Dangers of meditation?

[MenteReligieuse]

I have read here and there on the net that unproper meditation can have dangerous affects. From, the wild claims that you make yourself an easier target to demons or whatever to enter your mind or that you risk unbalancing your mental sanity or to death.

 

Personally I think that is just crazy. But if any of you heard or beleive there are certain risks in meditating (other than getting late for work because you meditated too long in the morning), enlighten us on how and why such risks exist.

[AngelaG]

Well, I once nearly fell asleep in Mokuso after a particularly tiring lesson... and once I got really painful cramp in my foot whilst sat in Mokuso,

[Zhong Gau]

you mean like, attracting food for old Zhong Jia? the food the old lady left was cold, stale and almost dry...but it was all she had, she begged it from somebody else... you see, her son saw a monk meditating and thought that his overall composure came from this meditation. like the monk he found a secluded spot in the woods near the fields he tended and began to meditate. some time passed and the mother became worried that a tiger may have sprung upon him as he was missing for several days. the old woman told the constable her son was missing and he set a posse to find him. a week later the old woman heard him come in and go to his room to sleep. relieved she slept also. the next day she went ot the constable again and said he had returned last night but could not be found in the morning and was wondering if anyone had seen him. the constable wrung his hands and explained to the woman that they had indeed found her son near his fields the day she complained of his disappearance. and that having been eaten by the local tiger could not have possibly returned home late at night. thinking there was an intruder in thier midst he went home with the woman to set up a stake out. he slept in the kitchen. sure enough that night both the woman and he woke to hear a man entering the house. both brought lanterns and saw a pale smoky image of her son looking them over with his neck torn open. the son said," sorry mother, i tried to meditate in the woods near my fields and this happened...i didn't want to disturb you and my aunt if she were here as she usually is this time of year so i went directly to my room instead of the kitchen. since you are up could you make me some dumplings and bean cake?" the mother agreed to satisfy the ghost knowing it could recurr often. as the woman was getting the food ready a smoky image of the tiger entered the house it had a spear through it longways behind it was the smoky image of the man who killed the tiger. the smoky man said to the woman," do not make that for you son as it's essence which you gave to it will only be eaten by this tiger again. the tiger is your husband whom you poisoned so you could bear your son by the butcher. if you had not of done these things i would not have died." upon hearing these things the constable arrested the old woman.

 

the woman who left the drying food for Zhong Jia was the husband's sister, the son's aunt, who wanted to be free of the curse her sister in law brought upon thier family...