As a Thai people who used to be a monk two times in my life This video is one of the best Western explanation of meditation I have ever seen He knows exactly what meditation is 👍🏻
This cleared up soooo much for me as someone new to Buddhism! Thank you! A few things I have learned from meditation so far: 1). be kind to yourself. If you experience a great deal of back pain, don't be afraid to use a back rest of some sort. 2). If you cry during a loving kindness meditation, just let it happen. The surge of emotion can be overwhelming, but like any other sensation, simply be aware. (I looked into crying during loving kindness meditation and apparently I'm not odd. It's quite common! Especially for newbies!) 😊🙏❤
as someone who has struggled most of her life with insomnia, it's extremely useful to meditate before going to bed. anyone who's overwhelmed with work and has difficulty setting aside time to meditate should definitely try before falling asleep!
Thank you, Doug! I come from a psych background and I really find Buddhist teachings and practices similar to psych. I see a lot of psych journal articles proving the benefits of mindfulness. I feel like this is the reason why I am drawn to Buddhism.❤
Great.I am from Myanmar. I have experienced meditation since 2003.In my opinion Meditation is for everyone.You do not need to change your religion. If you can control your mind everything be okay.Less of anger is my obvious experience.
I researched a lot of channels on Buddism and nothing appealled me like your channel which I found by chance (when I was not looking specifically). Seriously you made it very simple and significant. Thank you!!!
I like mantra meditation. I ponder my negative thinking and come up with a positive mantra that contradicts my negative thinking. Over time repeating this positive mantra in my mind literally changes the way I think about things. Loved the book Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian which taught me mantra meditation and other kinds of meditation.
Great video Doug, I spent many years close to the Thai Monastic tradition and have also studied Zen to a limited degree, I use a meditation timer that has an interval bell to separate a 30 minute sitting into 3 10 minute blocks, I start with Samatha and often achieve rapture but not always and I try not to make this a target, then Vipassana followed by Metta, for Metta I was taught to bring an acquaintance to mind and imagine them as a baby - vulnerable and fragile and allow a natural feeling of protection and good will to develop, then to repeat this someone closer like a friend or colleague, then someone I have held I'll feelings towards in the past, then myself finally allowing this positive protective feeling to grow to encompass my Town,City,Country and finally the entire earth. My problem has always been establishing a consistent practice I am a natural procrastinator and struggle with this, your videos are helping to inspire my practice though!
Doug, I loved this one. i am starting a meditation class tonight and got a few ideas from this. My meditation started with T M in 1971 and a number of different ones since, I now follow Chogyam Trungpa meditation, it is the best for me. Keep up the good work, you are doing a great job.
Mindfulness is what seems to work the best for me. I also like that I can practice it outside of a formal meditation setting. Yesterday I was anxious about something and I was able to use the skills that I learned from mindfulness practice to calm myself down.
Doug's Dharma just so you know I’ve listen this morning to the firs 4 episodes of you new to Buddhism series and the explanation on the 3 schools + the zen episode and I’m so engrossed. I’ve been searching for someone who can explain Buddhism in layman’s dialogue but is engaging interesting and speaks to me. I found you so again thank you.
Great video! Been interested in meditation for 3-4 years but never got a solid daily practice going until around a year ago! Started with just 5 mins a day of calming meditation then found The Mind Illuminated which really gave me some clear instructions and a clear path to progress on. Around xmas last year I started vipassana meditation and it has been a pretty wild ride since then! My current meditation practice is now 30 mins TMI- based samatha and then 30 mins vipassana daily! I tend to neglect metta meditation a bit but for the rare times I have tried it, it has made me feel really good and generally mood improves. Also will be attending my first mahasi style vipassana weekend retreat this weekend (virtual) which I am very excited for!
Hi Doug! I have been doing a lot of reading as well as research on Buddhism and have found so much interest in it, the Majjhima Nikaya being my main source of focus. Here lately, meditation practice has been kind of a brick wall in my path. This video has been so helpful in clearing some misconceptions I had about it. Just wanted to say thank you for what you do and your videos have helped me in many other similar situations.
Thanks Doug! I came across your videos and love them! Looked for something like this and didn’t find. Your explanation about rituals is wonderful! Keep going! I’ll follow from BRASIL!
About the 3rd, kindness, Thought has power and consequence. This is something I've only recently become aware of. HPB says that "Elementals" are created when you send these thoughts to individuals or groups. Amazingly, if you send thoughts to someone you have not heard from in years, they will find you and contact you. Also, you can make someone that you are having trouble with start being quite friendly! This is what made this type of meditation real to me. It's just amazing how this works. It may take a week or two to see the result.
I meditate each day for 30 minutes starting with a short calming meditation followed by body scan and hearing meditation (choiceless awareness). I end by chanting to myself the Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness with one change at the end (born again to born again into ego-self) that is more in keeping with Buddhadasa's secular interpretation of Dependent Co-arising. [This is what should be done ] By one who is skilled in goodness, And who knows the path of peace: Let them be able and upright, Straightforward and gentle in speech, Humble and not conceited, Contented and easily satisfied, Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways. Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful, Not proud or demanding in nature. Let them not do the slightest thing That the wise would later reprove. Wishing: In gladness and in safety, May all beings be at ease. Whatever living beings there may be; Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none, The great or the mighty, medium, short or small, The seen and the unseen, Those living near and far away, Those born and to-be-born - May all beings be at ease! Let none deceive another, Or despise any being in any state. Let none through anger or ill-will Wish harm upon another. Even as a mother protects with her life Her child, her only child, So with a boundless heart Should one cherish all living beings; Radiating kindness over the entire world: Spreading upwards to the skies, And downwards to the depths; Outwards and unbounded, Freed from hatred and ill-will. Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down Free from drowsiness, One should sustain this recollection. This is said to be the sublime abiding. By not holding to fixed views, The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision, Being freed from all sense desires, Is not born again into an ego-self. www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.amar.html
I subscribed here last week, then went through some vacillations back and forth as to whether I really thought there was much here I could use (to re-focus on practice for a few minutes before each sit early beginnings of often very busy days) --even where it's not new information, I was thinking, I would listen for a few minutes, then sit 40-60 minutes, then breakfast and work, all starting @ 3 or 4 AM. (my daily practice is established and consistent; Doug's Dharma would join other video channels for this morning pre-sit, joining channels like Tara Brach's and discussions with Stephen Bachelor). This video has re-committed me to this channel, especially the end part where questions are asked: "What is your practice? do you have time? (many people don't, or think they don't)..."---great questions, asked probingly but gently--so: what is mine? Each sit I do a metta visualization recitation (internally) first then I set timer and sit between 40-60 minutes-if necessary counting first, but usually just breath focus. This sit usually is comprised of alternating vipassana and Samatha-that is, alternating a more focussed present moment awareness with a calmer more blissful relaxed awareness. As a beginner, my timer would have originally been being set for 15 or 20 minutes, (but adding increments of time fairly quickly, over a span of an initial few weeks/month-20 minutes became inadequate within a few days) --for me that initial ramping up period was 18 years ago.
Hi Doug, thank you so much for your video. I am new to Buddhism (I because a Buddhist about two years ago). Currently,my default meditation is calming meditation, which I was first introduced to by a former therapist under the label of MBSR to help me with extreme anxiety. I just went a step further and embraced Buddhism fully. I have also done loving kindness meditation and mindfulness as well, but I am going to pay more attention to these types of meditation practices. May you be well. Take care .
