Meditate with Che on SRI- Journal

[Che Guebuddha]

Hallo friends,

In a case some of you have difficult times starting to meditate, please feel free to join me here in this tread where you can start to Journal your every day meditation process.
Like this we can stay in touch and give each other support to continue with the practice and even suggest corrections.

Here I wrote something about the meditation for beginners;
http://www.sharereiki.org/sriforum/index.php/topic,8980.0.html

Here is a very good article describing the basics of meditation (NOTE; this pdf. is written by Buddhists and one can ignore the Buddhism parts in it and focus only on the meditation parts - your choice of course)
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/chanmed1.pdf

For this particular thread I was thinking to ask you to join me for a practice called Ki-breathing and it goes like this;
http://ki-aikido.net/KASHIWAYA/Excerpts.html#HowToKiBreathing

Love and Light, Rose Quartz

[Che Guebuddha]

Let me start 

I started practicing Ki-breathing just recently and find very helpful in silencing and calming my Mind.

I started by sitting for max 10-15 minutes (I put and alarm) and now I am sitting in Seiza and do Ki-breathing for 20 minutes. I do it only in the morning first thing after the toilet 

My goal is to sit for 30 minutes once in the morning and once just before bed time for best results.

Today I was sitting for 20 minutes and I had no pain in my legs as I used to have when I started to sit in Seiza. This shows me that our body is adaptable.
I did have a few thoughts arising during my breathing meditation, but I am getting better at bringing my Mind back into the One Centre (the lower Tandien, just a few inches under the naval).
Actually today I felt like my Mind enjoyed being sent back into the Hara Centre    it snuggled into the lower tanden like a Clown fish would snuggle into an anemone 

Of course in the beginning of my meditation practice (a few months ago) I could not calm my Mind at all, but that is OK. All I did, I acknowledged it and let go of the thoughts AND PERSISTED IN SITTING IN ONE SPOT FOR 10-15 MINUTES EVERY DAY.
The Mind will calm down very soon (for me it took 2-3 month).

Welcome to the SRI Meditation Dojo 

[Coin]

Hi RQ,

You are very inspiring.
I have skipped my meditation sessions because of a very busy agenda.
Because of your writings I feel so attracted to the silence of a deep meditation I will start it up again.

Thanks!

Love, Johan

[shinto]

Thanks for starting this thread RQ.  I am going to start with the beginners note that had on the link about getting in the right sitting/posture position and then breathe.  Will let you know how it goes.  At the moment 10 mins as a starting time seems like a long time to be thinking nothingness. 

[Che Guebuddha]

 At the moment 10 mins as a starting time seems like a long time to be thinking nothingness. 

Tell me about it    when I first started WOW  my thoughts where speeding around big time like "watch it you might hit someone"    But that is the greatest thing meditation gives us ... awareness of what Is relay happening in side of us and around us. We beggin to realise that all which is real in that very moment is our selves sitting in silence and physically calm and breathing ... as such we beggin to "see" that our thoughts are nothing more but a Mind conditioned by our Ego and our Culture.
Yes 10 minutes can feel very long and I even now sometimes "hear" my Ego telling me to stop meditating and get up and find to do somethin mg more entertaining and fun    but what I do is Acknowledge my Ego's request say Thank You Monkey Ego and I continue sitting in silence bringing back my awareness to my Lower Tanden and focusing on my breathing.

The best time to meditate is when our Ego feels not to    This is the time we will benefit the most from sitting in silence. And just to remind you, try to meditate at the same time and same place every day, since we are creatures of habit and with time we will get more and more confortable to sit for longer in that same spot and time.

Because of your writings I feel so attracted to the silence of a deep meditation I will start it up again.

Thanks!

You are welcome Coin my friend    I was just thinking "why should I sit in Seiza alone and torture my legs when others can join me and do the same"    it makes me feel better 

[Che Guebuddha]

I had another fine experience yesterday while doing Ki-breathing or lets say after I did it for about 15 minutes. The last 5 minutes I simply continued to breath in and out of my nose focusing on my Lower Tanden and suddenly I felt all thoughts disappear and I was "inside" of me ... it felt like I was huge, very tall, enormous, vast and very, very quiet and calm 

This I experienced once before but this time it lasted for a bit longer, very nice experience. I believe this being the glimpse into the Universal.

Today I didn't get that glimpse but rather lots of disturbing thoughts, which was OK I simply acknowledge them and kept breathing for 25 minutes.

