From: farris@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Lorenzo Farris)
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental
Subject: Re: How do I meditate?
Date: 5 Nov 92 14:58:32 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

In article <1t#q7sj+@aix01.rz.fht-mannheim.de>, mw@ki.fht-mannheim.de (Marc Wachowitz) writes:
> David Sumpter <djts@dcs.ed.ac.uk> asked:
> : What is a good way to get in to meditation?
> 
>Depending on whom you ask, there are many different answers.
> his here is a very simple (but practical) answer, though it has nothing to do
> with TM - don't know whether you were looking for that.
> 
> 
Sorry Marc, it seems your post had little to do with his question
either :-)

Marc presents many ideas about the goal of having no goal. (Zen is
full of paradoxes like this.) 

To give a more concrete recommendation on getting into meditation:

The basic idea is to develop focus. There are countless ways to do
this, and there are countless ideas about why to do this and what the
'purpose' is.

I assume that you mean meditation in its more conventional sense,
i.e., to sit still and concentrate on something. In this case, you
should try a few things, and see what works. 

Some, like in TM, like to use a mantra, a sound or phrase which may or
may not have meaning to the meditator and may or may not be reputed
to have power in and of itself. The mantra is repeated, mentally or
allowed, with full attention on the mantra. That is, if any thoughts
come to mind, just return your attention to the mantra.

You can also use a visual focus, such as a candle flame, or a flower
petal, or whatever you like.

In both these cases, it is recommended that you find some sitting
position in which your back is straight. This creates a better level
of attention.

I recommend you find some form of meditation that you find enjoyable,
since it is unlikely you will practice, otherwise.

Several books which provide many techniques:

Zen without Zen Masters,   by Camden Benares
How to Meditate,	  by Kathleen MacDonald

The first is a sort of popular, 60's-ish zen book, but has a wealth of
techniques to try.
The second is techniques out of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.


How to Know God,	by Patanjali, translated by Swami
				Prabhavananda and Christofer Isherwood

This one essentially details the why, how and what happens of
meditation.

Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfeld

This discusses Insight Meditation, which comes primarily from the
Theravada Buddhist tradition.

And these are all just 'sitting' meditations. The varieties are
endless. One nice example of a moving meditation is the martial art,
Tai Ch'i.

It is much better, IMHO, to just start doing it, then to worry to much
about the why's and how's. If you get something out of it, nobody
needs to tell you anything about it anyway. It will indeed become an
end in itself. If you get too hung up in talking about it, you miss
the point.

Feel free to ask any questions anyway. :-)

		lorenzo
-- 
"Once upon a time men were possessed    ******************************
by devils. Now they are not less        *  Lorenzo Farris            *
obsessed by ideas" -CG Jung             *  farris@ruhets.rutgers.edu *
					******************************
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental