How
to Test and Validate Your Meditation Master?
Everybody,
in this commercial, capitalistic and consumer World of Advertisement
is a "Gullible Sucker" or Being Sucked (sick) by a
gullible sucker.
Since
I have given the secret of success of chocolates as a better
substitute than one hour of meditation, almost all meditation masters
are using my techniques for their business without paying Royalties
to me.
If
you have payed the fees and is entering one of these global
institutes, the following techniques would help you to Test the Master in real time, place and person.
1.
One has to be fully hydrated and has to empty one's bladder soon after
entering.
2. Check the ambient temperature using a standard thermometer, if it is below the ambient temperature
of the outside world and if you feel like you have to void again in half an hour, the
air conditioning is too cosy and is conducive for meditation.
It
is the air conditioning that makes your mind at ease not the master.
3.
The third is the most damaging, the psychological bragging or indulgence by the
master.
This
varies from master to master and I decline to specify.
4.
The fourth is the lighting.
Just
like in a hotel restaurant where the dim and orange (ish) light makes
the lovers feel induced and inducted, the lighting that makes one feels that one is
inside of "the psychologist consultation room" is another ploy used by the master.
Do
not fall to this trap which has a calming influence.
5.
Fifth is of your own making.
The de-induction of yourself, "in your own self making" to make you feel a
baby, not even a toddler in front of the master.
6. Sixth, the light music that soothes the ear is another ploy.
Even the birds singing in the background might sooth the novice.
Real meditation has to be in total silence and solitude.
7. The light medicinal drink that they offer might have feel good chemicals, similar to the chocolate drink.
If
you have taken care of the above, now you are ready, to make the
testing of the master in style.
Look
at his dress and see how masterfully he uses his dress in an imposing
manner.
This includes the beard, mustache and the head gear.
Listen
to his voice and see whether he uses a device inside his mouth to
damp his coarse (what the singers use) voice (makes his voice sound musical).
Look
at his eyes to see whether he uses it to impose or calm your
interaction.
If
imposing, get out of the place that very second, since from
that moment he/she will suck all your belongings (including precious
time) to the putative institute, in small donations to begin with.
Avoid
all medicinal drinks (all having hypnotic effects) including water
(you are well hydrated, if you have followed my instructions above)
before meditating.
No
tea or coffee, too.
Drop
the cellphone too.
Dropping the cellphone is the biggest inducer of focus of attention in meditation.
Now
come to my crunch point.
Avoid
chocolate drinks either before or after the session.
Chocolates
itself elevate your mood leaps and bounds (not the meditation) in few
seconds.
It has more than 300 micro-ingredients that effect your mood
and physiology.
If
you an alcoholic (one dose makes fatty change in liver, the regular intake enlarges the liver and still later cirrhosis) the effect of conversion of
feel good chemicals from chocolates through the liver enzymes is lost.
The dogs cannot metabolize chocolates and chocolates poison them.
The chocolates does not have growth hormone in them and regular exercise induce extra growth hormone production and secretion.
The growth hormones is a feel good hormone and it works through the liver.
If you an alcoholic the conversion of growth hormone in the liver to good byproducts is lost completely.
That is one reason one should stop drinking.
If you are a regular drinker abstinence may cause withdrawal effects and the withdrawal should be monitored by one who has experience treating alcoholics.
The problem is most of the doctors are alcoholics.
In other words meditation is not a substitute for treatment of alcoholism (proper medical supervision is mandatory).
Meditation is not a treatment for alcoholism.
I
hope you got the message and if you are not getting any benefit from
five minutes of the masters techniques, you are unlikely to get
anything after an hour except aches and pains of your joints due to
abnormal Yogi position you are force to adopt.
This
is why I say, my five minutes Metta Meditation (visit my blog posts) has
many benefits.
Mind
you I refuse to teach (Linux, gadgematics, pathology) anything NOW
except how to look after the birds who visit our garden, even
infrequently (migratory).
No meditation instructions and teaching from me.
I believe even preparation for meditation itself has great impact on you (it induces the feel good factors!).
Meditation
and its Perspective
There
are many misconceptions related to meditation and meditation
practises.
First
and foremost the English word meditation is most inappropriate for
the Pali word“Bavana”.
The meaning is the development of mind or mental culture.
As
much as there is no English synonym for “Maithri”
there is no proper term in English that closely approximate its
meaning.
Second
misconception is that “Vipassana
Bavana” is the most appropriate
Bavana Practice.
If
that is so, the voluminous “Vissudhi
Magga” is a colossal waste of an
intellectual exercise.
“Samatha
Bavana” has a unique place
for those who merit its value.
To
borrow a phrase from Ven. Ajahn Brahmavanso Samatha and Vipassana are
two sides of the same coin one leads to tranquility and other yields
insight and the two are inseparable in highest meditative states.
Third
misconception is that the “Bavana”
is not for the layman.
Fourthly,
for its practice solitude of the forest or a hermitage is a
prerequisite.
For
the initiated any desirable place and time without hindrances would
suffice.
Fifthly,
it is therapeutic (medical parlance) and has commercial value.
