Bumps on the Cultivation Path

[Maddie]

I would appreciate wisdom and insight from those who have been doing this a while. I've been doing mindfullness for a few months now, and notice that sometimes afterwards all kinds of funky emotions and thoughts come up. I've been told this is "normal" but is there such a thing as doing too much mediation. Also are there ways to deal with challenging thoughts and feelings that come up in the process of meditation?

[Seeker of Wisdom]

If you feel you can't handle what's happening, then you cut back. Otherwise you're fine.

 

You just need to let these thoughts and emotions pass through without attachment or aversion. What's happening is that your neutral watching is releasing repressed material. Keep watching neutrally and the mind will heal itself.

 

I strongly suggest reading 'the attention revolution' by Alan Wallace. It's very helpful and clear on the practice and stages of meditation.

Edited February 12, 2013 by Seeker of the Self

[Cheshire Cat]

I would appreciate wisdom and insight from those who have been doing this a while. I've been doing mindfullness for a few months now, and notice that sometimes afterwards all kinds of funky emotions and thoughts come up. I've been told this is "normal" but is there such a thing as doing too much mediation. Also are there ways to deal with challenging thoughts and feelings that come up in the process of meditation?

 

Maybe, it could be a good idea to start the practice with stabilization. This constitutes shamata.

Maybe, you can try this practice http://thetaobums.com/topic/26989-namo-amituofo-how-to-chant/ , which deals exactly with wandering thoughts.

Edited February 12, 2013 by DAO rain TAO

[Aetherous]

Mindfulness of what?

[Jetsun]

Generally the point of mindfulness meditation isn't to deal with anything, it is just to observe without interfering. If you are doing a more active form of meditation then in Buddhism there are antidotes to any afflictive states, such as meditating on love as an antidote to anger, meditating on disgust as an antidote to lust etc

 

Outside of meditation if you want to work with your mind in a more active way then more regular type of religious practice can help by doing prayers for compassion etc, this way you are using your mind in a more productive way without feeding your negative thoughts so you starve them if sustinence. A more direct way of challenging your thoughts if you want to go that route is the work of Byron Katie which is quite a good method in the beginning to show you the unreality of all your thoughts and beliefs as working on them in that way shows you that their complete opposite is usually just as true as the original thought.

 

Another alternative if you want to add a little more subtle body practice into mindfulness practice is to look at the work of Tsoknyi Rinopche who gives methods to diffuse the wind or lung which powers the most speedy anxious thoughts so you can be mindful of them in a more easily detached way.

[Simple_Jack]

If you feel you can't handle what's happening, then you cut back. Otherwise you're fine.

 

What's happening is that your neutral watching is releasing repressed material. Keep watching neutrally and the mind will heal itself.

 

Hmmm, I've always thought that cutting back just stalled the inevitable purification of habit energies. That's just me though, I'm not commenting on what's right for each individual.

 

That's an Interesting take on 'mindfulness' practice: Usually your supposed to keep 'mindful' of the attachments, aversions and neutral feelings/reactions that arise according to whatever is experienced (not saying the above is wrong.)

[joeblast]

Yes, not furthering the habit energies that spit forth whatever it was. Do not give it angular momentum and it will dissipate of its own accord in time, but the harder you wrestle, the more you are addressing the habit energy in some fashion, be it reinforcement or suppression.

[Seeker of Wisdom]

That's an Interesting take on 'mindfulness' practice: Usually your supposed to keep 'mindful' of the attachments, aversions and neutral feelings/reactions that arise according to whatever is experienced (not saying the above is wrong.)

 

That's what I'm saying to do, be mindful without reacting or judging to what's arising.

 

 

[Maddie]

If you feel you can't handle what's happening, then you cut back. Otherwise you're fine.

 

You just need to let these thoughts and emotions pass through without attachment or aversion. What's happening is that your neutral watching is releasing repressed material. Keep watching neutrally and the mind will heal itself.

 

I strongly suggest reading 'the attention revolution' by Alan Wallace. It's very helpful and clear on the practice and stages of meditation.

 

Thanks I like this answer, thanks to the rest of you too.

[JustBHappy]

If you do no practice at all, funky thoughts and emotions will arise, stay awhile, and fade away.

 

If you practice diligently, funky thoughts and emotions will also arise.

 

Most important thing in my opinion, is to keep practicing. The content of the thoughts and emotions is essentially meaningless. In the end, they are simply thoughts and emotions. Be aware, be mindful. Watch them come, stay for a while and fade away. Try not to get caught up in the content, the story line. You're just a casual observer. Don't believe everything you think.

 

The ego comes up with all kinds of silliness to knock us off our path.

[Spotless]

I would appreciate wisdom and insight from those who have been doing this a while. I've been doing mindfullness for a few months now, and notice that sometimes afterwards all kinds of funky emotions and thoughts come up. I've been told this is "normal" but is there such a thing as doing too much mediation. Also are there ways to deal with challenging thoughts and feelings that come up in the process of meditation?

Can you tell us a bit about your meditation - how long do you meditate?

When - why do you usually stop?

 

I ask these questions because particularly in the initial years you will tend to go unconscious at certain points and it is best to go beyond this or perhaps for a time decrease your time.

 

This becomes obvious in the differences between men and women meditating. The points at which they are most likely to go unconscious are almost to the minute for the first year or so. Women will generally hit a very strong wall at 20 minutes and if you can see them, they begin to move out of their bodies for the rest of a group session. For this breathing instruction can be helpful and many other tools. A loud bang or a spoken word can be very effective - most teachers don't know why they make a loud bang but it definitely brings students back into their bodies and out of what is typically a trance state.