You’re very welcome Vercina. Those are all wonderful practices, I think you will find them very helpful over the coming months and years if you keep them up. It’s a slow but steady process. Let me know how it goes! Be well. 🙏
For various reasons I have never really got into meditation, which I am starting to change now. However, one practice that I have started doing a few months back is heart coherence breathing, which I have found to really raise my mood during the day. From what I have researched, it seems quite similar to the "loving kindness" practice.
I have been following some of Rudolf Steiner's amazing esoteric meditation practices. He sort of re-defines Budhdhist practice through a Western view. Great stuff!!!
Hi Doug, I repeat (usually mentally) Om mani padme hum before sleep, and whenever I wake at night. Also during my day especially when I find my thoughts on auto pilot. With this I aspire for the end of suffering cause of suffering and the liberation of all beings. thank you for your inspiring lecture! And thank you for so kindly asking for response.
I practice vipassana meditation and metta every day, so it's 25 minutes walking with mindfulness and 25 minutes sitting with mindfulness and at the end of that like 10 minutes of Metta practice
Sadhus, Doug I would love to see a book about all the various ways of cultivating kindness. Like an academic one covering early Buddhism, Theravada, and some Mahayana. I don't take too readily to the really prescriptive formulas that probably date from the vidhuddimagga. I'm interested in other perhaps more embodied approaches. And the "radiation" of kindness etc that comes from a more early Buddhist context. That has a more holistic than simply repeating phrases - as helpful as I do sometimes find that. Tonglen I also find quite powerful with its more holistic sense of breathing it all in and sending it all out. I find this an area that is very good to work with critically and creatively.
Yes I've done a number of videos about these differences, some you can see in this playlist: ruclips.net/p/PL0akoU_OszRi-PrNLubfI0LVwkjXbZ-c7 . Bhikkhu Anālayo has written about them as well here and there. I'm not sure of anyone discussing very much in depth between early Buddhism, Theravāda, and Mahāyāna, but that would also be interesting!
Calming meditation-quiet place, comfortable place, avoid moving to much, eyes closed, focus on your breathing. Breathing calms the mind 2. Mindfullness meditation, start by calming, open awarness of the present moment. Attend to sensations and mind. Dont be judgmental. 3. Lovingkindness - mantra "may i be... may all beings be..." daily practice
Doug, I’m a bit confused between calming meditation and mindfulness. In the former, attention is on the breath, and when the mind wanders one should bring awareness back to the breath. In the latter , i understand that the wandering of the mind seems to be part of the focus of mindfulness- being non-judgementally aware of ones thoughts and emotions as opposed to shifting awareness away from these things. It seems to me as if mindfulness is getting us back into the place that calming meditation is trying to get us away from - rumination and fixation on thoughts.
I guess calming meditation is necessary/ helpful in order to proceed with mindfulness. To see thoughts, concepts as they arise as an observer without identifying with them might require some level of preliminary taming of the mind. Just my thoughts I might be wrong.
Doug, there’s this short video called “How to train your monkey mind”, where a Tibetan monk talks about simple meditation training. He mentions that there’s common misconception about having to concentrate too hard, and that simply remembering the breath is really all you need (while not pushing too hard). He goes on to say that one can then meditate while walking, drinking tea, while at a meeting, etc., as long as you remember to be aware of the breath. For me, it’s almost like I’m juggling between doing two things - whatever activity I’m doing v.s. Remembering the breath. What do you think of this method ?
This is certainly one valid approach, Chris. But at the end of the day, being aware of the breath isn’t the point of meditation. So if I were to use that technique I’d want to know a bit more. 🙂
i have a really hard time paying attention to anything/restless so mediation can be rlly hard but i am going to keep trying i hope i can get better at it, thanks for the helpful videos !
No worries Leah, we all have a hard time paying attention! It's like exercise, we have a hard time running or lifting weights, but if we do it regularly, over time we find we're getting better!
I feel we are a vessel for our conscience self to have a physical experience. Meditation seems like you stabilize the connection with your divine soul.
Enjoyed this video,. though I already knew most of this, I have practiced Zen meditation for some 30 years now. Zazen, "sitting,. I have never heard a distinction between the relaxing and mindfulness forms of meditation. I don't see much difference, as my "mindful" Zazen can be very relaxing. "Thirty Years" simply marks the time when I first became acquainted with Zen meditation. I haven't really practiced it continuously that entire time. There have been periods when I haven't done it for months, then other times when I am very consistent for months. For the past few months I have been quite diligent, not quite daily, but 5-6 days a week. Even if I don't sit formally, I practice the breathing through much of the day. I had some medical tests recently, and my lung capacity was greater than they expected, I think from the Zazen breathing. I'll look through more of your videos and perhaps make a few comments.
I learned meditation at a Zen center, both "passive" kinds (though I'd say it takes a lot of effort and isn't very passive, at least for me) and lovingkindness meditation. So this meant facing away from others, towards a wall, with eyes open. I find that closing my eyes allows my mind to take off into creative spaces that are distracting from the purpose at hand (though very useful at other times). I sat at a Shambhala center for many years but never took part in any dogmatic activities. I am interested in Vipassana but am hesitant due to the dogma I have heard about in the trainings. I would like to find a non-dogmatic meditation group (as I find meditation with others to be easier to sustain than alone) but with COVID things are on hold.
Thanks for that Tim. Personally I've not found Insight/Vipassana centers to be dogmatic. If anything they tend to be very accepting of people from other traditions, at least in my experience. That said, what's most important is that you find a center in which you feel comfortable, and that can take a bit of doing sometimes.
@@DougsDharma I've had friends who have done the 10 day retreats, and even taught at them, and they told me that they teach what I consider to be dogma - unproven assertions about the nature of reality and humans. What I'd like to find is a meditation training/location which is based on improving meditation practice solely. Here is a criticism I read of the 10 day Vipassana retreat: medium.com/@meillind.parsoya.one/my-shortlived-stay-at-vipassana-meditation-center-dogmatic-pseudoscience-good-techniques-57a9a9ebab49
@@timnitz2654 Well first this is about a Goenka retreat. Goenka's organization is a bit more guru-focused than other Vipassana centers in the West. That said, if you're looking for a meditation experience without anything a skeptic might consider pseudoscience, good luck! Folks who run meditation centers are never science experts, and there is a lot of fringe stuff and a certain amount of woo that does get discussed. The question is how invested folks are in it. In my experience, it's not the main point of the retreat nor the meditation so you can safely ignore it.
Yes, thanks S. P. Lovingkindness is one of the four immeasurables, since originally it seems to have been a boundless radiation practice: ruclips.net/video/MuKCv6NEL24/видео.html
if you have time to breath, you have time to do Meditation as well what you don't have is Focussing your mind on the Present and throw away what interferring your focus
I have a question. Why are we encouraged to close our eyes? Especially for mindfulness meditation, where we want to feel live and feel the current moment. Won't opening eyes will allow us to get more information related with current moment. When I close my eyes, my mind goes to the long-term problems and confusions, but watching a crowd in the city, or the nature, or the see or sky, help me to concentrate what I see and hear. In all cities I lived as an adult, I had certain locations of calmness, where usually I sit drinking coffee or tea.
