your day-to-day living

thumbnail
Andy Coke, modified 14 Years ago at 11/24/09 3:44 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/24/09 3:44 PM

your day-to-day living

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Hello there,

because this enlightment thing seems to become a big part of my life, and I'm scared I'ts turning in to a bit of an obssesion, I would like to ask you,

How do you approach the day-to-day practice?

How much time do you spend on-cushion, and what difference has it made to your life? not as in "I'm happier and more lucid" but in practical terms, i.e. "I sleep 4 hours and meditate 4 extra, then I shower while pircing throw the sensations of the water going down my face. After this I have my All Bran Special E and then I start the day and don't ever think about practice 'till tomorrow morning".


I'm tempted to read the book-biography of Dipa Ma to find out about this things coming from a "great master", but I don't know how much we can relate to this woman, since our situation seems quite different.

Thanks a lot for your comments.

Cheers,
Andy.
thumbnail
Andy Coke, modified 14 Years ago at 11/26/09 5:26 AM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/26/09 5:26 AM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
wow 45 readings and not and answer? I'm not after the answer of highly enlightened masters only, also of people working on it at any level emoticon

Cheers guys,
Andy
Albert "Rusty" Rustebakke, modified 14 Years ago at 11/26/09 1:55 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/26/09 1:55 PM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 47 Join Date: 9/27/09 Recent Posts
Rather than answer here, Andy, I'll refer you to the Dharma Companion thread. I hope I have written a number of things there directly relevant to your interest. I do try to practice all day, with a major part of my practice being going back over and over again to awareness of breath. As to enlightenment, I have said a few things about that too. Feel free to post in Dharma Companion....
Kate Gowen, modified 14 Years ago at 11/26/09 2:43 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/26/09 2:43 PM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 15 Join Date: 9/27/09 Recent Posts
Maybe there is a reluctance to offer oneself as an example--? And for folks who've been at this awhile, probably their experience is like mine: 'how I practice' and 'how it affects my daily life' has changed over the years and in phases. There was the long, largely 'preoccupied with managing to live my life, raise my kids, not succumb to the many hazards of single parenthood-- but keeping an eye out' phase; there was the, OK, where was I, before I was the 24/7/365x30 Parent phase-- fairly brief. There was the 'what else could possibly be worth doing' obsessive phase-- could last quite awhile, I guess; in my case, I lucked into picking up clues fast and furiously, and remembering readily the ones I'd stashed in my mental attic 30 years before.

I think the obsessive phase is what propels the plunge into practice; at some point, thinking about it, watching/listening to others, weighing alternatives just gets intolerable. By 'practice' I mean meditation, in some form or other. How long-- per day, or for how many days/weeks/months/years-- seems to vary widely and wildly. My guess is that that is correlated with karmic factors like time available, life experience, alertness, and ferocity of intention.

At the outset of this last almost-decade, I had a moment (of some months' duration) where I could formally sit, for 2-3 hours a day; and study my growing-by-leaps-and-bounds library for more hours. At the acute part of this phase I experienced an intense sense of some sort of physiological revision going on 24/7, even while 'asleep'. One of the major insights from then on was that "Pray without ceasing" is the Christian equivalent to Milarepa's reply to someone asking about when he meditated: "When do I NOT meditate?" This insight is not exactly triumphant: another way of saying it is-- "No excuses." A practitioner is never 'off-duty.' If he or she thinks there is an 'opportunity' for obliviousness, the fruit of the practice of delusion will appear in due course.

Vajrayana teachers warn about this: (If you want to be comfortable) "Better not to start; if you do start-- better to finish"-- and compare the life of practice to riding a tiger: attempting to dismount is fatal.

But I digress from my already oblique response to your (what seemed to me) plaintive request. I'm not trying to be evasive; it's just that at this point, I really can't draw a line between my practice and my life. The subject of my current investigation is what is the function-- and IS there a function-- of continuing to 'sit' for a period of time each day...
thumbnail
Dark Night Yogi, modified 14 Years ago at 11/27/09 6:48 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/27/09 9:15 AM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 138 Join Date: 8/25/09 Recent Posts
right now im observing my cycling. its usually: (per 1 1/2 days each)

deep insight
dark night
equanimity

while at the same time my chi cycles (per day)

high
low/burned out
high
low/burned out

so each day, i notice what part of the cycle i am, and try to face each part with more readiness then i last faced it.
havn't had that much time to meditate, only about a total of 1 hour per day: 20/20/20
thumbnail
Andy Coke, modified 14 Years ago at 11/27/09 11:05 AM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/27/09 11:05 AM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Thanks for your replies. I find interesting how other people is 'walking' their path.

Albert, your post is very interesting. I was thinking of writting something similar, althoug in a note book and for myself only. And thanks for the invitation. Regarding your following the breath 24/7, I have a question for you (and it is a real question, not criticism):

Why do you do it? I've read of different masters that tell you to do it, but I don't see why. Increase concentration? keep you in the 'moment', see trhough the different sensations that composes the breathing?

Thanks in advance emoticon

Cheers,
Andy
thumbnail
Dark Night Yogi, modified 14 Years ago at 11/27/09 7:04 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 11/27/09 7:00 PM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 138 Join Date: 8/25/09 Recent Posts
edited my post.

