The BIG meditation as a LD Aid topic

I only skimmed through this topic but I don’t think I saw a link to wildmind.org I do a mindfulness meditation that I learned from this webesite everyday. I can’t say that it has helped with my lucid dreaming or not but I do like doing it for other reasons. This is a very good website to learn different kinds of meditation.

I just wish I could get into the habbit of meditating atleast 30 minutes a day. I have some question. I meditate by focusing on my breathing… How do I know if it is working? How am I supose to feel? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but I have took enterest in meditating, but I didnt know if I was wasting my time, because I wasnt doing it right

OK… I sit still, and focus on my breathing, but I still have dialog thoughts in my head, but usualy its saying focus on my breathing. Is that OK? Or am I supose to get rid of dialog alltogeather, that is very hard.

My FAQs on meditating.

OK Ive began a daily practice with meditating. Do I need to buy a book, or can I just learn from the web? How is it possible to blank your mind? I have concentration on my breathing, but I still have my inner voice chating. Its like my focus on breathing, is layred with my inner voice. How do I know if Im doing it right?

One method I have used in the past is to look at each thought that come up in your inner dialog, and then just let it float away. I kind of visulised it floating off in my mind. If you try to push the thoughts away they just get stronger. You do want to get to a state where the dialog is gone.
That said, this is not very easy for most people, and can take lots of practice, so keep at it.
don

I think you just need to focus on your breath. Don’t worry about whether you’re doing it right or whatever, just focus on your breath.

“Access To Insight” is a good website on Theravada Buddhism. It has lots of information on meditation if you look around.

“Audio Dharma” has free recordings of meditation lessons.

[mod]Direct links towards vendors are not allowed on the forum. I deleted them and just let the name.[/mod]

Sorry, didn’t realise they sold anything.

I think everything they offer is free actually, I just had another look, did I miss something?

I think that’s the difficult bit for most people, it certainly is for me.

To try and answer literally: “blanking your mind” is possible by letting every thought (the chatting of the inner voice) that comes up drift away, or end it, or stop thinking it. (I hope one of these phrases makes sense.) In my case, there’s a new thought coming up half a second later, and then I have to let go of that thought.

Each time you practise you can keep your mind blank for a little bit longer. In the beginning “a little bit longer” is one or maybe a few seconds, but don’t let it discourage you - you’ll get better!

To concentrate on one’s breathing is simply a help: Concentrating on one thing is supposed to make it easier to let all the other thoughts drift away.

As for books: I don’t think you need a book (wikipedia is usually a good source of information, but if you want to buy one, browse in a library first, and see which book you’re comfortable with. Buying one you haven’t looked into makes no sense (IMHO), and I’d keep away from books who promise too much.

Centering Prayer is very practical too. It also improves your awareness and self-reflection also.

Hi guys. I just started getting into meditation, and at the moment i’m working on building concentration. By counting my breaths, then when i’ve done that for a while, i’ll move to following my breathing which is slightly harder. After I build concentration, I don’t know where i’ll go then.

I can see how meditation can be useful in the WILD technique especially, because you develop the concentration which is needed.

I know that whenever I do my specific brand of meditation, I usually have an LD that night. This may just be me, but I try to do it once a weekend.

Problem is, it takes time. Probably a few hours of delving into the realm of conscious thought. Afterwards, though, I feel like I’ve expanded my cosmic self, and that’s always a good time :razz:

Mindfulness meditiation linked to melatonin increase.

…and there are a bunch of other results if you google “meditation melatonin.” I won’t try to theorize the mechanisms involved, but regular meditation right before bed should increase your nightly melatonin levels, and melatonin being what it is I can only assume it would lead to, at the least, better sleep and more interesting dreams, if not an outright LD.

I do CP for the minimum time of 20 mins every day.

I have had a very realistic level LD since I’ve begun it.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried meditation in a dream?

Back on topic: Zazen meditation was mentioned earlier and not much was said about it, but zazen meditation is an excellent way to build up concentration. And with better concentration other meditation practices, and probably WILD, become that much more fruitful.

I don’t believe I’ve ever tried meditation.

You should give it a shot. It is an excellent tool for the spirit and everyday life. And seems to help with lucid dreaming.

I don’t even know the methods. Is it just sitting still and focusing? Like the counting in MILD?

Such as a lucid dream? Once after reading about that elsewhere on the forum, I managed to remember it during a lucid dream of mine. Unfortunately, I never got around to it, since I shortly woke up afterwards. Since then, I’ve never been able to remember to meditate during a lucid dream.

In a sense, yes. However, you need something to focus on, and you were very close when it comes to the counting part. In one form of meditation, Mindfulness of Breathing, you count your breaths, in and out, to ten. There are also other forms of meditating, and although I try to meditate daily, (that doesn’t always happen) :wink: I’m not close to being a meditation teacher. I learned all I know about meditation from Wildmind. :grin:

Some people tried, for instance Flo. She said she had greater effects with mantras during LD’s. A friend of mine just tried some days ago repeating mantras in the lotus position. He didn’t notice something special but it was just his first try.

I think a dream would be the only way to get myself into a full lotus position.

Cool, I figure since you are in SP already and your brain makes more unusual connections forgetting the body would be extremely easy, like once you entered the realm of the mind your character and all others would just cease to exist, and the latter would lead to just that much more insight and creativity of the mind. If I could only get more LD’s in I would give it a try myself, soon hopefully.

I honestly just let loose all my interset and knowledge in meditation over the past months. I don’t know how or why, but lucid dreams just come to me now. Sort of like my desire to lucid dream and have a more peaceful mind was recognized by my subconscious.