It doesn't really matter Kerem. Some traditions suggest we close our eyes (generally the Theravāda traditions do), and others have us leave our eyes slightly open (for example in Zen). I've practiced both ways, and both can be good. We are less distracted by passing movements if we keep our eyes closed, but as you say we can also get kind of dreamy and distracted with thoughts that way. So do whichever one you find most beneficial, and keep in mind that it may change from day to day.
I'm like that guy struck by the arrow who wanted to know who shot it, what was the shooter's name, etc. before getting the arrow out: Before practising a form of meditation, I want to know what tradition I have most affinity with. From west to east: Cynicism? Stoicism? Hesychasm? Sramana? Taoism? In the sramana tradition we have the Buddhist meditation. What I like about Buddhism is that it is very articulate and detailed about meditation. Otherwise, Taoism seems to me to express the purest approach to meditation. Should I choose Zen, because it combines Buddhism and Taoism? Or should I find a more ancient tradition? What about in Africa, the Americas, or Australia: do they have their own meditation techniques but that are not (yet) called 'meditation' in our discussions? So, my issue is not time, but the shooter (or my shooter metaphor is a pretext just to hide an issue of time LOL). Hesychasm is too tainted with theology and dogma bla-bla. Cynicism/Stoicism don't seem to have an articulate technique (breath, etc.) but they have a simplicity that resonates in me (note that Diogenes' life is so similar to the Buddha's, and even without all that stuff about miracles and pageantry). Buddhism has some bla-bla but is more built around meditation.
Very nice explanation. If i understand well you are describing Vipassana meditation right? I am practicing Vipassana and these are the three medications that we use
okay so basically mindful meditation is to basically train the brain to focus on breath rather than thoughts, so in turn when you are not meditating you can better let go of certain thoughts such as anger etc... so in short training the brain to focus on your emotions you have towards every moment in you day, and to focus on your reactions to every moment of every day? if this is the case I practice that without meditation, because I am way busy, and even a few minutes a day I have a hard time finding. I really love your videos thanks so much for them!
Well, I'd say that mindfulness meditation is a method of training ourselves to be aware of the state of our body and mind on a continual basis. This is something we reflexively assume we do all the time until we actually start training. Then we quickly realize that we were hardly aware of anything beforehand. It's rather like doing exercise in that.
thanks, I have read though that being mindful can accrue without meditation, but learning it will take longer without meditation. there has got to be a plan b I have talk to other practitioners that have issues with time even 15 minutes because we are so much busy now than the days of the buddah.
Best meditation is insight meditation or vipassana, which is only found in Buddhism. Its called "Sathara Sathipattana"direct path to Nibbhana. Final destination of Buddhism. To do any form of meditation one need to have some sort of health. Esp spinal health. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your thoughts CA. Yes it helps to have a healthy back to do sitting meditation though one can also do mindfulness while walking, standing, or lying down. So there are other options as well. 🙂
What is exactly Buddhist meditation? What’s distinctly Buddhist is (1) the application of right mindfulness to bring about right concentration; (2) the way right concentration is developed - the paradigm used to bring about jhanas i.e. right views with right mindfulness (3) the way right concentration i.e. the jhanas brings about total release and liberation.
That's right, but one should add that the jhānas culminate in insight which leads to awakening. At least that's how it's usually described in the suttas, though jhānas aren't absolutely necessary.
Namaste 🙏🏽 Ayubowan from Sri Lanka my new found Buddhist teacher from a far far away land!!! Doug, according what I hear there are 2 main Buddhist meditation practices namely Samatha and Vidarshana or Vipassana. So where does calming meditation (Anapanasati meditation or calming meditation) fit in the main Samatha and Vipassana meditation? I also hear about other practices such as Kasina and repulsive meditation. Where do all these other techniques fit in your explanation of 3 meditation practices?
Well these are the two main kinds of Buddhist meditation; there are other kinds that fit in with them either well or poorly, but these are just labels and I wouldn't get caught up in them too much. In general though anapanasati meditation is a form of samatha or calming. We do calming as a preliminary to vipassana. Kasina meditation also as I understand it (I haven't practiced it) is also a form of calming meditation, leading to jhāna or the formless attainments. Meditation on the repulsive nature of the body probably is closer to vipassana than samatha; it is gaining us an awareness of dukkha. But again these are just labels, they don't matter very much.
Meditation changed my life completely, it helped me defeat anxiety, Im currently doing a mix of the three you mentioned, or should I say the three techniques in a single session.
When I was younger I really struggled with many of negative emotions of life. Such as anxiety, depression and anger. I started meditating as a way to clear my mind. After years I developed my meditation. With out knowing it I taught my self mindfulness meditation. More recently I have found ways redirect negative emotions and develop them into positive emotions. It was not until a few days ago I really learned what buddhism is and about there practices. A lot of what I have taught myself through meditation aligns with buddhism. After doing more research I would honestly consider myself a buddhist. I really want to learn more about buddhism and it’s practices so that I can live a more pure and kind life do you have any suggestions on how to get plugged into The Buddhist community in my area.
Do you change the way something affects you or do you leave it were it's at??? Do Buddhist believe in change? Do Buddhist believe in a God for change? Who do you turn to....
Hello donna, that's a great question. "Right effort" is a key part of Buddhist practice, which involves finding ways skillfully to change what is most unhealthy in our minds and actions. Gods can't do that work for us, we have to do it ourselves.
Thank you Doug. Interesting. I noticed you did not refer to the Pali canon or any text/ reference in this video. What is your opinion about Sathipatthana Sutta? It has more practices one could follow. Of course for Loving-kindness meditation, there is Karaneeya Metta Sutta. And also I read somewhere else in comments you don't see much difference between the terms Samatha and Vidarshana. Are you sure? One popular opinion is samatha is the pre-buddhist practices and vidharshana is the core contribution of Buddha. If not, what makes buddhist practice distinguished from other practices? I do not think the term "Mindfulness" do justice to the term Vipassana.
Hi Aron, body scan is vaguely similar to various of the meditations in mindfulness of body, but not really identical to any of them. It would be interesting to know its historical development. If I can discover anything interesting I’ll make a video on it. 🙂
I try to do shikantaza zazen mixed with vipassana. I watch my breath to start with until my mind slows with my eyes open. Once my mind has slowed to a certain extent I try to just sit and be aware of my field of view, my body, my hands in their mudra, almost like I’m sitting above my head watching myself and my surroundings at the same time. I know it’s kind of a mish mash but it works for me so far. I’m 30 and been meditating on and off since 14. I’d love to hear your opinion on whether or not you think my meditation is a good path or not.
Sure, this is something I've heard a number of meditators suggesting. In Vipassana it's basically considered "open awareness", and could be said to be derived from various of the sections of the Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness: mindfulness of the body, or mindfulness of the six sense-bases. You might want to look into them further in case they could provide further pointers for your practice. I have a playlist on the Foundations of Mindfulness here: ruclips.net/p/PL0akoU_OszRjItCXmF-MMPdKwTdtGSxl-
I am a Catholic and recently realized I have been doing contemplation for many years. I just called it quiet prayer. I just lie down looking up towards God and love Him, no listening to breathing or focusing or anything. Without any effort suddenly there is the ecstasy of being in the presence of God and He infuses virtue. Not every time. I just want to adore him without selfishly always expecting favours, so sometimes nothing seems to happen. However I don't think anything can compare with being immersed in the love of a holy and awesome God. Its not cheap though. You just have to hand over your whole life and will to Him! I had to hit rock bottom before I did that. Why wait?
