Meditation Archive

The Return to Meditation

November 28, 2007 · Category: Adyashanti, Meditation, Personal

Joshua: i meditated for a long time last night, and then again this morning Joshua: man did that make a difference in my day Joshua: i felt better this morning than i've felt in months Marsh: yeah, i'm changing my life Marsh: more meditation Marsh: that "let everything be as it is" meditation? the most effective use of 20 minutes I've ever come across Joshua: yep Marsh: i can't believe i wasted so many hours watching my breath Joshua: *laughing*

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Jed McKenna, the Howard Roark of Spiritual Enlightenment

April 30, 2007 · Category: Buddhism, Meditation, Mindfulness

At Damian's suggestion, I recently listened to the full audiobook for Jed McKenna's Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing. I enjoyed it tremendously. McKenna is a exceptionally good storyteller. Even better, he is without a doubt the Howard Roark of spiritual enlightenment -- beginning with his persistent (relentless, really) emphasis on honing your own vision and first-hand judgment, rather than relying on others' judgment, about what is true at the deepest level. After many years of shying away from truth-oriented teachings -- because of my acute awareness that identifying with abstractions can get in the way of real growth -- I find McKenna ...

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Albuquerque Adyashanti Group

April 23, 2007 · Category: Adyashanti, Meditation

Lately I've been getting tremendous value out of Adyashanti's teachings, including his True Meditation and Spontaneous Awakening audiobooks. Currently there is no Adyashanti group listed in Albuquerque, so I've decided to start a new group. I have submitted a new listing, which should appear once they update their site. If you live in the greater Albuquerque, New Mexico area (including Rio Rancho, Placitas, Corrales or nearby areas) and are interested in attending, please contact me.

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Concentration Through Letting Go

January 25, 2007 · Category: Adyashanti, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mudita Forum

I just had the following exchange with a Mudita Forum member who had this question about Adyashanti's True Meditation (previously discussed here). Like I mentioned, my main concern was that I was having a hard time understanding how his approach would help me with my goal. I did enjoy reading his work though. I've always wrestled with the concept of greater concentration through letting go. How do you let go and let things just be? Is concentration not a skill? I want to give his CD a go and see what happens. To which ...

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Enjoying Adyashanti’s “Spontaneous Awakening” Lectures

January 9, 2007 · Category: Adyashanti, Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews, Witness Consciousness

I just received my CD of Adyashanti's "True Meditation" by UPS this morning. I'm ripping it to my hard drive to put on my mp3 player. Should be able to post what I think after I return from retreat next week. In the interim, I've been listening to his "Spontaneous Awakening" lectures, which a friend gave me, and I have to say I have enjoyed them very much. Adyashanti is very easy to relate to. I get a sense of genuineness about both his person and his teachings. He speaks the truth, it feels to me. And I like ...

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“True Meditation” by Adyashanti

January 6, 2007 · Category: Adyashanti, Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews, Witness Consciousness

Just received this recommendation from a close friend who shares my interest in Buddhist meditation: Last night, I bought and listened to the first hour of this 3.5 hour program. Then I meditated for 20 minutes according to the instructions therein. Then I went to bed. I ended up spending the entire night lying in bed in a very deep state of witness consciousness, feeling the pulsations of the ego all night long, with the exception of a couple hours of sleep interspersed. And there was at least one moment of disidentification ...

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Buddhist Psychology vs Buddhist Philosophy

August 26, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Meditation

Amod left the following comment in defense of viewing Buddhism as a philosophy, and not just "a set of practices": Indeed, even for the Buddha himself, what meditation did above all was bring him a philosophical understanding of the way that the world works. And I wouldn’t actually say I’m advocating a “traditional” perspective myself. As I said, I don’t have objections to mixing traditions - I do it myself. But I will say that the most important thing I’ve learned from Buddhism is an ethical or psychological claim - that suffering comes in large part from craving - and I didn’t get ...

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Interview with Weezer’s River Cuomo about Vipassana Meditation

August 19, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Meditation, Music

Robert Cuomo -- lead singer for the rock band Weezer, whom I've never heard -- has taken up Vipassana meditation in a serious way. This probably makes him the most high-profile proponent of Vipassana meditation in America. BeliefNet.com interviewed him recently, and the interview contains some interesting bits. For example, I thought he handled this question well: Is Vipassana in some way a turning away from experience? That's a common misconception about meditation. That it's turning away from experience or turning away from really feeling what's going on. And it's really like the opposite of what you're doing. With Vipassana you're taking the time to ...

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What is Mind Identification?

July 15, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle, Meditation, Mindfulness, Objectivism

I just posted the following on the Rebirth of Reason web site, in response to Luke Setzer's negative review of Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now. Luke writes: "[Eckhart Tolle's] thesis that 'mind identification' serves as the source for all strife in the world stands squarely at odds with reason as man's only means of knowing and his method of survival." Actually, this is not true. To explain why, we have to look at what mind identification consists of, and what the alternatives would be in everyday life. First, here's a working definition: 'Mind identification' is an unconscious process by ...

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Meditation and Cognitive Independence

July 3, 2006 · Category: Intellectual, Meditation, Mindfulness, Politics

Will Wilkinson has an interesting post titled "Declaration of Cognitive Independence?" in which he talks about the perils of confirmation bias, the process "whereby we seek and find confirmatory evidence in support of already existing beliefs and ignore or reinterpret disconfirmatory evidence." After pointing out some of the silly (at best) and destructive (at worst) behaviors that can result from confirmation bias, Will ends with the following suggestion: So, this Independence Day, why not pick up a political book you know you’ll disagree with. Or write a short essay giving the best argument you can think of for a ...

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