Expert: Justin Choo - 7/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have been meditating for approximately seven months now. What kind of
progress would you say that someone ho has been meditating for this long
should have made? You see I am doing it by myself and without a teacher or
with other people, so I want to know that I am doing it correctly, and I
thought a good way to see if I am doing it right is if I am making as much
progress as I should.




ANSWER: Hi Howard,

There is no "standard" progress towards meditation.  Different people will have different temperaments, and different results.

If you are a serious meditator, seven months is a long time.  In order to comment, perhaps you should share the experiences that you have encountered, and also the method of meditation.

Justin Choo.

[I like to invite you to visit my blog:]
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/

[And these sites by Rev. Dhammika:]
http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/
http://www.buddhismatoz.com/

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I just do breath meditation. I don't know if I would call myself a 'serious'
meditator - these are the first seven months that I have ever meditated. I
started out doing just five minutes twice a day, and now I have progressed to
about 25-30 minutes twice a day (I always do it in the morning, at about 7
before breakfast, and at 5 in the afternoon before dinner. I have found that I
meditate best on an empty stomach).

I can't say that I've had many 'experiences'. I've heard of people coming into
states where they have an 'energy-body', or they see glowing lights, but I
have never experienced anything like that. The only thing I have experienced
that I would call an 'experience' is one point where I reached a state of
complete absorption. It was actually strange because I could not tell what
was different, but then I realized that it was as if the external senses had
'faded away', and then there was only breath. That was maybe three months
ago, and nothing like that has ever come up again.  I have also felt a few
times like there was some kind of warm energy flowing up and down me (up
when I inhale, down when I exhale), if that counts as an 'experience'.

If I were to describe how well I can concentrate, then I would say that during
an average half-hour meditation session my thoughts are fairly turbulent for
the first five minutes (sometimes, if I have had a particularly eventful day this
turbulence can stretch out for up to ten minutes), and I can barely focus on
my breath for more than twenty seconds. But then after five minutes or so I
manage to 'sort' them out. Then I usually fall into a pattern - I will manage to
focus on my breathing for a few minutes, maybe 3 to five minutes, during
which thoughts will of course arise, but I will be aware of them, and I will be
able to let them go (I have learned to do this - I used to simply 'smash' the
thoughts down in an effort to make them go away, but now I just let them
drift off as I focus on the breath), and then some thought or other will catch
me off my guard and I will end up chasing it for maybe a minute. Then I will
return to the breath for maybe five minutes, and this will occur again.

The periods that I am not caught up with my thoughts will steadily get
longer, until at some point my legs will begin to ache (I sit quarter lotus, by
the way), which is usually after about twenty to twenty five minutes after I
began. Then I will lose my concentration a bit, but usually I can ignore the
ache and focus on my breath again, until the half hour is up (at which the
pain in my legs will be becoming fairly difficult to ignore).

One thing I have noted is that, when I do get caught up with a thought, it is
almost like the periods of thought and breath 'blur' together. I am half aware
of breathing when I am caught up in thoughts, and when I am mindful of my
breath thoughts will sort of 'drift' through. They are not clear marked periods,
but rather vague periods.

Something else which has come to my attention is that the main distraction
that occurs every time is that my legs (and sometimes, though rarely, my
back) ache frequently. I have tried other postures, but kneeling for example
just brings the ache to my knees, and lying down or sitting makes it difficult
for me to focus. I can see overall that if I could just manage to sit comfortably
without my legs hurting so much, I would likely make a lot more progress
than I am now.

I hope that was enough detail... thank you for your help,

Howard

Answer
Hi Howard,

Thank you for sharing your experience.  

Just continue with your present "routine", but don't do it with any expectation.  Just be natural, and I am sure you will benefit with your practice.

As for aching legs, this is natural.  Just move your position slowly if you cannot bear the pain anymore.  I think it is better to stick to your present posture.  Remember, it is not how long you can sit, but how well your sitting has become.  The length of sitting does not necessarily reflect the quality of the sitting.  As you progress, of course you will be able to sit for a longer period.

Take care.