How many hours a week do you meditate?

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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Tex
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How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Tex »

Curious to hear how everyone practices.

On a weekday, I wake up and walk the dog while listening to a Dhamma talk on the I-Pod, then sit for either 20 or 30 minutes. I will meditate for another 20 or 30 minutes in the evening when I feel up to it, which is realistically only about half the time.

On Saturdays and Sundays I tend to have longer sittings of 45 or 60 minutes, sometimes two or three times per day.

So in an average week I'm putting in anywhere from 5 to 10 hours of meditation. Wow, that's not that much now that I add it up.

Anyway, what is your personal meditation routine?
"To reach beyond fear and danger we must sharpen and widen our vision. We have to pierce through the deceptions that lull us into a comfortable complacency, to take a straight look down into the depths of our existence, without turning away uneasily or running after distractions." -- Bhikkhu Bodhi

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retrofuturist
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

In terms of actual sitting meditation I would say about on average 3 hours a week.... mostly lunchtimes during the week, plus I'll try squeezing in a sit if I'm home alone.

Metta,
Retro. :)
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bodom
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by bodom »

An hour formally every morning split into a half hour of walking and then a half hour of sitting. I will then sit again for half an hour in the evening. So i guess that comes out to arround 10 or 11 hours of formal meditation a week.

:namaste:
Last edited by bodom on Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Prasadachitta »

I sit with a group for 40 min every weekday morning. I will sit in the afternoons and weekends a bit more sporadically about 4 other 40 min sits during the week.
Thats about 5-6 hours a week.

Metta

Gabriel
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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Ceisiwr
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Ceisiwr »

I only do one 40 minute sitting in the evening at the moment so on average I do 4.6 hours a week.

Sometimes a bit extra on weekends

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Rui Sousa
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Rui Sousa »

No discipline.

maybe 30 minutes a week...
With Metta
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bodom
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by bodom »

Rui Sousa wrote:No discipline.

maybe 30 minutes a week...
Questions & Answers with Ajahn Chah

Q: Is it necessary to sit for very long stretches?

Answer: No, sitting for hours on end is not necessary. Some people think that the longer you can sit, the wiser you must be. I have seen chickens sit on their nests for days on end! Wisdom comes from being mindful in all postures. Your practice should begin as you awaken in the morning. It should continue until you fall asleep. Don't be concerned about how long you can sit. What is important is only that you keep watchful whether you are working or sitting or going to the bathroom. Each person has his own natural pace. Some of you will die at age fifty, some at age sixty-five, and some at age ninety. So, too, your practice will not be all identical. Don't think or worry about this. Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become quieter and quieter in any surroundings. It will become still like a clear forest pool. Then all kinds of wonderful and rare animals will come to drink at the pool. You will see clearly the nature of all things (sankharas) in the world. You will see many wonderful and strange things come and go. But you will be still. Problems will arise and you will see through them immediately. This is the happiness of the Buddha.

:namaste:
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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Jechbi
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Jechbi »

I used to have a schedule that allowed me to maintain a steady commitment of an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. I did that pretty regularly (ever day) for a year or so. Then life intruded. You know, job, kid, business, the whole nine yards.

I didn't develop to the stage where I could reduce the hours of sleep to accommodate meditation time. Plus, I have to admit, sometimes I'm still afflicted with laziness. Lately there have been days when I don't formally sit at all, which is pretty shocking for me, because in my mind I'm seriously committed to practice.

In the approach that works best for me (Goenka), it's recommended to meditate for an hour in the morning, and hour in the evening, plus a short period before getting out of bed and before going to sleep, plus whenever you've got some extra time. When I found that I was unable to maintain this, I began asking an assistant teacher about it. In fact, I asked more than one, because I struggled with the issue for some time.

A got a couple of answers that I find useful. One assistant teacher encouraged me to meet these life circumstances with equanimity, recognizing that things are always changing. Another said that even a shorter period of meditation time can be effective.

One AT told me that the recommended length of time is intended to ensure that there are at least some moments of good concentration in there. He said that even just a few minutes of good concentration can suffice. (Not that that's an excuse to sit for shorter periods, of course.)

I have found that short periods of meditation can be very effective, but when I keep up a regular regimen of longer periods, it's much more beneficial. The balance, of course, is still finding time to fullfill my responsibilities to my family, employer, my clients, my friends, and myself. I can't just drop out (nor would I want to at this stage).

The question posed in this thread, "How many hours a week do you meditate?" strikes me in a very personal way, like a wake-up call. Thanks for asking.

Metta
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Rain soddens what is kept wrapped up,
But never soddens what is open;
Uncover, then, what is concealed,
Lest it be soddened by the rain.
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adeh
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by adeh »

An hour every day.
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Prasadachitta »

bodom_bad_boy wrote:
Rui Sousa wrote:No discipline.

maybe 30 minutes a week...
Questions & Answers with Ajahn Chah

Q: Is it necessary to sit for very long stretches?

