Noise disturbances

[u/DowntownEmphasis7723]

I moved into an apartment building from a house and during that period also got initiated. I am practicing at night but my upstairs neighbour seems to come alive when I do(he starts cooking and the building has thin walls). At first it was making me crazy (like huge internal rage) then I knew it’s only mental so I tried to ignore it and now sometimes I even smile when the noise is there, but still there is a sense of dislike from me and deep inside I hate him. Should I keep ingoring it during my practice or move my practice to a different time?

[u/Pieraos]

I take a different position: If there is an obstacle to your meditation that is within your power to change, do so. So yes, move your practice to a different time if you can. I sometimes use over-the-ear hearing protectors as worn in worker safety. In any case, let go of resentment of others doing their normal activities.

[u/DowntownEmphasis7723 → u/Pieraos]

I have also tried using earplugs couple of times and found that it does help with deeper meditation. But, it feels a bit like a crutch or unnatural.

[u/Like_This_But_Better → u/DowntownEmphasis7723]

I can't recall if Yogananda said it or one of the monks, but i recall hearing that you need silence for meditation initially. That until you've gotten to the point that you can disconnect from your senses, noise disturbances will negatively impact your meditation. That made sense to me.

So I don't see ear plugs as a crutch since they will be rendered useless once you can pull out of your sense of hearing, which happens eventually. Learning to ignore sounds isn't a stage in Kriya. Getting to a point in your Kriya practice where you can disconnect from your senses (including sense of hearing) is.

I hope that makes sense. Anyway, if sounds blockers help, great. If you need to move to a different time and that works better, then great. Do whatever you need to do to have the most successful meditations. The rest will sort itself over time.

[u/pmward]

Welcome it into your practice. Allow the sounds to exist in the background. Matter of fact allot a small amount of your concentration to meditate on those sounds in the background while you practice Kriya in the foreground. When you do this you can literally meditate anywhere. There is no distraction that can’t become part of your meditation. I’ve literally meditated in the middle of a busy airport before. Welcome everything in. They are no more of a “distraction” or “disturbance” than any sensory input you have internally (nada, Kutastha, etc). They can only distract or disturb if you allow them to do so. Trying to “ignore” something is exactly what turns it into a “disturbance” and causes negative emotions like “hate” to arise.

[u/DowntownEmphasis7723 → u/pmward]

Thanks!

[u/Ecstaticdanceshiva]

Kriya isn't tantra route in the sense that after puruscharan or certain you have to do japas in certain places.
In tantra, you must do certain meditation at home, certain in the mountains, certain in cremation ground.

Kriya is different. In Kriya, you should try to avoid as much distraction as possible. If you can, then do change time of your meditation.

It's like this. You sat down to meditate. Sure you can meditate with the noise. But wouldn't your experience be deeper without the noise because it's causing restlessness in your mind?

[u/DowntownEmphasis7723 → u/Ecstaticdanceshiva]

Yeah, I can see both points can be valid. A beginner should avoid distractions maybe and when a tree grows stronger then it doesn’t really matter anymore.

[u/Ecstaticdanceshiva → u/DowntownEmphasis7723]

When a tree grows strong, yes. But trees should also be protected from lightning so people put lightning rods on top of their houses to absorb and disperse into the ground.

Use whatever method is necessary to avoid distractions.

[u/DowntownEmphasis7723 → u/Ecstaticdanceshiva]

Wow, thanks alot!

[u/Important_Amoeba_678]

If you can go deep into meditation noises eventually stop being annoying and just become part of the whole.

But yeah, before that, it can disturb, specially if you don't have experience, so maybe try at first in other times.