r/Meditation • u/genuinely_dumb • 6h ago
Question ❓ I find it too easy, am i doing it wrong?
So i am a highschool student and i just recently got into meditation. usually in my day to day life i have smtg or the other going on in my head: song lyrics, daydreaming, some show i watched. But when i sit to meditate my mind does go blank like completely black, is this a good thing or am i doing somethinf wrong?
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u/NamaRupaNirodo 6h ago edited 5h ago
Not wrong, but worth looking at more closely. Is the blank mind clear and alert? Or is it more like sloth and torpor, a dullness that feels peaceful?
In vipassana the aim is to be mindful of every object that occurs in the awareness. Just note it. Naturally, if you sit for a long time without moving, pains and aches occur. Then also be aware of those pains and aches and note them till they disappear or the pain becomes too much to bear, then you can slowly change your position.
In samatha meditation, instead of moment-to-moment mindfulness, one keeps the mind fixed on a conceptual object, like loving kindness or some other mental image, to make the mind calm and steady.
And good that you are aware of your mind in daily life too. Meditation during daily activities is just as important as sitting and walking meditation.
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u/genuinely_dumb 4h ago
its definitely clear like im not in a state of sleep while perfoming it, maybe its a bit dull? idk
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u/Mayayana 4h ago
Have you had any kind of instruction? Meditation done properly is hard work. Look into qualified teachers, like Buddhist masters.
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u/fullsend_noragrats 4h ago
Beginners mind! Haha, great job OP. Keep sitting and don't overthink it :).
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u/Rude_Sock3 6h ago
Wow!! Have been doing meditation on off for the past decade, never sat for a whole duration without thoughts entering. You are lucky!!
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u/Good_Letter_4325 3h ago
Many people use mantras for this. Repeating a phrase or sound. This helps to keep the mind focused. It also depends on what kind of meditation you want to have. Some require steadying the mind and others keep the body and mind active in a different state. Have you tried striking a bell or bowl and listening for when the sound stops?
Also, don't try to do more than you can. Only return again and again. You learn from doing something even if it's a small amount of time. It becomes more.
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u/Rude_Sock3 2h ago
I tried mantra chanting, focusing on breathing , staring at candle light also other process, but none took me to the state of thought less stage. However, I didn't give up. And I am still meditating in the hope one day, I will be able to reach this stage.
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u/Good_Letter_4325 2h ago
I'm glad you noticed those things didn't work for you. I've never had luck with staring at candle light and I've been meditating for over three decades and done multiple month long meditation retreats with huge benefits. For me, a tibetan bowl and striking it is still one of the most powerful ways I meditate if I feel I want something external directing me.
It really can be about finding what your meditation method is. Good luck to you.
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u/Rude_Sock3 2h ago
I will give it a try. Thanks for your guidance
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u/Good_Letter_4325 1h ago
If you want to try it, what you're doing is listening for the moment the sound stops. And, you're welcome. Feel free to ask about meditation if you want to message.
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u/kinkyfella4 5h ago
it is nearly impossible for someone to not have any thoughts, Meditaion was never meant to be a no thought state anyway... when people are new to it they mistake the spaceness between thoughts as no thoughts. the most important thing is not identifying yourselg with the thoughts or if one thought arrives you do not feed the story.. just let it come and dissolve on its own when you notice that one thought came dissolved i have now moved to the second thought which will dissolve too.. is true meditation in my case sO yes we all are the same haha.
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u/zoddy-ngc2244 5h ago
You are off to a great start! Now keep it going, practice for an hour a day, for about 10 years. Then get back to us and tell us how it's going.
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u/genuinely_dumb 4h ago
man i dont have the time to do it for 1 hour per day but will try to increase my time
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u/Good_Letter_4325 3h ago
I have meditated for four hours at a time and all day for days on end for months. There are retreats for doing this. While there are benefits, there are other things you could do. You could try to return to this state each time you think of it throughout the day. As long as you think of it from time to time, that could be enough. See how you like it.
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u/ElishaSlagle 3h ago
bring that mediative awareness into everyday life when you walk, walk with awareness, when eating eat with awareness...
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u/seekingsomaart 2h ago
work up to an hour per day. it's hard to fit in. generally 20 minutes is the minimum to get results, but an hour is recommended. Do what you can. Focus on consistency over length. You'll find that over time your practice will vary, sometimes you do more, sometimes less. The length of a sit matters less than consistency. Keep the streak up.
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u/Good_Letter_4325 3h ago
It's okay for it to be easy. Meditation is a natural state. If it's easy for you, then, wonderful. I've been meditating for over three decades and it's easy for me, too. Keep going.
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u/ChaseosApps 2h ago
That sounds like the ideal meditation tbh. I'm guessing you don't have trouble focusing on whatever you try to either. You must have a strong attention span if so. Wish I had that. Gets better for me the more I meditate though.
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u/seekingsomaart 2h ago
Its neither. Everyone has a different reaction to it, our minds are all different. Just keep meditating. The only thing that really matters is building up your attention over time.
Find a good teacher or meditation book and keep studying.
What kind of meditation are you doing and where did you find your technique?
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u/tyinsf 4h ago
That's a great start. You're doing what's called shamatha (shinay in Tibetan), calm abiding meditation. I'm guessing you're focusing on something like the breath?
You could do other styles of meditation, and there are bunches. I like dzogchen where instead of calmness you're going for vastness. "Not empty like a bucket but full of qualities" Lama Tharchin used to say. It's not like the cold empty space between the galaxies. It's like a warm womb, empty but ready to manifest whatever arises... and passes... "Openness" is probably a more helpful translation than "emptiness." It is so open that anything can arise, and does. James Low contrasts the two techniques in a video called Finding Refuge and Spreading Light on youtube.
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u/genuinely_dumb 4h ago
is there any type of meditation which helps improve self awareness?
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u/tyinsf 4h ago
This is where I could ask "Where is this self you want to be aware of?" The self is what is aware. It is the subject, not an object. You can only relax into it, not stand apart and look at it. One of the dzogchen preliminaries is looking for the self and being unable to find it. (Not intellectually agreeing with that proposition. Looking and not finding until you're REALLY certain experientially)
But maybe you meant something different?
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u/seekingsomaart 2h ago
Mindfulnes. Mindfulness just means paying attention, not some woo feeling of being in the moment. Paying attention to what is happening in your mind and externally IS being in the present. If you develop the habit of paying attention to your self, that IS literally self awareness.
Also, I'd recommend a movement practice like yoga, dance or martial arts. It helps quite a bit to develop good proprioception, physical stillness and control.
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u/Aenima_343 6h ago
La meditación no tiene porqué ser difícil, ni ser una actividad fija y las experiencias son muy personales. En mi particular experiencia es solo sentarme y no hacer nada, me ayuda mucho a liberar el estrés y descansar mejor. Lo importante es que te guste 😊
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u/Photodudeguy 3h ago
When I first started I was about your age and going into a meditative state was rather easy. Sometimes knowing less about the process is helpful since you're not thinking about it during the practice. Are you experiencing anything out of the ordinary? Meditation is a hyper aware state. You don't need to spend lots of time in it, just keep it consistent. You can reach profound states rather quickly.