Comments on: Five Common Misconceptions about Meditation http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/ Susan Piver - Meditation, Relationships, Creativity Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:23:08 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Lee > Stevo http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-3118 Lee > Stevo Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:13:10 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-3118 Meditation my not mean you have to stop thinking, but it is possible to train to stop the internal dialog. Inner silence is accrued, accumulated. By constructing a core of inner silence, practicing, adding to it second by second, a threshold is reached sooner or later. This is the moment when one returns to the true nature of man a free being capable of perception beyond our linear imagination. Inner silence leads to a true suspension of judgement, a moment when the senses and cognition cease to be the force which, through use and repetition, decides the nature of the world. Meditation my not mean you have to stop thinking, but it is possible to train to stop the internal dialog. Inner silence is accrued, accumulated. By constructing a core of inner silence, practicing, adding to it second by second, a threshold is reached sooner or later. This is the moment when one returns to the true nature of man a free being capable of perception beyond our linear imagination. Inner silence leads to a true suspension of judgement, a moment when the senses and cognition cease to be the force which, through use and repetition, decides the nature of the world.

]]> By: How Meditation Helps the Creative Process | Creativity - Maria Brophy http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-2127 How Meditation Helps the Creative Process | Creativity - Maria Brophy Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:05:46 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-2127 [...] to a writer’s meditation retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO.   Susan Piver, a bestselling author, was the [...] [...] to a writer’s meditation retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO.   Susan Piver, a bestselling author, was the [...]

]]> By: Stephen http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-1866 Stephen Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:03:39 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-1866 Susan, I know, from reading your books that 'Equanimity' is one of your favorite words. It is said the English language often falls short of having a single word, a phrase or a complete statement of definition to cause true Empathy for the reader or listener. The word equanimity, the state of being calm, centered and composed, does evoke empathy to a meditator when used to describe the effects of meditation. I have been a meditator for over 30 years and have had very profound experiences during the act of meditation, but that is not the norm and is surely not the primary goal. The profound effect of meditation is bringing calmness to your waking state. To practice meditation is to know equanimity and there is not much more to be said about that . . . - Stephen Susan, I know, from reading your books that ‘Equanimity’ is one of your favorite words. It is said the English language often falls short of having a single word, a phrase or a complete statement of definition to cause true Empathy for the reader or listener. The word equanimity, the state of being calm, centered and composed, does evoke empathy to a meditator when used to describe the effects of meditation. I have been a meditator for over 30 years and have had very profound experiences during the act of meditation, but that is not the norm and is surely not
the primary goal. The profound effect of meditation is bringing calmness to your waking state. To practice meditation is to
know equanimity and there is not much more to be said about that . . .
- Stephen

]]> By: susan http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-1660 susan Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:30:55 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-1660 Ouch. Ouch.

]]> By: Anon http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-1658 Anon Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:44:13 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-1658 This post is basically a marketing scam. White folk charging money, bleh, for information credited to Buddhist? What a country we live in. This post is basically a marketing scam. White folk charging money, bleh, for information credited to Buddhist? What a country we live in.

]]> By: Stevo http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-1645 Stevo Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:37:23 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-1645 I can't say for sure if what happened could be considered a complete cessation of thought, but for several years every night I went to sleep and devoted myself to stopping thought. At one point what I can only explain as my mind stopping from producing thoughts, and in an instant I was overcome with this strange warm laughter that filled my body I can only closely approximate this to the kind of laughter that you hear out of children and babies when they are their happiest. I have yet to repeat this experience and it has been at least 4 years. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I can’t say for sure if what happened could be considered a complete cessation of thought, but for several years every night I went to sleep and devoted myself to stopping thought. At one point what I can only explain as my mind stopping from producing thoughts, and in an instant I was overcome with this strange warm laughter that filled my body I can only closely approximate this to the kind of laughter that you hear out of children and babies when they are their happiest. I have yet to repeat this experience and it has been at least 4 years. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

]]> By: Maarten Verkoren http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-2545 Maarten Verkoren Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:45:15 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-2545 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Five common misconceptions about meditation http://bit.ly/WGf5u</span></span> Five common misconceptions about meditation http://bit.ly/WGf5u

]]> By: Zyrius http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-1624 Zyrius Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:29:12 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-1624 No. 5 is indeed important... Some teachers of Buddhist meditation read too much into the elegantly simple instructions given by the Buddha in the suttas and end up 'improvising' them, which ends up as complicating them, digressing from the original teachings. It's quite unfortunate :-[ It's good to personally study the sutta sources from time to time to check against this, be one a teacher or student. Amituofo :-] No. 5 is indeed important… Some teachers of Buddhist meditation read too much into the elegantly simple instructions given by the Buddha in the suttas and end up ‘improvising’ them, which ends up as complicating them, digressing from the original teachings. It’s quite unfortunate :-[ It's good to personally study the sutta sources from time to time to check against this, be one a teacher or student. Amituofo :-]

]]> By: susan http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-1609 susan Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:48:04 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-1609 Love that quote. Maybe enlightenment is turning the projector off. I've had the same experience of trying to explain meditation for what it is: mysterious, practical, magical, ordinary, and, ultimately, inexplicable. So that's kind of a fun conundrum. A funundrum. Someday when you're a meditation instructor, I bet you'll come up with some kick-assedly inventive ways of describing it. Love that quote. Maybe enlightenment is turning the projector off.

I’ve had the same experience of trying to explain meditation for what it is: mysterious, practical, magical, ordinary, and, ultimately, inexplicable. So that’s kind of a fun conundrum. A funundrum.

Someday when you’re a meditation instructor, I bet you’ll come up with some kick-assedly inventive ways of describing it.

]]> By: Sarah Jackson http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2009/01/22/five-common-misconceptions-about-meditation/#comment-1608 Sarah Jackson Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:31:32 +0000 http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/?p=509#comment-1608 Awesome. Seriously. I have yet to explain meditation to my friends without it sounding like a new age riddle. I can explain its benefits during the day. People get that. I have favorite quotes like, "We watch movies in our mind all day long, all the stories of our lives. Meditation is like hitting pause, turning around and looking at the projector." People kinda get that. But I've never been able to explain how practical I think it is. This entry helps crack that code ... totally passing along to my friends. -Sarah Awesome. Seriously.

I have yet to explain meditation to my friends without it sounding like a new age riddle. I can explain its benefits during the day. People get that. I have favorite quotes like, “We watch movies in our mind all day long, all the stories of our lives. Meditation is like hitting pause, turning around and looking at the projector.” People kinda get that. But I’ve never been able to explain how practical I think it is. This entry helps crack that code … totally passing along to my friends.

-Sarah

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