FOR ANYONE WHO MEDITATES

[Polymirize]

for example, i completely agree with the buddhist philosophy of drugs /emotions clouding our sight from the true self, on the other hand, i believe that certain natural substances like the herb, salvia, mushrooms, all can have very beneficial effects on meditation as a whole... after i did mushrooms a couple times, my meditation became much more profound, without any substances, and without attempting actual 'meditation' during the mushroom experience

Perfect, since we all seem to be discussing almost exactly the same thing anyways, let me say this:

I fully agree with you about drugs as beneficial to meditation. Even "sober" meditation gains something from the mind opening they can provide.

The use of drugs clouds our ability to see our true self only as much as we identify that true self with the body in which the chemical changes brought about by drugs take place...

Whether illusion, or altered illusion... still illusion.


ps~ Jedi's rule :thumbsup:

[mightymarijuanabuds]

yes, but i always thought that one of the major points of meditation was cultivation of the mind / body connection, which is dependent on the bodies that we inhabit, regardless of whether or not our current bodies relate to 'true self' at all, part of meditation is becoming one with this shell in which we currently reside... so, in my eyes at least, 'true self' may have nothing to do with our physical body, but it holds an important connection to the body

and its for that reason that i do not think that any substance should be made an integral part of meditation, no matter how much it can aid in the process

ps- thanks :smokin:

[Polymirize]

i do not think that any substance should be made an integral part of meditation, no matter how much it can aid in the process

I agree. I'd say drugs are like a way of checking process rather than a way to progress themselves. But I'm the first to admit that that's merely my interpretation of a different issue rather than whether drugs help/hinder meditation.

And I'm not sure what you mean by cultivate the mind/body connection. I'd certainly say gained awareness of it but, I don't think that's how your using cultivate. clarify?

[mightymarijuanabuds]

well we all have awareness of the mind/body connection on some level

key words.. on some level

some can argue that performing a controlled movement of the body demonstrates awareness of the mind / body connection, and they woudln't be wrong. a mastery of this connection, however, requires much more.

take Qi (chi, ki, prana, life force, whatever you wanna call it), it is unclear whether qi is a part of the body, mind, or a seperate entity on its own. through careful cultivation (or development.. insert synonym here) of that mind / body connection or awareness and control of qi there have been several documented occasions in which martial arts masters have been able to perform incredible acts through the control of qi... for example i have been knocked back on my ass by a sifu who simply flicked me with his index fingers... i have seen a sifu who was able to bring so much qi to the palms of his hand that it was better than any heating pad i have ever felt, it would have been painfully hot if my muscle wasn't already in pain .. .this would be awareness of the mind /body connection on a different level. there are legends of healing masters who could perform miraculous healings through their mastery of qi by using a single acupuncture needle to direct and remove evil qi, without even piercing the skin of the patient. again, another level completely

to put it quite simply and on a much smaller scale, somebody who has a great ability at something requiring concentration and great body control, like slackline or martial arts, is going to be on a different level than somebody who, say, spends most of thier time sitting there watching tv or something as far as the mind/ body connection is concerned

does that make a little more sense?

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

well we all have awareness of the mind/body connection on some level

key words.. on some level

some can argue that performing a controlled movement of the body demonstrates awareness of the mind / body connection, and they woudln't be wrong. a mastery of this connection, however, requires much more.

take Qi (chi, ki, prana, life force, whatever you wanna call it), it is unclear whether qi is a part of the body, mind, or a seperate entity on its own. through careful cultivation (or development.. insert synonym here) of that mind / body connection or awareness and control of qi there have been several documented occasions in which martial arts masters have been able to perform incredible acts through the control of qi... for example i have been knocked back on my ass by a sifu who simply flicked me with his index fingers... i have seen a sifu who was able to bring so much qi to the palms of his hand that it was better than any heating pad i have ever felt, it would have been painfully hot if my muscle wasn't already in pain .. .this would be awareness of the mind /body connection on a different level. there are legends of healing masters who could perform miraculous healings through their mastery of qi by using a single acupuncture needle to direct and remove evil qi, without even piercing the skin of the patient. again, another level completely

to put it quite simply and on a much smaller scale, somebody who has a great ability at something requiring concentration and great body control, like slackline or martial arts, is going to be on a different level than somebody who, say, spends most of thier time sitting there watching tv or something as far as the mind/ body connection is concerned

does that make a little more sense?

i must learn, is there anything you, yourself can give me to go on?

[mightymarijuanabuds]

probably

im not sure i understand what you're asking... can ya be a little more specific SSW?

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

chi/qi/ki/Kundalini.

how to increase my awareness of it, and how to focus the energies.

[mightymarijuanabuds]

take up tai chi/kung fu/ yoga

meditation helps.. moving meditation is better in my opinion.. .breathing exercise.. things like that... you will find like if you are in a mildly stressful yoga pose for a long time and breathing properly you can focus on a point in your body where it is stressful as you breath and sort of 'breath into' that spot, it will make the pose more comfortable. there are several exercises in kung fu / tai chi that involve directing qi to a certain point in the body

it isn't really something that can be explained in a board entry... its a very long learning process.. but here is one of the most simple warm ups from kung fu

stand straight up, feet together, practice proper belly breathing thru the whole exercise... place your hands in front of you, palms facing the ground, thumbs facing you, arms extended... now as you breath in, lift your hands, keeping palms facing the ground, and lower them on the exhale.. .repeat 10x.. switch so your arms are fully extended above you, palms facing the sky, lower on the inhale, extend on the exhale. repeat 10x... then do the same with one hand up and one hand down 10x, switch which is up/down and repeat again... of course any martial arts can only really be experienced with hands on instruction

[Haz]

I love meditation. It's a great way to achieve the "vertical" plane (as Carl Jung likes to put it), but it is also a much more difficult way of achieving that higher state of consciousness. Drugs are essentially the easy way out, but when you do reach that higher state without them through such practices as meditation, the result is that much more rewarding.

And yeah, Polymirize, I agree with you. I've found drugs, namely hallucinogens, to be a way to "check on yourself". If you find yourself caught up in the repetitive loops of society, perhaps drink some cactus tea and travel out to the woods, where you can view your life from an external perspective in order to reprioritize, so to speak. I remember at the end of one shroom trip I came to the conclusion that drugs are not the truth, nor are they necessarily the key to the truth. Rather, they make the path to the truth clearer to see.

By the way, Poly, I am a fellow Santa Cruzian. :rasta:

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

take up tai chi/kung fu/ yoga

meditation helps.. moving meditation is better in my opinion.. .breathing exercise.. things like that... you will find like if you are in a mildly stressful yoga pose for a long time and breathing properly you can focus on a point in your body where it is stressful as you breath and sort of 'breath into' that spot, it will make the pose more comfortable. there are several exercises in kung fu / tai chi that involve directing qi to a certain point in the body

it isn't really something that can be explained in a board entry... its a very long learning process.. but here is one of the most simple warm ups from kung fu

stand straight up, feet together, practice proper belly breathing thru the whole exercise... place your hands in front of you, palms facing the ground, thumbs facing you, arms extended... now as you breath in, lift your hands, keeping palms facing the ground, and lower them on the exhale.. .repeat 10x.. switch so your arms are fully extended above you, palms facing the sky, lower on the inhale, extend on the exhale. repeat 10x... then do the same with one hand up and one hand down 10x, switch which is up/down and repeat again... of course any martial arts can only really be experienced with hands on instruction

hmm... proper belly breating?

and i fail to see the first pose... arms stretched out, im assuming elbows not bent... but i just cant make my thumbs face me while my palms face the ground! lol