Saturday, March 31, 2007
15 minutes at O'dark thirty
I haven't posted lately, though I've been very good about doing at least 15 minutes of meditation a day. Tonight was nice. I quickly settled down and got into it. Breathing is weird. If you think about it, it's very hard not to actively breath. It's hard to sit and let your body breath and just observe. Tonight I got right to that point quickly. =) All the little distractions: ticking clock, typing keyboard in the other room, jingly dog shaking of and stretching, cars swooshing by on the streets outside, voices from the other apartments, they all seemed like drops of water landing on a calm body of water. Sending ripples out each time, but not enough to really disturb the surface. Also, I think I'm getting a little more flexible. I can sit full lotus now without too much discomfort.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The "secret" journal revealed. =P
20 minutes tonight. It wasn't bad. Not really good either.
My wife asked me tonight, "What does meditation do for you?" For me, I think it makes me more aware of my reactions to things throughout the day. I notice myself getting mad, or lazy, or whatever I'm getting, a little sooner that if I wasn't meditating. Keeps my mind on my mind I guess you could say. Plus, Buddha said that if you do it, and you follow the rest of the instructions (precepts, eightfold path etc..) that you would lead a happier life and be more benificial to everyone. It's part of the "path", just as not killing, not stealing or whatever.
We're dog-sitting right now. When my wife asked me if we could help out one of her friends by watching the dog for a week, I at first didn't want any part of it. After giving it some thought though, I realized it would be a good way to help someone out, would give us a small taste of what it might be like to have a dog, and I realized that I was acting on my gut reaction and not actually being truthful. So, now we're dog-sitting. I'm very glad we did. I'm enjoying "Ben." He's a good dog. Plus, two folks are off traveling in Italy without having to worry about their pet. =)
My wife asked me tonight, "What does meditation do for you?" For me, I think it makes me more aware of my reactions to things throughout the day. I notice myself getting mad, or lazy, or whatever I'm getting, a little sooner that if I wasn't meditating. Keeps my mind on my mind I guess you could say. Plus, Buddha said that if you do it, and you follow the rest of the instructions (precepts, eightfold path etc..) that you would lead a happier life and be more benificial to everyone. It's part of the "path", just as not killing, not stealing or whatever.
We're dog-sitting right now. When my wife asked me if we could help out one of her friends by watching the dog for a week, I at first didn't want any part of it. After giving it some thought though, I realized it would be a good way to help someone out, would give us a small taste of what it might be like to have a dog, and I realized that I was acting on my gut reaction and not actually being truthful. So, now we're dog-sitting. I'm very glad we did. I'm enjoying "Ben." He's a good dog. Plus, two folks are off traveling in Italy without having to worry about their pet. =)
Thursday, March 22, 2007
15 good minutes
And I'm glad I did. I should be in bed right now. I set the timer for 15 minutes though. I figured I could afford that long no matter what right? And I stayed to my commitment. Gold Star. =)
After I calmed down for about 5 minutes I guess, I started focusing on "beautiful commitment" on the in-breath, and "free of all temptations" on the out-breath. The third precept is, "I vow to refrain from all sexual misconduct." That's wide open for interpretation, but most consider it to mean anything that harms others in even the most subtle way. So, for me, that boils down to looking at pornography and indulging myself that way. It's very hard for me to stop that. It's habit mind that takes over very easily, so I have to be constantly on the lookout for triggers. If I stop it in time, and steer away from it, I'm good. However, if I let myself go down that path at all, I find I'm right back where I didn't want to be. After tonight, I feel pretty good. I think it helped.
After I calmed down for about 5 minutes I guess, I started focusing on "beautiful commitment" on the in-breath, and "free of all temptations" on the out-breath. The third precept is, "I vow to refrain from all sexual misconduct." That's wide open for interpretation, but most consider it to mean anything that harms others in even the most subtle way. So, for me, that boils down to looking at pornography and indulging myself that way. It's very hard for me to stop that. It's habit mind that takes over very easily, so I have to be constantly on the lookout for triggers. If I stop it in time, and steer away from it, I'm good. However, if I let myself go down that path at all, I find I'm right back where I didn't want to be. After tonight, I feel pretty good. I think it helped.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Off to dinner
20 minutes.
My legs fell asleep, and again I had the feeling in my thumb, but less than before.
Some chitter-chatter, some non-chitter-chatter.
When my mind is clear and quiet, it's quite nice, a pleasure.
When I get caught up in the future or the past, it's agony. I almost gave up, talked myself into keeping on, and about 20 seconds after that, the bell went off to signal the end of the 20 minutes.
Good work.
Now to eat! =)
My legs fell asleep, and again I had the feeling in my thumb, but less than before.
Some chitter-chatter, some non-chitter-chatter.
When my mind is clear and quiet, it's quite nice, a pleasure.
When I get caught up in the future or the past, it's agony. I almost gave up, talked myself into keeping on, and about 20 seconds after that, the bell went off to signal the end of the 20 minutes.
Good work.
Now to eat! =)
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
20th, after eating and working out.
Tonight was very relaxing. Not much chitter-chatter in my head at all. I noticed something odd...my right thumb felt like it was being stressed from the inside, and it could snap at any moment. Not that there was any pain, just a heavy dose of pressure. I sat for 15 minutes.
Phone call
Meditation was interupted by a phone call. I had planned for 15 minutes, but it ended at 10. Oh well. =) I was practicing "letting go" according to the basic method of meditation outlined by Ajah B. at the Buddhist society of western Austrailia. Same as any really, just not counting the breath like I'm used to, just sitting. It was nice. Easier than counting the breath I think, but maybe that's just because it's new to me. We'll see.
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