meditation in public areas

[josephcmabad]

can anyone give me some advice on how to do meditation sitting on a chair in public places? can this be done with the same benefit as the traditional meditation techniques?

[Ben]

For a couple of years I was commuting by train between a regional centre and Melbourne. Spending about 2-3 hours a day on a train per day. So I would meditate on my way in to work and on my way home. I would put sun-glasses on and que my mp3 player with a file of my teacher chanting a sutta or the tikapatthana and just go for it. While its not as distraction free as a session in a quiet place at home,it was still a good use of my time.

[David2]

can anyone give me some advice on how to do meditation sitting on a chair in public places? can this be done with the same benefit as the traditional meditation techniques?

Just keep your back as straight as possible, close your eyes, relax your muscles and use the technique which you usually use at home.
If you get disturbed by a noise or something, just observe it and after some time gently move your consciousness back to your main meditation object.

[josephcmabad]

is it possible to do this with my eyes open?

[David2]

is it possible to do this with my eyes open?

Possible, yes. But probably harder because there are more distractions. But just try it and you will know what is hard and what is easy for you.

[Slava]

The time spent in public places (train, doctor’s office etc.) can also be used to perform what others would call preparatory stages in meditation. You can start by observing your posture and then move to noticing any sounds around you. Constantly moving your awareness from one sound to another helps one getting used to being in a present moment. Once you’re comfortable with that, the next step would be trying to notice those sounds without commenting on it in your head. That would help getting familiar with the “silent” mind. Those two stages are not easy to develop and it usually takes a while, so using the time in public places while doing these exersises can be very beneficial.

[Nibbida]

There are a few ways in which I do this.

One way is to try to focus away from the distractions. Focus on the breath, for example, and every time there is a distraction, return focus to the breath. It's much more challenging, but with greater challenge comes greater benefits. However, if it's too challenging to the point of excessive frustration, that may not be the best way to go.

I used to only meditate with eyes closed. The downside of eyes open is that it's more challenging because there are more potential distractions. On the other hand, when one gets the hang of eyes-open, it's much, much easier to generalize the meditative state to everyday life.

Another general approach is to use the distractions instead of trying to tune them out. For example, I might watch my body and whenever there is an external noise, I disregard the noise (let it stay in the background of attention) while I watch what response to the noise is triggered in the body. This would essentially be mindfulness of vedana. If I'm doing eyes closed, I might watch to see if any thoughts (images, words) are triggered by the sound. This could also be done eyes opened, since we daydream all the time with eyes opened, so we can watch for visual/verbal thoughts triggered when eyes are opened. Again, it's much harder, but if you can watch your thoughts arise and pass with eyes opened then you've got a leg up on the daily daydreaming mind. I watch the thoughts but defocus from them, noticing that an "image is happening" or "words are happening," noting the process rather than the content. On this level, we are just aware of arising and passing, which is mindfulness of anicca.

Another possibility is to do loving-kindness to other people, near or far. This can be done eyes opened. It may not be as deep as when in a quiet room, but it is more diffused, again generalizing it to one's everyday life.

So not only is it possible to do meditation in public places, I'd say it's advantageous.

[vishy89]

Edited out. Thanks

[Goofaholix]

can anyone give me some advice on how to do meditation sitting on a chair in public places? can this be done with the same benefit as the traditional meditation techniques?

It's generally called mindfulness.

Be fully present with whatever you experience through your sense doors, it doesn't matter what it is, this is where the rubber hits the road and where you can bring the presence of mind you have in your sitting practise into day to day activities.

I think it would be a mistake to instead try to withdraw into a cocoon without people around you noticing and reinforce the idea that meditation is only possible with withdrawal from engagement.

[manas]

can anyone give me some advice on how to do meditation sitting on a chair in public places? can this be done with the same benefit as the traditional meditation techniques?

In my experience, meditation in any and all places is great, but that there can be a limit to how 'deep' you can dive into one object (such as breath,. for eg) if you are sitting in a public place, like waiting for a train for example, with strangers walking past you, and with you always having in the back of your mind that someone might be looking at you, wondering 'why is that guy sitting with his back straight, with his eyes closed?". But then, I'm assuming that your preference is to practise at home (or in any private, secluded space) and that meditating in public is only out of necessity? If so, just make the best of it. We don't have to 'go in deep' every time we sit. As has been mentioned above, even just doing ordinary activites, like walking down a street crowded with people and bustle - if you arer just walking - that is, your awareness is not scattered everywhere, but is in your body and it's sense of motion as it walks, and that's all - that is a good meditation in itself. Furthermore, guarding the sense-doors at the same time, so that they don't latch onto any object that might arouse lust for example - this is also very productive.

metta

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The last job I had (over thirty years ago now) was as a lifeguard for Westminster City Council public baths dept. It was the perfect job for a meditator. All I had to do was sit or walk by the pool side and keep alert to what was going on, both inside and outside.

As you practice more, you will find that its actually quite easy to "meditate" in public, though perhaps concentration will not be as stable as in a retreat situation. Just try not to attract attention by sitting in the lotus position or walking too slowly.

[mikenz66]

Thanks Bhante,

As you say, if it's not too crowded walking meditation is relatively easy to do in public places, such as when waiting for trains or planes. People will probably just assume you're getting your circulation going before the trip...

I normally sit with my eyes closed, but in a public place that may not be desirable, or safe, but eyes open is quite possible (and used by some schools...), though for me it gives a different "feel"...


Mike

[Upasaka]

Currently I am practicing Metta meditation on the journey to and from work, which involves being sat on a bus surrounded by other people. I close my eyes as if I am dozing etc, relax, welcome the moment as it is and gently do the practice. I have found it to be a beneficial way to spend time whilst travelling/being in public.

[Ytrog]

In the past (when I was still a student) I also commuted by train. In the last years I often used the time for meditation. Most people wouldn't know the difference between someone sleeping on the train and meditating anyway. I imagined that people just thought that I was sleeping while sitting with a straight back.

Even when people know you are meditating there is no shame in that. Everybody does different things in public and there are far worse things to do, so don't be afraid.