Posture in Meditation

In the Satipatthana Sutta Buddha instructs:

Herein, monks, a monk, having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree or to an empty place, sits down with his legs crossed, keeps his body erect and his mindfulness alert.

The ancient statues of Buddha show him sitting in this posture. An erect posture imparts the alertness of mindfulness.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali describes this asana as a “steady and comfortable posture.” So, a meditative posture, besides being stable and erect must also be natural and comfortable so that it could be maintained for a long time without causing any stress or discomfort.

The condition of body in deep meditation is very similar to the condition in deep sleep. When sitting, the body may slump if not propped up properly. Crossing the legs and locking them in full-lotus position keeps the body erect even in deep meditation.

The purpose of the posture in meditation is to keep the body stably erect, even in deep meditation, in a natural and comfortable manner.

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Niceties of Posture

In the ancient culture people were used to sitting with their legs crossed. This posture was natural and comfortable to them. So, this became the natural posture in meditation. Over time, however, other details got added that are not essential to meditation.

Zen Buddhism goes into incredible details about how to sit in meditation. It provides the size and shape of cushions to sit on, and the kinds of clothes that should be worn. It specifies how to place legs and knees on the mat, and hands and fingers in the lap. It dictates how ears should be lined up with the shoulders, and nose with the navel. It even directs the position of tip of the tongue, and the angle of the gaze. If you give importance to such niceties you can waste much time worrying about the correct posture during meditation.

Once the purpose of meditative posture is met, additional details prescribed for the posture are inessential.

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Sitting in a Chair

In many cultures, especially in European culture, people are not used to sitting with their legs crossed. People find it easier to sit in a chair. They do not feel comfortable in the lotus posture after a while.

As long as body can be kept stably erect, there is no reason why a person cannot meditate sitting in a chair. One may use a straight-backed chair to keep the body erect. Additional cushions may be used to ensure the stability of the posture in deep meditation.

One may meditate sitting in a straight-backed chair as an alternative to the lotus position.

When meditating in a chair, it may help if the knees are parallel to the shoulders and feet are flat on the ground. The arms may rest in the lap. The hands, fingers and tongue may assume natural and relaxed positions. The eyes may be open, half open or closed according to natural tendency. The attention may focus or not focus on anything in particular. The gaze may become directed or peripheral. These variations may occur naturally during meditation.

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August 10, 2019 – 1:26 PM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment

Introduction to Meditation

Twenty-six hundred years ago Buddha launched a grass-root movement of spiritual awakening, which was so successful that it civilized three-quarters of the world. That ancient movement was based on the concept of meditation. Wikipedia states:

Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. Scholars have found meditation difficult to define, as practices vary both between traditions and within them.

When you look up meditation in a dictionary, it provides synonyms, such as, concentration, contemplation and reflection. Meditation seems to have become difficult to practice today because most people find it difficult to define.

We need to define meditation more precisely using a scientific approach.

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The Problem of Meditation

In meditation, a person is using concentration, contemplation and reflection to settle the mind; but none of these actions can be accomplished until the mind is already in a settled state. This is a catch-22. Therefore, one must understand why the mind is in turmoil in the first place.

We all have heard the analogy that the muddy water in a bucket will remain muddy if it keeps on getting stirred. One must stop stirring the water to give mud a chance to settle down at the bottom. The same approach is needed to calm an agitated mind.

The mind is agitated because it is continually being interfered with.

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The First Step

One must stop interfering with the mind to let it settle down into a quiet state. But for most people this is easily said than done. As soon as a person sits down to meditate, he is hit with the mental chatter that soon makes him tired and sleepy. He then spends his meditation time trying not to fall asleep.

But, to not interfere with the mind also means to not interfere with the mind falling asleep. This is an extreme example, but it is given here to drive home the point that the principle of non-interference applies to all activities of the mind, including sleep.

So, if the mind is falling asleep don’t interfere with it. It would eventually wake up. Then you can continue with meditation without having to fight with the sleep. Just make sure that the body does not slump when it is asleep (see the chapter Posture in Meditation).

The first step in meditation is to stop interfering with the mind, so it has a chance to settle down naturally.