Two nights ago for the first time I did the Ki breathing before going to bed for 15 minutes. Maybe that is the reason I experienced the "glimpse" the next morning.
I Will try and start Ki breathing for 15 minutes every night before going to bed. Make it as a habit the same way we brush our teeth every night 

Love to all, RQ

[Che Guebuddha]

Little update!

I had experienced some very depressive feelings for the last two weeks. I felt so down that I stopped meditating, and of course I felt even worse because of that.

Two days ago I stared to do my daily Ki-breathing again and I already feel much much better and calmer. I increased my meditation session to 25 minutes in Seiza. Today i felt again that wonderful and calming feeling of being totaly empty and without thoughts. Feeeling of being inside of me and I felt so tall like the tallest tower on Earth. I felt so small in comparison to my inner body (I can see anything since it is dark but I feel its volume)

I am to remind my self that once we go into meditation one is to reach deep into the unresolved waters of hurt emotions and that they will tend to float up causing us discomfort in a form of aggressive or depressive state (emotional release).

In such case one is to continue with practising meditation. Keep the Ki flowing by Ki-breathing and place your Mind into the Seika Tanden, Universal will do the rest 

I just realised that its been almost one year since my first attunment.


How is your meditation going on?

Lots of Love, RQ

[shinto]

I am stuck.  There is nothing happening on meditation or anything else for that matter. Going to post separately.

[Che Guebuddha]

There is nothing happening on meditation or anything else for that matter.

That is only positive that there is nothing happening in meditation    it is great if you can create a silent mind in the start, congrats!

Or are you expecting something which isn't coming to you?

Expectations are illusions, assumptions, nothing real, or something which was and might never come back again. We are to practice to stay in the Now in the constant reality.

Trying to get back good old feelings is almost as trying to stay hooked up on drugs which gives us the fake feeling of goodness 
If that old feeling of yours was ReiKi than it would probably still exists, but it is gone isn't it?
This teaches you one thing; all what you experienced earlier might only be illusions created by the disturbed ego mind. Our Ego Mind is a very good illusion maker and very ready and fast in creating escapes from reality 
Reiki is not about magic symbols and sacred attunments but about working on one self to become Whole, One with the Universal Ki.

Let go of it and turn your face to the Now. All you must do is focus in the Now to create Plus Ki. Plus Ki will attract and create more Plus Ki , while Minus Ki will attract more Minus Ki.

Reiki is a practice not the energy. Rei Ki is a Spiritually Guided Universal Life Force. Spiritually in Japan doesn't mean we pray to Lord to forgive us, but we get into meditation and contemplation to become aware of all that Is happening inside of us and outside of us.

I have the same problem as you. I also was thought that Reiki is an energy given to me by my Master via sacred attunment just to realise that all that is delusional. No one can attune you to something you are a part of since the beginning of time and probably before.
Reiju is a blessing a spiritual welcome into the practice and means nothing without you actually practising to generate Ki in your everyday life.
It is similar to baptism. I was baptised but never ever practiced that religion. Maybe I would get something out of it if I had practiced it.

Face it, like me you got a master to teach you what is a wrong Reiki teaching. Be grateful for it. Now you can assist others to open their eyes and realise that Reiki is not a magic based on sacred attunments and magical symbols but on self empowering via diligent work (ki breathing, meditation, Gokai contemplation)

Love, RQ

[Che Guebuddha]

I am stuck.  There is nothing happening on meditation or anything else for that matter. Going to post separately.

Hi shinto, are you feeling any better?

I was wondering how did you meditate. It would be good if you would start a new topic as your every day Journal here in Meditation Forum.

When I feel down and hopeless Ki-breathing technique helps me a lot in calming the mind, cleansing my self and raising my vibrations. When ever I need to find a solution I do this kind of breathing (Hado breathing technique based on Misogi).
http://ki-aikido.net/KASHIWAYA/Excerpts.html#HowToKiBreathing

I do Ki-breathing every morning but according to others the best is to do it just before bed time to generate Plus Ki for the next day. I will try to do it both, in the morning and evening.

Reiki is like body building! One has to go to the gym every day for best results, but in this case we are building spirit via unification of Body and Mind into a Whole One 

Take care!

Love, RQ

[Che Guebuddha]

I was sick for a week. I got a very bad flu. So sick I couldn't do my meditation. Any who now I feel a bit better and I am back to practising Ki-breathing again.
During my sickness I became very aggressive and easily agitated, so much I couldn't believe it  As soon I went back to meditating I became more positive and my mind calmed down a bit (a lot).

