-MEDITATION-

Learning what meditation is about makes for an all the better experience. Look up speeches by Alan Watts or Terence McKenna on meditation. The dao, za zen meditation, etc

>>18506545
Will do! Thanks for the suggestion.

>>18506489
Meditation is all about reaching a state of calmness and awareness. Of understanding your thoughts and emotions.
If you see those who don't meditate as below you, you clearly aren't doing it right.

I do think you're blowing it out of proportion.

I meditate for 30 minutes a day for about a year now and it never affected me like that. I do feel pretty good and calm and all that after a session and I do think I'm more calm and focused overall than I was before starting doing it, but I never felt like it was as rewarding and calming as you make it sound - especially considering it's only after one session in your case.

Meditation has been studied a lot lately and it has been proven to improve your mental state A LOT. But after a long time of practice. Subjects who meditate daily for years (5-10+) have shown increased activity in some regions of the brain associated with positive feelings and mental abilities. In a short term (a few months or weeks) it shows very little actual result. Some people report some fantastic changes after only a few sessions and it's mostly a placebo effect and excitement about the practice. That's great and all, but it's also a trap of sorts. If you only see it as some kind of instant gratification technique you may start to get bored with it and dismiss it later, when the novelty and excitement passes. Kind of like working out, it will take a long time before it shows real results. You can't go to the gym and expect to squat 4 plates after one session, no matter how pumped you may feel. In fact I'd say meditation takes longer to show real results than working out. It's a great practice, but try not to overhype it or you might get burned out.

I don't know about that book, but from the title alone it sounds like the kind of book that will promise you the moon and stars if you meditate. I'm just making a wild guess here, but nonetheless you should try to diversify your sources of information. I suggest you also read "10% Happier" by Dan Harris and "Happiness" by Matthieu Ricard. First one is just the experience a journalist had with meditation as a "nonbeliever" and it's a very interesting read.

(cont)

>>18506609
The second one is the best piece of literature I have read on Buddhism and meditation, it's written by a biologist who turned Buddhist monk and explains both the spiritual and the scientific perspectives of this practice.

>They say it's almost a us vs them thing now. They look at people that don't meditate as impulsive creatures
Sounds like they missed the lesson about ego ey? In all honesty it sounds like these people are only telling themselves what they want to hear (and if I'm right it would mean that, ironically, they're not very aware at all). Unless they meditated for a very long time it's really unlikely that they can manage to be fully aware at all times. In fact, some "experts" claim that being fully aware is actually impossible. Becoming aware is like peeling the layers of an onion, not like opening a box. You will become more aware during your practices, but you will always realize that there's one layer of awareness you haven't yet reached. Maybe reaching that point is possible, maybe that's what it means to be enlightened. But at this point I can only speculate.

There's a lot to be said on this subject, if you're interested read the book by Matthieu Ricard. You should also read anything Allan Watts said or/and listen to his lectures, as anon pointed out. He's one of the most interesting and "complete" philosophers out there. I don't think he directly approaches the practice of meditation, but his thesis is incredibly interesting and thought provoking. As a side not you could also read "You are not so smart" and "You are not so dumb. Take them with a grain of salt, these books jump to some premature conclusions a few times, but they're great for giving you an idea about how your brain works. Also very entertaining.

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>>18506615
Hey, thanks for your detailed response - you are right about the placebo effect. I did sense myself being much calmer regardless.
In reference to the book I posted I really encourage you to read it - it is a guide that builds meditation from the ground up, a true expert that breaks it down to a easy understand College level without the pointless excessive jargon. Some get stuck at levels and never advance further, it is possible you are stuck at a change and through the steps listed in the books you can further advance.

He states many people don't fully utilize the potential of meditation and stay at certain levels. Maybe go on the Amazon page and see what you think?

I'll give those books you posted a shot as well.

>>18506607
Theres no right and wrong.