Chakra's and Meditation

General religion and metaphysics topics

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Divinorumus
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Post by Divinorumus » 03-22-2007 06:12 AM

Alien? There are no aliens, per say. No people either. Spoons? Nope, none of them either. Here, take a look through my retrospectroscope. See, it's all just an illusion - every time we wake up, isn't it always all just an illusion? I suppose one could say as some higher form we are always meditating, even right now. Anyhow, so long as you don't believe a thing I say, sure, I'm not really from these here parts. I'm not from any one dream. Of course, neither are you, now are you? I know some of these souls have been stuck down here for a very long time masquerading as meat though. But, you know how to come and go as you please too, don't you? You don't fool me for one minute, I know you're a visitor here too. So, are you here too to see if you can wake some of them up before it's too late too? You've been to the other side and back again a few times too, haven't you - ha. ? You remember, don't you? Warning: never meditate too deep and too far without a sitter to bring you back should you get lost in the matrix. Seriously, meditating could be like playing around with the controls of the time machine if you go in there too far and too deep .. so beware .. don't press any of the flashing red buttons you may happen to see , not right yet, okay? okay ! ;)
Last edited by Divinorumus on 03-22-2007 06:17 AM, edited 1 time in total.

Shirleypal
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Post by Shirleypal » 04-23-2007 09:40 PM

bump

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Post by Shirleypal » 05-08-2007 09:21 PM

Meditation Sharpens the Mind
By Charles Q. Choi, Special to LiveScience

posted: 07 May 2007 11:39 pm ET


Three months of intense training in a form of meditation known as "insight" in Sanskrit can sharpen a person's brain enough to help them notice details they might otherwise miss.

These new findings add to a growing body of research showing that millennia-old mental disciplines can help control and improve the mind, possibly to help treat conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"Certain mental characteristics that were previously regarded as relatively fixed can actually be changed by mental training," University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson said. "People know physical exercise can improve the body, but our research and that of others holds out the prospects that mental exercise can improve minds."

Paying attention to facts requires time and effort, and since everyone only has a limited amount of brainpower to go around, details can get overlooked. For instance, when two pictures are flashed on a video screen a half-second apart, people often miss the second image.

"Your attention gets stuck on the first target, then you miss the second one," Davidson said. This is called "attentional blink," an effect akin to how you might overlook something when you blink your eyes.

Still, the fact that people can occasionally catch the second picture suggests it's possible to sharpen one's attention with training, which is just what the new meditation study found.

Brain plasticity

"Meditation is a family of methods designed to facilitate regulation of emotion and attention," said Davidson, who headed up the study.

In recent years, scientists have found meditation affects brain functions. For instance, research into Tibetan monks trained in focusing their attention on a single object or thought revealed they could concentrate on one image significantly longer than normal when shown two different images at each eye. Another study of people who on average meditated 40 minutes daily found that areas of their brains linked with attention and sensory processing became thicker.

"One of the fundamental mysteries that is now becoming better understood as we go along but which is still a breakthrough area of research is neuroplasticity, the idea that we can literally change our brains through mental training," Davidson told LiveScience. "Certain kinds of mental characteristics such as attention or certain emotions such as happiness can best be regarded as skills that can be trained."

When Davidson first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama nearly a decade ago, the exiled leader of Tibet encouraged Davidson to conduct scientific research into meditation, "and I recognized it was a very appropriate time to begin such research, because the methods we have available now to study the brain have improved dramatically and the scientific community is significantly more receptive to such ideas."

Ten to 12 hours daily

Davidson and his colleagues investigated the impacts of Vipassana, a roughly 2,500-year-old discipline that is the oldest form of Buddhist meditation and focuses on reducing mental distraction and improving sensory awareness. Davidson has practiced Vipassana and other forms of Buddhist meditation for more than 30 years.

"This is not the only form of meditation we're interested in, but it is a widely practiced form of instruction that can easily be replicated elsewhere in the country," Davidson said.

The researchers investigated 17 volunteers before and after they completed three months of rigorous training in Vipassana. T hey meditated for 10 to 12 hours a day. The researchers also studied 23 novices who received a one-hour meditation class and then meditated for 20 minutes daily for a week.

The scientists asked volunteers to look for numbers flashed on a video screen amongst a series of distracting letters. Their brain activity was monitored using electrodes placed on their scalps.

Davidson and his colleagues found the brains of volunteers who received the intense mental training apparently needed less time to spot details than before. The training also improved their ability to detect the second number within the half-second attentional blink time window. In comparison, the novices did not appear to experience such improvements to a significant degree, findings detailed online May 8 in the journal PLoS Biology.

ADHD treatment potential

"This attentional blink finding shows a little wedge of what might be a much larger dimension of experience that could be opened up by meditation techniques," said neuroscientist Clifford Saron at the University of California-Davis Center for Mind and Brain. "You can imagine that life is a series of attentional blinks, and we might be missing an awful lot of what's going on."

Applications of this work include treatment of attention-related conditions, Davidson explained.