Answer: No, sitting for hours on end is not necessary. Some people think that the longer you can sit, the wiser you must be. I have seen chickens sit on their nests for days on end! Wisdom comes from being mindful in all postures. Your practice should begin as you awaken in the morning. It should continue until you fall asleep. Don't be concerned about how long you can sit. What is important is only that you keep watchful whether you are working or sitting or going to the bathroom. Each person has his own natural pace. Some of you will die at age fifty, some at age sixty-five, and some at age ninety. So, too, your practice will not be all identical. Don't think or worry about this. Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become quieter and quieter in any surroundings. It will become still like a clear forest pool. Then all kinds of wonderful and rare animals will come to drink at the pool. You will see clearly the nature of all things (sankharas) in the world. You will see many wonderful and strange things come and go. But you will be still. Problems will arise and you will see through them immediately. This is the happiness of the Buddha.

:namaste:
:heart: :bow:
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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bodom
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by bodom »

gabrielbranbury wrote:
bodom_bad_boy wrote:
Rui Sousa wrote:No discipline.

maybe 30 minutes a week...
Questions & Answers with Ajahn Chah

Q: Is it necessary to sit for very long stretches?

Answer: No, sitting for hours on end is not necessary. Some people think that the longer you can sit, the wiser you must be. I have seen chickens sit on their nests for days on end! Wisdom comes from being mindful in all postures. Your practice should begin as you awaken in the morning. It should continue until you fall asleep. Don't be concerned about how long you can sit. What is important is only that you keep watchful whether you are working or sitting or going to the bathroom. Each person has his own natural pace. Some of you will die at age fifty, some at age sixty-five, and some at age ninety. So, too, your practice will not be all identical. Don't think or worry about this. Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become quieter and quieter in any surroundings. It will become still like a clear forest pool. Then all kinds of wonderful and rare animals will come to drink at the pool. You will see clearly the nature of all things (sankharas) in the world. You will see many wonderful and strange things come and go. But you will be still. Problems will arise and you will see through them immediately. This is the happiness of the Buddha.

:namaste:
:heart: :bow:
Ajahn Chah :bow: :bow: :bow:

:namaste:
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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Jechbi
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Jechbi »

I think there's a lot of wisdom in that quote from Ajahn Chah, but there's also some risk that people might take that as an excuse to exert minimal effort when it comes to formal sitting meditation. It's like physical exercise: You might think you're getting enough exercise by walking around the house while you vacuum and by walking out to get the mail, but it's better if you can set aside some time for formal physical exercise for your physical health.

There's no question that we can bring mindfulness to all activities in all postures, but I think we build up the ability to do that through formal sitting practice. You can't substitute one of the other. You need both.

Just my 2 cents ...

:buddha2:
Rain soddens what is kept wrapped up,
But never soddens what is open;
Uncover, then, what is concealed,
Lest it be soddened by the rain.
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bodom
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by bodom »

Jechbi wrote:I think there's a lot of wisdom in that quote from Ajahn Chah, but there's also some risk that people might take that as an excuse to exert minimal effort when it comes to formal sitting meditation. It's like physical exercise: You might think you're getting enough exercise by walking around the house while you vacuum and by walking out to get the mail, but it's better if you can set aside some time for formal physical exercise for your physical health.

There's no question that we can bring mindfulness to all activities in all postures, but I think we build up the ability to do that through formal sitting practice. You can't substitute one of the other. You need both.

Just my 2 cents ...

:buddha2:
Anyone who has ever read Ajahn Chah's teachings knows that there is no room for laziness in the practice of his teachings. Ajahn Chah was stating the importance of meditation off the cushion. If there is no meditation off the cushion there will be no meditation on the cushion. He did not say formal meditation is not important or that we can substitute one for the other. Far from it. For lay householders the majority of our time is spent off the cushion. We spend an hour or two a day in formal meditation if we are lucky enough to get that much time. Do the math. The practice off the cushion is just as important if not more important than sitting in meditation. We cannot spend all day sitting in samadhi with children to raise and bills to pay. While it is true that formal meditation is extremely important in developing mindfulness we also need to be aware of the limitations that are imposed on our practice by living the household life. The four foundations of mindfulness are not only to be cultivated on the cushion. As you said there must be both. I would certainly hope no one takes this advice to mean it ok to be lazy. I know i certainly did not.

:namaste:
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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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by Prasadachitta »

As one who sits regularly I am familiar with the tendency to be a bit self satisfied when my sitting practice is going well and Ive been on retreat allot. There is a tendency to allow myself to slide a bit. Not in terms of sila but in terms of watching and discerning my mental states(inward sila you might say). This is what I think Achaan Cha is guarding against. I think he is pointing out our tendency to let how much or how little we meditate undermine our effort to practice in all positions.

Metta

Gabriel
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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bodom
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Re: How many hours a week do you meditate?

Post by bodom »

So keep doing it, don't stop. Don't follow your moods. Go against the grain. Practise when you feel lazy and practice when you feel diligent. Practice when you're sitting and practice when you're walking. - Ajahn Chah

So therefore, all of you, be sure to practice every day. Whether lazy or diligent, practice just the same. Practice of the Dhamma is not done by following your moods. If you practice following your moods then it's not Dhamma. Don't discriminate between day and night, whether the mind is peaceful or not... just practice. - Ajahn Chah

When we are lazy we should practice and not only when we feel energetic or in the mood. This is practicing according to the Buddha’s teaching. According to our own, we practice only when we’re feeling good. How are we going to get anywhere like that? When are we going to cut the stream of defilements when we practice only according to our whims like that? - Ajahn Chah

These words should counter balance anyone who might have mistakenly assumed Ajahn Chah was implying laziness or minimal effort.

:namaste:
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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