All Discussions Tagged 'meditation' - Zoobird2024-03-28T21:41:11Zhttps://www.zoobird.com/group/zoobirdmindbodyandspirit/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=meditation&feed=yes&xn_auth=noBringing the Mind Hometag:www.zoobird.com,2012-10-10:2129360:Topic:505272012-10-10T17:33:44.132ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original" width="535"></img></a> I was told that the chapter on Training the Mind in Sogyal Rinpoche's "Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" was a great intro to meditation. The nice thing is that you can read a lot of it on the web <a href="Here%20is%20a%20good%20intro%20to%20meditation:%20http://books.google.com/books?id=MZraHAAgGb4C&pg=PA57&lpg=PP1&" target="_blank">here</a> at Google Books.…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310080567?profile=original" width="535"/></a>I was told that the chapter on Training the Mind in Sogyal Rinpoche's "Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" was a great intro to meditation. The nice thing is that you can read a lot of it on the web <a href="Here%20is%20a%20good%20intro%20to%20meditation:%20http://books.google.com/books?id=MZraHAAgGb4C&pg=PA57&lpg=PP1&" target="_blank">here</a> at Google Books. Enjoy!</p> Hanh's Tangerinestag:www.zoobird.com,2012-01-21:2129360:Topic:476032012-01-21T01:47:22.513ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310078940?profile=original" width="345"></img></a> Elephant Journal has provided us with a<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">link</a> to a wonderful talk by…</p>
<p><a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310078940?profile=original" width="345" class="align-full"/></a>Elephant Journal has provided us with a<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/sponsored-giveaway-betterlisten-thich-nhat-hanh/?utm_source=Elephant+Journal+News&utm_campaign=January+18%2C+2012&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">link</a> to a wonderful talk by Thich Nhat Hahn. I listened to part 1 tonight. I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday night. I believe you'll find Hanh's talk relaxing and thought provoking. Then, let me know about the tangerine!</p> Wherever You Go There You Are {Book Review}tag:www.zoobird.com,2011-06-05:2129360:Topic:374592011-06-05T19:21:13.609ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p><img alt="Wherever You Go There You Are" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-174921" height="216" src="http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Screen-shot-2011-06-05-at-10.56.06-AM.png" width="148"></img></p>
<h2>Wherever You Go There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn is a good book explaining one man’s view of meditation…</h2>
<p>{Note: this article was originally published <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/wherever-you-go-there-you-are/" target="_blank">here</a> on Elephant Journal}</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span id="more-174920"> </span>Meditation can be as simple as you like. Basically, we know meditation is all about clearing our mind for a time. It’s hard to not think about…</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-174921" src="http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Screen-shot-2011-06-05-at-10.56.06-AM.png" alt="Wherever You Go There You Are" width="148" height="216"/></p>
<h2>Wherever You Go There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn is a good book explaining one man’s view of meditation…</h2>
<p>{Note: this article was originally published <a target="_blank" href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/wherever-you-go-there-you-are/">here</a> on Elephant Journal}</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span id="more-174920"> </span>Meditation can be as simple as you like. Basically, we know meditation is all about clearing our mind for a time. It’s hard to not think about anything. So, we search for some guidance. Zinn’s book “Wherever You Go There You Are” satisfies me as a well-written, knowledgable guide to understanding and practicing by a degreed MD practitioner who happens to be a clear thinker and writer, too.</p>
<p>The book is divided into three sections: “The Bloom of the Present Moment”, “The Heart of Practice”, and “In the Spirit of Mindfulness”. “The Bloom of the Present Moment” is Zinn’s explanation of meditation and some background. “The Heart of Practice” talks about how to meditate. “In the Spirit of Mindfulness” goes deeper in its exploration of what meditation is and its uses.</p>
<p>Zinn is an excellent writer. He uses simple words, concise statements and stays on point. Each chapter is a couple of pages. This is a book that takes the average reader about five hours to read. Zinn is a practitioner. He works in a clinic devoted to psychological issues. He’s writing from a perspective of years of experience.</p>
