Thread: The Benefits of Meditation?

Originally Posted by BillHicksFan

Are there many people here who meditate regularly? I've been studying it for a while now and I'm finally going to begin a routine of twenty minutes to begin the day.

1. If you do meditate regularly, what type of meditation do you practise and what motivates you to do so on a regular basis?

2. What do you experience while meditating?

3. What positive influence does it bring into your life and how would you describe the benefits that meditation would have on somebody else who is new to it all.

1. I try to meditate nearly every day from 10 to 45 minutes. I mostly do Zen Mindfulness and occasionally Healing Light.

2. For me, it started to have noticeable benefits after a month or so. Now, a session as short as 10 minutes really re-energizes me. Another thing is that, after I've meditated well, the way I perceive myself changes. It's not easy to explain.

3. It helps to be self-aware, relax, and has health benefits.

My wife also practices a form of Zen mindfulness, and swears by it. She uses the practice to deal with anxiety issues, among other things. The idea of focusing on the moment as opposed to the future or the past is another main idea that she uses in her daily life. It is remarkable how much time we waste focusing on things completely beyond our control.

I haven't watched this yet, but I do own one of his audio books and it's quite good.

For me, it just helps to be more conscious and to control my thoughts. Just 5 minutes of meditation a day.

I do it to free myself from this samsara first, so that I can help others free themselves from it when I gain enough realization. For me it is not about personal enrichment, it is about not wasting this precious human life and to make progress toward permanent freedom.

I meditate all the time like when waiting in a long line I practice the All Aware method where I focus on every little sight(especially peripheral), sound, smell, faint whisp of air across my arm hairs, even try to sense others emotions... That has helped my attention to detail so much. Then I practice Emptiness, being one with the void as I have done since I was 12 years old. I also have an Only Mind form where I focus on whatever my subconscious wants as a creativity exercise....

Whenever you feel like you want to do something, but you don't know what it is...
Have you ever walked around your place, not knowing what to do with yourself?

That's the best time for meditation. It will focus all the tension into an objective.

Holy shit!! Nobody warned me about the vivid and gut wrenching nightmares that are associated with effective meditation.

I'm just ten days in of half hour daily meditation and out of the blue I was hit with an unusually authentic nightmare that was not only as real as real can be but it specifically targeted the personal issues that I have not been able to put to rest for over ten years.

In the dream I had a specific set of tasks to complete which dealt with a number of extremely painful scenarios and although it tore me apart, I succeeded in completing these tasks however when I woke up I was in a state of shock and found it difficult to hold a conversation with anybody without losing my shit.

As this is far from the norm for me to be so shaken I googled "vivid dreams from meditation" and found that there is a heap of information that accurately describes the exact nature of my experience to a tee and why it occured.

-- > Interlude: Meditation of the Week at interluderetreat.com


I was advised by a friend that some people eventually give up meditation as it can become too confronting for them and they would rather not face their demons. I also read about this in other articles but I thought to myself "bring it on, give me your best" but these experiences turned out to be far more disturbing than I could have possibly imagined.

1. Have any of you guys ever experienced this?

2. If so, how long did it last for you?

3. Are there always going to be serious challenges that you cannot predict or do things generally settle down in time after your mind becomes more self-aware?

Advise would be great.

I never have meditated by know people that have and they claim it helps/works.

I'll post the free meditation Thai mediation place in Thailand later - free - no string attached. but very intense.

Originally Posted by BillHicksFan

Holy shit!! Nobody warned me about the vivid and gut wrenching nightmares that are associated with effective meditation.

I'm just ten days in of half hour daily meditation and out of the blue I was hit with an unusually authentic nightmare that was not only as real as real can be but it specifically targeted the personal issues that I have not been able to put to rest for over ten years.

In the dream I had a specific set of tasks to complete which dealt with a number of extremely painful scenarios and although it tore me apart, I succeeded in completing these tasks however when I woke up I was in a state of shock and found it difficult to hold a conversation with anybody without losing my shit.

