Expert: Justin Choo - 8/4/2010

Question
QUESTION: is meditation about closing your eyes and thinking something?

can u please give me a snapshot of what it is in a more understandable term?


what does stilling the mind means?

i have read that meditators has awareness but inside meditation they are not judging their experiences?



how is it possible to see different beings and places inside meditation?

ANSWER: Hi Jaya,

Let me give you a practical example.  Training a dog.

Let's take the example of training a dog.  Most ignorant dog-owners while taking their dogs for a walk end up letting their dogs taking them for a walk.  The untrained dog will pull the leash and the poor owner will try to pull back, but the dog will always be the leader in front taking its owner for a walk!  The main reason for this comedy of error is that the dog has not been properly trained to obey the owner.

We are not very different from the untrained dogs, sorry to say that.  Our minds take us for a walk because they are not trained to obey us.  Each time, we succumb to external stimuli through our 5 external senses, and we react intuitively to satisfy our minds' desires.  We are not taking charge of our lives.  An untrained mind is an unrestrained mind.  It leads us to react foolishly to external stimuli without regards to any moral responsibility.  

When we train a dog, we start with taming it with a chocker chain, that is, each time it pulls, we will jerk the chocker to send a painful message to the dog that it is not good manners to pull.  After a while the dog will get the message, and will not be pulling.  Same with the mind.  It wanders continuously, seeking gratifications from external stimuli.  If not restraint, it will be like a spoilt child getting everything it wants regardless of consequences.  When we sit in meditation, we are actually in a training session where we try to tame the mind from wandering.


<<"what does stilling the mind means?">>
As explained above; training the mind to be at one point, and not to wander.

<<"i have read that meditators has awareness but inside meditation they are not judging their experiences?">>
Whatever thoughts come, they just note the thought, and then stop thinking about it.

<<"how is it possible to see different beings and places inside meditation?>>"
It is said that once you can train your mind to be completely calm and concentrated on one point without any stray thought, you may encounter "supernatural experiences."


Hope this helps.

Take care.

Justin Choo





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

QUESTION: is samatha a prerequistie to vipasanna?

what supernatural experiences might be encountered during advance state of meditation?


what does it mean in meditation don't control what you see just let it go is it like observing in a 3rd person view?

dpes vipasaana alone have supernatural experience?


is there any non thinking in meditation found it on various jounrals?

ANSWER: Hi Jaya,

<<is samatha a prerequistie to vipasanna?>>
I would say you need a tranquil mind (samatha) to be able to "see things as they really are" (vipassana).

<<what supernatural experiences might be encountered during advance state of meditation?>>
It is said one could see one's past lives; and also out of body experiences.

<<what does it mean in meditation don't control what you see just let it go is it like observing in a 3rd person view?>>
Just like watching the sun set, without forming any opinion; just watch.

<<dpes vipasaana alone have supernatural experience?>>
Vipassana does not lead to having supernatural powers; it leads to realization of the true nature of existence culminating in the ultimate release, Nibbana.

<<is there any non thinking in meditation found it on various jounrals?>>
Sorry, I don't understand your question.  Meditation is basically calming the mind to concentrate on one point.


Hope this helps.

Take care.

Justin Choo

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

QUESTION: sir is samatha like forging a sword before going into the real thing? being concentrated before diving into the real nature?

is it something like you observe your body not as yourself but a 3rd person observer?

how does it work do you think about your body to generate thoughts or it comes naturally? thats during meditation?

what roles do jhana plays in enligtenment?

is it also possible to see beings deep in meditation?

is it a misunderstanding of meditation, once upon a time i think it as closing your eyes lying down started thinking what i have done today?

Answer
Hi Jaya,

Meditation is a very wide subject and often times controversial.  It is best you read more about the subject; and hopefully in due course you may find the answers yourself.

This Wikipedia site is a good start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_meditation

Hope this will lead you to understand Buddhist meditation better.

Take care.

Justin Choo