Meditation: What? Why and Who?

[James Parkinson]

Russ said, James I've never meditated can you explain the positive benefits you feel you get from this?

There are a number of classic meditation techniques. Why so many different methods? Who meditates and why?

Perhaps others who meditate could help out with an answer. It might be good for all of us to see what our aim has been and how it may have changed over the years.

[James Parkinson]

I'll go one better than that, Russ. I'll show you. Download Lite Podcasts #015 through 019 and listen to them in order. Follow the instructions and then tell me what you get, if anything. Give it a week.

[Matt]

I had thought I had been meditating for many years. I've come to the conclusion that what I had really been doing was thinking about meditating all that time. I don't know why there are so many methods, but I suspect that if, as Aristotle says "All experience harmonizes with true principles", one just has to find out for themselves what works.
I stumbled upon Vipassana soon after I stumbled upon James' website, since there was a link to it on there( Thanks James!). There was a course being given near me, it was free, and i was able to schedule the time off to attend it.
I didn't complete it the on my first try, but I learned something important. That meditation is nothing special. Its not some mystical Eastern thing, I mean it is in a way, but the practice of it takes grit. You have to be willing to get dirty. The meditation hall smells after a while. you dont want to go in there anymore. Backs ache, legs ache. people are coughing, sneezing. I had a fortress of cushions set up around me, in hope of easing the discomfort. It didn't matter. the pain always came. Until it didn't. And that didn't happen until my second course, which I actually completed. My experienced expelled my romantic notion of what meditation was and what it could do for me. To quote Goenkaji, it is teaching me to deal with reality as it is, not as i would like it to be. I'm no teacher so i won't talk about how to do it. But i would suggest that you pick a technique and go check it out for at least a few days.

[Cheryl Dunkin]

Russ, I am fairly new to meditation thanks to James, I cannot recommend it enough. It is the only 20 minutes of the day when I can block out everything, relax and be at peace if just for that time. I am refreshed and energized when I am done.

[Russ]

Thanks Cheryl been a bit hectic actually so only had the chance to try this a couple of times so far and both attempts have ended in sleep, not sure this is the desired outcome but very nice anyway lol. Will attempt again this week and let you know what my findings are.