As this is far from the norm for me to be so shaken I googled "vivid dreams from meditation" and found that there is a heap of information that accurately describes the exact nature of my experience to a tee and why it occured.

-- > Interlude: Meditation of the Week at interluderetreat.com


I was advised by a friend that some people eventually give up meditation as it can become too confronting for them and they would rather not face their demons. I also read about this in other articles but I thought to myself "bring it on, give me your best" but these experiences turned out to be far more disturbing than I could have possibly imagined.

1. Have any of you guys ever experienced this?

2. If so, how long did it last for you?

3. Are there always going to be serious challenges that you cannot predict or do things generally settle down in time after your mind becomes more self-aware?

Advise would be great.

This is perfectly normal. Your mind can suppress a lot, all of which will come bubbling up when you meditate. After all, meditation is, among other things, the art of listening to yourself.

I can be hard to deal with, but will be incredibly beneficial if you do. Stick with it.

Keep in mind that what you're experiencing may not be linked to anything real. It could just be your mind trying to entertain itself. As Americans, we've grown up with constant input. When we don't get that input, our mind will create something to fill the void. I didn't have demons bubble up, but I did have my mind make up stuff to keep itself busy. It took a few weeks for my to get it low enough not to be a problem. However, it still hasn't fully gone away.

If what you're experiencing is something that has been suppressed, don't ignore it. Do the opposite. Look at what your mind is telling you. Try to find the underlying meaning if what your seeing isn't clear.

The important thing is to keep at it.

Originally Posted by BillHicksFan

Holy shit!! Nobody warned me about the vivid and gut wrenching nightmares that are associated with effective meditation.

I'm just ten days in of half hour daily meditation and out of the blue I was hit with an unusually authentic nightmare that was not only as real as real can be but it specifically targeted the personal issues that I have not been able to put to rest for over ten years.

In the dream I had a specific set of tasks to complete which dealt with a number of extremely painful scenarios and although it tore me apart, I succeeded in completing these tasks however when I woke up I was in a state of shock and found it difficult to hold a conversation with anybody without losing my shit.

As this is far from the norm for me to be so shaken I googled "vivid dreams from meditation" and found that there is a heap of information that accurately describes the exact nature of my experience to a tee and why it occured.

-- > Interlude: Meditation of the Week at interluderetreat.com


I was advised by a friend that some people eventually give up meditation as it can become too confronting for them and they would rather not face their demons. I also read about this in other articles but I thought to myself "bring it on, give me your best" but these experiences turned out to be far more disturbing than I could have possibly imagined.

1. Have any of you guys ever experienced this?

2. If so, how long did it last for you?

3. Are there always going to be serious challenges that you cannot predict or do things generally settle down in time after your mind becomes more self-aware?

Advise would be great.

Imagine these sessions and experiences as mental workouts.
Sure, you're going to be really sore and weak at first.
But once you've done it awhile, it becomes 2nd nature.

Trust yourself. Don't be afraid. There's nothing in your head your going to find meditating, that isn't ALREADY THERE TO BEGIN WITH.

Thanks and keep at it.

Originally Posted by BillHicksFan

Holy shit!! Nobody warned me about the vivid and gut wrenching nightmares that are associated with effective meditation.

I'm just ten days in of half hour daily meditation and out of the blue I was hit with an unusually authentic nightmare that was not only as real as real can be but it specifically targeted the personal issues that I have not been able to put to rest for over ten years.

In the dream I had a specific set of tasks to complete which dealt with a number of extremely painful scenarios and although it tore me apart, I succeeded in completing these tasks however when I woke up I was in a state of shock and found it difficult to hold a conversation with anybody without losing my shit.

As this is far from the norm for me to be so shaken I googled "vivid dreams from meditation" and found that there is a heap of information that accurately describes the exact nature of my experience to a tee and why it occured.

