Meditation Object

[jay.validus]

I find I want to further my meditations with something more than just letting go and relaxation.  I want to further my concentration on objects I deem worthwhile to focus my attention.  The breath has never been an good option for me during meditation, because I become so relaxed and go deep that my breathing slows to a halt, with four or five seconds between small breaths.  It comes pointless.  I do not want to simply focus on deep relaxation or disengaging from the senses, something I spent all my time doing no matter the cost.

Although I do not want to stop using deep relaxation or disengaging from the senses with meditation, I want to use it for other reasons.  For example, my bike was stolen on the week-end, after I had locked it up and went into a book-store. Thank you, Winnipeg.  I took the bike across all of Canada, had thousands of dollars of equipment on it. had it for two years after my tour in Winnipeg, and locking it up at a local book-store gets it stolen.  During my meditations this week-end I starting meditating on what I learned at Kung Fu.  Defending myself.  Breaking arms, shoulders, and noses.  Allowing fear to bring up many situations and applying wisdom on how I could defend myself.    My instructor had mentioned me meditating on what we practice in class before, but I dismissed it.

Now I am finding that more can be used with my meditations than deep altered states.  This is more than a case of bordem.  There is more to this than seeing the world as transient and disengaging from it.  Part of a practice is to integrate what one learns from meditation, from one's journeys into other realms of reality and bringing it back to the earthy level.  I am choosing to be enlightened while engaging with the world, something I feel many teachers of Buddhism do not teach, nor do they agree with. 

[Jhanananda]

I find I want to further my meditations with something more than just letting go and relaxation.  I want to further my concentration on objects I deem worthwhile to focus my attention.  The breath has never been an good option for me during meditation, because I become so relaxed and go deep that my breathing slows to a halt, with four or five seconds between small breaths.  It comes pointless.  I do not want to simply focus on deep relaxation or disengaging from the senses, something I spent all my time doing no matter the cost.

I am not sure what is happening in your meditation at the time that your breath slows down so much, but it sounds like you are arriving at the 4th jhana, which is associated with cessation of the breath, or at least awareness of it.  If so, then there are likely to be a number of non-physical phenomena arising, to which one will want to attend to as meditation objects, because doing so will bring one to deeper levels of depth in meditation.  These non-physical phenomena are generally called 'charisms' in Christian mystical literature, and 'jhana-nimitta' in the Pali canon.

Although I do not want to stop using deep relaxation or disengaging from the senses with meditation, I want to use it for other reasons.  For example, my bike was stolen on the week-end, after I had locked it up and went into a book-store. Thank you, Winnipeg.  I took the bike across all of Canada, had thousands of dollars of equipment on it. had it for two years after my tour in Winnipeg, and locking it up at a local book-store gets it stolen. 

Most of the time I lock my bikes with a shackle locked (U-lock) around the frame and through the front wheel to a solid, and immovable object, like a steel pole.

During the first phase of my journey into this recluse life, I was in my last year of 3 university degrees, but quite poor, and living solely on student loans to finish up a completely worthless attempt at higher education.  I had rented a room from a friend.  At that time I had two of my bikes stolen, both worth more than $2,000 each, which I had bought in the 90s when I used to ride 35 miles a day for my health, and had a successful computer business.  In both cases I had to take responsibility for the thefts, because they are improperly locked. 

After returning from 2 years of solo wilderness retreat I was living in my van in a church parking lot in Tucson, AZ.  I had another bike stolen then, again, the bike was improperly locked.  So, now I make sure my bike is always shackle locked (U-lock) around the frame and through the front wheel to a solid, and immovable object, like a steel pole, because you never know who is a thief, and thieves are opportunistic.

During my meditations this week-end I starting meditating on what I learned at Kung Fu.  Defending myself.  Breaking arms, shoulders, and noses.  Allowing fear to bring up many situations and applying wisdom on how I could defend myself.    My instructor had mentioned me meditating on what we practice in class before, but I dismissed it.

Now I am finding that more can be used with my meditations than deep altered states.  This is more than a case of bordem.  There is more to this than seeing the world as transient and disengaging from it.  Part of a practice is to integrate what one learns from meditation, from one's journeys into other realms of reality and bringing it back to the earthy level.  I am choosing to be enlightened while engaging with the world, something I feel many teachers of Buddhism do not teach, nor do they agree with.

As some of you know, I studied martial arts for about 10 years as a youth to defend myself against my family of origin who are so very abusive to me throughout my childhood.  Consequently when I took up a contemplative life I first found my meditations were occupied with martial arts, which I was studying at the time.  At that time I found the martial arts images passing through my mind during meditation were a great distraction to the experience of deep meditation, which I found very helpful, and in fact I found the still mind of deep meditation made me a a far better martial artist.  Thus, my solution to being a better martial artist was over coming the fear and anger of past harm done to me through deep meditation practice made me a formidable martial artist. 

Just a note:  When I was 10 I was wiping the mat with brown belts, and by the time I was 15 I was wiping the mat with black belts, and when I was an adult I could take a man twice my size and weight and gain complete control of him and put him in a position of immanent death, if need be, and I did so on several occasions.  Thus, deep meditation practice made me beyond black-belt level in martial arts skill.

