Zen Buddhism

[emjay]

It's not all like that... that sounds like deep meditation and something that would take years of practice to master. I'm not particularly skilled at it... it's very mundane for me... but I still find it very helpful even though I've never experienced anything remotely 'transcendent' in it... and probably never will because I don't do it often enough.

He would say things about a third eye and things like that. I just recall him talking about Zen, a third eye (some gland in your brain, apparently) and outer body experiences.

It was strange, but he was a nice enough guy. Just a little "out there", as they say.

Yeah, I've never heard anything like that in my experiences with Buddhism... but I don't know anything about specifically Zen Buddhism. The monastery I went to was 'Theravada' which I believe means traditional Buddhism, though I'm not sure... but in my experience it was very down to earth... nothing about third eyes, gods, or out of body experiences.

[Angrboda]

The closest I get to meditation is sleep.

Unless yoga counts.

Yoga I suppose is a way of mindfulness. It focuses on diaphragmatic breathing right? I don't know anything about it.

I think you're referring to Hatha yoga, which simply consists of various positions and postures.  Tantric yoga is a whole philosophy and in some cases a religion (see Wikipedia: Ananda Marga).

Tantric yoga dance and chant for the girls: (it really does drone on for 20 minutes)





And for the boys:

Definition - What does Baba Nam Kevalam mean?

Baba Nam Kevalam is a Sanskrit mantra. Baba means "beloved," nam means "name" and kevalam means "only." Therefore, the mantra may be translated as "only the name of the beloved."

The Baba Nam Kevalam mantra can also take on a meaning that love is everywhere and is the essence of everything.
Yogapedia explains Baba Nam Kevalam

This mantra is used for practice of kirtan in Ananda Marga, a socio-spiritual organization in India that teaches Tantra yoga and meditation. In Ananda Marga it is believed that Baba Nam Kevalam is the most effective and universal mantra because it does not mention any concrete god or goddess, but is focused on love in general, uniting different spiritual traditions. It was given by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, the spiritual master and founder of Ananda Marga.

In Ananda Marga it is believed that this mantra eliminates the negative thoughts from the mind and helps to create inner peace. It can also help the practitioner to solve problems as the mind becomes less complicated. To sing and dance with Baba Nam Kevalam is believed to help heal mental, spiritual and physical disorders.

https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/688...am-kevalam

Or for a different take on it....

When I first learned meditation as a five year old at the Progressive School of Long Island, we were all collectively told that Baba Nam Kevalam translated to “love is all there is.” That was fine by me, until at the age of 19 I realized that neither “Baba,” “Nam” or “Kevalam” translated to the word “love.” Suddenly feeling mistrustful, I did a little research and found that Baba Nam Kevalam actually translated to “Only the name of Baba.” Needless to say, this freaked me out. “Baba” being the way one refers to the guru, I became convinced that we were all mindlessly chanting the name of some guy whose photograph was on the wall, and got turned off. Baba Nam Kevalam, I decided, was dogma, and “love is all there is” was just a way to trick innocent kids like me.

https://alokjoddha.wordpress.com/2011/10...-a-mantra/

[Angrboda]

I've practiced meditation off and on throughout my life. I've never been sold enough on the promises to make it a significant part of my life.

[Gemini]

I've done Vipassana off and on, which is pretty similar to zen.

I've heard of it. How did you like it? And what made it difficult to stay engaged? Just wondering...
Mine is time and terrible excuses and lack of people who wont turn meditation into some concrete religious path.

Oh I loved it. I was fascinated by phenomenology for years before I discovered meditation and I definitely learned a lot from it. 

But yeah, the religious association with meditation was a turn off for me too. Not that that's a good excuse for quitting, but meditation is difficult and it's more difficult trying to do it on your own. Find a sangha group and there's gonna be all kinds of new-agey woo going on. 

Anyway, I've got a couple of kids now and that makes it tough to find some quiet time to meditate, even though I know it's worth it (it's a lot like exercise that way...)

[Thumpalumpacus]

Mindfulness is something I practice in everyday life as part of my recovery from alcoholism ... when I find myself with a bad flow of emotions, I start observing the flow, chase it upstream until I find the problem, and then address it so that my day doesn't go to shit and trigger a drinking urge.

I don't formally meditate, but often playing my guitar induces a similar mental state.

I really admire you for doing that... I wish I had that much resolve because I've got a lot of addictions but have never tried mindfulness/urge-surfing as a means to beat them.

It's one of quite a few tools I use in order to redirect my emotions.

My recovery has not been perfect, and my toolbox and.plan need additions and revisions, but I could not go on as an active addict. It cost me a cherished relationship. I was becoming a person I despised. Every addiction, and addict, has both similarities and differences. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me -- and that goes for anyone reading this post. I'll be happy to help. Hell, might even start a thread about it.

[brewer]

I really admire you for doing that... I wish I had that much resolve because I've got a lot of addictions but have never tried mindfulness/urge-surfing as a means to beat them.

It's one of quite a few tools I use in order to redirect my emotions.