-- > Interlude: Meditation of the Week at interluderetreat.com


I was advised by a friend that some people eventually give up meditation as it can become too confronting for them and they would rather not face their demons. I also read about this in other articles but I thought to myself "bring it on, give me your best" but these experiences turned out to be far more disturbing than I could have possibly imagined.

1. Have any of you guys ever experienced this?

2. If so, how long did it last for you?

3. Are there always going to be serious challenges that you cannot predict or do things generally settle down in time after your mind becomes more self-aware?

Advise would be great.

This link seems to suggest that images are real. To me they are just a creation of my own restless mind, and not real.
1. Yes I used to see some very disturbing images when I meditate.

2. They don't last too long and they don't go away completely. I still see images of my freinds, places, and people who want me dead. I just understand that they are just my thought and try to bring my mind back to my breath.

3. It is just images of your own restless mind that you are seing it. Our restless mind is like a stormy ocean or a water in cup that is shaking out of control. you can't see what is in there and waves are moving back and forth. Every time these images distract our mind, we have to acknowledge them as just a thought and bring our mind back on breath. When you become better at it eventually, waves of the stormy ocean will go back and water in the cup will stop shaking and your mind will become calmer and you will be able to see things clearly as they are.

Anyway this is just my understanding. I am sure I still have very long way to go. I hope this helps you understand a little bit.

Originally Posted by Chubby

This link seems to suggest that images are real. To me they are just a creation of my own restless mind, and not real.
1. Yes I used to see some very disturbing images when I meditate.

2. They don't last too long and they don't go away completely. I still see images of my freinds, places, and people who want me dead. I just understand that they are just my thought and try to bring my mind back to my breath.

3. It is just images of your own restless mind that you are seing it. Our restless mind is like a stormy ocean or a water in cup that is shaking out of control. you can't see what is in there and waves are moving back and forth. Every time these images distract our mind, we have to acknowledge them as just a thought and bring our mind back on breath. When you become better at it eventually, waves of the stormy ocean will go back and water in the cup will stop shaking and your mind will become calmer and you will be able to see things clearly as they are.

Anyway this is just my understanding. I am sure I still have very long way to go. I hope this helps you understand a little bit.

The bold text describes what I've been doing as I've been learning from buddhist monks via videos and they have stated to do exactly that (among other things).
Overall the meditation has been extremely peaceful and I'm able to remain aware with quite a lot of silence and very limited chatter. I also notice colour and patterns so I think I'm doing ok for a beginner.

Dreams are still extremely vivid every single night now as I wake up remembering a lot of details which is very unusual for me, so something is definitely working and I have no intentions of stopping.

I can see a very practical reason for that disturbing dream to occur so I doubt it was just a coincidence and I already feel better as a result. I just didnt expect to dive deep into my subconscious so quickly.

Thanks for the advise.

I had a lucid dream last night, that I was in a house I've never been before.
It was a big fancy house and no one was there but me, and I just kept wondering around the house feeling uneasy. I kept telling myself, "this isn't my reality".
It was weird. So I tried to spawn a female, but it didn't really work for some reason....
Not long after I woke up.

Very strange.

Originally Posted by myCATpowerlifts

I had a lucid dream last night, that I was in a house I've never been before.
It was a big fancy house and no one was there but me, and I just kept wondering around the house feeling uneasy. I kept telling myself, "this isn't my reality".
It was weird. So I tried to spawn a female, but it didn't really work for some reason....
Not long after I woke up.

Very strange.

Manifestation of a desire? Quite probable. Then again, it was a house with only you in. So maybe it was a message?

Of course, your words reminded me of this (0:32 in):


Also, another meditation video:

yea the message was i'm all alone in my suffering because no one else is like me

The meditation place in thailand is called Vappannassa or something similar.

It's free. You can donate at the end but you are not asked to. Food included. You live in the meditation center for 10 days without talking. Of course, you can walk out and quit or leave anytime, no questions asked. One center is in Kanchanaburi which is about 2 1/2 hours north of Bangkok. You can google.

