| | Hi there, Sohil
You have received a lot of good advice here. This can be difficult to negotiate. Jack Kornfield & Ken Wilber both talk about how the development of spiritual practice, i.e. meditative states doesn't actually fix all your psychological & life problems. In the book, 'After the Ecstasy the Laundry', there are the accounts of many teachers experiences of meditation and some off the problems or limitations. But one off the important themes is that attainment is not this process that will perfect you in an idealised manner, but will merely shift how you 'react' to your perspectives and those of others. So in-conclusion the enlightened person or the stream enterer still has much or can learn much, about the dharma, kind speech, ethics; views on the roles of women in buddhism etc.
But in contrast to the point, that meditative states don't fix life problems, when your mind is clear of reaction, it can be easier to change.
Next teachers are great, but I propose to you, which one is correct? This is the dilemma. Fortunately in this day and age we have a lot more neo-buddhist, who can negotiate different approaches to meditation, from inclusive perspectives. In contrast to that, my time with teachers, such as sayadaw u pandita jr & sayadaw dr sunanda, along with study and lots of practice and discussions with my friends, have all taught me and helped me to understand how it is best for me to practice. While learning these things I have also learner to listen to good advice or at least remember it for later, for when I'm finally able to realise I was wrong, and my teacher was right with regards to my practice! So teachers are really good but in the end you have to do it your self, because even if you have total faith in them and do exactly what they tell you, there will usually come a time when you will still have to work it out yourself. This is usually most of the time for most people.
Some of the more important advice is to just keep investigating the four objects of mindfulness in daily activity, but also keep meditating and investigating. Doubt is an actual state, notice that it is there, notice how it changes, and notice that it does actually past, too, before it may return.
I'll throw a guess out based on 'my own experience': when you really want it, you try everything to trick it into happening, and when the trick doesn't work, you wonder whether it can be done or whether your able to do it. Stop tricking yourself, just mediate, you don't make this stuff happen, you make mindfulness investigation and concentration happen, by remaining attentive to the changing objects, then the practice develops. All those time you think you made something happened, were more of a push with concentration, until some calm, blissful or interesting affect occurred, making you feel like you had achieved something, stop that! Well I hope you like that last bit of advice that I gave, as it is also vey good advice to myself.
Kind Regards Neem
p.s. i reread and fixed up some errors. |