Zen anyone ?

[kotegashiNeo]

Just wondering if anyone here meditates regularly, zazen or anything else? And if you feel it helps your martial trainning.

[sdargie]

I've been reading a few books on it and while it hasn't affected my techniques, it has improved the application of those techniques.

[jnpnshr411]

I have a question.....How exactly do you meditate? what are you supposed to think about? What is the proper form of sitting and breathing? (actually it turned out to be a few questions)

[sdargie]

When I "meditate" I just consider it a time to quietly rehash techniques in mind, fight against myself in slow motion, think about things that are bothering me or ways to improve things I am happy with...

Basically, I shut out the world and take stock on how I'm doing physically and mentally for a little while, usally on the T to and from school and work.

One of my roommates is a practicing Buddhist and far more elaborate routines than I do but I can't pretend to say what he uses the time for.

[jnpnshr411]

Oh I do think about things like that alot of times when im bored just sitting and about to go sleep. I misunderstood meditate for the TV type "oummmm" type of thing

[sdargie]

Well, you understood correctly. Some forms of meditation use an open or "natural" syllable or a candle flame or some point on the wall to focus on. The point being that once they focus completely on on thing, there are no distractions left to get in the way of total awareness of (insert appropriate goal based on religion, philosophy, etc).

[mancheeCKD]

read some more guys.

1) medatation wont effect you at all for at least a year, more like two , and that from meditating every day. (however it will help you relax and de stress)

2) there are 100s of ways of meditating (and none of them help your spelling), but here is how to start in my unproffecional opinion::

sit down cross legged in a quiet place, outside or in an open room with windows open. keep your back perectly straight, and head up.

Close your eyes and breeth in, breath out slowly but deeply so your stomach comes right out.

in your head say 'breath in, breath out' slowly.

(breath in and out via your nose)

feel the air come in your nostrals, down your windpipe and fell your lungs expanding to the max, and feel the air come out again, feel the oxigen going into your blood (oxigen purifies the blood).

what you have to do is concentrate on your breathing, any thoughts that come into your head, gently push them to one side, (dont get frustrated when you think about stuff that happened that day, or what your doing tomorrow, just concentrate on the breathing again, its hard, but keep doing it for a better you) after doing this every night for a long while, you can do this without any thoughts going into your head for 1 hour.

this is stage one complete. at this stage your legs will also me much more flexible from sitting crossed legged, you will be able to apply this medatation to all aspects of your life to conentarte on one thing, ie. your opponenet.

from here you can start to learn to control your mind and body....

there are many benifits from doing this. we all should

from there you can do it with your eyes open and conentrate on one thing, eg a plant. maybe one you planted as a seed and watch it grow each day.

once you can watch the plant for ages without thining of something else or gettign distrated by sound or movement, close your eyes and picture it in your head, you should be able to at this point see it like your eyes were open, if your loose sight open your eyes to see it agian....

its goes on and on, untill you get enlightened.

[sdargie]

That's a very valid way of approaching meditation but one should keep in mind that like any martial or cultural art, meditation is just a vehicle to enlightenment and as such consists of hundreds if not thousands of little enlightenments along the way.

Don't be discouraged if don't you feel a massive switch go *click*. Everytime you feel a light go off in training or in a conversation with someone or reading something, you've become enlightened. The trick is to discard it as though you've always know it and keep learning and searching for the next breakthrough.

[Muaythaiboxer]

as a buddhist i meditate every day and on holidays that is what i devote my self to and as to the post saying meditation wont help you for at lest a year i most highly disagree even the first time you meditate you are helping your self and clearing your mind.

as to the way to properly meditate in the zen buddhist way you semply try to clear your mind of all thoughts by consentrating on your breathing with the intent of forceing out all negitive ideas or actions.

how ever there are other forms of buddhist meditation such as repeating a sutra or saying the name of the buddhas.

AMITABHA

[Menjo]

I do it lightly to calm myself down or if I cant think very clearly.