Hi Karen and thanks for your thoughts. The Buddha had a somewhat ambiguous attitude about gods, but he didn’t view meditation as a route to theism. For more on this see: ruclips.net/video/QOQiZbAPtW4/видео.html That said I have Christian friends and acquaintances who do use meditation in their practice, and find it very useful. If you do too, that’s great.
Good question Britany, you're not really asking anyone. You're simply expressing the wish that you (or whomever else) be happy. This is simply a practice to help you to foster the emotion of kindness in yourself.
I am an audiophile and often "meditate" by focusing mindfully on music for extended periods of time. I see this as a way to combine my love of music and hi fi with mindfulness training. Is this an acceptable substitute for traditional mindfulness meditation, or am I reaching?
Well what you describe is not really meditation, it's music appreciation, which is a different thing. Meditation really does mean just being aware of what arises and passes in ordinary life. One can appreciate music mindfully, but if one surrounds oneself only with pleasant sense experiences while meditating one will not really gain a full appreciation of what meditation has to offer.
Dzogchen is a later Buddhist meditation practice so outside the general scope of this channel which is mostly about early Buddhism. I did a review of Sam Harris's book awhile back: secularbuddhism.org/sam-harris-talks-spirituality/
@@DougsDharma Thanks Doug. I discovered your channel recently and I'm hooked, have watched a few hours of video already. I'm very new to meditation. Could you give examples of mindfulness and "deeper calming" meditations? I would suggest a follow-up video to this one where you comment on the most common and important meditations and how they're used, like vipassana, anapanasati, metta and others.
Some people have claimed there is some particular number of meditations in Buddhism, but I don't recall the number. Anyhow that would only be a count of the techniques in one school, since there are also many different schools with different practices. I don't know of a book that lists all the techniques, though Anālayo's wonderful book Satipaṭṭhāna (which I've mentioned in prior videos on books in Buddhism) does a great job outlining the practices involved in mindfulness.
It'd really be impossible for me to say without knowing a lot more about your situation, which is not something I'd be comfortable doing over the internet. What would be best is to find a local, experienced meditation teacher near you.
@@darkfoxstories9541 I have a video from awhile back, meditation 101: ruclips.net/video/dhjCrWI_Yq4/видео.html . And "laypeople" means you and me: folks who are not monks or nuns.
I perceived a severe form of derealization after a mindfulness medidation which caused intense feelings of anxiety and insecurity. I started to perceive the world around me like a dream and people around me seemed like soulless robots. These feelings still occur quite often and are really frightening. Did I do something wrong or is this part of enlightenment? I actually feel hesitat to continue medidating and studying philosophy because of this experience which is actually saddening me.
Thanks for that Chrissi. I don’t think you did anything wrong, and this isn’t part of awakening. What you describe is strange to me though I have heard of a few people having a negative reaction to some kinds of meditation. I would say find a good psychologist or experienced meditation instructor near you to discuss this with before proceeding.
@@DougsDharma I always had a tendency to overthink things. Therefore I was hoping that mindfulness meditation might help to deal with this issue. I am relatively new to the concepts of Buddhism. They are really fascinating but also pretty overwhelming because they are so different from what I was used to . It's actually possible that these mild altering teachings caused me to question everything I knew before which might have caused this weird experience after meditation. Do you think it's wise for me to continue studying concepts of Buddhism in this case ? I wanna thank you a lot for taking your time to reply to comments in such a thoughtful way. This is one of the many aspects I really enjoy about your channel.
Hi Aron, that’s a great question but hard to answer quickly. I did an earlier video on insight meditation that might help: ruclips.net/video/PNZRDPpszkI/видео.html
I love to use clock ticking, and chant tick tock. I sometimes say tick and skip two seconds or more then say tock. This little game makes my mind less prone to go adrift.
goddamn it! where did my mind go?! uuughhh ill have to look ... woof woof! that sounds like my mind! ... WOOF WOOF! hes getting closer ... *WOOF WOOF!!* there! come back here! come on! there you go, lets go home
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As a Thai people who used to be a monk two times in my life This video is one of the best Western explanation of meditation I have ever seen He knows exactly what meditation is 👍🏻
Thank you very much domepakornlamonline, that is very kind of you to say. Wishing you well. 🙏🙂
อ้าว พี่โดมมาได้ไงเนี่ย
Hi P Dome, glad to know that there're other Thais who subscribe to this channel!
Btw, I always admired your work. 🙌
I heard this attributed to zen. "If you are too busy to meditate for 20 minutes you should meditate for an hour"
Gassho
Yes, I've heard it too, very funny and apt!
most people that say they dont have 20 minutes probably spend over an hour a day on twitter argueing with strangers haha
Hey dude we have the same name!
@@DougsDharma It seems funny to me that people can ALWAYS find enough time to do the things that they really want to do.
This cleared up soooo much for me as someone new to Buddhism! Thank you! A few things I have learned from meditation so far: 1). be kind to yourself. If you experience a great deal of back pain, don't be afraid to use a back rest of some sort. 2). If you cry during a loving kindness meditation, just let it happen. The surge of emotion can be overwhelming, but like any other sensation, simply be aware. (I looked into crying during loving kindness meditation and apparently I'm not odd. It's quite common! Especially for newbies!) 😊🙏❤
Indeed it is common! It’s even happened to me. So yes, that is all great advice Shannan. 🙏
as someone who has struggled most of her life with insomnia, it's extremely useful to meditate before going to bed. anyone who's overwhelmed with work and has difficulty setting aside time to meditate should definitely try before falling asleep!
Yes it can be a great way to fall asleep, I find body scan meditation particularly good for that: ruclips.net/video/TalOMtAqlOA/видео.html
Thank you, Doug! I come from a psych background and I really find Buddhist teachings and practices similar to psych. I see a lot of psych journal articles proving the benefits of mindfulness. I feel like this is the reason why I am drawn to Buddhism.❤
Yes, there are a lot of similarities!
Great.I am from Myanmar. I have experienced meditation since 2003.In my opinion Meditation is for everyone.You do not need to change your religion. If you can control your mind everything be okay.Less of anger is my obvious experience.
Yes, very good Kyaw.
I researched a lot of channels on Buddism and nothing appealled me like your channel which I found by chance (when I was not looking specifically). Seriously you made it very simple and significant. Thank you!!!
That’s great Ruchi Singh, glad to hear it! 🙏
I like mantra meditation. I ponder my negative thinking and come up with a positive mantra that contradicts my negative thinking. Over time repeating this positive mantra in my mind literally changes the way I think about things. Loved the book Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian which taught me mantra meditation and other kinds of meditation.
Thanks for sharing!
Great video Doug, I spent many years close to the Thai Monastic tradition and have also studied Zen to a limited degree, I use a meditation timer that has an interval bell to separate a 30 minute sitting into 3 10 minute blocks, I start with Samatha and often achieve rapture but not always and I try not to make this a target, then Vipassana followed by Metta, for Metta I was taught to bring an acquaintance to mind and imagine them as a baby - vulnerable and fragile and allow a natural feeling of protection and good will to develop, then to repeat this someone closer like a friend or colleague, then someone I have held I'll feelings towards in the past, then myself finally allowing this positive protective feeling to grow to encompass my Town,City,Country and finally the entire earth. My problem has always been establishing a consistent practice I am a natural procrastinator and struggle with this, your videos are helping to inspire my practice though!