<p>Zinn includes quotes and reflections from students and timeless thinkers, both contemporary and ancient. For example, “New Yorker cartoon: Two Zen Monks in robes and shaved heads, one young, one old, sitting side by side cross-legged on the floor. The younger one is looking somewhat quizzically at the older one, who is turned toward him and saying ‘Nothing happens next. This is it’ ”</p>
<p>Another example is from Wu-men: “If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, This is the best season of your life.”</p>
<p>Very often, Zinn’s chapters end with a “Try” section, which are little exercises that help you understand his points by doing something. For example “Try: Staying with one full inbreath as it comes in, one full outbreath as it goes out, keeping your mind free for just this moment, just this breath. Abandon all ideas of getting somewhere or having anything happen. Just keep returning to the breath when the mind wanders, stringing moments of mindfulness together, breath by breath. Try it every once in a while while you read this book.”</p>
<p>Here’s another example of a quote. This one’s from Kabir, one of Zinn’s favorites. “Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God? He is the breath inside the breath.”</p>
<p>Zinn loves Thoreau and “Walden”. There are probably more quotes from Thoreau’s “Walden” than any other.</p>
<p>Here’s a statement Zinn quotes from Chuang Tzu that particularly aids understanding:</p>
<p>Prince Wen Hui’s cook</p>
<p>Was cutting up an ox.</p>
<p>Out went a hand,</p>
<p>Down went a shoulder,</p>
<p>He planted a foot,</p>
<p>He pressed a knee,</p>
<p>The ox fell apart</p>
<p>With a whisper,</p>
<p>The bright cleaver murmured</p>
<p>Like a gentle wind.</p>
<p>Rhythm! Timing!</p>
<p>Like a sacred dance,</p>
<p>Like “The Mulberry Grove,”</p>
<p>Like ancient harmonies!</p>
<p>“Good work!” the Prince exclaimed,</p>
<p>“Your method is faultless!”</p>
<p>“Method?” said the cook</p>
<p>Laying down his cleaver,</p>
<p>“What I follow is Tao</p>
<p>Beyond all methods!</p>
<p>“When I first began</p>
<p>To cut up oxen</p>
<p>I would see before me</p>
<p>The whole ox</p>
<p>All in one mass.</p>
<p>After three years</p>
<p>I no longer saw this mass</p>
<p>I saw distinctions.<br/>“But all I see now is nothing</p>
<p>With the eye.</p>
<p>My whole being</p>
<p>Apprehends.</p>
<p>My senses are idle. The spirit</p>
<p>Free to work without plan</p>
<p>Follows its own instinct</p>
<p>Guided by a natural line,</p>
<p>By the secret opening, the hidden space,</p>
<p>My own cleaver finds its own way.</p>
<p>I cut through no joint, chop no bone.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>“There are spaces in the joints;</p>
<p>The blade is thin and keen:</p>
<p>When this thinness</p>
<p>Finds that space</p>
<p>There is all the room you need!</p>
<p>It goes like a breeze!</p>
<p>Hence I have this cleaver nineteen years</p>
<p>As if newly sharpened!</p>
<p>“True, there are sometimes</p>
<p>Tough joints. I feel them coming,</p>
<p>I slow down, I watch closely,</p>
<p>Hold back, barely move the blade,</p>
<p>And whump! the part falls away</p>
<p>Landing like a clod of earth,<br/>“Then I withdraw the blade,</p>
<p>I stand still</p>
<p>And let the joy of the work</p>
<p>Sink in.</p>
<p>I clean the blade</p>
<p>And put it away.”</p>
<p>Prince Wen Hui said,</p>
<p>“This is it! My cook has shown me</p>
<p>How I ought to live</p>
<p>My own life!”</p>
<p><em>Chuang Tzu</em></p>
<p><em><br/></em></p>
<p>You can read Zinn’s writing and then look up the writers he quotes. That opens more doors.</p>
<p>Another part of the book that answers a common question discusses how long to meditate. “Q: Dr. Kabat-Zinn, how long should I meditate? A: How should I know?” Kabat discusses the concept of time and offers suggestions, basically that he has his patients meditate for 45 minutes at a time. He realizes that clinical settings and “in-patients” have different needs than people in everyday life. He takes into account that your surroundings may make it hard to sit 45 minutes. He suggests just trying to meditate, perhaps 5 minutes.</p>
<p>We have a tendency sometimes to study and not do. Anybody can try meditation for 5 minutes. And, anybody reading Zinn’s book can get in a few good attempts while reading it.</p>
<p>I did, and my whole concept of meditation changed as a result.</p>
<p>Very often, a book leaves you craving more. This one did it for me. I’ve already gone back and reread a lot of it several times. In fact, I went so far as to take it back to the library and instead, changed my mind and renewed it. I loved it. Hope you do, too.</p>
