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karmic
India
19 Posts |
 Posted - May 13 2014 : 1:06:43 PM
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Hello All,
Have you ever noticed how difficult/ uninspiring it is to sit for daily meditation practice when you do not expect anything from it??
What would be the way forward-
A)Keep continuing it, hoping it will "click" again for you somtime later (but for what?)
b)Let go of the practice ( and then do what?)
Please share your views,
Love & Regards to all
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jonesboy
USA
594 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2014 : 2:10:29 PM
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What expectations do you need?
What matters is how you feel during the day. How is it affecting your daily life? That is what keeps us all going. That is what drives the bhakti!
I think maybe we are talking about two different types of expectations.
Are you asking about expectations of expecting results from your practice. Of course we all do, or why continue.
Expectations of sensations, feelings or experiences during our sessions is a little different and where we say to try not to have any. The goal is a little bigger than a little temporary pleasure or adventure. |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2014 : 9:25:26 PM
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Dear Karmic,
It's funny that you brought this up, because my teacher says, "Do your yoga without expectations!", which I find amusing because as jonesboy has pointed out, of course we "expect results" or else why would we continue?!
At the same time, yoga is "a discipline of pleasure," the key word being "discipline" even when the "pleasure" may not be immediately apparent. If done consistently, the meditative practice will produce results eventually. We all go through "dry spells" when it seems like not much is happening, but that will pass. I say (a) continue, unless it becomes an actual burden, in which case reevaluate. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2014 : 10:47:39 PM
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It comes in waves. And the waves keep coming. Seemingly, the barrage is progressive...meaning...we can expect an improvement in quality of inner condition, and life at large. I can vouch for this.
The if/then paradigm remains in play. God is not so cruel as to deny us some basic principles to work with here. If ____ occurs, then _____ occurs. Fill in the blanks, as you so desire.
Godspeed, and I'll catch you on the 47th wave in the 112th ocean of the 96th planet in the hemisphere-stratosphere of the Grand Cosmos.
Any further questions, please contact my attorney.  |
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jonesboy
USA
594 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2014 : 10:11:58 AM
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| Sometimes I wish we had Like buttons. |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2014 : 10:02:06 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by karmic
A)Keep continuing it, hoping it will "click" again for you somtime later (but for what?)
For bhakti, which continues to rise or rather barriers to it begin to dissolve, and for inner sensuality, or at least what seems like the beginning of it: greater appreciation for ordinary sensations, atmosphere of nature and people, very subtle energy symptoms, and so on. This is from careful observation of before and after meditation sittings, and from remembering precisely one's state at an earlier point in time.
'A discipline of pleasure,' do I quote Radharani or another teacher for that one :) |
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ak33
Canada
229 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2014 : 12:24:56 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by karmic
Hello All,
Have you ever noticed how difficult/ uninspiring it is to sit for daily meditation practice when you do not expect anything from it??
Maybe this suggests that you are indeed expecting something from it subconsciously? When you truly do not expect anything from your meditation, you will proceed with faith and discipline regardless of distractions. |
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karmic
India
19 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2014 : 1:28:59 PM
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Yes.. I had many expectations/assumptions when I started the practice.
But soon I could see that they were purely creation of my imaginations, based on my convenience and suiting my beliefs.
Simultaneously, I also realized that Truth/Reality doesn't exist seeking my(or anybody's)approval. Certain events in my life accelerated this understanding.
I also came to understand that the practice of meditation basically teaches you to take a path of least resistance in life by accepting the truth as it exist and aligning yourself with it.
And that is how the concept of meditation is evolving for me now- from being a goal oriented task to being a quality of effortlessness.
That's one of the main reason why I posted that question. I must admit that I may not be asking the right question but I have tried to the best of my ability.
Thanks again for taking your time to answer me- radharani,jonesboy, aumnaturel, boditree and ak33.
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2014 : 11:24:26 PM
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Solid.  |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2014 : 12:13:17 PM
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Be 'in the service of' and add whatever you feel is greater than you are. That can be God, Universe, light, or the indefinable feeling that there is something more.
It is impossible to meditate without expectation of results, that is the motivation. Dedicating the work to something beyond is helpful. If you are in service and a servant there is a difference in attitude to the work. It becomes more selfless as you expand and grow.
You must build the dream ladder in order to wake up. The only materials to hand are dream materials and the ladder must be carefully and conscientiously constructed. Even while it is nothing but an illusion it must be made as strong and as high as is necessary. The height it needs to be is unknown, the time taken to construct it incalculable. |
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Yogaman
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2014 : 11:22:42 AM
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A fellow meditator on an unrelated message board summed it up nicely for me: he doesn't like how he feels when he doesn't meditate. Instead of looking for or expecting results during or between the sits, he looks to little more than the centering effects the sits have on his in-between life.
For some, the effects seem to be quite obvious and apparent. For others (like myself), they are far more subtle and at times even unnoticeable. But I relate to the experience of preferring a day with meditation than one without, even if the experience in-between isn't dramatically different.
I too find it a bit frustrating to read of dynamic stillness, ecstatic conductivity, divine bliss, kundalini awakening — and then be told to not expect too much from meditation :)
As AumNaturel said, the discipline part of things plays a factor. I enjoy framing the day with meditation, it seems to give me a structure to place the rest of the days activities and brings an often-wandering mind back to center. |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2014 : 10:07:28 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by AumNaturel
'A discipline of pleasure,' do I quote Radharani or another teacher for that one :)
That is from my teacher, Mark Whitwell, but he may have learned it from his teacher, Krishnamacharya. |
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Meditation without expectations...
