Chakra's and Meditation

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Shirleypal
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Post by Shirleypal » 06-30-2006 09:08 PM

Meditation in World Religion
Meditation is the complement to prayer. While prayer directs the heart to Ultimate Reality as a transcendent object, meditation cleanses the heart of all finite objects which obscure Reality so that its ultimate point may be found within. Meditation takes several forms, and the scriptures teach several meditative techniques.

Hindu, Jain, Taoist, and Buddhist scriptures describe meditation as sitting in a quiet spot, restricting all sense stimuli, controlling the mind's wandering thoughts and feelings, and finally attaining a stillness that reveals the true self-nature within. This self-nature may be the original Nothingness, or a union with the creative Spirit that flows through all things. In Confucian meditation this tranquillity is to make the mind clear and receptive to the impartial evaluation of knowledge.

Meditative spiritual practices are also widespread in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Most of these practices were developed by mystics and monastics long after the scriptures had been compiled, and regrettably they are under represented in an anthology which is limited to scripture. Some are meditations on scripture: For example in Roman Catholicism the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola and The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross instruct one to meditate on events in Jesus' life and passion and identify one's own spiritual journey with them. Muslim Sufis often base their meditation on one or several of the Qur'an's Ninety-nine Most Beautiful Names of God.1 Jewish mystics may meditate on a verse of Torah to uncover its hidden meaning. Many Jews and Christians employ silent meditation as a valuable preparation for prayer; it is a time of quiet when the mind is calmed and clarified before communing with God.

The distinctive Theravada Buddhist discipline of the Four Arousings of Mindfulness aims at achieving awareness of all movements, sensations, feelings, thoughts, and ideas as they come and go in the body and mind. The Buddha taught in the Satipatthana Sutta that one should become mindful at every moment on the ever-changing phenomena of body, senses, and thought. Through this meditation, a person realizes that everything in his body and all the phenomena of his mind are transitory and unreal, and he thus realizes the truth of Dependent Origination. A Mahayana Buddhist meditation is to construct a mental image: for example an image of Buddha, a bodhisattva, or the Pure Land.

Finally, there is shamanistic meditation, where the goal is to receive a vision from the spiritual plane. After a communal initiation, assisted by songs, fasting, and invoking the spirits, the person on a vision quest goes to a lonely spot free of distraction. There he remains, meditating, until the moment when he breaks through beyond ordinary consciousness to receive a supernatural vision that gives purpose to his life and endows him with spiritual powers.

http://www.kheper.net/topics/meditation ... tation.htm

http://www.kheper.net/topics/meditation ... tation.htm

http://www.kheper.net/topics/meditation ... tthana.htm
http://www.kheper.net/topics/meditation ... tation.htm

http://www.kheper.net/topics/meditation ... tation.htm

http://www.kheper.net/topics/meditation ... tation.htm

http://www.kheper.net/topics/meditation/Upanishads.htm

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Post by Shirleypal » 07-25-2006 10:55 PM

Div here is everything you wanted to know and more.

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Post by Divinorumus » 07-25-2006 11:31 PM

All these words and descriptions and things, it makes it all sound so complicated that way. Confusing even.

What "I" practice and call meditation myself is where I put half (or rather one side) of my brain asleep, while the other half remains awake and alert and simply observing what happens next. Well, that's close enough of a description - because once half of your awareness is detached from that sleeping brain, that's the thing to follow and observe. And that's about it! Everything else will be understood as one begins to explore beyond all this. I've found meditation, as I practice it, right before and after sleep to be highly successful (and meditation before sleep also affords one the ability to stage subsequent dreams too - I can often select which holodeck program I wish to run tonight). Many animals meditate this way too, seemingly half awake yet half asleep (cats being one example). It really is much simpler than all those explanations.

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Post by Shirleypal » 07-25-2006 11:39 PM

There is nothing complicated about it Div, I don't fall asleep when I meditate, of course if I did it in bed and was already dead tired I might fall asleep. I use the lotus position most of the time or sit in a straight back chair. You sound like you are making it complicated, my philosophy is K.I.S.S.

