How to remain still in deep meditative states

Discussion of meditation in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
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flowerbudh
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How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by flowerbudh »

Clearing my head isn't the biggest struggle for me during meditation, staying still is! My legs jump up at every little noise or discomfort. The deeper I go, the more my nerve endings resist... it's like they're screaming, "No! Don't transcend sensory reality." Hehe. Help?
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. - The Buddha
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Qing Tian
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by Qing Tian »

Firstly, the body is never truly still. There is always, always, adjustment for posture.

Secondly, it takes time - often quite a lot of time - to allow your body to relax sufficiently to significantly reduce tension.

Thirdly, concentrating of being relaxed is counterproductive. THe more you concentrate the greater the tension.

Fourthly, there is no point four.

Patience is the key, though it si good that you are aware of the problems.
“Not till your thoughts cease all their branching here and there, not till you abandon all thoughts of seeking for something, not till your mind is motionless as wood or stone, will you be on the right road to the Gate.”
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reddust
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by reddust »

In deep meditation you won't notice all that sense data that triggers all that wiggling and jumping around, because the you that you think about won't be there :tongue: …. To get to that you need to go away from daily life for many days and nights and learn to focus correctly and let go. Seriously we reach deep mediative levels watching TV or a good movie, reading a good book, yeah TV Samadhi :twothumbsup: . We totally forget about everything except what we are focusing on. In Buddhist meditation there is right concentration and you need a good teacher to guide you through the process. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_meditation)
Mind and mental events are concepts, mere postulations within the three realms of samsara Longchenpa .... A link to my Garden, Art and Foodie blog Scratch Living
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avisitor
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by avisitor »

flowerbudh wrote:Clearing my head isn't the biggest struggle for me during meditation, staying still is! My legs jump up at every little noise or discomfort. The deeper I go, the more my nerve endings resist... it's like they're screaming, "No! Don't transcend sensory reality." Hehe. Help?
What is the practice or method of your meditation??
Is it to put your awareness on your breath?
To let thoughts arise and to let them go .. do not suppress, do not chase, ... let them go?
If your mind bubbles up thoughts and you don't identify with them ... you let them go ... correct?
Return your awareness to breath?

Then if your body bubbles up movement ... what should you do??
Don't identify with them and let it go??
Return your awareness to breath??

Does that make sense??? :hi:
Jesse
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by Jesse »

I have had this issue in the past, or at least something similar. As my meditation would deepen, I would experience intense sensations in my body, and found it to continually break my concentration. For me the key was relaxing a bit more, switch to a body scanning technique, or some other relaxation method. (There is one where you imagine a candle on your head, where warm wax drips slowly down your body, as the wax touches each part of your body, that part becomes very relaxed.)

Once your body/mind has calmed, continue with your previous method.

Also know when to take a break, have a cup of tea and then continue, or switch to walking meditation! There is a fine line between concentrating too hard, or too lax. Experience will solve this problem, until then just keep at it.
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Minjeay
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by Minjeay »

flowerbudh wrote:Clearing my head isn't the biggest struggle for me during meditation, staying still is! My legs jump up at every little noise or discomfort. The deeper I go, the more my nerve endings resist... it's like they're screaming, "No! Don't transcend sensory reality." Hehe. Help?
I would consider that maybe what you're thinking of as "clear state" or "clarity" is not really "deep meditation" in the sense of "deep relaxation", but an artificial state in which you try to keep things OUT.
Actually you should just let things flow and don't cling to them.
If you try to reach a state without thoughts, that will always be kind of a forced state, and you will always build up tension this way. Of course, if tension is very high, even small noises or outer events can disturb the whole thing.

Another aspect of body-movements may of course be due to cleansing of your chi channels during relaxation. But if this was the case, you wouldn't have this correlation with external noises, so I don't think that's an aspect that's so important for you at the moment.

Anyway, whether it is due to cleansing effects or due to outer stress: Don't take bodily effects too serious. As meditation is about working with or recognizing MIND and not bodily effects, forgetting your body and not caring about such things might be a way to deal with it. Progressing towards a state of relaxation might be uncomfortable and even be a state you might be unfamiliar with, especially in the beginning, but you really don't need to worry about it.

I'd recommend you to go on with your practice and not forget that you should relax and let things flow ;-)
Goes into the same direction as Jesse's advice, but maybe different words shed another light on things.

By the way, the small ego-"You" can actually not actively transcend anything, so I think that what you're trying to do is to force your thoughts and your body to some state, favouring this semblance-tranquil state above other possible states, and it's no wonder that you encouter resistance this way. Transcending things is nothing you and your thoughts could do .. but is something that happens automatically and naturally by recognizing things as they are out of a state of non-clinging and relaxation.

Hope that helps ;-)

Good luck and all the best with your practice,
Minjeay
dimeo
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by dimeo »

Hi flowerbudh, some people are more 'fidgety' and restless. I often notice this when I look around a room at a meeting. Some people are so naturally inclined to be constantly moving they are identified to suffer from ADHD. Whatever the case, meditation is a great practice!

Sometimes when I meditate my whole body seems to fall into a deep restful state. While other times my legs ache to move and my shoulders or chest seems to feel pain. It'll be what it's going to be. And I'm not sure why it is what it is. But there are things you can try and then observe the results to see if it results in a better experience.

For example: staying hydrated, exercise, stretching, massage, a hot bath, having the right nutrition

Whatever the experience it's temporary. But what's great is through practice day to day and moment to moment you can more easily return to the breath and find that refuge of inner peace.
TaTa
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by TaTa »

flowerbudh wrote:Clearing my head isn't the biggest struggle for me during meditation, staying still is! My legs jump up at every little noise or discomfort. The deeper I go, the more my nerve endings resist... it's like they're screaming, "No! Don't transcend sensory reality." Hehe. Help?

It helped me to dedicate some time to really learn to relax without loosing clarity. Try to emphasis this for a little while. Relaxation should be the basis for then developing stillness and clarity. Relaxing is a skill. Try to detect the usual response of trying to concentrate by tension and replacing it for the habit of concentrating by releasing. release, release, release. Even release the need for stillness, release your judgments to your own meditation and when you get some relaxation without loosing clarity try to enhance the stability and then the clarity. Mindfulness of breathing is specially good for this.
KonchokZoepa
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Re: How to remain still in deep meditative states

Post by KonchokZoepa »

one thing to add to breathing, if you are tense then release on the outbreath, if you need clarity breath it in on the in-breath. but not forcefully and obsessively. relax dont focus on those things, but if youre tense you release it on the outbreath, if you notice that your mind is wandering, bring the attention back on the inbreath.
If the thought of demons
Never rises in your mind,
You need not fear the demon hosts around you.
It is most important to tame your mind within....

In so far as the Ultimate, or the true nature of being is concerned,
there are neither buddhas or demons.
He who frees himself from fear and hope, evil and virtue,
will realize the insubstantial and groundless nature of confusion.
Samsara will then appear as the mahamudra itself….

-Milarepa

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