General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
awakenedmind wrote:The difficult part is that the noise from the tv kind of makes me angry at those people watching tv.
and I can't help thinking more angry thoughts about them.
most other noises dont bother me as much as tv.
seems it's more of my anger at people making the noise than the noise itself.
If you're experiencing ill will try developing metta. It probably won't work right away but if you're patient with it who knows what could happen.
Develop the meditation of good will. For when you are developing the meditation of good will, ill-will will be abandoned.
-MN 62, the Buddha's advice to his son Rahula
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
We look for peace in peaceful places, where there won't be sights, or sounds, or odors, or flavors... thinking that living quietly like this is the way to find contentment, that herein lies peace.
But actually, if we live very quietly in places where nothing arises, can wisdom arise? Would we be aware of anything? Think about it. If our eye didn't see sights, what would that be like? If the nose didn't experience smells, what would that be like? If the tongue didn't experience flavors, what would that be like? If the body didn't experience feelings at all, what would that be like? To be like that would be like being a blind and deaf man, one whose nose and tongue had fallen off and who was completely numb with paralysis. Would there be anything there? And yet people tend to think that if they went somewhere where nothing happened they would find peace. Well, I've thought like that myself, I once thought that way....
I was a young monk just starting to practice, I'd sit in meditation and sounds would disturb me, I'd think to myself, ''What can I do to make my mind peaceful?'' So I took some beeswax and stuffed my ears with it so that I couldn't hear anything. All that remained was a humming sound. I thought that would be peaceful, but no, all that thinking and confusion didn't arise at the ears after all. It arose at the mind. That is the place to search for peace.
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.
awakenedmind wrote:please give me some advice, so I can be at peace even with all that noise.
Just like may had suggested, switch to vipassana but if you insist on doing samatha, go to a different room, download and play something like white or pink noise along your meditation practice. The continuous reproduction of identical sound will help mask the sudden distraction to some extent.
Don’t know about others but sometimes i felt i can meditate better during rainy days or by a noisy waterfalls compare to a silent hall that always have some sudden noise popping out.
I would also recommend listening to the noise. You might learn that it is not as noisy as you first thought. If you cannot avoid it, ignoring it is sort of like attempting to pretend it isn't there. It takes more energy to ignore loud, obnoxious sounds than it does to accept them into your ears. Just one opinion.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
awakenedmind wrote:
seems it's more of my anger at people making the noise than the noise itself.
Yes, I've noticed I'm not disturbed by natural sounds because there is nobody to blame for them. I've also noticed that I'm not too bothered when noise is made by people I like.
“If a man is crossing a river and an empty boat collides with his own skiff, even though he be a bad-tempered man he will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the boat, he will shout at him to steer clear. If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, and yet again, and begin cursing.
And all because there is somebody in the boat. Yet if the boat were empty, he would not be shouting, and not angry. If you can empty your own boat crossing the river of the world, no one will oppose you, no one will seek to harm you…. Who can free himself from achievement, and from fame, descend and be lost amid the masses of men?
He will flow like Tao, unseen, he will go about like Life itself with no name and no home. Simple is he, without distinction. To all appearances he is a fool. His steps leave no trace. He has no power. He achieves nothing, has no reputation. Since he judges no one, no one judges him. Such is the perfect man: His boat is empty.”
― Osho
Best regards
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you
We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain
Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
awakenedmind wrote:
seems it's more of my anger at people making the noise than the noise itself.
Yes, I've noticed I'm not disturbed by natural sounds because there is nobody to blame for them. I've also noticed that I'm not too bothered when noise is made by people I like.
that empty boat quote is so true.
I can imagine how a person wouldnt shout at an empty boat.
or how I wouldn't feel as bad
if it were a non living thing such as a cement mixer
or even if there was a road drill being used by a person,
because there would be no option.
but in the case, when I have a story about the people
making the noise, then I get angry.
that ajahn chah's quote of putting beeswax in his ears also makes sense
we would end up trying to just close all our sense door to get peace,
but it isn't going to work.
today, I was practicing noting and present moment awareness the whole day
and I found that I was able to cope a little better with the noise.
hec, I am also doing lots of metta meditation.
will try and keep saying the phrases whenever I remember,
but mostly I will keep doing present moment awareness.
Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion.
Aflame, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs ...... Seeing thus, the disciple of the Noble One grows disenchanted. SN 35.28