Tom Beckett

[deleted]

I’ve chosen to start meditating Tonglen daily from now to at least the end of April. However, I still have some questions on how Tonglen might actually work.

From my current knowledge Tonglen is a form of meditation where you breathe in the suffering of others and then convert it to compassion and breathe it out. Over time as one’s training the suffering one breathes in will begin to feel more real and so will the feeling of compassion and joy when one converts, heals it and breathes the suffering out.

Is this how Tonglen actually functions or is there more?

please tell me if you know anything as I will update my status on my training daily or at least weekly.

Any advice is welcome!

Hello, I have been out of dao bums for quite a while and have made quite the philosophical journey. I spent time with the universalist Christian church and saw a new perspective , I don’t believe the self should be extinguished or that it does not exist. I believe that it does indeed exist and that it is special, but it should not be the main focus of our lives. We should focus on the other souls of this world and show your love to them. Granted you won’t be perfect and maybe a bit mischievous but show your love and care for others, especially in the toughest times. I don’t believe the self is an illusion like some Buddhists say but I think I wanted to believe that because if I was not “me” then I would be a stronger person, maybe I did not like myself. 

9 minutes ago, wandelaar said:

 

Not necessarily. There is also the option of hylic pluralism that can accommodate the existence of ghosts and the like. Furthermore idealism when taken to mean that only the world of ideas is real doesn't imply that our life somehow goes on after death. The  only conclusion that can sensibly be drawn from idealism of the latter sort is that nothing real would survive if somehow all minds would disappear. Or maybe not even that if one supposes the world of ideas as something that could conceivably exist without any mind perceiving them.

Could you tell me what hylic pluralism is?

What does the Tao te Ching say about consciousness and awareness. Is unconsciousness a consciousness experience? Is true consciousness upon full reconnection and acceptance of the Dao?

Yeah but there is a difference. Materialism entails the oblivion of consciousness and existence after death while idealism entails consciousness, existence, and awareness as indestructible and essential.

Wait, I don’t understand. If most of you don’t believe in a dualistic universe then what do you believe in? Materialism? Idealism?

On 2/22/2023 at 10:58 PM, C T said:

Imo, with sufficient rightly directed contemplation, one arrives at the realization that what's truly vital is overcoming dualistic tendencies, and not, in any manner, to attempt practices that open doors which lead to self-annihilation. This, I'm quite certain, is not an objective in authentic Buddhist praxis. 

What exactly do you mean by this?

My fellow Daoists, are some super natural or strong experiences in your lives that has made you realize that the Dao is real. I would love to know. For me it is in daily conversations with other people, whenever I follow how to Dao de Ching tells me to act it normally ends with me avoiding conflicts and being in a good spot. I wish though that I could actually feel the Dao like other people and learn to trust it like they do, though I am a novice and still have much to learn.

It would be nice to get some control of my mind. One of my greatest struggles in meditation is that I have intrusive thoughts that I deal with often and it’s hard to meditate and focus with them around.

13 hours ago, stirling said:

 

You don't need to concentrate on your breath.... think of it more like noticing. Notice when there is a sensation on your upper lip, for example, when you inhale or exhale. Don't have make the thought "in" or "out" part of that, just pay gentle attention to the sensation. Let sensations be sensations. Keep your attention light - like maybe 10-15%.

 

Another meditation is to just try just being present as sensations come up. Watch your body and just notice as feelings in your body, or thoughts, come and go. Don't follow the things you notice with a thought process, just let what comes up continue unengaged by the mind, like you were sitting at the bottom of a lake and watching bubbles come into view and pass out of your line of sight. Again, keep it light - attention at about 10-15%. 

 

Before you start, sit in a comfortable but upright posture that doesn't really require the use of your muscles to maintain. Go through your body top to bottom sensing tense muscles and let that tension go, or adjust your posture so you don't need to rely on those muscles. It's good to keep your attention sharp, though not deeply concentrated, and your body relaxed. The expression on your face should be soft and relaxed too.

 

Meditations with techniques are usually activating, and often make us tense our muscles. I'd consider letting go of mantras or Tonglen (sending and receiving) practice until you can definitely do them without becoming tense. Once you can sit in relaxed but attentive meditation, bring them back into your routine. 

 

Do you study with a Rinpoche, or have you learned these practices on your own?

I don’t have any teacher as where I live there is little to no Buddhist influence or education. I study on my on researching or reading texts trying to piece things together.

6 minutes ago, stirling said:

 

How would you describe your meditation practice? What is it you do, and how often? I wouldn't expect it to make your head hurt.

I sit down in a comfortable and close my eyes before closing my eyes and trying to fully concentrate on the in and out movements of my breath. Sometimes I will do specific meditations with mantra singing in the back ground or in tonglen where I try to breathe in the sufferings of others and breathe out relief and peace.

True, as Lao tzu said those who rush ahead don’t get very far.

From what I have heard from many , Buddhist meditations are primarily directed at separating or extinguishing the self. What are these meditations and how do they work? 

Agreed, I’m taking rest from meditation for a bit.

On 2/19/2023 at 10:41 AM, liminal_luke said:

My experience is that Buddhist meditation is hard -- but ultimately rewarding -- precisely because it puts me in painstakingly concrete contract with my (internal) world.

I am relatively new to meditation so I was wondering if some of the things I feel from meditation are supposed to be there. My head has sort of hurts after these days that I have meditated more than I ever had before. Is this normal? Have I begun thinking at such a deeper level then normal about this world that my head has started to hurt a little bit.

So what kind of meditation breathing would I have to do to achieve this feeling?

I am training to be an amateur mma fighter and I wanted to ask for some advice on meditations regarding fear and pain.

Is there any meditations Buddhists practice to acquire a fearless mindset and are there any meditations that let the mind have more control of whether they feel pain or not.

I want to train my mind efficiently for the ring, not just my body, so I would like to learn some meditations I can practice as part of my routine.

What is the way a Taoist should live. I know we are supposed to follow and go with the flow of the universe and read texts but I don’t know much else. How should I pray and meditate etc. 

So I play online games with my friends a lot. For the most part in recent times I have been leader of the friend group for a couple of months because so far I guess I’ve always been the on with good ideas. Still though being the leader of the friend group is sort of irritating. The others are very whiny at times and there is one that really gets on my nerves.
 

Let’s call him Fred. Fred always trolls me and I am starting not to like him. Our friend group picks on each other often but it used to be as a form of comedy and we’d all share laughs, but nowadays it just makes playing not fun. Especially the way Fred trolls or “Jokes”. He trolls me and then gets me banned from groups when I troll him back in a much smaller scale. He talks about the past like me and my closer friends are the problem and says I’m prideful and that I never admit I’m wrong even though I openly admit my faults as a leader.

I’m just sick of the guy and the frustration but I don’t know how to deal with him. Anything Buddhism has to say about some of this?

Hi, I am Tom. I am a man who doesn’t understand much about this world, or purpose or faith. I am here to learn the beliefs of Daoism to answer life’s biggest questions and find my way. So with my introduction I have a question to ask all that may read this, what does Daoism mean to you.