What works for me?
Well, I think sila (= Pali for virtue, i.e. virtue in regard to what you do the whole day) is very important.
It is very good to do good deeds. It gives you contentment which removes restlessness, during your meditation you will tend to feel "there is nothing else to do than to meditate now."
What are good deeds?
There are infinite ways to work on your sila. Here are some examples:
-Be kind to other people
-Work well in your day job
-Help other people
-Move your body much during the day, a hobby in which you move the body a lot helps
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davidbhayes — 14 years ago — permalinkThe phrase "the bliss of blamelessness" has been stuck in my head for a few months now. I think it's got a lot to do with sila, and I think there's a lot to that idea.
One of the things that finally convinced me to do meditation seriously was that I was beginning to see all the ways that I wasn't really doing those virtuous things in your list. Too late I would realize that what I'd said wasn't kind or helpful and I'd regret it. I, especially starting out, I was enamored with the idea of shrinking that time between regrettable action and realizing it; (with the goal that realizing could come before the action). It's still something I think about and work on. And it's still a strong motivation for meditation for me.
Thanks for sharing, it made me think more about this benefit of meditation that I sometimes lose sight of.▲
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emmacat — 14 years ago — permalinkI had a pretty 'bad' session today, just feeling like I wasn't doing It right or wasn't putting effort into it, probably just because I wasn't feeling good about how I conducted myself during the day. Your comment made me look at my day in a different light, realizing all the times where I was about to snap and instead I just took a breath, left a gap and dropped it. I still could have been better, but I also could have been worse, so all in all I guess I forgot to be gentle with myself to be kind to others. I'm feeling grateful now, so thanks.▲
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emmacat — 14 years ago — permalinkThat is very true, what comes up on the cushion is a reflection of how we go about our day. Meditation itself doesn't make you feel better, but it provides the space to get in touch with ourselves, to see where we're at. Sometimes we get so caught up in the pettiness of daily life that we don't allow any room for virtue. Thanks for reminding me to work on thatÂ▲
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fredclaymeyer — 14 years ago — permalinkI thought this was beautifully said--particularly the part about restlessness. Thank you!