Thanks for that John. Yes, consistency is key. I also wish I had more time for formal practice, but isn't that always the case? 😄
Doug, I loved this one. i am starting a meditation class tonight and got a few ideas from this. My meditation started with T M in 1971 and a number of different ones since, I now follow Chogyam Trungpa meditation, it is the best for me.
Keep up the good work, you are doing a great job.
Thanks so much for the kind words Warren. 🙏
Great video, thank you very much, may all being be freed from suffering and the causes of suffering
🙏😊
Mindfulness is what seems to work the best for me. I also like that I can practice it outside of a formal meditation setting. Yesterday I was anxious about something and I was able to use the skills that I learned from mindfulness practice to calm myself down.
Thanks Afanasi. Yes mindfulness is a very powerful practice. Glad you are finding it useful!
Thank you. This has been the best and easiest explanation of meditation I’ve ever heard.
I’m really glad you found it helpful Gaylene, thanks for letting me know!
Doug's Dharma just so you know I’ve listen this morning to the firs 4 episodes of you new to Buddhism series and the explanation on the 3 schools + the zen episode and I’m so engrossed. I’ve been searching for someone who can explain Buddhism in layman’s dialogue but is engaging interesting and speaks to me. I found you so again thank you.
Hey that’s great! Welcome and please do let me know if you find you have questions that aren’t being answered.
Great video! Been interested in meditation for 3-4 years but never got a solid daily practice going until around a year ago! Started with just 5 mins a day of calming meditation then found The Mind Illuminated which really gave me some clear instructions and a clear path to progress on. Around xmas last year I started vipassana meditation and it has been a pretty wild ride since then!
My current meditation practice is now 30 mins TMI- based samatha and then 30 mins vipassana daily!
I tend to neglect metta meditation a bit but for the rare times I have tried it, it has made me feel really good and generally mood improves.
Also will be attending my first mahasi style vipassana weekend retreat this weekend (virtual) which I am very excited for!
Cool, yes I also find metta meditation to be a very good addition to my practice!
Hi Doug! I have been doing a lot of reading as well as research on Buddhism and have found so much interest in it, the Majjhima Nikaya being my main source of focus. Here lately, meditation practice has been kind of a brick wall in my path. This video has been so helpful in clearing some misconceptions I had about it. Just wanted to say thank you for what you do and your videos have helped me in many other similar situations.
Hey great to hear Charlie, you're very welcome! Glad it's been helpful to you.
Really good video, gave great insight in the techniques and purposes of meditations, in a simple way. Inspiring!
Thanks Doug! I came across your videos and love them! Looked for something like this and didn’t find. Your explanation about rituals is wonderful! Keep going! I’ll follow from BRASIL!
You're very welcome Federico! Glad to have you here, thanks for watching! 🙏🙂
About the 3rd, kindness, Thought has power and consequence. This is something I've only recently become aware of. HPB says that "Elementals" are created when you send these thoughts to individuals or groups. Amazingly, if you send thoughts to someone you have not heard from in years, they will find you and contact you. Also, you can make someone that you are having trouble with start being quite friendly! This is what made this type of meditation real to me. It's just amazing how this works. It may take a week or two to see the result.
Thanks Tom. Kindness is just a wonderful, fundamental practice. 🙏
I meditate each day for 30 minutes starting with a short calming meditation followed by body scan and hearing meditation (choiceless awareness). I end by chanting to myself the Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness with one change at the end (born again to born again into ego-self) that is more in keeping with Buddhadasa's secular interpretation of Dependent Co-arising.
[This is what should be done
]
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud or demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born -
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into an ego-self.
www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.amar.html
Excellent practice Aron. Yes the Metta Sutta is a very powerful recitation! 🙏
Living in a very complex economic pattern, we miss the Dharma and there is truth in the Buddha's Dharma.🇱🇰
🙏
I subscribed here last week, then went through some vacillations back and forth as to whether I really thought there was much here I could use (to re-focus on practice for a few minutes before each sit early beginnings of often very busy days) --even where it's not new information, I was thinking, I would listen for a few minutes, then sit 40-60 minutes, then breakfast and work, all starting @ 3 or 4 AM. (my daily practice is established and consistent; Doug's Dharma would join other video channels for this morning pre-sit, joining channels like Tara Brach's and discussions with Stephen Bachelor). This video has re-committed me to this channel, especially the end part where questions are asked: "What is your practice? do you have time? (many people don't, or think they don't)..."---great questions, asked probingly but gently--so: what is mine? Each sit I do a metta visualization recitation (internally) first then I set timer and sit between 40-60 minutes-if necessary counting first, but usually just breath focus. This sit usually is comprised of alternating vipassana and Samatha-that is, alternating a more focussed present moment awareness with a calmer more blissful relaxed awareness. As a beginner, my timer would have originally been being set for 15 or 20 minutes, (but adding increments of time fairly quickly, over a span of an initial few weeks/month-20 minutes became inadequate within a few days) --for me that initial ramping up period was 18 years ago.
Wonderful, thanks for letting us know your practice! 🙏
@@DougsDharma the thanks go to y'all
Hi Doug, thank you so much for your video. I am new to Buddhism (I because a Buddhist about two years ago). Currently,my default meditation is calming meditation, which I was first introduced to by a former therapist under the label of MBSR to help me with extreme anxiety. I just went a step further and embraced Buddhism fully.
I have also done loving kindness meditation and mindfulness as well, but I am going to pay more attention to these types of meditation practices.
May you be well. Take care .
You’re very welcome Vercina. Those are all wonderful practices, I think you will find them very helpful over the coming months and years if you keep them up. It’s a slow but steady process. Let me know how it goes! Be well. 🙏
This is indeed informative video with suggestions.
Glad it was helpful!
For various reasons I have never really got into meditation, which I am starting to change now. However, one practice that I have started doing a few months back is heart coherence breathing, which I have found to really raise my mood during the day. From what I have researched, it seems quite similar to the "loving kindness" practice.
I don't know that practice, but if it works for you then great!
I have been following some of Rudolf Steiner's amazing esoteric meditation practices. He sort of re-defines Budhdhist practice through a Western view. Great stuff!!!
Hi Doug, I repeat (usually mentally) Om mani padme hum before sleep, and whenever I wake at night. Also during my day especially when I find my thoughts on auto pilot. With this I aspire for the end of suffering cause of suffering and the liberation of all beings. thank you for your inspiring lecture! And thank you for so kindly asking for response.
That's great Donna, thanks for your input!
I practice vipassana meditation and metta every day, so it's 25 minutes walking with mindfulness and 25 minutes sitting with mindfulness and at the end of that like 10 minutes of Metta practice
Thanks for the information Alexis! Keep up the good work! 👍
I always chose breathing meditation. It helps a lot.
Yes it does! 🙏
Thank You , even I did not know about these practises .
Oh great Absolute Nice. Glad you could learn something! 🙂
Sadhus, Doug
I would love to see a book about all the various ways of cultivating kindness. Like an academic one covering early Buddhism, Theravada, and some Mahayana.
