How exactly does meditation work?

[Red Faced Buddha]

I've meditated a few times,and only achieve a few minutes of meditation if at all(mainly due to my impatience.)however,most of the time if I succeed,for a few seconds/minutes,the world seems more colorful and I may(if I'm lucky)feel a few seconds of bliss.Why exactly does this happen?

[Indrajala]

Your mind is relaxed and at ease, thus your thought processes are clearer.

[lowlydog]

I've meditated a few times,and only achieve a few minutes of meditation if at all(mainly due to my impatience.)however,most of the time if I succeed,for a few seconds/minutes,the world seems more colorful and I may(if I'm lucky)feel a few seconds of bliss.Why exactly does this happen?

You should find an instructor, there are many different techniques and mixing techniques can lead to much confusion. If we wish to cultivate concentration we use one technique, if we wish to cultivate wisdom we we use another.

The reason you feel bliss(pleasant sensations) is because your thoughts were of a pleasant nature and you are equating this with success, you may also notice when you feel your meditation is not successful you feel unpleasant sensations. This is the old habit pattern of the mind we are to break through meditation. We are always craving pleasant and adverse to unpleasant, and as I stated there are many techniques to overcome this habit.

[Red Faced Buddha]

I've meditated a few times,and only achieve a few minutes of meditation if at all(mainly due to my impatience.)however,most of the time if I succeed,for a few seconds/minutes,the world seems more colorful and I may(if I'm lucky)feel a few seconds of bliss.Why exactly does this happen?

You should find an instructor, there are many different techniques and mixing techniques can lead to much confusion. If we wish to cultivate concentration we use one technique, if we wish to cultivate wisdom we we use another.

The reason you feel bliss(pleasant sensations) is because your thoughts were of a pleasant nature and you are equating this with success, you may also notice when you feel your meditation is not successful you feel unpleasant sensations. This is the old habit pattern of the mind we are to break through meditation. We are always craving pleasant and adverse to unpleasant, and as I stated there are many techniques to overcome this habit.

I don't mix techniques.Just close my eyes and breathe.

[lowlydog]

I was not suggesting that you were mixing techniques, I practice a particular technique and have come to an understanding of how it works, you may be practicing a different technique. Asking for advice on meditation experiences you are bound to get many different opinions and this could lead to confusion. It is best to commit to a particular technique that suits you, and seek out a qualified instructor to guide and answer your questions.

Just sitting and breathing sounds very Zen, where did you learn this technique?

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

Return to what is already there and rest. Repeat forever.

[KeithBC]

A meditation where you feel bliss might be successful or it might not. A meditation where you don't feel bliss might be successful or it might not. Success has nothing to do with feeling bliss. Meditation is about being aware. You might feel like crap, but if you are aware of the process of feeling, then the meditation is successful.

In fact, the key to meditation is to do it regularly, no matter how you feel. In that sense, any meditation that you actually do and put a bit of effort into is successful.

Om mani padme hum
Keith

[floating_abu]

Meditation furthers .

[Jinzang]

If you close your eyes, of course things are going to look brighter and more colorful when you open them again. The feeling of bliss is because your mind is calmer. This feeling is a sign you're on the right track, but don't get too attached, it will come and go. And how good you feel is not a marker for how well your meditation went. I can pretty much guarantee if you keep practicing some days your practice will be really difficult.

[Thus-gone]

You can only know whether your meditation is "successful" or not in the greater context of the technique itself and the student-teacher relationship. In some contexts, bliss is considered an obstruction to successful meditation. In other contexts, it's encouraged and sometimes even necessary.

If you're doing breath following, for another example, your feelings of bliss could be considered a crucial step in the right direction; but if you don't have a spiritual friend to guide you, breath-following itself could become an obstruction in the greater context of the path.