Teaching Meditation

If you were to teach a student about Meditation.

What elements or practices would you use? Which meditations would you begin with? How would you instruct them?

Id love to see the different types of meditations the members of this temple use and how they use it.

I use tibetan sound bowl meditation, like the tibetan style more than the zen style.. What you see here is is a old traditional tibetan sound bowl we have in house. Like to see it when the morning sun shines over the edge. Highly used trough zen meditation though, due to my long history with Kobudo and budo marterial arts. Can sit 30+ minutes in Japanese sitting when meditating using the zen style.

I love to use this sound bowl..
let it speak for you, rest shall come..
Not able to empty, but accept and seek empty.
Make the sound bowl empty,
And emptiness shall fill your bowl.

That is what I would say if I would teach..
.. Before questions start they are silent, bowl speaks for them right? :blush:

I do love those Meditation Bowls! Such pretty sounds!

I used to play in a Bell Choir which also made pretty bell / Bowl like sounds when played right.

Sound is a wonderful meditation tool!

I like Choirs, have good memories to.. I use to go listen to choirs every now and then, though for different reasons. Have seen Choirs at all kinds of 'events' and meetings. Churches, open markets, celebrations, castles.. everywhere.. :lol:

1. Sit comfortably in pitch black room
2. Have a red LED of incense stick a few yards away directly in front at about eye level
3. relaxed eyes, focus on red dot
4. progressive visualization of relaxing body outer to inner (use local tense and relax if it helps) achieve effect
5. feel heavy body as relaxation settles in, maintain visual focus
6. notice natural breath rhythm & gently/softly hum on out-breath, continue this with visual focus
7. imagine the red dot a circular sheet of liquid (like the stargate in the TV show/movie)
8. imagine the standing red 'pool' to oscillate when you hum on the out breath
9. slowly progressively reduce the volume of your hum in such a way that each time you also reduce the imagined oscillation of the 'pool'
10. reverse the procedure without rushing to wake up.

Light does not have to be red, but red seems soft on the eyes (and we're used to it if you think about shutting your eyes in outside there is a red glow of the blood in the eyelids). The eyes are quite sensitive to green, and white is a bit harsh.

If your mind wanders, back up a couple of steps and try again. It's not to be considered failure to run into interruptions, but rather part of the actual purpose of the meditation to exercise relating to yourself - as you are.

Advanced steps that can be added are to journey into the pool as a womb, or to imagine variations in the color spectrum as the pool surface moves towards or away in red and blue shifts.

there are many ways to meditate basically all are primarily the same. What will change will be the form of concentration.
Today I'm studying new ways. The one I'm studying teaches that we obdecer two stages. First is the concentration in the present, forget the past and the future. Then we have to be silent attention, here silence that inner voice usually focusing on the breath and then began to meditate. The result has been good, there are still more steps and techniques.
I usually say that Buddhist monks have techniques that they do not teach, techniques that take you deeper and more steadily. This teaching is a monk and really when you can achieve awareness of the present and silent attention, his meditation is much better

Adder wrote: 1. Sit comfortably in pitch black room
2. Have a red LED of incense stick a few yards away directly in front at about eye level
3. relaxed eyes, focus on red dot
4. progressive visualization of relaxing body outer to inner (use local tense and relax if it helps) achieve effect
5. feel heavy body as relaxation settles in, maintain visual focus
6. notice natural breath rhythm & gently/softly hum on out-breath, continue this with visual focus
7. imagine the red dot a circular sheet of liquid (like the stargate in the TV show/movie)
8. imagine the standing red 'pool' to oscillate when you hum on the out breath
9. slowly progressively reduce the volume of your hum in such a way that each time you also reduce the imagined oscillation of the 'pool'
10. reverse the procedure without rushing to wake up.

Light does not have to be red, but red seems soft on the eyes (and we're used to it if you think about shutting your eyes in outside there is a red glow of the blood in the eyelids). The eyes are quite sensitive to green, and white is a bit harsh.

If your mind wanders, back up a couple of steps and try again. It's not to be considered failure to run into interruptions, but rather part of the actual purpose of the meditation to exercise relating to yourself - as you are.

Advanced steps that can be added are to journey into the pool as a womb, or to imagine variations in the color spectrum as the pool surface moves towards or away in red and blue shifts.

Have you tried purple? I've found purple to be a very easy color

Kitsu Tails wrote: Have you tried purple? I've found purple to be a very easy color

I love purple, alas no. My electrical equipment standby lights are all red and incense burns red. Also it can symbolize the womb if one really wants to get freaky and try regression journey's
:blush:
I guess it would be a neat product to make; wear a sensor net on ones head while meditating and have that little glowing dot change colour as ones brain wave's shifted frequency. #meditationbeaconFTW

I pretty much copy Alan Watts with less emphasis on the props...

1. Find a comfortable position that isn't so comfortable you'll fall asleep in.
2. Close your eyes
3. Breathe
4. If stray thoughts come to mind, don't fight them. Let them run their course without engaging them.
5. Continue as desired

After a few attempts of meditation, I'd give some more specific tips based on their experiences.

Adder wrote:

Kitsu Tails wrote: Have you tried purple? I've found purple to be a very easy color

I love purple, alas no. My electrical equipment standby lights are all red and incense burns red. Also it can symbolize the womb if one really wants to get freaky and try regression journey's
:blush:
I guess it would be a neat product to make; wear a sensor net on ones head while meditating and have that little glowing dot change colour as ones brain wave's shifted frequency. #meditationbeaconFTW

I wouldn't be surprised if there was something similar out there. Chakra Meditations those would be called.

You could also use Christmas lights. (I have)

Advanced: Focus on one light bulb, control that focus so that al other lights are 'Non-existant' in that moment.

Basic: Cover all but one bulb up with a heavy rug (Remove Rug after meditation)

Purple has been the easiest on my eyes though....I have really bad eyesight (so close to handicap/blind by american law standards) Nothing glasses or contacts cant fix but as a result Light can be really harsh on them. Red is nice but too bold and gives headaches if focused on too long. Purple is sort of a in between mixture - not to bright, not to bold, not too soft


Jamie Sometimes the basics are the best methods The "Om" is what I never liked unless it's in songs haha