justonecondition (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomhigh2013-07-15 11:32 pm
justonecondition) wrote in fandomhigh2013-07-15 11:32 pm
Entry tags:
Introduction to Meditation | Tuesday | Period 1
"Hi, guys," Bruce said from his spot at the front of the room once everyone had arrived. Like last week, it was dimly lit, with cushions scattered throughout the room for students to sit on. There was a table with lemon water and tea toward the back of the room, though the implication seemed to be that that was for afterwards. "Before you sit, please put your bags and anything in your pockets against the wall to the side and make sure your phones are off."
Yeah, this was one of those classes. Sorry, guys.
"Today we're going to try samatha, or mindfulness meditation," Bruce said. "If you've ever seen people meditate in a movie, it was probably this technique. Or an attempt at recreating this technique." He scratched the back of his neck. "It's hard to depict something that's mostly internal and private in a visual medium, but this is... especially visually uncomplicated."
"Samatha is a Buddhist idea that strives for spiritual cultivation, which comes about through clearing your mind and achieving mental stillness, samadhi. It's said that through keeping your mind still in the short term, you open yourself up to take in insight and wisdom, and in the long term, you can become more tranquil and emotionally quiescent. You're not shutting off your mind - I actually encourage you all to continue to think throughout this form of meditation - but the goal is to critically process your own thoughts and put them into perspective, reminding yourself that they don't demand your attention at this precise moment. Be aware of your own distractions and catalog them, but don't allow them to take your focus."
Bruce cleared his throat.
"Some things to keep in mind are to stay awake, or to try your best to. Keep your eyes open. It's - a little difficult to do that, but I'd like you to try." Because learning not to simply space out was one of the hardest parts of learning how to meditate. For Bruce, anyway. "As far as your posture goes, I recommend sitting with your legs crossed and your hands on your thighs, with your back as straight as possible. The goal is to spend most of the meditation session sitting still, but first, take your time to feel out what the most comfortable posture is. Breathe naturally and steadily - if your breath speeds up or slows down, notice that. We'll talk about it afterwards. And use this time to analyze what occupies your mind."
He glanced at his watch. "We'll start with twenty-five minutes today," Bruce decided. "If you need to do a quick lap around the hallway before we start, please do. Otherwise, let's begin."
Yeah, this was one of those classes. Sorry, guys.
"Today we're going to try samatha, or mindfulness meditation," Bruce said. "If you've ever seen people meditate in a movie, it was probably this technique. Or an attempt at recreating this technique." He scratched the back of his neck. "It's hard to depict something that's mostly internal and private in a visual medium, but this is... especially visually uncomplicated."
"Samatha is a Buddhist idea that strives for spiritual cultivation, which comes about through clearing your mind and achieving mental stillness, samadhi. It's said that through keeping your mind still in the short term, you open yourself up to take in insight and wisdom, and in the long term, you can become more tranquil and emotionally quiescent. You're not shutting off your mind - I actually encourage you all to continue to think throughout this form of meditation - but the goal is to critically process your own thoughts and put them into perspective, reminding yourself that they don't demand your attention at this precise moment. Be aware of your own distractions and catalog them, but don't allow them to take your focus."
Bruce cleared his throat.
"Some things to keep in mind are to stay awake, or to try your best to. Keep your eyes open. It's - a little difficult to do that, but I'd like you to try." Because learning not to simply space out was one of the hardest parts of learning how to meditate. For Bruce, anyway. "As far as your posture goes, I recommend sitting with your legs crossed and your hands on your thighs, with your back as straight as possible. The goal is to spend most of the meditation session sitting still, but first, take your time to feel out what the most comfortable posture is. Breathe naturally and steadily - if your breath speeds up or slows down, notice that. We'll talk about it afterwards. And use this time to analyze what occupies your mind."
He glanced at his watch. "We'll start with twenty-five minutes today," Bruce decided. "If you need to do a quick lap around the hallway before we start, please do. Otherwise, let's begin."
Re: Discuss
He needed work at the meditation stuff, obviously.
Re: Discuss
Re: Discuss
Re: Discuss
... She rolled her eyes.
Re: Discuss
"That's... a start." Maybe.