 

Men will hit many blocks but tend to stay in their space until about 40 minutes and then they leave as well.

 

You are probably ending your meditation in a trance state and then leave with a good portion of yourself still in trance.

 

Try to be in the center of your head and aware from that space - (unless of course you are practicing awareness somewhere else) - if you find yourself drifting or find youself on the ceiling - allow your awareness to come back to your attention point in the body and breathing may help you in this.

 

Find a good point of clarity in your attention prior to ending the meditation - and you may also want to clearly enunciate within your space that you are now going to end the meditation. Take a deep breath or two or three and open your eyes - you may also want to bend over and touch the floor. Then stand up and clearly be out of your meditation - a few light slaps on your face can help if you still feel like you are fairly deep somewhere else.

 

Odd little things can also hamper your meditation - for men the temperature of the room - too warm - can create far more effort than a cooler temperature. This will generally go away entirely as you progress but in the learning stages it can create a space of angst as a starting point and so check to see if something as small as this is a cause. I have often noted that women like a much warmer room temperature (because they have cooler skin temperatures) couple this with women out numbering men about 8 to 1 in many classes and add a female teacher and you will find the thermostat setting way to high for the men.

Edited February 14, 2013 by Spotless

[RongzomFan]

tummo>>>>meditation

[Maddie]

If you do no practice at all, funky thoughts and emotions will arise, stay awhile, and fade away.

 

If you practice diligently, funky thoughts and emotions will also arise.

 

Hmmmm good point!

[Maddie]

Something else more specific I've noticed lately is that after meditation it tend to feel more anxious/emotional, and sexual. I'm not sure why this is. As to some questions about the specifics of my practice. I was going for 40 min at a time, usually twice a day. After getting feed back from this post I've reduced it to 30 min at a time. I'm not sure why my thoughts and feelings become so sexual after meditation, but it can last a good while after wards.

[Jetsun]

It can be that you are just more aware of what was going on anyway

[Tibetan_Ice]

tummo>>>>meditation

 

Alwaysoff,

 

You know nothing about tummo.

 

http://thetaobums.com/topic/20795-tummo/?p=394110

[RongzomFan]

You said "I do not have a Buddhist Guru/lama nor do I claim to be Vajrayana student."

 

Yet you claim to know better than tertons and so forth.

 

You cite 2 books, but its like you never read them. Or you don't understand that kumbhaka is the same as vase breath. Constricting the muscles of the lower doors is the same as mulabandha etc.

Edited February 16, 2013 by alwayson

[Tibetan_Ice]

You said "I do not have a Buddhist Guru/lama nor do I claim to be Vajrayana student."

 

Yet you claim to know better than tertons and so forth.

 

You cite 2 books, but its like you never read them. Or you don't understand that kumbhaka is the same as vase breath. Constricting the muscles of the lower doors is the same as mulabandha etc.

 

I did not claim to know better than tertons. I claim to know better than you. There is a difference. A terton would be agreeing with me.

 

I'm really getting sick of your misguided accusations and underhanded tactics.

 

With regards to your gross oversimplication:

Kumbhaka is a word which means breath retention. Can be internal or external.

Vase Breathing is a series of techniques, in which khumbaka is just one part.

[RongzomFan]

I did not claim to know better than tertons. I claim to know better than you. There is a difference. A terton would be agreeing with me.

 

I'm really getting sick of your misguided accusations and underhanded tactics.

 

With regards to your gross oversimplication:

Kumbhaka is a word which means breath retention. Can be internal or external.

Vase Breathing is a series of techniques, in which khumbaka is just one part.

 

 

A terton would be agreeing with you? Thats pretty funny, considering you haven't even heard of basic things till last month:

 

http://thetaobums.com/topic/24409-meaning-clear-light/page-4#entry393238

 

Judging from past threads, you will never admit your errors, even if literally 5 people tell you the same thing.

[Tibetan_Ice]

A terton would be agreeing with you? Thats pretty funny, considering you haven't even heard of basic things till last month:

 

http://thetaobums.com/topic/24409-meaning-clear-light/page-4#entry393238

 

Judging from past threads, you will never admit your errors, even if literally 5 people tell you the same thing.

 

You are just a waste of my time.

[RongzomFan]

You are just a waste of my time.

 

You are not even a Vajrayana pracitioner.

[RongzomFan]

Vase Breathing is a series of techniques, in which khumbaka is just one part.

 

Its one technique. You take a deep breath, and hold it for as long as possible. You should read the books you cite.

[forestofemptiness]

Mindfulness is only one part of the Buddhist meditation formula. The other part is shamatha, concentrative or calm-abiding meditation. It is key to practice one with the other. A good shamatha practice will allow one to create the space in which challenging thoughts and feelings may arise.

 

The easiest and simplest way to build this practice is simply concentrating on the breath. Another good way is to sit zazen. A strong shamatha practice will not only help during meditation, but in all of life.

 

At some point, it is also a good idea to think about having a teacher.

[Tibetan_Ice]

 

Its one technique. You take a deep breath, and hold it for as long as possible. You should read the books you cite.

You should learn to understand what you read.

[RongzomFan]

You should learn to understand what you read.

 

 

Thats pretty hilarious, since people have specifically said the same thing to you repeatedly.