Recently, I discovered something called 'binaural' music - forgive my ignorance if you're all already aware of this, but I accidently stumbled across it on YouTube!
Anyway, after reading some comments on various videos, it seemed as though some (possibly) genuine people had 'gone places' whilst listening to the music and meditating, and seen themselves as other things. This immediately strikes me as not so much harmful, but more 'spooky' than anything - if it's true that when one changes their mind, they change their world, what if one were to begin confusing their 'mind-world' with their 'human-life'? The ensuing theoretical problem sounds like a mental structure found in movies!!
On http://www.buddhanet.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, I found this:
On top of all of this, my religious studies teacher (whilst not a Buddhist herself, but very knowledgeable about the religion) said that to practise meditation without a teacher can be very harmful. She didn't elaborate, despite my pushing of the subject. I am without a teacher, and have been for my entire practising time, as there are none around the area in which I live!To live, we need salt. But if you were to eat a kilogram of salt ;it would kill you. To live in the modern world you need a car but if you don’t follow the traffic rules or if you drive while you are drunk, a car becomes a dangerous machine. Meditation is like this, it is essential for our mental health and well-being but if you practise in stupid ways it could cause problems. - Ven. S. Dhammika
My point is, what about meditation can be harmful/dangerous, if any of it? And if it being harmful is the case, how does one 'abuse' meditation to the point of harming oneself?
Surely we can't find harm in the same place we seek to clarify?
Thanks to any replies, very much ready to be put in my place!