I feel my mind being more like a previously mad dog which scared everyone around. It was mad because it was without the pack leader, alone and lost, very much insecure. Through the meditation practice I trained my dog (mind) that everything is all right and that I will watch over it while it rests in peace  and guess what? My Mind Dog is now winking with its tail each time we are to start meditating. It sees meditation and Qigong as a reword, a time to totally relax while I watch over it. What a relief for my Mind Dog  and while my dog is a sleep I am flowing with the Universal Ki 

Love, RQ

[shinto]

I have been working or practicing at least - emptying my mind.  I try to imagine i put everything in a box and then push the box out of view.  I am getting good at doing this and am finding I am able to sleep much better.  I do this when i am going to my bed. Clear my mind, lay still and breathe and then fall to sleep.  I am not dreaming as much - because my mind is empty i think, and I am sleeping better. Not moving around as much either - which is good as i am restless usually in the night.

I am also finding i am getting enough rest - empty head means i am not tired when i wake up at stupid o clock in the morning and get up. 

Sorry to read you have been unwell - glad you are back to full strength

[Che Guebuddha]

"No Mind" is the way of the Universal, but don't feel agiatated if your mind steps in. One is not to re-press the mind but to observe it without attaching to it... observe-acknowledge-let go formula :-)

if you can hang loose and not tighten up, you will have the capacity for deep levels of relaxation, the kind that will allow you to slip from "fight or flight" response (sympathetic Nervous Sys.) into "rest and digest" mode(parasympathetic NS). Along with proper breathing techniques and deeply oxygenate your bloodstream, the entire hormonal chemistry of your body switches into deep-healing mode. Your nervous system, the intersection of body and mind, gets freakishly efficient at transmitting information between the two.

We need our mind only in a case of serious danger, and even then if we are well trained in Thai Chi or Aikido for example we embrace the incoming danger rather than fight or flight :-) so the more we practice the less we rely on our mind and rather follow our instinct empowered by insight born out of awareness.

Practice practice practice  the same way Sun comes out every day to shine over us so do we embrace the flow of Universal Ki daily.

Love, RQ

[Che Guebuddha]

Hallo friends  
I was out of the cyber space for a while but nontheless I stayed diligent in my meditation practice to clear my cluttered mind. I was practising Ki-breathing for 30 minutes once a day all the time until one week ago.
I came to the point where I was calm enough but couldn't find the way to control my self in the public/professional life. I would easily loose my cool so to speak  

I realised that Ki-breathing brought me so far and that something else is now to take place. I was looking around and studying different types of insight meditations and I chose Shamatha/Vipassana meditation.
I just started with it week ago so still very new to this, but I can already feel different.

As soon I stopped with Ki-breathing which is kind of a loud breathing with focusing on the lower tanden/Hara and started Shamatha which is simply sitting there silently and being aware of the breathing (whole body breathing) I experienced wild Egotic thought rush. Thought after thought, emotion after emotion   I was actually surprised how much stuff suddenly came out of my mind.

What I  came to realise is that Ki-breathing technique in time became the Ego Mind's play ground, it's lil fabrication, ego's being cool at sitting there in Seiza for 30 minutes "I can do it longer, do you wanna bet    " kind of play.
Don't get me wrong, Ki-breathing is fantastic as a start meditation for delusional people like the one that is not me anymore once was  

Just 6 month ago I wouldn't be able to find the energy to sit still in Shamatha for an hour 2 times a day as I do now after Ki-breathing  calmed my mind enough and by doing it I developed my routine, my daily discipline.

I started with Crystal Healing, then Usui Reiki, then with Qigong and Ki-breathing and now going into Vipassana insight meditation. All this practice made me realise that all these systems/techniques are tools available to us to unify our mind and body to invoke the universal spirit in us and to clear out our culturally fabricated and cluttered mind so to live with a fully opened Compassionate and Kind Heart  

I "know" Usui invested many hours in sitting meditation before he got, not attuned to, but attained the gift he later called Reiki  

Shinto my dear friend how are you feeling now?  

Lots of Love and Reiki too, RQ

[shinto]

HI RQ - you are having some great lessons i think - and learning them too - which is fantastic.

Me - well I'm where i have been for a long time.  Stuck  - but you know what I am trying to not worry about it - yes i am interested and still want to be moving forward, but really its not happening.  I may want to move forward and learn and use reiki in my every day life - but for some reason my head won't let me.  I have kinda given up worrying about it as it just makes matters worse.