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Post by Divinorumus » 07-25-2006 11:58 PM

I didn't say one falls asleep as if they are fully asleep to meditate! What I'm simply saying is that, in your head you have two brains, left and right, and what I do is remain fully awake and alert in one or the other while allowing the other half to fall asleep. I'm still awake and fully alert, but only in one side of that brain - and the other side of me, half of my awareness, has been freed from this physical me, that half of my mind which is that piece of meat in my head - but I am still aware - but merely elsewhere with that half of me!

I don't know what this other stuff is everyone else is doing sometimes. From the looks of most of it, it sounds more like many are just daydreaming and imagining stuff, but I guess each have to be honest with themselves to know if that's the case or not. I mean, are some just imagining ET (or whatever) when they meditate, or have they actually made contact with them where they also exist? Hum? That's the true test of what one is doing.

You have to free half of your awareness from here to get it to be aware elsewhere, so you really do need to put half yourself asleep here while the other half remains awake and alert observing the other half of your awareness which is now elsewhere. Anything other than that is not what I would call successful meditation. If both halves of your physical brain are still awake, then it's just daydreaming and you're not really aware elsewhere.
Last edited by Divinorumus on 07-26-2006 12:03 AM, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Shirleypal » 01-03-2007 01:10 AM

Welcome to the Meditation Room.

This is where you will begin your journey into a new level of relaxation and awareness. Each meditation serves a specific purpose, depending on what you want to achieve. Choose freely and feel free to perform more than one meditation. Here are some hints to get you started:

Make sure you are in a quiet room with no distractions.

Allow some time for your meditation. These meditations last from 3 - 10 minutes. The duration of each meditation is listed below so you can plan your time accordingly.

As you listen to the words of the meditation, picture the images that are being described in your mind.

Be open to the meditation.


To listen to these meditations, you will need a speaker hooked up to your computer and the RealNetwork's RealPlayer(TM) application. It is easy to get.

There are a number of meditations on this site and they are free.

http://www.learningmeditation.com/room.htm

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Post by Psychicwolf » 01-03-2007 02:17 AM

Thank you so much for posting on this, Shirleypal! I have been meditating for over 40 years (and maybe before, LOL, I just didn't know what to call my "friends" and visions when I was a kid). I use a Tibetan singbowl, or sometimes just a breath control method. But this is one of my favorite topics.
Have you met your spirit guides?
Dance to heal the earth. Not just when you're dancing, but always. Live the dance, whenever you move, in all you do, dance to heal the earth.

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Post by Shirleypal » 01-03-2007 06:12 PM

Your welcome Psychicwolf, this is a great thread for the novice or seasoned Meditators like you and I, althrough I am learning something all the time.

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Post by Shirleypal » 01-12-2007 05:17 PM

Your search among books, word upon word, may lead you to the depths of knowledge, but it is not the way to receive the reflection of your true self.

When you have thrown off your ideas as to mind and body, the original truth will fully appear. Zen is simply the expression of truth; therefore longing and striving are not the true attitudes of Zen.

Dogen, "The Practice of Meditation"

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Post by Shirleypal » 01-13-2007 06:20 PM

You should know that so far as Buddha-nature is concerned, there is no difference between an enlightened man and an ignorant one. What makes the difference is that one realizes it, while the other is ignorant of it.

The Sutra of Hui Neng

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Re: Chakra's and Meditation

Post by Dominic » 01-13-2007 06:41 PM

Shirleypal wrote: Chakra's and Meditation


The Root Chakra

Color Red
Element Earth (Smell)
Gem Bloodstone
Located at the base of the spine, relating to the Adrenals. This is the root chakra because it forms the foundation for the raising of the Kundalini energy. It can be called the energy of needs or physical survival. The root chakra relates to our groundedness and our ability to materialize our dreams. A misuse of the first chakra is a denial of the needs of self, resulting in feeling unsafe in one's physical environment. Fear of not being able to provide the necessities of life, not being able to stand up for one's self, feelings of not belonging anywhere. Common physical problems:

Chronic lower back pain
Sciatica
Varicose veins
Rectal difficulties
Tumors and cancer located in this area of the body
Affirmation - I am safe and secure with an unshakable trust


I have this red canvas belt that I like to wear for some reason. I only wear it on the weekends when I get to wear jeans. Now I know why I like so much. Red is not a particularly favorite color of mine either and a red belt doesn't really go with any of my clothes or so my girlfriend lectures me about. Or does the red color have to be in some sort of crystal for this Chakra influence to work? BTW I always feel good when I wear it.