Hope its ok to butt in on your latest question. I also have been trying to do that most of the time since October. It started when i got off a Goenka retreat. That was the instruction. To be aware of breath 24/7, even as a 'multitask' while doing other things, instead of paying attention to the task at hand. I weighed the pros and cons of me doing this and thought it would fit well with me to continue. It developed more equanimity and peace but also weakened outside awareness. This however was what i think i needed as it would integrate more with living my day to day life. Having too much outside awareness made me more obsessed, and most of the stuff were useless stuff: observing people's suffering subconsciously, observing movements, etc. So, with having the breath as an anchor, the mind doesn't wander as much and all energy is directed to a safe object.

It's also an easy gauge or indicator of how much stress i currently have or how strong my energy and attention is at a given time.
thumbnail
Daniel M Ingram, modified 14 Years ago at 1/2/10 12:17 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 1/2/10 12:17 PM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Yeah, as above, very stage and year dependent.

Initially I was obsessed, meditated about 2-5 hours each day when I had the time, few movies, little time with friends, structured jobs to allow for retreats and practice, was did as much daily mindfulness as I could, eating, driving, walking, elevators, the sounds of people talking, sights, etc., meditated before going to sleep and on waking, and any time I awoke in the night, read tons of dharma books, etc.

That morphed in stages various ways, but after getting stream entry I was a lot more able to focus on things like career. After third path I was much more able to focus on things like graduate studies, and now I get some practice when I can, always on waking and before going to sleep, but it just happens and I am ok with it. I work a lot at my job, work around the house some, work on my straw bale house project, have been playing music a lot, and just let things happen and try to enjoy myself and make positive difference in the world.

In short, this is a very personal thing, everyone is different at different times as the complex circumstances of their life and their practice unfold. There will always be a cadre of hardcore, gung-ho, mindfulness every second, gotta climb the mountain types, but hopefully that leads to more balance and the ability to expand out to greater enjoyment of things and wider benefit and scope in its time.
thumbnail
Daniel Johnson, modified 14 Years ago at 1/3/10 3:10 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 1/3/10 3:10 PM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 401 Join Date: 12/16/09 Recent Posts
After a Goenka retreat, he suggests that a person sit one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. He says that you will gain one hour because you sleep less. And, you'll gain one hour because you'll become more productive.

I tried it for a year. I found that I didn't really end up sleeping less. I sleep pretty much the same in daily life, no matter if I meditate one hour, two hours, three hours, or none at all. On a retreat, I sleep a little less, but nothing noticeable in daily life.

I didn't really find myself much more productive. I found that getting some really good books on productivity and studying that subject did a LOT more for my productivity and time-efficiency than Vipassana. Although, training in Samadhi did help me in learning to renounce a lot of activities that were actually just a waste of time.

So, I wouldn't say that I agree with him.

I definitely do a little before bed and upon awaking. It took me a while to build the habit, but I find it very helpful.

The rest of the day, I'm always intent on practicing Sila, Samadhi, or Panna in some way or another. And, I find that depending on what the situation calls for, I will choose from the three different trainings. Sometimes I will shower and just focus on doing a really good job of cleaning myself and taking care of my body (sila). Sometimes, I will shower and just let go and relax in the moment (Samadhi). Sometimes, I will stay with sensations and notice the hot, cold, wet, as well as the intentions that come with it as I move around - noting the intention to grab soap, or the intention to put my head under the water.

It's funny, doing shower Vipassana... I found that most of my showering was based on cravings to get the perfect level of comfortable temperature in my body. Like, I could feel a cold sensation on my elbow, and then, very quickly, a craving for warmth, and then an intention to move my elbow into the water, and then the sensation of warmth as the warm water hit my elbow. Then, another cold sensation on my back, and the whole process would repeat.

I look at it all as practice, though. Because there isn't a single moment that goes by that doesn't contain a direct confrontation with Reality.
thumbnail
Andy Coke, modified 14 Years ago at 1/5/10 7:29 AM
Created 14 Years ago at 1/5/10 7:29 AM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 93 Join Date: 10/5/09 Recent Posts
Thanks a lot for all the detail. It feels very helpfull to see the way other people take their practice.

Have fun!!
thumbnail
Dark Night Yogi, modified 14 Years ago at 1/5/10 7:47 AM
Created 14 Years ago at 1/5/10 7:46 AM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 138 Join Date: 8/25/09 Recent Posts
Daniel. You're doing more of 'noting' now off retreat?

-

Usually now, i do more Anapana or Samadhi than Vipassana. Since im usually more tired, vipassana is tougher, and I also need more Samadhi if im tired.

-

I sleep 6:30 hours. I think this change happened because I got to stream-entry & 2nd path, but i think i used to sleep 7 hours before too. I sleep 6:30 regardless if i meditate or not, usually. I hear that when you're enlightened you can manage to sleep for 4 hours. If this were true then thats a big deal!

-
thumbnail
Daniel M Ingram, modified 14 Years ago at 1/8/10 3:57 PM
Created 14 Years ago at 1/8/10 3:57 PM

RE: your day-to-day living

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Mitch Jacinto:
Daniel. You're doing more of 'noting' now off retreat? -


Mostly in my practice these days I just let it happen, but sometimes there is more of a sense of formal inquiry, or some intention to attain something will arise, or some resolution, depending on what is going on. I haven't done formal noting much in quite a while now. Mostly I see practice these days as some way to process what has happened, deal with energy things, nourish this body and mind, and promote peace and happiness, which is a very different focus from how I practice to get to this point, and this has been a gradual evolution over many years.

Breadcrumb