• big_fat_fluffy@leminal.space
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    3 hours ago

    We have 2 techniques. The Buddhists call them samatha and vipassana. They go by other names, in other traditions, too.
    We start with samatha, because it’s easy. Just takes diligent effort.
    In samatha you hold your attention upon a thing (called your “object”) as perfectly as you can for a time.
    You can use pretty much anything as your object. But some work better than others and some work differently for different people.
    So experimentation is called for there.
    Popular objects are mantras (a repeated word), visualizations, sights (like a candle flame), sounds (the wind in the trees), the feeling of breath in the tip of your nose. Lots of room for experimentation there. I like that last one especially.
    Here’s a nice overview : http://fleen.org/fluffy_cloud (he calls the techniques “shrink” and “grow”). A couple nice books on the subject are “Journey of Awakening” by Ram Dass and “Meditation, the First and Last Freedom”, by Osho.
    Ultimately you will need to do your own research, perform your own experiments and become your own expert.