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Re: Re: Chakra's and Meditation

Post by Shirleypal » 01-13-2007 06:58 PM

Dominic wrote: I have this red canvas belt that I like to wear for some reason. I only wear it on the weekends when I get to wear jeans. Now I know why I like so much. Red is not a particularly favorite color of mine either and a red belt doesn't really go with any of my clothes or so my girlfriend lectures me about. Or does the red color have to be in some sort of crystal for this Chakra influence to work? BTW I always feel good when I wear it.


I am sure the color red has some influence on how you feel, you should try wearing under your clothes during the week and see if that makes you feel good also. If you decide to do that let me know.

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Post by Divinorumus » 01-15-2007 02:27 PM

I don't fall asleep when I meditate, of course if I did it in bed and was already dead tired I might fall asleep.
I must be doing something different than medication then. Really, what I call meditation can lead to sleep - but only if I want to go that far. In any case, half my brain does go to sleep when I practice what I though was meditation.

You know our brains are actually TWO separate brains, merely connected through a communications channel, right? What I do is allow one of those two brains to go to sleep, just as I would when normally going to sleep and allowing both to sleep - except during medication I keep one brain AWAKE and alert while the other sleeps - like how we USE TO BE long ago - like how cats sleep - one brain sleeps while the other stays semi-alert and on guard .. Yet, that awake brain CAN also observe what is happening within the sleeping brain -- and THAT is what I thought meditation is and was ... or at least that is what it is to me and what I do .. Essentially, cat-napping so to speak .. And, it's amazing what kind of 'influence' the awake brain can have upon the realm which the sleeping brain is experiencing too.

So, I guess I don't know what it is I'm doing is called then. Sorry, me english is not native tongue so I not always do speak right words I know not of - ha. So, what is it called that I am doing then?

Oh, btw, if I do go fully to sleep while meditating, it most always leads to a 'fully lucid' dream world existence/experience .. Seriously, while doing this whatever it is I am doing, I can go for a seemingly real walk in an amusement park in a totally different alien world .. Odd though, that while there, I (and just a hand full of others) are the only ones seemingly aware of the fact that it is all just another illusion ... The ones that are programmed to think their minds are merely one seem clueless about the true nature of illusions .... ;-)

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Post by Shirleypal » 03-21-2007 08:54 PM

I have posted this before on this thread, it is great for beginning meditation and free.

Welcome to the Meditation Room.

This is where you will begin your journey into a new level of relaxation and awareness. Each meditation serves a specific purpose, depending on what you want to achieve. Choose freely and feel free to perform more than one meditation. Here are some hints to get you started:

Make sure you are in a quiet room with no distractions.

Allow some time for your meditation. These meditations last from 3 - 10 minutes. The duration of each meditation is listed below so you can plan your time accordingly.

As you listen to the words of the meditation, picture the images that are being described in your mind.

Be open to the meditation.

To listen to these meditations, you will need a speaker hooked up to your computer and the RealNetwork's RealPlayer(TM) application. It is easy to get. If you do not have the player, click here to download it now.

Link

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Post by majda » 03-22-2007 05:28 AM

Divinorumus wrote: Odd though, that while there, I (and just a hand full of others) are the only ones seemingly aware of the fact that it is all just another illusion ... The ones that are programmed to think their minds are merely one seem clueless about the true nature of illusions .... ;-)


Oh heck Div. Just fess up. You're really an alien! :D That's why you know so much about us 'humons', right?
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." ~ Patrick Henry

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