Don't mystify.

[Dinaric Leather]

What I meant by "Indo-European" are all the nations that belong to the European (usually called "white", a loathsome term to any historian or anthropologist) cultural and racial group, including tribes usually not seen as "white" by the uninitiated such as the original unaltered Persians and the Aryans of India.

Is Buddhism originally an Aryan tradition? Perhaps I spoke too soon, please tell more or tell me where I can learn more.

Why would I want to use an "Asian themed" sanctuary to meditate if I can meditate in the wilderness? Of course, if I were in a busy city in China and the only quiet place to meditate what a Buddhist temple I wouldn't object to using it for that purpose.

You have an extremely nuanced view of what determines whether something is worth doing or not.

What do you mean by that? Should I not practice the traditions and rituals of my tribe and my tribe alone?

[reasonable]

What do you mean by that? Should I not practice the traditions and rituals of my tribe and my tribe alone?

Maybe, or maybe not. It seems to me that it would depend on more than the mere fact that those traditions and rituals are part of your tribe and that others aren't. Seriously, how exactly is the consideration you're appealing to either a necessary or sufficient reason for doing or refraining from doing anything?

What if I'm Indo-European and some other thing (call it 'X')? What is reasonable for me to do? Am I allowed to do Indo-European things or would that be ruled out by the fact that I'm X as well and vice versa? If that's the case, could I only do things insofar as there is some overlap of Indo-European things and X things? Or am I allowed to do both Indo-European things and X things if I wish? Is the range of things it's permissible for me to do limited to the set which contains only Indo-European things and X things? Or am I something entirely new with a new set of things it's permissible and reasonable for me to engage in? Do I have a set of mongrel things that I can engage in? The fact that these ridiculous questions can be raised under your apparent view of things is an indication that perhaps you should go back and check your premises.

[Conservationist]

Am I allowed to do Indo-European things or would that be ruled out by the fact that I'm X as well and vice versa?

Why do people look toward a permissions model? That makes no sense. If you are Indo-European, you have a tradition to uphold that gives you place and direction. Try it.

[wahn]

If your looking for literature on Qigong, I highly recommend anything published by Dr. Yang Jwin Ming and his Martial Arts Association (YMAA): http://www.ymaa.com/ There is a lot of bogus out there when it comes to meditation.

[Eleison]

Wisdom is wisdom whatever culture it comes from, one can recognise the differences between cultures without supposing that it is absolute, which it clearly isn't.

[Ymir]

Divide and Conquer: How the Essence of Mindfulness Parallels the Nuts and Bolts of Science

Presented by Shinzen Young.

The purpose of this talk is threefold: (1) to describe how senior adepts use mindfulness to reduce suffering and gain insight into selfhood and emotions. (2) To point out how the method they use in many ways parallels what scientists do when confronted with a complex and inscrutable system in nature. (3) To discuss how this fundamental parallelism between the two endeavors can become the basis for a productive collaboration in the future.