My recovery has not been perfect, and my toolbox and.plan need additions and revisions, but I could not go on as an active addict. It cost me a cherished relationship. I was becoming a person I despised. Every addiction, and addict, has both similarities and differences. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me -- and that goes for anyone reading this post. I'll be happy to help. Hell, might even start a thread about it.

Sounds like you got something there. So this "mindfulness" is a part of CBT, cognitive restructuring, socratic questioning, .............. I'm a fan! Also an addict.

[Seraphina]

I get into a "mindful" zone when I'm playing violin. Maybe it's meditation but I don't think of it that way. When I hear people talking about meditation, even Zen Buddhism-type meditation, it usually veers into a conversation spirituality or religion.

[Whateverist]

Yoga I suppose is a way of mindfulness. It focuses on diaphragmatic breathing right? I don't know anything about it.

I think you're referring to Hatha yoga, which simply consists of various positions and postures.  Tantric yoga is a whole philosophy and in some cases a religion (see Wikipedia: Ananda Marga).

Tantric yoga dance and chant for the girls: (it really does drone on for 20 minutes)





And for the boys:

Definition - What does Baba Nam Kevalam mean?

Baba Nam Kevalam is a Sanskrit mantra. Baba means "beloved," nam means "name" and kevalam means "only." Therefore, the mantra may be translated as "only the name of the beloved."

The Baba Nam Kevalam mantra can also take on a meaning that love is everywhere and is the essence of everything.
Yogapedia explains Baba Nam Kevalam

This mantra is used for practice of kirtan in Ananda Marga, a socio-spiritual organization in India that teaches Tantra yoga and meditation. In Ananda Marga it is believed that Baba Nam Kevalam is the most effective and universal mantra because it does not mention any concrete god or goddess, but is focused on love in general, uniting different spiritual traditions. It was given by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, the spiritual master and founder of Ananda Marga.

In Ananda Marga it is believed that this mantra eliminates the negative thoughts from the mind and helps to create inner peace. It can also help the practitioner to solve problems as the mind becomes less complicated. To sing and dance with Baba Nam Kevalam is believed to help heal mental, spiritual and physical disorders.

https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/688...am-kevalam

Or for a different take on it....

When I first learned meditation as a five year old at the Progressive School of Long Island, we were all collectively told that Baba Nam Kevalam translated to “love is all there is.” That was fine by me, until at the age of 19 I realized that neither “Baba,” “Nam” or “Kevalam” translated to the word “love.” Suddenly feeling mistrustful, I did a little research and found that Baba Nam Kevalam actually translated to “Only the name of Baba.” Needless to say, this freaked me out. “Baba” being the way one refers to the guru, I became convinced that we were all mindlessly chanting the name of some guy whose photograph was on the wall, and got turned off. Baba Nam Kevalam, I decided, was dogma, and “love is all there is” was just a way to trick innocent kids like me.

https://alokjoddha.wordpress.com/2011/10...-a-mantra/

Interesting.  But I think mindfulness is something to be brought into as much of your life as possible .. cooking, walking, whatever.  I think of it as being in a receptive/noticing state rather than a directed/expressing state.  The idea of doing specific repetitive but essentially meaningless motions (or no motion) in order to achieve an effect seems kind of desperate.  Or like going on a short term diet to lose weight.  Much better to just change the way you eat or live.  Or maybe I'm just covering up for lack of discipline?

[Thumpalumpacus]

It's one of quite a few tools I use in order to redirect my emotions.

My recovery has not been perfect, and my toolbox and.plan need additions and revisions, but I could not go on as an active addict. It cost me a cherished relationship. I was becoming a person I despised. Every addiction, and addict, has both similarities and differences. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me -- and that goes for anyone reading this post. I'll be happy to help. Hell, might even start a thread about it.

Sounds like you got something there. So this "mindfulness" is a part of CBT, cognitive restructuring, socratic questioning, .............. I'm a fan! Also an addict.

I haven't forgotten our PMs, just been a pretty hectic couple of weeks. Perhaps this next week?

[Seraphina]

I think you're referring to Hatha yoga, which simply consists of various positions and postures.  Tantric yoga is a whole philosophy and in some cases a religion (see Wikipedia: Ananda Marga).

Tantric yoga dance and chant for the girls: (it really does drone on for 20 minutes)





And for the boys:






Or for a different take on it....

Interesting.  But I think mindfulness is something to be brought into as much of your life as possible .. cooking, walking, whatever.  I think of it as being in a receptive/noticing state rather than a directed/expressing state.  The idea of doing specific repetitive but essentially meaningless motions (or no motion) in order to achieve an effect seems kind of desperate.  Or like going on a short term diet to lose weight.  Much better to just change the way you eat or live.  Or maybe I'm just covering up for lack of discipline?

I agree. One of my favorite activities is a walk through my neighborhood on a mild day with no particular destination (without my cell phone! ).  No special equipment or planning needed and I feel like the cobwebs are gone from my brain. Is that meditative? Maybe. I just like the fresh air and waving to my neighbors though.