The Mind … and the Mind …
Following is a particularly curly question about something which always seems to become an issue in meditation, however briefly: “Hi, Sometimes while I’m meditating it feels like I’m using my mind to try… Continue reading
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Pain is Only a Problem if it’s a Problem.
In my last post, ‘Hurt’s So Good’, Leena asked a good question which I thought was worth another post: She asked: “Life is Pain, Highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling you… Continue reading
Hurts So Good!!
QUESTION: Though the Practical Meditation Audio Course has an MP3 dealing specifically with pain, I’ve received a couple of questions to do with chronic pain, in which, generally speaking people are unsure of… Continue reading
Forget Enlightenment … It’s Already Here.
Every so often I get asked about enlightenment, or nibbana, or nirvana – which Wikipedia describes as: “… a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of… Continue reading
Tightness in the Breath
QUESTION: “Hi Roger … I’ve been having problems with meditation, in particular, watching the breath, for many many years and am at a loss to figure out what is wrong, and it’s only… Continue reading
Thought Storms
QUESTION: “Hey Roger, just on the thought storms you mentioned last week, do I have to be meditating for them to arise? Because over the last couple of weeks while I haven’t been… Continue reading
The Problem of Other People
Sartre once said in a play he wrote, “Hell is other people.” and indeed, when it comes to meditation, hell can sometimes be other people, particularly when they don’t understand what you’re doing,… Continue reading
The Wavelike Nature of Progress in Meditation
There seems to be a pattern to some people’s relationship with meditation, and it goes a bit like this: 1. Enthused by the novelty of it all, they go at it like a… Continue reading
Between the Thoughts
I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people complaining about how they cannot stop thinking in meditation. They have the view that in some way, meditation should be helping them to stop… Continue reading
Mind Your Own Business
Question: ” … I understand the importance of meditation because when I do it, I can feel my body relaxing and my mind unwinding. But mindfulness escapes me. So could you possibly put… Continue reading
Using Mental Noting
Question: “In the early stages of the meditation, I find there’s a lot of things happening at the same time – especially Thinking, Hearing and Rising or Falling of the breath. And I… Continue reading
Accept the Struggle
Most people struggle with meditation, either with the posture or with an attention that just won’t sit still – not to mention the skeins of thinking that just won’t let you alone. It’s… Continue reading
Free download of Acharn Chah’s Teachings
Though I never had the opportunity to practice with Acharn Chah, I wish I had, because his understanding of meditation, and the tricky mental obstacle course it can be when we practice it,… Continue reading
Meditation is not the Destination
The skill of meditating is not for its own sake. We are not meditating to be excellent meditators. We’re meditating to have excellent lives. Meditation’s just a method, a tool after all –… Continue reading
Stillness – Keep it Simple
One thing that keeps coming through the emails I’m getting about the audio course is, people are turning meditation into hard work. They’re thinking too much about it and trying too hard to… Continue reading
Sensations Are Everything in Meditation
In meditation, sensations are everything, and everything should be contemplated as sensations – nameless, characterless and constantly changing. Sensations are life. Life is sensations. Everything else are the illusions we build out of… Continue reading
The Main Game of Meditation
In a culture like ours, which values excitement and novelty above most other things, a lot of people come to meditation looking for exactly that – the novelty, the new, the wow factor.… Continue reading
Essential Reading for Meditation
I found this extraordinary resource in my wanderings on the net. It’s called Dhamma Talks.net and all of the greatest teachers of Mindfulness meditation are here … what they wrote, what they said… Continue reading
The Difference between Samatha and Vipassana Meditation Methods
Audio Course Participant’s Question: “I’ve been looking for information about Vipassana meditation and I keep noticing another method called Samatha meditation, so I’m wondering what the difference is between them. As far as… Continue reading
How Did I Go From Being in a Band to Being a Meditation Trainer?
Audio Course Participant’s Question: “I am working through the Basic Relaxation lesson and exercise this week..really like the clear instructions…oh and have to ask after reading your bio on your site…how did… Continue reading
The Utter Unimportance of the Meditation ‘Experience’.
Question: “Some of my friends meditate. They do other methods and they keep telling me about all this stuff they experience. They see lights, colours and hear things, and one of them keeps… Continue reading
How do I remember to fit meditation into my day?
Audio Course Participant’s Question: “I can’t seem to fit meditation into my day. It’s only half an hour, and it’s not like I don’t have time, but I just keep forgetting. I try… Continue reading
The Use of Mindfulness/Mental Noting in Life
This audio came out of a talk I had with a friend about mental noting, in which, she mentioned how difficult it was to remember to be mindful, and use mental noting outside… Continue reading