this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2025
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Meditation

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I like Shikantaza.

We basically have 2 meditation techniques.

  1. Hold your attention upon a thing as perfectly as you can for a while

  2. Watch the flow of experience-stuff (sights, sounds, thoughts, emotions, etc) while refraining from moving your attention in reaction to that.

Shikantaza is of the second variety.

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[โ€“] PotatoMoon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Are you familiar with your attention? Like, what it does and such.

By attention I mean that which you direct when you pay attention. That which you concentrate when you concentrate. That which gets jerked around when you get distracted.

I mean, it sounds like you're letting it go where it will here. Drift and such.

Which is basically what I do. (Shikantaza.) I describe it as getting big and fluffy.

The other technique (the Buddhists call it samatha, it goes by other names in other traditions) is pretty easy and delivers amazing results quickly, among other things. It's big payoff, imo, it that it gives you a great education in the ins and outs of attention.

(But like I said, we have just 2 techniques. And they can definitely be derived from personal observation and experimentation)

[โ€“] thelsim@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 months ago

Hmmm, eventually my attention drifts around my body. Like, I don't choose what to focus on but am just along for the ride.
I'm not very well read with regards to meditation, though the Shikantaza sounds interesting. I might give it a try some time.