I don't take too readily to the really prescriptive formulas that probably date from the vidhuddimagga. I'm interested in other perhaps more embodied approaches. And the "radiation" of kindness etc that comes from a more early Buddhist context. That has a more holistic than simply repeating phrases - as helpful as I do sometimes find that.
Tonglen I also find quite powerful with its more holistic sense of breathing it all in and sending it all out.
I find this an area that is very good to work with critically and creatively.
Yes I've done a number of videos about these differences, some you can see in this playlist: ruclips.net/p/PL0akoU_OszRi-PrNLubfI0LVwkjXbZ-c7 . Bhikkhu Anālayo has written about them as well here and there. I'm not sure of anyone discussing very much in depth between early Buddhism, Theravāda, and Mahāyāna, but that would also be interesting!
Calming meditation-quiet place, comfortable place, avoid moving to much, eyes closed, focus on your breathing.
Breathing calms the mind
2. Mindfullness meditation, start by calming, open awarness of the present moment. Attend to sensations and mind. Dont be judgmental.
3. Lovingkindness - mantra "may i be... may all beings be..." daily practice
Doug, I’m a bit confused between calming meditation and mindfulness. In the former, attention is on the breath, and when the mind wanders one should bring awareness back to the breath. In the latter , i understand that the wandering of the mind seems to be part of the focus of mindfulness- being non-judgementally aware of ones thoughts and emotions as opposed to shifting awareness away from these things. It seems to me as if mindfulness is getting us back into the place that calming meditation is trying to get us away from - rumination and fixation on thoughts.
I guess calming meditation is necessary/ helpful in order to proceed with mindfulness. To see thoughts, concepts as they arise as an observer without identifying with them might require some level of preliminary taming of the mind. Just my thoughts I might be wrong.
Doug, there’s this short video called “How to train your monkey mind”, where a Tibetan monk talks about simple meditation training. He mentions that there’s common misconception about having to concentrate too hard, and that simply remembering the breath is really all you need (while not pushing too hard). He goes on to say that one can then meditate while walking, drinking tea, while at a meeting, etc., as long as you remember to be aware of the breath. For me, it’s almost like I’m juggling between doing two things - whatever activity I’m doing v.s. Remembering the breath. What do you think of this method ?
This is certainly one valid approach, Chris. But at the end of the day, being aware of the breath isn’t the point of meditation. So if I were to use that technique I’d want to know a bit more. 🙂
i have a really hard time paying attention to anything/restless so mediation can be rlly hard but i am going to keep trying i hope i can get better at it, thanks for the helpful videos !
No worries Leah, we all have a hard time paying attention! It's like exercise, we have a hard time running or lifting weights, but if we do it regularly, over time we find we're getting better!
I feel we are a vessel for our conscience self to have a physical experience. Meditation seems like you stabilize the connection with your divine soul.
Well that's certainly one way to look at it, though in Buddhism we can't be said to have a divine soul.
Enjoyed this video,. though I already knew most of this, I have practiced Zen meditation for some 30 years now. Zazen, "sitting,. I have never heard a distinction between the relaxing and mindfulness forms of meditation. I don't see much difference, as my "mindful" Zazen can be very relaxing.
"Thirty Years" simply marks the time when I first became acquainted with Zen meditation. I haven't really practiced it continuously that entire time. There have been periods when I haven't done it for months, then other times when I am very consistent for months. For the past few months I have been quite diligent, not quite daily, but 5-6 days a week. Even if I don't sit formally, I practice the breathing through much of the day. I had some medical tests recently, and my lung capacity was greater than they expected, I think from the Zazen breathing.
I'll look through more of your videos and perhaps make a few comments.
Great, thanks edriant!
Thank you.You are doing a great job.
You're very welcome! Thanks for the kind comment. 🙏
Wonderfully presented as always.
Thanks Shantha! 🙏
Ammo lankawe ekek😂
Thank you very much! Very useful!
You're very welcome Favio!
I learned meditation at a Zen center, both "passive" kinds (though I'd say it takes a lot of effort and isn't very passive, at least for me) and lovingkindness meditation. So this meant facing away from others, towards a wall, with eyes open. I find that closing my eyes allows my mind to take off into creative spaces that are distracting from the purpose at hand (though very useful at other times). I sat at a Shambhala center for many years but never took part in any dogmatic activities. I am interested in Vipassana but am hesitant due to the dogma I have heard about in the trainings. I would like to find a non-dogmatic meditation group (as I find meditation with others to be easier to sustain than alone) but with COVID things are on hold.
Thanks for that Tim. Personally I've not found Insight/Vipassana centers to be dogmatic. If anything they tend to be very accepting of people from other traditions, at least in my experience. That said, what's most important is that you find a center in which you feel comfortable, and that can take a bit of doing sometimes.
@@DougsDharma I've had friends who have done the 10 day retreats, and even taught at them, and they told me that they teach what I consider to be dogma - unproven assertions about the nature of reality and humans. What I'd like to find is a meditation training/location which is based on improving meditation practice solely. Here is a criticism I read of the 10 day Vipassana retreat: medium.com/@meillind.parsoya.one/my-shortlived-stay-at-vipassana-meditation-center-dogmatic-pseudoscience-good-techniques-57a9a9ebab49
@@timnitz2654 Well first this is about a Goenka retreat. Goenka's organization is a bit more guru-focused than other Vipassana centers in the West. That said, if you're looking for a meditation experience without anything a skeptic might consider pseudoscience, good luck! Folks who run meditation centers are never science experts, and there is a lot of fringe stuff and a certain amount of woo that does get discussed. The question is how invested folks are in it. In my experience, it's not the main point of the retreat nor the meditation so you can safely ignore it.
@@DougsDharma That's great to hear because I am definitely interested in an intensive training such as that.
thank you this was very helpful!
My pleasure Valerie! 🙏
I realy like buddhism thank you so much for shareing
You're very welcome! Glad to have you here.
Also loving kindness meditation can be described in terms of the four immeasurables
Yes, thanks S. P. Lovingkindness is one of the four immeasurables, since originally it seems to have been a boundless radiation practice: ruclips.net/video/MuKCv6NEL24/видео.html
if you have time to breath, you have time to do Meditation as well
what you don't have is Focussing your mind on the Present and throw away what interferring your focus
Yes that's hard work! 😄
I have a question. Why are we encouraged to close our eyes? Especially for mindfulness meditation, where we want to feel live and feel the current moment. Won't opening eyes will allow us to get more information related with current moment. When I close my eyes, my mind goes to the long-term problems and confusions, but watching a crowd in the city, or the nature, or the see or sky, help me to concentrate what I see and hear. In all cities I lived as an adult, I had certain locations of calmness, where usually I sit drinking coffee or tea.
It doesn't really matter Kerem. Some traditions suggest we close our eyes (generally the Theravāda traditions do), and others have us leave our eyes slightly open (for example in Zen). I've practiced both ways, and both can be good. We are less distracted by passing movements if we keep our eyes closed, but as you say we can also get kind of dreamy and distracted with thoughts that way. So do whichever one you find most beneficial, and keep in mind that it may change from day to day.
I'm like that guy struck by the arrow who wanted to know who shot it, what was the shooter's name, etc. before getting the arrow out:
Before practising a form of meditation, I want to know what tradition I have most affinity with. From west to east: Cynicism? Stoicism? Hesychasm? Sramana? Taoism?
