Josh's Introduction

[josh]

Hey Everyone,

I have been on the forum before, otherwise known as Jay.  If you remember me from a few years ago that's awesome, but feel free to check out my previous posts and introduction. Well, I'd say I started meditation back in 2013.  I did a Goekna 10-day vipassana course.  I also spent another two months at another Goenka centre too.  Overall my experience was positive.  I started meditation there, and despite the cultish elements, I still got lots of value out of it.  I get the odd insight with Goenka's words to this day. 

If you said I had a religion, I would say it's Philosophy and traditional Christianity.  I define Philosophy as the pursuit of truth, living a meaningful life, and using reason to achieve these aims.  Philosophy involves learning and understanding what it means to be human and our larger world around us.  I look at Christianity, the Bible, and its writings from a Philosophical perspective.  I see it as refined wisdom on how to live a meaningful life, showcasing people who made mistakes, what they did wrong, and what better choices that could be made.  I love Buddhism and Taoism, and although I am not a practitioner, I find it insightful.

I do pray most days to God, which I would consider a living and loving God, otherwise why would I bother praying?  It's just a natural thing I do, which I didn't realize until after I started meditating.   I meditate more casually now, usually once a day or every other day, only about 15 or twenty minutes.  It's enough for me right now.  I meditated lots at the centres, and I used to meditate two hours every day.  I do a prayer before and after meditation I do.

My meditations are more instinctive.  I don't choose to focus on any one thing.  I just let the process happen, and its a balance between focusing and relaxing.  I try to keep grounded in my body. I'll focus on my spine and various areas of inside and around my body, then switch between focusing on my entire body at once.  I spend more time grounding myself in my forehead.  Occasionally, I'll be swept up in a trance (jhana), my awareness will deepen, and my mind will expand. 

I practice Kung Fu, from a teacher who is very offensive and practical based.  No bullshit there. I practice Qi Gong at Kung fu, which is more body awareness.  I find the more I meditate, the more I am overcoming my bad habits, like spacing out or doing unhealthy behaviours.  I am becoming more comfortable with myself.  I find my interest in spirituality and meditation is the 'warrior priest' flavour.

I don't do lucid dreaming or OOB's as much as at my peak, but it happens the odd time and its stronger than it ever was.  It lasts what will feel like hours, never bloody ending, and I have more control and awareness.  I hope to be able to have full control over this at some point, but not at the expense of living my life.  One goal is to heighten my sense awareness.  I read in the Sutras that one higher skill is a 'divine' sense perception.  Meaning, you could smell or taste a plant, and know what effect it will have on your body good or bad.  Seems pretty useful.

There's my introduction.  Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you.

[Jhanananda]

Hey Everyone,

I have been on the forum before, otherwise known as Jay.  If you remember me from a few years ago that's awesome, but feel free to check out my previous posts and introduction. Well, I'd say I started meditation back in 2013.  I did a Goekna 10-day vipassana course.  I also spent another two months at another Goenka centre too.  Overall my experience was positive.  I started meditation there, and despite the cultish elements, I still got lots of value out of it.  I get the odd insight with Goenka's words to this day. 

Welcome back Jay/Josh.  Good to have you back.  Sorry to be getting back to you after 10 days.  I was in the hospital again, and I have also been working on moving, and working on a RV van that someone gave me, an upgrade from the old van, which I junked last week.

If you said I had a religion, I would say it's Philosophy and traditional Christianity.  I define Philosophy as the pursuit of truth, living a meaningful life, and using reason to achieve these aims.  Philosophy involves learning and understanding what it means to be human and our larger world around us.  I look at Christianity, the Bible, and its writings from a Philosophical perspective.  I see it as refined wisdom on how to live a meaningful life, showcasing people who made mistakes, what they did wrong, and what better choices that could be made.  I love Buddhism and Taoism, and although I am not a practitioner, I find it insightful.

The term 'philosophy' happens to refer to what we are engage in here.  Christianity, and the Bible, are fine here.  The problem I have with most religions, is mainstream religion tends to marginalize mystics; and we are mystics here.

I do pray most days to God, which I would consider a living and loving God, otherwise why would I bother praying?  It's just a natural thing I do, which I didn't realize until after I started meditating.   I meditate more casually now, usually once a day or every other day, only about 15 or twenty minutes.  It's enough for me right now.  I meditated lots at the centres, and I used to meditate two hours every day.  I do a prayer before and after meditation I do.

My meditations are more instinctive.  I don't choose to focus on any one thing.  I just let the process happen, and its a balance between focusing and relaxing.  I try to keep grounded in my body. I'll focus on my spine and various areas of inside and around my body, then switch between focusing on my entire body at once.  I spend more time grounding myself in my forehead.  Occasionally, I'll be swept up in a trance (jhana), my awareness will deepen, and my mind will expand. 

Instinctive meditation is more my style, and I believe it explains why I experience the various stages of jhana every time I meditate.  So, it may explain why you are here.

I practice Kung Fu, from a teacher who is very offensive and practical based.  No bullshit there. I practice Qi Gong at Kung fu, which is more body awareness.  I find the more I meditate, the more I am overcoming my bad habits, like spacing out or doing unhealthy behaviours.  I am becoming more comfortable with myself.  I find my interest in spirituality and meditation is the 'warrior priest' flavour.

I studied martial arts through my teens.  It might explain why I got into meditation.

I don't do lucid dreaming or OOB's as much as at my peak, but it happens the odd time and its stronger than it ever was.  It lasts what will feel like hours, never bloody ending, and I have more control and awareness.  I hope to be able to have full control over this at some point, but not at the expense of living my life.  One goal is to heighten my sense awareness.  I read in the Sutras that one higher skill is a 'divine' sense perception.  Meaning, you could smell or taste a plant, and know what effect it will have on your body good or bad.  Seems pretty useful.

There's my introduction.  Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you.

Lucid dreaming came to me within the first 6 months after I started a regular meditation practice, which was about 45 years ago.  So, it looks like your contemplative life is paying off for you.  I look forward to reading more of what you have to say.

[josh]

Hey Jeffrey,

Thanks for the reply, I look forward to engaging with the people here again.  It does look like there is less conversation than years ago,  but there is always a natural up and down in everything.

[Jhanananda]

My health had been steadily going down hill for the last 8 years, which explains to me why there is less dialog here.  I was just too sick to engage in dialog.  Now that I have come to realize that my health problems are all autoimmune, and they are caused by the incredibly high levels of allergens here in Prescott, then all I had to do to improve my health was to have a HEPA filter for my home, and wear a respirator when outside.