Answering the #1 question
WOW!
So, I send out an email and ask “What’s the biggest challenge you have with meditation?”
HUNDREDS of readers replied (I was stunned) and, by far, the #1 answer has been:
I can’t find the time to meditate enough
There were some variations, like “I forget…” or “I get too busy…” or “I’m a working, single mom and…” But the bottom line is that the time issue is a biggie.
And, I totally understand. When I began meditating, I was told that if I didn’t do 2 hours a day, I wouldn’t get any real benefits. I know other lineages say 20 minutes, twice a day, but even that can be difficult.
At one point I tried the tapes that claim, “You just listen to the recording and it does all the work for you.” That was enticing, but the tapes lasted 30-60 minutes, too. And some of them wanted you to listen in your sleep (I tried it and woke up in a tangle of headphone cord that Houdini would have struggled with).
You know, as I’m writing this I’m remembering that the worst part about the “time issue” was how guilty I felt for not finding/making/having the time. And, ironically, one of the reasons I stopped meditating was that I didn’t like feeling guilty for not meditating!
When I started discovering the unusual practices that are in the Instant Advanced Meditation Course, I was really surprised to see how quickly they worked. Often, after only a few minutes, I was in a state that took 45-60 minutes to get to using my previous technique.
But more importantly, I didn’t need to set aside time to do them, because I found myself naturally doing them throughout the day. At first, it was just during “down time,” like while I was waiting for something, or on hold on the phone, or while taking a walk. But then I found that I could do them WHILE I was doing other things — writing, talking, eating, watching TV. Of course, anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE our hot tub… and I really love doing I AM in the hot tub 
I don’t want to take too much of your time, so I’ll just say this brief thing: The reason that the I AM practices can eliminate the “time issue” is that they don’t work on the same principles as most meditation practices. They use a different way of working with the mind than anything I did for 30 years.
In fact, the specific thing that makes I AM unusual is related to the SECOND biggest challenge people brought up. And, I’ll be writing about that really soon (probably tonight).
Tags: Questions //
Having meditated from 1978 ( I’m many years young ) i find the best time is just as one awakens in the morning, laying in bed, just go into an altered state of consciousness, I min, !0 mins; doesnt matter and just before i go to sleep, the same. if i get a chance in the day , no longer than 1/2 an hr.
This works wonders and achieves the same state of relaxation and personal awareness that sitting longer does
Must confess that a few years of practice has lead up to this, every one can get there in time
one of the simpliest forms of meditation is breathing
another is listening
another is asking/answering a question
in the beginning
it’s something we DO (we set aside “time,” and _____________ (insert name of practice, course, style, technique, way)
then we discover we ARE meditation
Some of the problems with meditation are due to the psychological makeup of the individual. You always find time,if only in 5 minute increments, should you choose. A question a person should ask is” am I using an excuse for not meditating because I find value and self worth in my current circumstance-i.e single mother, tooooo busy, etc”
Another aspect to consider is “will meditating change/fix my current circumstance and do I really want it to or take the chance that it might and thus challenge those things that provide me with self worth and value”.
Meditating provides space, that includes self assessment as to “what do I really want and what am I doing to get that’.
Answer some of these questions and should you find time to meditate, find it of value, you will smile, find joy and mindful peace in or regardless of circumstance.
Stay in the Light. dennis.p.
Personally, I found that the idea we are broken (and that meditation can fix whatever we think proves that idea), is one of the biggest obstacles to being able to meditate, let alone ENJOY meditation.
I have just started to meditate, and i find that i spend a lot of the time in judgement– “am i doing this right? focus on the breath, an object, let the thoughts float by…..yikes!!! I can’t seem to stop the crazy racing mind.
Ah, the “am I doing it right?” thought.
It has a partner that arises after an unusually pleasant experience called, “I’m doing it right… wasn’t I?”
That’s often followed by, “How can I do it right again?” (a thought that can lead to YEARS of effort)
Yes! “Am I doing it right?” I’ve got in my head that you have to get yourself into this zen/budda state in order to achieve any kind of sucess/enlightenment and my mind just races from one unorganized thought to the next…Refreshed! I think not! I’m more stressed after my attempt at meditation then when I started…I watch too many movies and far too much TV…I am not a grasshopper! (maybe I’m dating myself!)
LOL! If you think *that’s* dating yourself, now I can’t get the MAD Magazine SPOOF of Kung Fu out of my head!
“Why do you call me ‘grasshopper’?”
“Because you are small and inquisitive… and when you’re around me, you make me itch!”
A famous Zen teacher said to a friend of mine, “Zen is not about stopping the mind, it’s about being kind to yourself.”
The biggest challenge I have with meditation is looking at the people who meditate and seeing the end results.
The Buddha is considered to have been at the pinnacle, but from what I read he was still somewhat of a mysogynist and was concerned with how long his organization would survice. Either way, the Buddha is too far back in history to make any real observations, so we have to look closer in time.
Look at Yogananda. It’s probably safe to say the guy knew what meditation was and developed keen insight. Then read his book and look at all the preposterous stories he tells and tries to pass off as the truth. Look at his organization and what a shambles it is.
Look at Nithyananda. It’s probably safe to say the guy knows what meditation is and has developed keen insight. Then go to one of his talks and feel sickened to your stomach about the rigmarole and religion his organization is perpetrating around him with his full encouragement and participation.
These are people that I have little doubt have some level of knowledge and understanding of meditation. But did it make them enlightened people or really just deluded people? Is meditation an unworthy practice?
You know what, I never had any trouble with time or dedication when it came to meditation, I never even really thought about it or was particularly concerned about a goal or results, but I walked out of Nithyananda’s talk sad and depressed and left wondering what the real point of meditation was if enlightenment could really only ever be a delusion.
AC,
To say that there is confusion about what meditation *does*, is an understatement at best.
Steven,
Helpful much?
If nobody wants to talk about what meditation does, then I certainly feel comfortable observing those people for myself.
AC,
I think you’ll get a kick out of my post about the Buddha at www.anti-guru.com
Good one, Steven. Did enjoy it.
Meditation in my experience is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. It is necessary for each of us to find our own way. For me the greatest breakthrough after years of practice (variety of techniques) was when a friend commented on how wonderful the meditative state is, yet how it pains him to return to “reality”. From that moment I realized if I cannot bring my experience in to my every moment then perhaps it is worthless. I now take whatever time I can for extended sittings (two kids, two jobs and ongoing study), but focus intently on the short sessions (1-5 mins), when I feel off centre, upset, confused etc, I go to the breathe. This has proven to be the most valuable application of meditation, as it enables me to be the best I can from moment to moment.
Robert,
I totally agree!
If you think “reality” and “meditation” are in opposition, perhaps you haven’t quite “gotten the point.”
Similarly, to hold the idea that some things are “spiritual” and others are “mundane” is confusion in action.
One of the I AM practices — Repairing the Universe — addresses this tendency to separate our experience into ‘things I like” vs. “things I don’t” and the stress caused by the habitual urge to have only “what I like.”
It’s similar to your “short sessions” in that it can be done in a minute or two… and you can do it while walking, moving, talking, working, etc.
Thanks for your input!