Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
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Bagoba
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Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by Bagoba »

Hi guys,

I am just wondering if I'm doing things right here. From the feeling I get it feels right, but of course I may be totally off, so your opinion is much appreciated.

I simply seat on a garden chair, which is quite confortable to be honest. My arms rest on the armrests, my feet both touch the ground side by side, my spine relatively straight but not straight as an arrow, since I'm sitting in this chair.

I start by focusing my attention on the rising and falling of the abdomen, rising and falling, feeling my breath, trying to become one with it, and quickly this gets quite blissfull and I'm absorbed. Because I'm confortably seated I do not get disturbed by any aches which can come from lotus, and am able to stay absorbed for much longer periods of time than I used to in lotus positions. Is this ok or am I just fooling myself as my back should be straighter or something?

Thanks for your inputs!
"This path is a thorough investigation and understanding of the limitations of the mortal condition of the body and mind. Now you're developing the ability to turn away from the conditioned and to release your identity from mortality." Ajan Sumedho, "Mindfulness, the path to the Deathless." http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/deathless.pdf
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Ben
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Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by Ben »

Its not an issue, Bagoba.
Many people within my own tradition use a chair to sit in, as do some of our teachers.
kind regards,

Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

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Bagoba
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Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:43 pm

Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by Bagoba »

Ben wrote:Its not an issue, Bagoba.
Many people within my own tradition use a chair to sit in, as do some of our teachers.
kind regards,

Ben
Great, thank you for confirming that I am going the right way Ben. I'm ready to finish things off now I think. :-)

Kind regards
"This path is a thorough investigation and understanding of the limitations of the mortal condition of the body and mind. Now you're developing the ability to turn away from the conditioned and to release your identity from mortality." Ajan Sumedho, "Mindfulness, the path to the Deathless." http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/deathless.pdf
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Ben
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Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by Ben »

No worries, Bagoba!
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
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retrofuturist
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Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Bagoba,

Meditation is for mental cultivation nor physical contortionism.

If a chair works for you, then... :thumbsup:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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bodom
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Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by bodom »

Ajahn Brahm says the sooner you can leave your body behind in meditation the better. Sounds like your doing great!

:anjali:
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.

- BB
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hanzze_
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Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by hanzze_ »

Standard Form

The standard way to sit in concentration is to sit with your legs crossed, right leg on top of the left leg, right hand on top of the left hand. Sit up straight. Some people say you can do it walking, you can do it sitting, so can you do it kneeling? Sure — but you're beginning students. When you learn how to write, you have to practice making clear letters first, with all their parts. Once you understand your letters and you're writing just for yourself to read, you can write in a scrawl if you want. It's not wrong. But you have to learn the standard form first.
The thing is, that your body is like your mind. First we need to disciplined it and it is a very good way, not only for a health bearing but also to maintain more awareness. This part of mindfulness training we can do all the time, even while sitting in front of the PC.

It's also a way to overcome laziness, of cause it's a hard work but one day it grows natural. The bearing of the body as well as the bearing of the awareness. It's good to start with the hard work.
Rely on Oneself

Sitting cross-legged on a hard stone temple floor is natural to villagers who have grown up in a culture without furniture. But to one newly arrived Western novice, gawky and inflexible, it was a hard way to begin the daily hours of meditation and chanting. Thus it was with some relief the novice discovered that by arriving early to meditation, he could sit next to the stone pillars at the front of the hall and, once. All the monks had closed their eyes to practice, he could gently lean on the pillar and meditate in Western-style comfort.

After a week of this practice, Achaan Chah rang the bell to end the sitting and start the evening Dharma talk. "Tonight," he began, looking directly at the new monk, "we will talk about how practicing the Dharma means to support oneself, to rely on oneself, to not have to lean on things outside of oneself." The other monks in the hall tittered. The Westerner, a bit embarrassed, sat up unusually straight for the rest of the lecture. From that point on his resolve grew firm, and he learned how to sit straight on any floor under any conditions.
Bagoba
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Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:43 pm

Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by Bagoba »

Hi guys,

Thanks for the tips and advices...

I have one concern about my meditation practice... Right now I'm quick to become absorbed in the breath and feel rapture, I stay in it for a while but right now it feels more like a fix, a sort of "high" that I wish to stay in, and I'm concerned about developing attachment to that rapture, which is also just the beginning, so obviously I don't wish to get stuck at the beginning!

Do you see what I mean, and what do you advise?

Thanks!
Bagoba
"This path is a thorough investigation and understanding of the limitations of the mortal condition of the body and mind. Now you're developing the ability to turn away from the conditioned and to release your identity from mortality." Ajan Sumedho, "Mindfulness, the path to the Deathless." http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/deathless.pdf
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marc108
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Re: Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

Post by marc108 »

Bagoba wrote:Hi guys,

Thanks for the tips and advices...

I have one concern about my meditation practice... Right now I'm quick to become absorbed in the breath and feel rapture, I stay in it for a while but right now it feels more like a fix, a sort of "high" that I wish to stay in, and I'm concerned about developing attachment to that rapture, which is also just the beginning, so obviously I don't wish to stay stuck at the beginning!

Do you see what I mean, and what do you advise?

Thanks!
Bagoba
my advice would be at this point, start studying the Sutta's on Anapanasati and Right Concentration and find a teacher.

are you able to stay mindful and alert while the piti is present or are you floating off into lala land? the piti should be used as a tool to bring the mind to Right Concentration... it has to be refined and developed correctly. The Samadhanga Sutta (AN 5.28) and Anapanasati Sutta (MN 118) will be useful for you, with instructions on what to do when piti arises:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"It's easy for us to connect with what's wrong with us... and not so easy to feel into, or to allow us, to connect with what's right and what's good in us."
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