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August 10, 2019 – 8:07 AM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment

Research in Meditation

R = REVIEWED

I–Basic Meditation

Introduction to Meditation (Old) (R)

Posture in Meditation (Old) (R)

Posture in Mindfulness Meditation (R)

THE BASICS OF LOOKING (R)

The Basics of Meditation (old) (R)

Settling the Mind (R)

Unwinding the Mind (R)

The Meaning of Enlightenment (R)

Introduction to Meditation (R-current)

Posture in Meditation (R-current)

The Basics of Meditation (R-current)

I–Basic Meditation Exercises

Exercise: Reaction to Locations (R)

TR0 and Mindfulness (obsolete) (R)

TR0 and Mindfulness (R)

CONFRONTING & MINDFULNESS

Walking and Mindfulness (R)

Exercise: Meditative Posture (R-current)

Exercise: Being There (R-current)

Exercise: Confronting (R-current)

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II–Discipline of Mindfulness

INTRODUCTION TO LOOKING (R)

COMMENTS ON LOOKING (R)

KHTK 1A: LOOKING: INTRODUCTION (R)

The Discipline of Mindfulness (R)

The Premise of KHTK (R)

Inconsistency Defined (R)

The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness (V1) (R)

TRAINING IN MINDFULNESS (OLD) (R)

Training in Mindfulness (R)

Mindfulness (R-current)

The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness (R-current)

The 3 Rules of Mindfulness (R-current)

II–Discipline Exercises

EXERCISE: Technique of Mindfulness (R)

Mindfulness 0: See Things as They are (R)

Observe without Desires (R)

Observe without Assuming (R)

Observe what is Missing (R)

Exercises: Mindfulness (Set 1) (R)

Observe the Incomprehensible (R)

Observe all Senses (R)

Let the Mind Un-stack (R)

Exercises: Mindfulness (Set 2) (R)

Experience Fully (R)

Do not suppress (R)

Associate Data freely (R)

Exercises: Mindfulness (Set 3) (R)

Observe beyond Name and Form (R)

Contemplate thoughtfully (R)

Let it be effortless (R)

EXERCISE: Being There

Exercises: Mindfulness (Set 4) (R)

Mindfulness Meditation

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III–Theory of the Mind

Emptiness (R)

Continuity, Harmony and Consistency (R)

Mindfulness C: Continuity, Harmony & Consistency (R)

From Chaos to Order (R)

From Chaos to Order (old) (R)

The Mind as a Matrix (old) (R)

The Mind as a Matrix (R)

PERCEPTION (R)

Mind in Mindfulness (R)

A Model of Mind

A Model of Self

The Human Mind

OT 1948: An Analogy of the Mind (R)

III–Mind Exercises

Anomalies in Thinking

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Mindfulness Applications

KHTK Mindfulness

The Context of KHTK

Mindfulness App _: See Things as They are

Mindfulness 01: Something and Nothing

Mindfulness 02: Desires, Expectations and Speculations

Mindfulness 03: Suppression, Interference and Resistance

Mindfulness in Mental Objects (Enlightenment) (R)

KHTK 5B: POSTURES OF THE BODY

Mindfulness in Bodily Activities

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Mindfulness Therapy

What is KHTK?

Mindfulness Therapy

Mindfulness Class Format

Guide in KHTK

The Guru Complex

The Mindfulness Guide

Scientology versus KHTK (Part 1) – Mindfulness & “I”

Instructions for Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness C: Continuity, Harmony & Consistency

TRAINING: Attention and Mindfulness

Scientific Method and Mindfulness

Solving Real-Life Problems

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Level 0 Therapy

Mindfulness N2: Mental sickness and Basic Care

MINDFULNESS N3: Physical Sickness and Basic Care

EXERCISE: Body Mindfulness

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Mindfulness Applications

How to use KHTK Mindfulness (R)

Exercise: Suppressed Memories

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Other

A View on Enlightenment (R)

Degree In Mindfulness

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

August 10, 2019 – 7:44 AM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment

Exercise: Walking Meditation #2

This walking meditation extroverts the mind while allowing senses to become clear and sharp. You may practice this meditation when you are having trouble meditating in a sitting position. Make sure you walk in a pleasant and safe place.

Meditation Exercise:

Walking Meditation on Environment

Purpose:

To extrovert the mind while improving the perception of the environment.