"There is an absolute explosion of prescriptions for kids who are diagnosed with ADHD. I'm not against the judicious use of medication, but there probably is vast over-prescription for this disorder, and strategies like meditation could be an acceptable complement or substitute for medication for certain kids," Davidson said. "There still needs to be rigorous research to establish that, but our work is provocative enough to warrant more systematic follow-up."

In the next five years, Davidson expects a dramatically increased level of research into meditation "because it is beginning to be recognized as something that takes advantage of the plasticity of the brain, has relatively few if any side-effects and has potentially very beneficial effects, the impact of which can be documented using the most rigorous scientific methods."

Other avenues of research Davidson and his colleagues are currently pursuing include the impacts of meditation on pain, inflammation regulation, and emotions and the brain circuits that handle feelings.
http://www.livescience.com/health/07050 ... ining.html

Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology ... emind.html
The Greatest Modern Minds
http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/inde ... cat=genius
All about the Mind�
http://www.livescience.com/mind/

Divinorumus
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Post by Divinorumus » 05-08-2007 10:07 PM

Cool info Shirley, thanks. I can testify about the help with ADHD! Meditation is as important as eating and breathing for me.

Shirleypal
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Post by Shirleypal » 05-08-2007 10:48 PM

You are so welcome Div, I feel like you so.

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Post by Shirleypal » 07-22-2007 05:32 PM

Are there any meditators here on the board, please share your techniques with us, how long have you been meditating, has it helped you and how?

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Shimmering Auro
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Post by Shimmering Auro » 07-22-2007 05:53 PM

I've been meditating in one form or another since 1986 and firmly believe these exercises enrich my life.

I practice a simple technique which can be accomplished anywhere, anytime. Find a comfortable position and relax. I begin by relaxing every area of the body. Toes and feet first, tighten, hold for ten seconds, release. Move through each area of the body until complete relaxation is achieved.

Detach from all thoughts, quiet the mind. Allow thoughts to flow through the mind, dismissing each thought as it forms. Detach from all outside sources of stimulation. Incorporate deep breathing techniques.

Meditation is the way I relieve myself of all inner toxins. During a good session I'm not thinking or remembering, just floating.

I've had some surprising experiences when one sense becomes incredibly enhanced.

More later, I have to run.



:)
shimmeringaurora(at)yahoo(dot)com

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Post by Shirleypal » 07-22-2007 05:56 PM

Thank you Shimmering Auro, looking forward to hearing more from you.

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Shimmering Auro
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Post by Shimmering Auro » 07-22-2007 06:54 PM

Helpful information and simple technique suggestions here:

http://www.meditationworkshop.org/learn-to-meditate

http://www.meditationworkshop.org/index_html

For beginners the big hurdle is learning to quiet the mind. Try it sometime - you'll be absolutely shocked by the level of inner chitter-chatter going on in the mind. Most people are unaware of the conflicts happening between the conscious and subconscious.

I also use the STOP method. Very simple technique - when thoughts take over and interfere with achieving complete relaxation, I visualize a large red stop sign. See the white STOP letters, imagine tracing them with your fingers. Tell the mind to stop.

Everyone must find what works for them, meditation is a highly personalized experience.
Last edited by Shimmering Auro on 07-22-2007 06:56 PM, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by IvyQ » 07-22-2007 07:30 PM

i meditate before work everyday. i get in a quiet place and invision the white light above me and surrounding me... strengthening me....

when i go into a deep meditation, i have a tendency to feel beings around me... several times while sitting on the sofa i've felt an entity sit down beside me. you feel the indentation forming on the sofa... you open your eyes and no one is there.

meditation enlightens me, taking me beyond this demension.

quieting the mind is key.

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Post by Shirleypal » 07-22-2007 07:46 PM

Hi Ivy, thanks for sharing, spooky feeling the presence of beings around you.

I have meditated for about 25 years or so, I am so familiar with it that I can instantly go into a meditative state at any time, 99% of the time my third eye is activated, I have always been able to see things, even before I meditated, it is so amazing, some times I see mountains, the sea and other times I am somewhere in outer space, many times I see an old man with a long white beard and white rope sitting on a tree stumb in a beautiful forest, I can never quite see his face but do recieve messages in my head from him, I have always assumed that he is my spirit guide.

Thank you Shimmering Auro for sharing also. You may have noticed that I put up a new thread on Activating the Third Eye.

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Post by Shirleypal » 07-23-2007 10:45 AM

Body impermanent like spring mist;
mind insubstantial like empty sky;
thoughts unestablished like breezes in space.
Think about these three points over and over.

Adept Godrakpa

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Post by Shirleypal » 08-21-2007 08:57 PM

Here is another interactive meditation room I found.
http://www.meditationcenter.com/

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Post by Shirleypal » 08-21-2007 08:58 PM

Free meditation course.

http://www.project-meditation.org/

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Post by Panache » 09-08-2007 11:35 PM

The colors on the first post are not only very inaccurate, some of them are exceedingly dangerous for people to attempt to ideate upon. Such gross and dangerous reposting of others mistakes are part of the memetics that turn spiritual practices into their antithesis.
The most valuable thing anyone daring to lead is to cultivate and convey to others is a moral conscience. Only such persons deserve to lead others, in any capacity.

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