Originally Posted by Big Smoothy

The meditation place in thailand is called Vappannassa or something similar.

It's free. You can donate at the end but you are not asked to. Food included. You live in the meditation center for 10 days without talking. Of course, you can walk out and quit or leave anytime, no questions asked. One center is in Kanchanaburi which is about 2 1/2 hours north of Bangkok. You can google.

That sounds awesome.

^ DOMS, I think you're joking? Are you? They have trainers that lead meditation exercises and activities. I've never done and probably never will. I know a couple of people that have, and it can be very helpful, but also intense. You've got a lot of time to be your thoughts, and that can bring out a lot of sh*t, apparently.

Here is a link, but I'm not sure if it's for the Thailand center: http://www.dharma.org/?gclid=CLnwl-nB96oCFWw0QgodSjOQLw

Originally Posted by Big Smoothy

The meditation place in thailand is called Vappannassa or something similar.

It's free. You can donate at the end but you are not asked to. Food included. You live in the meditation center for 10 days without talking. Of course, you can walk out and quit or leave anytime, no questions asked. One center is in Kanchanaburi which is about 2 1/2 hours north of Bangkok. You can google.

It is called Meditation Retreat. Buddhist monks do it three years and three months at a time. If you have practiced meditation for a while then it is good to join. If you are just a beginner, then learn about it at home or from a teacher. Start by doing five minutes a day, then as you progress, do ten, fifteen, twenty minutes and so on.

Originally Posted by Big Smoothy

^ DOMS, I think you're joking? Are you? They have trainers that lead meditation exercises and activities. I've never done and probably never will. I know a couple of people that have, and it can be very helpful, but also intense. You've got a lot of time to be your thoughts, and that can bring out a lot of sh*t, apparently.

Here is a link, but I'm not sure if it's for the Thailand center: Insight Meditation Society

Granted, I dumped on you for years, but no, I was being serious. It sounds awesome. I wish I had the time to go to a meditation retreat.

And having people offer it as a form of public service is its own level of awesome.

Originally Posted by DOMS

....no, I was being serious. It sounds awesome. I wish I had the time to go to a meditation retreat.

Yeah, I think it would be beneficial.

And chubby, thanks for the start-up advice. It makes sense. Not sure I ever will do it, but it would be good for me.

Originally Posted by BillHicksFan

Are there many people here who meditate regularly? I've been studying it for a while now and I'm finally going to begin a routine of twenty minutes to begin the day.

If you do meditate regularly, what type of meditation do you practise and what motivates you to do so on a regular basis?

What do you experience while meditating?

What positive influence does it bring into your life and how would you describe the benefits that meditation would have on somebody else who is new to it all.

This following text from the Wiki entry on meditation seems very appealing:

Over the past 20 years, mindfulness-based programs have become increasingly important to Westerners and in the Western medical and psychological community as a means of helping people, whether they be clinically sick or healthy. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program in 1979, has defined mindfulness as 'moment to moment non-judgmental awareness.' Several methods are used during time set aside specifically for mindfulness meditation, such as body scan techniques or letting thought arise and pass, and also during our daily lives, such as being aware of the taste and texture of the food that we eat. Scientifically demonstrated benefits of mindfulness practice include an increase in the body's ability to heal and a shift from a tendency to use the right prefrontal cortex to a tendency to use the left prefrontal cortex, associated with a trend away from depression and anxiety and towards happiness, relaxation, and emotional balance.

More @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation

Increased the time frame to 35 minutes ED and I'm definitely making progress. My mind actually craves the mediation now and I am able to reach that certain level of peace quicker and for longer periods of time without interuptions or distractions. Visuals are beginning to become more apparent too.

The dreams are insane though. I wake up tired because I feel like Ive gone of a fckn journey every single night. Even if I hit the snooze button in the mornings and sleep for ten minutes I begin to dream for that ten minutes and wake up remembering the entire dream. Its really odd.