<p>If you have a sec, I’d love to hear anything you have to say about meditation. Have you read Zinn’s “Wherever You Go There You Are”? Did you like it? What did you learn from it? Were there things he said that you agreed with, not knowing before? Were there things in the book you disagreed with? Do you have anything to add? Were you a practitioner of meditation before you read Zinn’s book? Did it open new doors for you? Have you read any of the writers Zinn quotes? Did they have a particular impact on you and your practice? Do you know of writers that are similar to the ancient ones Zinn quotes, like Kabir, that we’d enjoy? Have you read anything else by Zinn? Have you read Zinn’s “Full Catastrophe Living”? If so, what did you think about it? Anything you have to add would be most appreciated. All the best to you! /m</p> Meditation and Trungpatag:www.zoobird.com,2010-02-03:2129360:Topic:230832010-02-03T03:20:52.160ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079232?profile=original"></img></p>
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I just got a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570622027?ie=UTF8&tag=michaelevinsb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1570622027">Meditation in Action</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=michaelevinsb-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1570622027" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1"></img> , by Chogyam Trungpa. I like it a lot. I then read his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chogyam_Trungpa" target="_blank">bio on Wikipedia</a>. Man, it tore him to shreds. On the one hand, he's credited with bringing…
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2310079232?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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I just got a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570622027?ie=UTF8&tag=michaelevinsb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1570622027">Meditation in Action</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=michaelevinsb-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1570622027" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"/>, by Chogyam Trungpa. I like it a lot. I then read his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chogyam_Trungpa" target="_blank">bio on Wikipedia</a>. Man, it tore him to shreds. On the one hand, he's credited with bringing Buddhism into mainstream USA. On the other hand, he is described as not such a great guy. But, his work and writing stands on its own merit, regardless of his personal habits. Interesting reading. I like it, but almost wish I didn't know what I learned in the Wikipedia article. Thoughts?<br/>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chogyam_Trungpa">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chogyam_Trungpa</a><br/>
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Chogyam Trungpa left us with a phenomenal body of work, both written and institutional. I guess I'm not surprised that his human foibles were such a focus in the Wikipedia article. People have a tendency to focus on drama, and it's lively reading. Trungpa's "Meditation in Action", however, is drama free. I discovered crystal clear descriptions of feelings I've experienced but never recognized or understood. For example, Trungpa talks about the excitement one feels when traveling to a new place. I feel that euphoria frequently. In fact, for me travel is such a high, I would place it highest on my list of personal pleasures. Trungpa talks about letting the mind settle, especially after an exciting event like arriving in a new, fascinating place. It's also fair to say that the mind becomes unsettled for a variety of reasons, from the range of situations spanning stress to elation. That's one reason meditatrion, according to Trungpa, is so useful. Meditation helps settle the mind. The calm, uncluttered mind is able to focus. It's relaxed and receptive to new ideas. Solutions come more easily.<br/><br/>I'm not finished reading Trungpa's "Meditation in Action", but his examples are clear to me and illuminate the concepts he's trying to get across. So far, so good! <span style="font-style: italic;">Stay tuned...</span> Zen, Tai Chi, What's Your Pleasure?tag:www.zoobird.com,2008-06-02:2129360:Topic:1502008-06-02T17:49:07.636ZMichael Levinhttps://www.zoobird.com/profile/MichaelLevin
Personally, yoga and meditation are my entre into the spiritual world. I plan to learn more about Tai Chi and keep reading works by masters like Lao Tzu on Zen. What are your thoughts? What works for you? Do you have particularly enchanting quotes or messages to share?
Personally, yoga and meditation are my entre into the spiritual world. I plan to learn more about Tai Chi and keep reading works by masters like Lao Tzu on Zen. What are your thoughts? What works for you? Do you have particularly enchanting quotes or messages to share?