Pre-requisites:

Study Walking Meditation

Instructions:

Find a safe and pleasant environment, such as, a farm, park or a garden where you may spend half an hour. Start walking leisurely.  Become aware of your natural breathing. Start noticing the environment around you. Notice the size, shape and color of the things and their overall visual pattern. Look as far as you can see.

Next focus on the perception of touch. Touch the bench, the swing, the bark of the trees, the leaves of the plants, the flowers, and other surfaces. Feel the different textures, the hot and cold temperatures, and the bulkiness of objects. Experience as much as you can.

Then start putting your attention on the perception of hearing. Notice the quality, tone and loudness of sounds. Do this until your perception of hearing start to become clearer.

All this while, you use your breathing as the stabilizing factor. In other words, whenever your attention strays you bring it back to your breathing and then start noticing the environment again through the perceptions of sight, touch and hearing.

Continue this exercise for at least 20 minute. At the end of your walk you may go to a coffee or tea place. There you observe the perceptions of taste and smell in addition to the perceptions above.

You may repeat this exercise as often as you wish.

End of Exercise:

When attention is extroverted and the perceptions have become sharper, this exercise may be ended.

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August 9, 2019 – 5:01 PM Categories: Meditation | Post a comment

Physics & Reality

Our reality is determined by what we sense. We have five primary senses that we call physical and a mental sense that gives meaning to the physical senses. Logic and mathematics are part of the mental sense. The coordination among these six senses, such that there are no inconsistencies, determines the most optimum reality. See Objective & Subjective Reality.

To improve reality from a scientific perspective, we must locate inconsistencies in our scientific theories and resolve them.

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Classical versus Quantum Reality

Currently, we have inconsistency between classical and quantum realities. There is a sudden discontinuity of reality from classical to quantum.

The starting concept in classical physics is SUBSTANCE. All other concepts are derived from the idea of substance. For example, kinetic energy is the motion of substance; potential energy is the tension of substance; momentum is the impact of substance.

The primary characteristic of this substance is mass. We can detect mass through our physical senses as “force”. This forms the basis of our classical reality. The concept of substance, however, stops at the idea of atom, which is considered to be indivisible.

The starting concept in quantum physics is the LIGHT QUANTUM. All other concepts seem to be borrowed from classical physics but presented as an extension of the idea of quantum. For example, quantum is defined as an “energy particle”, with no substance (mass). This jars our classical sensibilities. How can there be kinetic energy without any substance in motion? Or, how can there be potential energy without any substance in tension?

When we dig further, we find that, in quantum physics, the concept of substance is replaced by a Standard Model of Elementary Particles. But these particles do not have the classical characteristic of mass and volume. Instead, those characteristics are replaced by all manner of quantum numbers.

In Quantum physics, the reality of mass and volume of substance, is replaced by quantum numbers that can be sensed mentally (mathematically) only.

In other words, we no longer have our physical senses participating in the determination of quantum reality. This is the inconsistency that we are confronted with in physics today.

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Resolving the Inconsistency

Our ideas of physical phenomena are based on our interactions with it. These interactions are perceived as FORCE by our physical and mental senses. These forces are interpreted as substance (mass) at the most basic level. This forms the basis of the classical reality.

If matter is substance then light is no less a substance, because both interact with our senses the same way. Newton’s corpuscular theory treated light as a substance that flowed very rapidly. Matter, being a substance, obviously had mass. Light was also a substance, but of ephemeral type, that had infinitesimal mass.

Quantum physics, on the other hand, drops the concept of substance (mass) beyond the idea of atom. Instead of mass, it employs a mathematical principle of “mass-energy equivalence” to define quantum as an “energy particle”.  Thus, quantum reality builds itself up on the basis of energy that consists of a mathematical interpretation of the physical forces of interactions that we sense. Light, therefore, is considered to have no mass.

The basis of classical reality is the interpretation of forces that interact with our senses as substance (mass). The basis of quantum reality is the interpretation of the same forces as a mathematical formulation of “energy”.

It may be possible to resolve the inconsistency in reality by relating this mathematical formulation of “energy” back to the concept of substance (mass).

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August 7, 2019 – 3:17 PM Categories: Physics Book | Post a comment