So happy doing nothing is how i am :-).

[Che Guebuddha]

It is good to find you in good spirit 

I am not sure about my self learning the lessons. All that lessons learning is very much cluttered in my ego fabricated games.
I am practising Vipassana now for only a week and let me tell you, I am in a kind of panic after seeing the tall walls of thoguhts sourounding my mind and keeping me away from the world as it Is. Thought after thought draging me around and me in the middle of that mess trying to recognise each one of them.

Today I feel rather afraid to sit down in meditation and be mindful. I feel grat respect for all people who are sitting and practising insigh/mindfulness meditation. It is not easy. It is hard work, very hard work. I was not aware how far away from the natural I realy am.
 Even my cats are more stable and relaxed than I am. While I watch the TV my cats sit in one spot and with half openned eyes they sit in meditation, in a state of no mind. How come they do not need all those distraction and I crave for them.

Maybe I am taking it too hard. I started meditating 1 hour 2 x a day of insight meditation from doing only 25 minutes daily of Ki-breathing (simple and straight forward).

I will try and cut back on the sitting lenght rather than get discouraged and quit totaly which is just a plain ignorance scenario.

Love, RQ

[shinto]

I would imagine that it is difficult when you are starting with so much time.  It is difficult to stop and just be for a minute let alone 1 hour twice a day.  Maybe it would be a good plan to start small and build up to the time that you want to do. You wouldn't start a marathon tomorrow with no build up of training 

[Che Guebuddha]

Hi shinto 

Maybe it would be a good plan to start small and build up to the time that you want to do.

Yes you are TOTALY RIGHT in stating this  I did start too hard like 1 hour meditation is going to cleanse my egotic mind just like that  foolish of me.
I went back to sitting for only 15 minutes and it kind of calmed down my panicing ego (my ego was OK with 15 minutes of doing nothing by being aware of breathing and relaxing the body). Now I sit from 15 to 35 minutes or as much as a can not forcing anything.

I have noticed that since I started Shamatha (and still practicing Qigong in the morning) I can feel strong throbbing energy sensations from my palms especially if i bring my awareness to them. Also during my sitting I feel like something is vibrating under my scalp (pleasant).

I will not channel Reiki for now until I attain the One-pointed Mind (Centred Mind) through Shamatha meditation. I used Reiki to help the sick animals at work to no avail and then when I stopped to channel it and gave up the animals became better.  I came to realise that Reiki can be channeled Mindfully and Egoistically. Folk can say that nothing can effect Reiki session but I kind of feel differently about it, and by the way why would I wish to channel such Divine energy while blinded by my ego self    Reiki is an Intent driven energy and the Intent is driven by our Mind (the question is Mindful or Egotic mind, the choice is ours).

We hear many times how folk state that one is to let go of everything while channeling Reiki, to go with the flow, like it is the easiest task to silence our fabricated ego mind to do so. Bringing compassion into one's practice is not that easy as one whishes    I believe that Reiki can be VERY effective if channeled by a compassioante one pointed mind which does not cling to anything. To achive such state one is to sit alot and observe it's ego-self die 


Love to all, RQ

[Che Guebuddha]

A little update 

I have been meditating daily ...    ... for about a year now. Out of that I practiced daily calm-abiding Shamatha since March 2010.

I calmed down a lot and gained an enormous insight into who the I realy is and where from all that troubled I springs from.

Just for testing what such meditation means I stopped meditating for approx a week (last week) and soon after I felt my angry self coming out of the shadow into the light of reality. I started feeling uneasy, agitated, being rude to my customers, rude towards my wife I even made her cry last night ...
This experience made me realise that calm-abiding was doing something fabulous for my life and for the people my life effects. It was not something which was creating some sort of a new me but a proccess which was more like daily food and water intake, daily sleeping, breathing, something which Is actualy to be lived through, a part of my daily life. It is of great importance for attend one self on daily bases and calm it down, become aware of how it Is without fabricating a thing, just let be and observe. Once the body calms the ego cluttered mind will calm too.

This little experiment shows ACTUALY how things realy are. No bu.l sh.t here. Test for your self and see as it is.
As soon I calm down the more energy i feel throughout my body and the palms.


Friendly 

[Naropa]

Many times when we calm down, we become aware of what is already there.

Glad your still meditating.

Naropa