Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Summer Meditation Challenge! (Day 1)
And we're off! I set for 30 minutes this morning. The view from my cushion is our backyard. A swamp myrtle partially obscures the view of the garden. A brown thrasher kept jumping around on the limbs of the swamp myrtle. Here he is...
I followed yesterday's technique again today. The point is to stay focused on the breath while noting other things that claim attention. The thrasher, of course, was one of those other things. I also noted my thoughts. Sometime a single thought would occur in isolation. At other times I could witness a chain of thoughts unfolding. The unfolding was aimless yet connected, as if each thought triggered a subsequent thought that was tangentially related. Sometimes I could follow this while continuing to follow my breath; other times not.
I followed yesterday's technique again today. The point is to stay focused on the breath while noting other things that claim attention. The thrasher, of course, was one of those other things. I also noted my thoughts. Sometime a single thought would occur in isolation. At other times I could witness a chain of thoughts unfolding. The unfolding was aimless yet connected, as if each thought triggered a subsequent thought that was tangentially related. Sometimes I could follow this while continuing to follow my breath; other times not.
Labels: Bill, meditation, sitting
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Summer Meditation Challenge!
My friend Bill DiNome has issue a Summer Meditation Challenge to the members of our Sangha.
I'm interested in the simplicity of his instructions and the fact that in this technique, concentration (samadhi) and investigation (vipassana) are being developed together. Here's a link to the instructions.
I practiced this tonight. As always, instructions are simple, practice is harder. I did find times when I could both focus on my breath AND note the arising of other sensations. I kept this up about twenty minutes.
This is a warmup for Day One of the challenge!
Hi, folks,
I'm committing to sitting for 60 consecutive days beginning tomorrow, June 1st. I invite you to join me -- sitting at least once a day, every day. Sit for any length of time -- five minutes, 15 or 45 -- duration doesn't matter as much as consistency. We can arrange to sit together when possible too. I'm sure some of you are doing this already, but sharing such a commitment may encourage the rest of us to persist. I plan to keep a meditation journal as well. Let me know if you're game to commit to sit.
Namaste,
Bill
I'm committing to sitting for 60 consecutive days beginning tomorrow, June 1st. I invite you to join me -- sitting at least once a day, every day. Sit for any length of time -- five minutes, 15 or 45 -- duration doesn't matter as much as consistency. We can arrange to sit together when possible too. I'm sure some of you are doing this already, but sharing such a commitment may encourage the rest of us to persist. I plan to keep a meditation journal as well. Let me know if you're game to commit to sit.
Namaste,
Bill
I have decided to participate and to blog about the experience as well. I want to get in the habit of sitting daily.
I have been reading about various meditation techniques, including the work of Kenneth Folk. Here's a picture of Kenneth:
I'm interested in the simplicity of his instructions and the fact that in this technique, concentration (samadhi) and investigation (vipassana) are being developed together. Here's a link to the instructions.
I practiced this tonight. As always, instructions are simple, practice is harder. I did find times when I could both focus on my breath AND note the arising of other sensations. I kept this up about twenty minutes.
This is a warmup for Day One of the challenge!
Labels: Bill, challenge, meditation, sangha
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