In the sramana tradition we have the Buddhist meditation. What I like about Buddhism is that it is very articulate and detailed about meditation. Otherwise, Taoism seems to me to express the purest approach to meditation. Should I choose Zen, because it combines Buddhism and Taoism? Or should I find a more ancient tradition? What about in Africa, the Americas, or Australia: do they have their own meditation techniques but that are not (yet) called 'meditation' in our discussions?
So, my issue is not time, but the shooter (or my shooter metaphor is a pretext just to hide an issue of time LOL). Hesychasm is too tainted with theology and dogma bla-bla. Cynicism/Stoicism don't seem to have an articulate technique (breath, etc.) but they have a simplicity that resonates in me (note that Diogenes' life is so similar to the Buddha's, and even without all that stuff about miracles and pageantry). Buddhism has some bla-bla but is more built around meditation.
Yes. There is a lot to be said for just starting. 🙂
Thank you!
You're welcome! 🙂
Very nice explanation. If i understand well you are describing Vipassana meditation right? I am practicing Vipassana and these are the three medications that we use
Well these don't have to be part of Vipassana in particular, though they ordinarily may play a role in it.
Thank you.
You're welcome!
okay so basically mindful meditation is to basically train the brain to focus on breath rather than thoughts, so in turn when you are not meditating you can better let go of certain thoughts such as anger etc... so in short training the brain to focus on your emotions you have towards every moment in you day, and to focus on your reactions to every moment of every day? if this is the case I practice that without meditation, because I am way busy, and even a few minutes a day I have a hard time finding. I really love your videos thanks so much for them!
Well, I'd say that mindfulness meditation is a method of training ourselves to be aware of the state of our body and mind on a continual basis. This is something we reflexively assume we do all the time until we actually start training. Then we quickly realize that we were hardly aware of anything beforehand. It's rather like doing exercise in that.
thanks, I have read though that being mindful can accrue without meditation, but learning it will take longer without meditation. there has got to be a plan b I have talk to other practitioners that have issues with time even 15 minutes because we are so much busy now than the days of the buddah.
thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏😇😇😇
You're very welcome Hansi Weerasinghe!
Best meditation is insight meditation or vipassana, which is only found in Buddhism. Its called "Sathara Sathipattana"direct path to Nibbhana. Final destination of Buddhism. To do any form of meditation one need to have some sort of health. Esp spinal health. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your thoughts CA. Yes it helps to have a healthy back to do sitting meditation though one can also do mindfulness while walking, standing, or lying down. So there are other options as well. 🙂
Thanks 🙏
🙏😊
Great video!!
Thanks TheMaicn! 🙂
What is exactly Buddhist meditation?
What’s distinctly Buddhist is (1) the application of right mindfulness to bring about right concentration;
(2) the way right concentration is developed - the paradigm used to bring about jhanas i.e. right views with right mindfulness
(3) the way right concentration i.e. the jhanas brings about total release and liberation.
That's right, but one should add that the jhānas culminate in insight which leads to awakening. At least that's how it's usually described in the suttas, though jhānas aren't absolutely necessary.
☸️✔
🙏😊
Namo buddhaya!!!!!
Namaste 🙏🏽 Ayubowan from Sri Lanka my new found Buddhist teacher from a far far away land!!! Doug, according what I hear there are 2 main Buddhist meditation practices namely Samatha and Vidarshana or Vipassana. So where does calming meditation (Anapanasati meditation or calming meditation) fit in the main Samatha and Vipassana meditation? I also hear about other practices such as Kasina and repulsive meditation. Where do all these other techniques fit in your explanation of 3 meditation practices?
Well these are the two main kinds of Buddhist meditation; there are other kinds that fit in with them either well or poorly, but these are just labels and I wouldn't get caught up in them too much. In general though anapanasati meditation is a form of samatha or calming. We do calming as a preliminary to vipassana. Kasina meditation also as I understand it (I haven't practiced it) is also a form of calming meditation, leading to jhāna or the formless attainments. Meditation on the repulsive nature of the body probably is closer to vipassana than samatha; it is gaining us an awareness of dukkha. But again these are just labels, they don't matter very much.
@@DougsDharma Thank you so much for your explanation. I am going to take this as final and pursue my journey towards meditation.
Meditation changed my life completely, it helped me defeat anxiety, Im currently doing a mix of the three you mentioned, or should I say the three techniques in a single session.
That’s wonderful licandres01. Thanks for letting us know!
When I was younger I really struggled with many of negative emotions of life. Such as anxiety, depression and anger. I started meditating as a way to clear my mind. After years I developed my meditation. With out knowing it I taught my self mindfulness meditation. More recently I have found ways redirect negative emotions and develop them into positive emotions. It was not until a few days ago I really learned what buddhism is and about there practices. A lot of what I have taught myself through meditation aligns with buddhism. After doing more research I would honestly consider myself a buddhist. I really want to learn more about buddhism and it’s practices so that I can live a more pure and kind life do you have any suggestions on how to get plugged into The Buddhist community in my area.
I’m not sure, Will. You could try Googling for local centers. Meanwhile I have videos that might be helpful! 🙂
Do you change the way something affects you or do you leave it were it's at??? Do Buddhist believe in change? Do Buddhist believe in a God for change? Who do you turn to....
Hello donna, that's a great question. "Right effort" is a key part of Buddhist practice, which involves finding ways skillfully to change what is most unhealthy in our minds and actions. Gods can't do that work for us, we have to do it ourselves.
Curious about your thoughts on Transcendental Meditation if you have done that or learned about it?
I haven't, though my podcast companion Jon Aaron did for awhile many years ago.
Ntra meditation and Transcendental Meditation are very similar. In TM they give you the mantra and in regular mantra meditation you choose the mantra.
Thank u
Thank you Doug. Interesting.
I noticed you did not refer to the Pali canon or any text/ reference in this video.
What is your opinion about Sathipatthana Sutta? It has more practices one could follow.
Of course for Loving-kindness meditation, there is Karaneeya Metta Sutta.
And also I read somewhere else in comments you don't see much difference between the terms Samatha and Vidarshana. Are you sure?
One popular opinion is samatha is the pre-buddhist practices and vidharshana is the core contribution of Buddha. If not, what makes buddhist practice distinguished from other practices? I do not think the term "Mindfulness" do justice to the term Vipassana.
This is a very narrow intro to the general topic, so I don't get into specifics in this video. Other videos of mine deal with more of the specifics. 🙏
How does body scan meditation fit in? Where did it originate?
Hi Aron, body scan is vaguely similar to various of the meditations in mindfulness of body, but not really identical to any of them. It would be interesting to know its historical development. If I can discover anything interesting I’ll make a video on it. 🙂
@@DougsDharma Perhaps this link would be helpful to develop a video.
www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/ancientroots.pdf
I try to do shikantaza zazen mixed with vipassana. I watch my breath to start with until my mind slows with my eyes open. Once my mind has slowed to a certain extent I try to just sit and be aware of my field of view, my body, my hands in their mudra, almost like I’m sitting above my head watching myself and my surroundings at the same time. I know it’s kind of a mish mash but it works for me so far. I’m 30 and been meditating on and off since 14.
I’d love to hear your opinion on whether or not you think my meditation is a good path or not.
But if you say it’s not a good meditation I WILL find you. Just saying.
