Is anything special supposed to happen with meditation?

[magic]

Could you say that meditation is same thing as doing a successful mind taming technique, since the goal is to keep the mind quit right?
I´ve started up meditation again, but I´ve never considered it meditation, but just as a mind taming technique that will take me into a trance state, which in turn will turn to an obe.

Some say that meditation is good for dealing with repressed emotions or other problems, but this seems counter produce in keeping the mind quit, if you want to keep the mind quit,
is there something I have missunderstood?

/Magic

[ButterflyWoman]

Could you say that meditation is same thing as doing a successful mind taming technique, since the goal is to keep the mind quit right?

Well, it actually depends. There are different forms of meditation. One form, yes, the goal is to quiet your mind completely. Other forms, you choose a topic and contemplate that, keeping your mind focussed on that specific thing, with the goal of gaining new insight. Other forms, you concentrate on a specific idea, such as compassion, and narrow your focus to that one thing, intending to radiate that. There's also general mindfulness, which is a kind of expanded awareness, where you deliberately become aware of everything around you and within you, as much as possible.

Some say that meditation is good for dealing with repressed emotions or other problems, but this seems counter produce in keeping the mind quit, if you want to keep the mind quit,
is there something I have missunderstood?

Yes. You think there's only one kind of meditation.

[Korpo]

Concentration is the skill to keep the mind focussed on an object of your choice continuously. This includes learning to ignore distractions, outwards and inwards, but also keeping the focus on that specific object. This skill is also often called "one-pointedness" or "one-pointed concentration."

"Mind Taming" is a very specific variation of this that aims primarily at eliminating the influence of distraction.

There are many schools that say that concentration is not meditation. There would be many, however, that would say it is the preliminary skill for the later.

A very succinct introduction to concentration, meditation and contemplation is given in Arthur E. Powell's theosophic book "The Mental Body" - find it freely available online here: http://hpb.narod.ru/MentalBodyA.htm and http://hpb.narod.ru/MentalBodyB.htm .

Oliver

[Tom]

Perhaps if you tell us what you want to get from meditation that would help. There really are a lot of ways to work toward a specific goal, and meditation is just one of them.

[watrinh]

The two types of meditation are interrelated. Your goal is to tame the mind to learn to quiet the mind, but you can't because of a repressed emotion. Therefore, one should learn to deal with the repression first.

In fact, this is where the heart sutra comes into play. The essence of the sutra is a means to neutralize emotions, and therefore allow the mind to reach a quiet state.

[Tutor]

How then, with a goal mind set, is the mind thus set, expected to quiet?

Certainly a transmission in neutral is neither mechanically contriving to go forward or in reverse.

These cogs that wheel in their turns are not "I", though in their turning is myself as me coming and going hither and yonder. This while "I" have never to step from my centered being.

It may be seen as this:

---------------|---------------

yet, on that, I cannot remain to be; for who can walk a self appointed razors edge?

It may be re-membered as this:

---------------|I|--------------

and, in that, I ever am within.

It is taught that from 22 that there came 5 more as last, these five being called Sofit.

Yet, it is remembered that from these five having been first, that twenty two expressively arose as eleven to the right and eleven to the left.

They as eleven pairs reflectively expressive of our dual nature mirrored.

Misunderstanding that, or being either right or left of it thought to limitedly be, the lower more numbered realms make of themselves that which they are disposed to as your misguided off centered and non-present self/selves.

This be-cause, You are the Angel of the Presence that is never not the center solar being; that Solar Angel of Light in emission of a self/selves to be; a Star unbeknownst to It's ever present life giving light living. *

Ergo, You are that which within this IS.

Just Be!

Let go of that which goes, it having come from that which has gone.

You are the present which is ever gifted by Your True Self unbeknownst to It's Self.

It (You) ever as the child Christmas morning, unwrapping that which is by your request given to you.

In other words, You are the 'anything' which is always special; which is ever happening in the unwrapping of your unique being.

But, if we must go, then let's go skinny dippin and celebrate our god given nakedness; unwrapped, unashamed, unguilty....'un' to the UTter most, for from our own mouths are we babes founded in our own truths and collective truth. Never in Human Nature is Truth unfounded.

Silence is the noisiest residence/resonance of all, for there high pitching children play undaunted in their coalescense of innocense by concerns and worrisome goals.

T

* reminds me of the tale of the shoe maker. he overwhelmed at all the shoes to make. he having procrastinated in their making while making wooden elves. Yet, what 'elf', or 'elves' are not mischiefly created by the "S" of us, both tempted of It's Being and tempting in It's Doing. let's not forget, that in that tale, it were the 'elves' which saved the shoemaker from his own self/mind set demise. 'goals'

The mind knows the Who of It, is why the mind takes It to the very brink of destruction, that It too might rememeber the Who in creation of It.

Who are You? well...you are you. most unique you are, the 'u' in the nick/niche/nique of time.

[Ouroboros]

Thanks for that link, Korpo, I found the sections on Concentration and Meditation to be very good reading. I'll have to check out the rest of the writings as I have more time.

[Alaskans]

hehe I like your new signature Ouro.

For the topic, I just would like to put my humble little thing out. different things are worked on during meditation. Sometimes it is good to think. Sometimes its good to concentrate. Sometimes good to speak (in your mind). Sometimes good to create emotion. Sometimes its good to just observe the darkness. There are multiple bodies to work on, mental, astral, etc. like Oliver says. If the only meditation you ever did was holding a blank mind, I think you wouldnt accomplish as much.
The only thing I dont find helpfull is letting attachments go round and round in your mind during meditation without attempting to resolve them. Or meditating with a bad mood or idea you cant resolve during meditation. Thinking about balancing your checkbook during meditation is no good, on the other hand thinking about why you have compassion for everyone can be good.

[Edit: oops, didnt realize this thread is 2 years old ]

[CFTraveler]

It's the gift that keeps on giving.

[Tom]

No, the thread is going on 4 days old. It is not 2 years old.