how many different ways did the buddha explain meditation?

[cooran]

Chris
i've been meditating since i was seventeen (now 26) and have had maaaaaany benefits. i never expected a quick way of meditation or a way filled with good feelings and exciting happenings. i'm just curious to know if i should be doing more than just mindfulness of breathing. thanx though didn't mean to imply i was a newbie, in fact i should probably edit my original statement to make that clear. thanx chris.

No worries zac. My misunderstanding of your experience in meditation is a very good thing. I have been meditating since the late 90's but I am having difficulties myself at this moment, and, in order to respond to your question I thought (for the first time in about ten years) about this course run by Andrew Quernmore.
So .... I have enrolled in it myself.

with laughing metta
Chris

[mikenz66]

good point mike!!! i read those years ago and could answer my own questions if i take it back off the shelf! in fact now that i think of it that's why a lot of what people are telling me sounds familiar!

Since the book was first published in 2005, it's can't be very many years since you read it...

Mike

[bodom]

Chris
i've been meditating since i was seventeen (now 26) and have had maaaaaany benefits. i never expected a quick way of meditation or a way filled with good feelings and exciting happenings. i'm just curious to know if i should be doing more than just mindfulness of breathing. thanx though didn't mean to imply i was a newbie, in fact i should probably edit my original statement to make that clear. thanx chris.

No worries zac. My misunderstanding of your experience in meditation is a very good thing. I have been meditating since the late 90's but I am having difficulties myself at this moment, and, in order to respond to your question I thought (for the first time in about ten years) about this course run by Andrew Quernmore.
So .... I have enrolled in it myself.

with laughing metta
Chris

I think its always good to go back to the basics.

[dhammastudier]

Chris
i've been meditating since i was seventeen (now 26) and have had maaaaaany benefits. i never expected a quick way of meditation or a way filled with good feelings and exciting happenings. i'm just curious to know if i should be doing more than just mindfulness of breathing. thanx though didn't mean to imply i was a newbie, in fact i should probably edit my original statement to make that clear. thanx chris.

No worries zac. My misunderstanding of your experience in meditation is a very good thing. I have been meditating since the late 90's but I am having difficulties myself at this moment, and, in order to respond to your question I thought (for the first time in about ten years) about this course run by Andrew Quernmore.
So .... I have enrolled in it myself.

with laughing metta
Chris

oh right on, maybe i'll give it a shot as well,
thanx again:)

[dhammastudier]

good point mike!!! i read those years ago and could answer my own questions if i take it back off the shelf! in fact now that i think of it that's why a lot of what people are telling me sounds familiar!

Since the book was first published in 2005, it's can't be very many years since you read it...

Mike

five years is enough to forget something you read once but didn't practice

[mikenz66]

good point mike!!! i read those years ago and could answer my own questions if i take it back off the shelf! in fact now that i think of it that's why a lot of what people are telling me sounds familiar!

Since the book was first published in 2005, it's can't be very many years since you read it...

Mike

five years is enough to forget something you read once but didn't practice

Hmm, if you can't recall what's in that book, I would suggest reading the whole thing again...

Mike

[dhammastudier]

Mike

five years is enough to forget something you read once but didn't practice

Hmm, if you can't recall what's in that book, I would suggest reading the whole thing again...

Mike

you must have a legendary memory! you can read a chapter of a book, one time, not think of it again or practice it's meaning, and remember it crystal clear after five years? i'm impressed!

[mikenz66]

Hi Zac,

you must have a legendary memory! you can read a chapter of a book, one time, not think of it again or practice it's meaning, and remember it crystal clear after five years? i'm impressed!

No, I said "recall what's in that book", not "recall that book...". There is a big difference...

I don't remember details very well, but I have studied In the Buddha's Words quite a lot, so I have a fair idea of what is in it, and so it is easy to find it. And I know from my other reading that the selection that Bhikkhu Bodhi made is wide and careful enough so that there is something on almost every topic that arises in the Suttas.

Consequently, when someone asks a question about what the Buddha taught on some topic, I often just look at the detailed contents pages (which are available as a PDF here: http://wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=104) to find some relevant Suttas. For me that approach is a lot faster than searching through the full NIkaya volumes, or the on-line translations, looking for something...

Mike

[jcsuperstar]

from my readings of suttas which it appears that the Buddha spent a lot of time doing walking meditation, maybe it would be helpful to you if you followed in his footsteps 555...

[dhammastudier]

Hi Zac,

you must have a legendary memory! you can read a chapter of a book, one time, not think of it again or practice it's meaning, and remember it crystal clear after five years? i'm impressed!

No, I said "recall what's in that book", not "recall that book...". There is a big difference...

I don't remember details very well, but I have studied In the Buddha's Words quite a lot, so I have a fair idea of what is in it, and so it is easy to find it. And I know from my other reading that the selection that Bhikkhu Bodhi made is wide and careful enough so that there is something on almost every topic that arises in the Suttas.

Consequently, when someone asks a question about what the Buddha taught on some topic, I often just look at the detailed contents pages (which are available as a PDF here: http://wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=104) to find some relevant Suttas. For me that approach is a lot faster than searching through the full NIkaya volumes, or the on-line translations, looking for something...

Mike

gotcha. well i remember what's IN that book in general, some parts better than others and certainly enough that i don't feel the need to re-read the entire thing. i will re-read the sections you mentioned though as they are clearly of interest to me right now. i didn't recall that section except for the mindfulness of breathing part. the rest of the section on mastering the mind i vaguely recall and as i read people's replies on here i knew i had read them somewhere and then you mentioned that book and it clicked. thanx.

[dhammastudier]

from my readings of suttas which it appears that the Buddha spent a lot of time doing walking meditation, maybe it would be helpful to you if you followed in his footsteps 555...

good idea

[mikenz66]

gotcha. well i remember what's IN that book in general, some parts better than others and certainly enough that i don't feel the need to re-read the entire thing.

Hmm, perhaps I'm being too subtle here. What I was trying to gently imply was that a large percentage of the questions asked on this board are actually answered, at least in part, by the Suttas and notes contained in "In the Buddha's Words", and I find it very easy to appear to be moderately knowledgeable by merely consulting the table of contents...

Mike

[Ben]

gotcha. well i remember what's IN that book in general, some parts better than others and certainly enough that i don't feel the need to re-read the entire thing.

Hmm, perhaps I'm being too subtle here. What I was trying to gently imply was that a large percentage of the questions asked on this board are actually answered, at least in part, by the Suttas and notes contained in "In the Buddha's Words", and I find it very easy to appear to be moderately knowledgeable by merely consulting the table of contents...

Mike

Mike, not only are you knowledgeable, but your suttamayapunna is well balanced with that wisdom that comes from practice.
Your contributions here are greatly valued.
metta

Ben

[dhammastudier]

gotcha. well i remember what's IN that book in general, some parts better than others and certainly enough that i don't feel the need to re-read the entire thing.

Hmm, perhaps I'm being too subtle here. What I was trying to gently imply was that a large percentage of the questions asked on this board are actually answered, at least in part, by the Suttas and notes contained in "In the Buddha's Words", and I find it very easy to appear to be moderately knowledgeable by merely consulting the table of contents...

Mike

cool, so i could do the same thing! good idea, thanx mike.