Sure, this is something I've heard a number of meditators suggesting. In Vipassana it's basically considered "open awareness", and could be said to be derived from various of the sections of the Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness: mindfulness of the body, or mindfulness of the six sense-bases. You might want to look into them further in case they could provide further pointers for your practice. I have a playlist on the Foundations of Mindfulness here: ruclips.net/p/PL0akoU_OszRjItCXmF-MMPdKwTdtGSxl-
I am a Catholic and recently realized I have been doing contemplation for many years. I just called it quiet prayer. I just lie down looking up towards God and love Him, no listening to breathing or focusing or anything. Without any effort suddenly there is the ecstasy of being in the presence of God and He infuses virtue. Not every time. I just want to adore him without selfishly always expecting favours, so sometimes nothing seems to happen. However I don't think anything can compare with being immersed in the love of a holy and awesome God. Its not cheap though. You just have to hand over your whole life and will to Him! I had to hit rock bottom before I did that. Why wait?
Hi Karen and thanks for your thoughts. The Buddha had a somewhat ambiguous attitude about gods, but he didn’t view meditation as a route to theism. For more on this see: ruclips.net/video/QOQiZbAPtW4/видео.html
That said I have Christian friends and acquaintances who do use meditation in their practice, and find it very useful. If you do too, that’s great.
I am following Vipassana meditation.
Thanks Nilesh. It’s a good practice. 🙏
This always gives me conscious breathing episodes where I struggle to get back into automated breathing
Yes that can happen to all of us Thorsten. It's something to work with. Taking a couple of deliberate, deep in and out breaths can be helpful.
When you say may I be happy, who are you asking?
Good question Britany, you're not really asking anyone. You're simply expressing the wish that you (or whomever else) be happy. This is simply a practice to help you to foster the emotion of kindness in yourself.
@@DougsDharma thank you!
I am an audiophile and often "meditate" by focusing mindfully on music for extended periods of time. I see this as a way to combine my love of music and hi fi with mindfulness training. Is this an acceptable substitute for traditional mindfulness meditation, or am I reaching?
Well what you describe is not really meditation, it's music appreciation, which is a different thing. Meditation really does mean just being aware of what arises and passes in ordinary life. One can appreciate music mindfully, but if one surrounds oneself only with pleasant sense experiences while meditating one will not really gain a full appreciation of what meditation has to offer.
What so you think of Sam Harris and the dzogchen practice ? Cheers
Dzogchen is a later Buddhist meditation practice so outside the general scope of this channel which is mostly about early Buddhism. I did a review of Sam Harris's book awhile back: secularbuddhism.org/sam-harris-talks-spirituality/
Is anapanasati a form of calming or mindfulness meditation?
Well yes Igor, it's an element of both. It's how we start calming the mind. We can then continue on to mindfulness or to deeper calming if we want.
@@DougsDharma Thanks Doug. I discovered your channel recently and I'm hooked, have watched a few hours of video already.
I'm very new to meditation. Could you give examples of mindfulness and "deeper calming" meditations? I would suggest a follow-up video to this one where you comment on the most common and important meditations and how they're used, like vipassana, anapanasati, metta and others.
That's a good idea for a future video Igor, I'll put it on the list!
Doug ever read Toni Packet.?
No, unfortunately not.
hey doug i was just wondering can i use visualization meditation because i find it easier to focus with that
I don't see why not Sandy. There are some meditations in the early tradition that probably could be understood as visualizations too.
@@DougsDharma ah alright thank you!
how many types of meditations in Buddhism/ Can I get book or authentic reading?
Some people have claimed there is some particular number of meditations in Buddhism, but I don't recall the number. Anyhow that would only be a count of the techniques in one school, since there are also many different schools with different practices. I don't know of a book that lists all the techniques, though Anālayo's wonderful book Satipaṭṭhāna (which I've mentioned in prior videos on books in Buddhism) does a great job outlining the practices involved in mindfulness.
Why do you use english name for each meditation? Wheres samata and Vipassana? I want to know more about that two meditation.
Samatha and Vipassana are calming and insight meditation. Whether we use the Pāli or the English they are the same.
What's mindfulness and loving kindness meditation in pali?
Mindfulness is sati and lovingkindness is mettā.
I pray may all beings will be safe from corona
Yes let’s hope all remain safe and healthy.
Sometimes regular meditation can give me an increase in flashbacks. Do you have any advice on how to manage this?
It'd really be impossible for me to say without knowing a lot more about your situation, which is not something I'd be comfortable doing over the internet. What would be best is to find a local, experienced meditation teacher near you.
@@DougsDharma thank you for reading my comment anyways
Can i do buddhist meditation even im not a monk ?
Oh yes of course! In the Buddha's day plenty of laypeople meditated as well.
@@DougsDharma do you have a buddhist meditation video what is a lay people im super new here ?
@@darkfoxstories9541 I have a video from awhile back, meditation 101: ruclips.net/video/dhjCrWI_Yq4/видео.html . And "laypeople" means you and me: folks who are not monks or nuns.
@@DougsDharma thank you sir i will watch it
I perceived a severe form of derealization after a mindfulness medidation which caused intense feelings of anxiety and insecurity. I started to perceive the world around me like a dream and people around me seemed like soulless robots. These feelings still occur quite often and are really frightening. Did I do something wrong or is this part of enlightenment? I actually feel hesitat to continue medidating and studying philosophy because of this experience which is actually saddening me.
Thanks for that Chrissi. I don’t think you did anything wrong, and this isn’t part of awakening. What you describe is strange to me though I have heard of a few people having a negative reaction to some kinds of meditation. I would say find a good psychologist or experienced meditation instructor near you to discuss this with before proceeding.
@@DougsDharma I always had a tendency to overthink things. Therefore I was hoping that mindfulness meditation might help to deal with this issue. I am relatively new to the concepts of Buddhism. They are really fascinating but also pretty overwhelming because they are so different from what I was used to . It's actually possible that these mild altering teachings caused me to question everything I knew before which might have caused this weird experience after meditation.
Do you think it's wise for me to continue studying concepts of Buddhism in this case ?
I wanna thank you a lot for taking your time to reply to comments in such a thoughtful way. This is one of the many aspects I really enjoy about your channel.
Doug, would you equate mindfulness meditation to insight meditation?
Hi Aron, that’s a great question but hard to answer quickly. I did an earlier video on insight meditation that might help: ruclips.net/video/PNZRDPpszkI/видео.html
These videos serve us well but I suspect they will serve you most - merit-wise
Who knows? I’m happy if I can continue making them and if folks still find them helpful!
I love to use clock ticking, and chant tick tock. I sometimes say tick and skip two seconds or more then say tock. This little game makes my mind less prone to go adrift.
Interesting, I hadn't heard that one before!
Calming meditation sounds like zazen. Did i get it wrong?
Well it is similar to zazen, but zen meditation isn’t done for any particular goal.
goddamn it!
where did my mind go?!
uuughhh ill have to look
...
woof woof!
that sounds like my mind!
...
WOOF WOOF!
hes getting closer
...
*WOOF WOOF!!*
there!
come back here!
come on!
there you go, lets go home
Do barking dogs disturb you - or the noisy kids? I've been wearing $40 industrial grade earmuffs for years. Ahh - what beautiful silence.
Yes that certainly is one solution! 🙂
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