[jay.validus]

Most of the time I lock my bikes with a shackle locked (U-lock) around the frame and through the front wheel to a solid, and immovable object, like a steel pole.

During the first phase of my journey into this recluse life, I was in my last year of 3 university degrees, but quite poor, and living solely on student loans to finish up a completely worthless attempt at higher education.  I had rented a room from a friend.  At that time I had two of my bikes stolen, both worth more than $2,000 each, which I had bought in the 90s when I used to ride 35 miles a day for my health, and had a successful computer business.  In both cases I had to take responsibility for the thefts, because they are improperly locked.

After returning from 2 years of solo wilderness retreat I was living in my van in a church parking lot in Tucson, AZ.  I had another bike stolen then, again, the bike was improperly locked.  So, now I make sure my bike is always shackle locked (U-lock) around the frame and through the front wheel to a solid, and immovable object, like a steel pole, because you never know who is a thief, and thieves are opportunistic.

Well this makes me feel better.  Doesn't misery sure like company? Ha!  A better lock might have worked better.  It was nice to have the chain lock because if I needed to wrap it around something large.  Keep in mind, I bought my lock when I was on a bike tour, so the u-lock would not always be the best option.

Just a note:  When I was 10 I was wiping the mat with brown belts, and by the time I was 15 I was wiping the mat with black belts, and when I was an adult I could take a man twice my size and weight and gain complete control of him and put him in a position of immanent death, if need be, and I did so on several occasions.  Thus, deep meditation practice made me beyond black-belt level in martial arts skill.

Sounds like what I am doing.  When I meditate on fighting, the void is strongly manifested in my being.  As fear and imagination bring up a situation, I follow how the sensations manifest on my body and then relax my mind, to help myself let go of the fear.  The sensations I feel have much more depth to them, like when you are sleeping and feel a sensation on the surface of your body... you feel the depth through your entire body to the surface. 

I am not sure what is happening in your meditation at the time that your breath slows down so much, but it sounds like you are arriving at the 4th jhana, which is associated with cessation of the breath, or at least awareness of it.  If so, then there are likely to be a number of non-physical phenomena arising, to which one will want to attend to as meditation objects, because doing so will bring one to deeper levels of depth in meditation.  These non-physical phenomena are generally called 'charisms' in Christian mystical literature, and 'jhana-nimitta' in the Pali canon.

When this happens, I tend to focus on the mental states or simply on the nature of existence.  I look at underlying emotions or mental states, and usually there is a consolation process that occurs through observing.  Old memories could come up, or if past lives are real, situations and people which mean nothing to me.  Mostly, I have been more interested in the nature of existence, on becoming and why.  I have looked at how my perception and judgement can create seeds in my mind and develop further.  Sometimes I shift my focus on people in my life, and I can get deeper understanding of their role in my life and my role in theirs. 

The mental hums and noises are interesting, but I have too much noise at my new apartment to really listen further unless I am asleep.  As for the soul leaving the body, this does not happen on command.  If only, and maybe someday!  Often, the absorption follows me into my daily life, and has since I was a child.  Although fun to use when contemplating, often the world gets too intense; the blood flowing through the body is all what becomes.  I find that with my practice I stay pretty level now.  I feel good.  I suppose I could go further, and I am sure I have, but words never do justice.  I just end up stuttering and just stop making sense.  Meh.

[Jhanananda]

Well this makes me feel better.  Doesn't misery sure like company? Ha!  A better lock might have worked better.  It was nice to have the chain lock because if I needed to wrap it around something large.  Keep in mind, I bought my lock when I was on a bike tour, so the u-lock would not always be the best option.

I have a cable for those situations, the U-lock is locked through the frame and the front tire, then through the cable where there is nothing, like a pipe or sign post, that I can lock to.  In that case it would be locked to a stout tree.

When this happens, I tend to focus on the mental states or simply on the nature of existence.  I look at underlying emotions or mental states, and usually there is a consolation process that occurs through observing.  Old memories could come up, or if past lives are real, situations and people which mean nothing to me.  Mostly, I have been more interested in the nature of existence, on becoming and why.  I have looked at how my perception and judgement can create seeds in my mind and develop further.  Sometimes I shift my focus on people in my life, and I can get deeper understanding of their role in my life and my role in theirs. 

I find this good practice and I have reaped much benefit from it.  This is mostly my daily activity when not in formal meditation. I have found that as I mastered the deep meditation states I became very psychic, so that as I move throughout my day I am flooded by the mental and emotional states of those around me.  I just let it all flow through me without a value judgement.

The mental hums and noises are interesting, but I have too much noise at my new apartment to really listen further unless I am asleep.  As for the soul leaving the body, this does not happen on command.  If only, and maybe someday!  Often, the absorption follows me into my daily life, and has since I was a child.  Although fun to use when contemplating, often the world gets too intense; the blood flowing through the body is all what becomes.  I find that with my practice I stay pretty level now.  I feel good.  I suppose I could go further, and I am sure I have, but words never do justice.  I just end up stuttering and just stop making sense.  Meh.

If you attend to the charisms ("mental hums and noises"), and other charismatic phenomena during meditation, then you will be taken to deeper levels, which will result in OOBEs, and much more.