Thought suppression by Samatha

[rowyourboat]

I have this problem that when I do Samatha meditation my thoughts or memories tend to get suppressed temporarily. It can become a problem at work, yet I want to do my Samatha as I feel it is important. Any ideas?

Metta

Matheesha

[LonesomeYogurt]

What exactly do you mean by suppressed?

[Hanzze]

I have this problem that when I do Samatha meditation my thoughts or memories tend to get suppressed temporarily. It can become a problem at work, yet I want to do my Samatha as I feel it is important. Any ideas?

Metta

Matheesha

What are you doing with your thoughts or memories that they tend to get suppressed temporarily?

[daverupa]

In my experience, samatha results in more intentional thought-formation; thoughts aren't suppressed in a general way, they simply don't arise as randomly. It's like bullet-time in the mind, not vacuous like an infant's mind.

[Ben]

Greetings Matheesha,

In your situation I would restrict the amount of time on samatha and spend more time on vipassana. I am not convinced that maintaining intense samatha is ideal outside of the seclusion of retreat.
kind regards,

Ben

[DAWN]

I have this problem that when I do Samatha meditation my thoughts or memories tend to get suppressed temporarily. It can become a problem at work, yet I want to do my Samatha as I feel it is important. Any ideas?

Metta

Matheesha

Me too, i forgot very fastly the past and dont think about future, my boss dont like it, he want me to anticipate the future, but i have not yet developped that iddhi ... I dont know how i could explain that i'ts not easy to get this king of iddhi...

[rowyourboat]

What exactly do you mean by suppressed?

I just tend to forget more, things which I should remember. I once forgot the words of a guided meditation which I knew very well. That was the most clear cut incident.

[rowyourboat]

What are you doing with your thoughts or memories that they tend to get suppressed temporarily?

Usually mindfulness of the breath. I'm not doing anything specific with thoughts. When the samadhi builds up my mind sometimes goes blank, even after meditation. I wonder if generally I'm a bit of a lazy thinker or aren't aware intelligently ie not enough mindfulness and clear comprehension.

With metta

Matheesha

[rowyourboat]

In my experience, samatha results in more intentional thought-formation; thoughts aren't suppressed in a general way, they simply don't arise as randomly. It's like bullet-time in the mind, not vacuous like an infant's mind.

Thanks Daverupa. I wonder if I am also overreacting to a few moments that this has happened vs the great benefit of having samadhi controll all my defilements.

[rowyourboat]

Greetings Matheesha,

In your situation I would restrict the amount of time on samatha and spend more time on vipassana. I am not convinced that maintaining intense samatha is ideal outside of the seclusion of retreat.
kind regards,

Ben

Thanks Ben. I have stopped doing Samatha actually and trying to find a way back in. You are right - too much samadhi is not conducive but it can be to a lesser intensity. So part of the solution might be to practice but with reduced frequency. Vipassana might be too intense for me right now. I hope you are keeping well,

With metta

Matheesha

[rowyourboat]

Me too, i forgot very fastly the past and dont think about future, my boss dont like it, he want me to anticipate the future, but i have not yet developped that iddhi ... I dont know how i could explain that i'ts not easy to get this king of iddhi...

DAWN, I think it takes a lot of focusing- don't be SO happy in the present moment

With metta

Matheesha

[DAWN]

Me too, i forgot very fastly the past and dont think about future, my boss dont like it, he want me to anticipate the future, but i have not yet developped that iddhi ... I dont know how i could explain that i'ts not easy to get this king of iddhi...

DAWN, I think it takes a lot of focusing- don't be SO happy in the present moment

With metta

Matheesha

[Cittasanto]

I think you maybe putting to much effort into the practice for this to happen. realistically you want to be able to function on the task at hand (which requires sati no matter what the task is).

without knowing exactly what you are doing I would suggest trying to be more fluid with your practice rather than using a hammer to drive in a screw. which is what I think maybe the case?
don't stop completely but don't aim so narrowly.

[DAWN]

Actualy, this state of mind, when he dont captures nothink, when all that heppens lides down like a drop of rain on the lotus leaf, is very... is very free
When it's like this, the problem is not the mind, but a job that dont let you be released, be free , feel true happyness of calm.

Go forth is the solution.

[daverupa]

I think maybe the practice can use a tweak, since the sort of calm which builds up in such a way that the mind becomes unwieldy isn't really part of samadhi.

[DAWN]

He not becomes unweldy, just dhammas cant penetrate it, like a arrow that cant penetrate a castle, like a reflect cant penetrate a mirrow.

It arise, it pass away...
Sometimes, some toughts disapears in the very middle, just like th.....

It disapears like a darknes, when you enlight it with you mind In all suttas Mara goes away, he disapears, in the very moment when he understand that bhikkhu see him...

[Cittasanto]

Actualy, this state of mind, when he dont captures nothink, when all that heppens lides down like a drop of rain on the lotus leaf, is very... is very free
When it's like this, the problem is not the mind, but a job that dont let you be released, be free , feel true happyness of calm.

Go forth is the solution.

what?

[DAWN]

Actualy, this state of mind, when he dont captures nothink, when all that heppens lides down like a drop of rain on the lotus leaf, is very... is very free
When it's like this, the problem is not the mind, but a job that dont let you be released, be free , feel true happyness of calm.

Go forth is the solution.

what?

Sorry for my english.

I would like to say in this post that this state of mind is very free. And when is free like that, the problem is not the mind that is free, but the job that forces us to put the collar back.
When your mind is stops, and boss, or other peoples want to make it run - is not good. So we should not make it run, but go forth, job, friends, all... Just live the simple life.

[daverupa]

to make it run - is not good.

This is neither good nor bad, in and of itself.

[DAWN]

to make it run - is not good.

This is neither good nor bad, in and of itself.

Yes you are reason.
But it can brings suffer to boss