For
example it is recommended by some misconceived advocates for blood
pressure treatment. It may be of some benefit if properly guided to
alleviate blood pressure fluctuations associated with emotionally
predisposed but not for essential hypertension for which the cause is
unknown and the medical treatment though very effective is empirical.
Sixth
misconception is that the practice of “Bavana”
helps the learning capacity.
There
are many other good techniques for learning and memory enhancement.
“Bavana”
should be a tool for concentration and getting rid of undesirable
mental accompaniments associated with bad learning practises for
students with difficulties in grasping learning material.
One
who has practiced Bavana and adept at it, learning becomes an
easy task due to their ability to avoid distractions and concentrate
on the task at hand.
Seventh
misconception is that the Lord Buddha discovered it.
“Bavana”
had been in practice in the East for many centuries and it is
believed that even the Red Indians Chiefs and Aborigines practiced, one or other form of it.
What
Lord Buddha did was to refine its use for emancipation of suffering
of never ending “Samsara”.
It
is therapeutic in its meaning within the context of cessation of
“Bava”
and “Vibhava Thanha”.
Eighth
misconception is that a weekend course in “Bavana”would
entitle a person to come back to his or her office and convert the
uninitiated and start preaching about its benefits.
“Bavana”
certainly has no commercial value but its aesthetic values permeate
through all para-psychology.
Ninth
misconception is that it is a practice suitable for any uninitiated.
Certainly
it is not.
I think a meditation master with at least 10 years experience is a requirement for the novice.
It
would only benefit one with Sila,
Samadhi and Panngha.
Finally
“Bavana”
is the only way (Ekayana Maggo)
for emancipation as extolled and expounded by the Lord Buddha.
It
should be practiced with diligence.
There
are lots of good books including colossal Visuddhi Magga on
meditation for one who is interested in meditation practice to read.
It is not a reading exercise but a practice one needs to learn from a
mature meditation master (teacher and a guide).
The selection of a
correct guide has to be done clinically, accurately and precisely.
Buddha
was the best guide and one has to remember it needs years of practice
and one cannot learn it in a half a day workshop on meditation.
Uppamado
Amatha Padham!
Below is a claim of a Meditation Center;
Even here, there is a caveat!
In small print they ask for donations.
Meditation is the latest money spinner.
Four Ways to Authenticate a Genuine Buddhist Teacher
Many students in the Bodhi Path Buddhist Centers
have asked me to explain how to find a good meditation teacher. As this
is an important question and something that many people are curious
about, here is a brief explanation.
Good meditation teachers are usually people who
live very simply. 'Living simply' means someone who has renounced
everything and lives free of the many things that may burden most
people's lives. He or she will likely stay in a quiet, isolated place
such as a cave or small hut in the mountains. For the most part, great
meditators are not people who are known widely as highly ranked
spiritual teachers. Instead, they have spent many years of their lives
in retreat, and when not in retreat are completely stable in their daily
meditation practice. Even figuring out where to look for such a great
meditator is not easy. You can begin to search for them by inquiring
from Buddhist people who know meditators, and then you should analyze
how they live. If someone is not really accomplished in meditation,
they will not be able to live for long in such conditions.
Teachers who travel regularly may not be the
best meditation teachers. While one cannot generalize, the mind of
someone who travels regularly is likely preoccupied by many things.
This happens because of what one sees and experiences in one's daily
life, even ordinary things like big supermarkets and malls. Add to that
the more exceptional experiences like having devotees invite one to
many events, and it is not difficult to understand that such a mind may
already be distracted. While this is not true 100% of the time, in most
cases it is. And a person with a distracted mind will not be a good
meditation teacher. Therefore finding someone who lives in an isolated
setting and is dedicated to meditation is already putting you on the
right path to find an appropriate meditation teacher.
The following
guidelines will make this more clear.
When you set out to examine a teacher, you will
see that there are four kinds. These four kinds of teachers can be
categorized according to two things: their scholarly understanding of
dharma, and their mastery of essential instructions. Essential
instructions are the key to unlock the heart of the teachings.
Each
practice has a key that is not openly explained, and it is held by those
few serious practitioners who were taught it by a long line of the most
experienced meditators.
Some teachers are scholars who have no
essential instructions.
Then there are teachers who have key
instructions but no scholarly training or ability.
There are also
teachers who are both key holders and scholars.
The fourth type of
teacher is one who has no key or scholarly training. Among the four,
only the last needs to be completely avoided.
Of course, each type of teacher can benefit you
in a specific way. If you only follow the dharma that is explained in a
scholarly way, that is good. To only follow key instructions without
scholarly training is very good. If you follow both the scholarly
training and the key instructions, that is supremely good. It perhaps
goes without saying that having neither scholarly access to the dharma
nor key instructions does zero good!
But in any case, to reach the goal
you need the key.
For a general audience in need of the most basic
introduction, the type of teacher who is only trained as a scholar is
very good. For very advanced practitioners engaging in intense
practice, the teacher who only holds key instructions is excellent.
Finally, the combined scholar/keyholder is perfectly suited for any type
or level of student. The fourth type of teacher, the one with neither
scholarly training nor key instructions, is perfect for nobody.
Ironically, it is also the type of teacher that many may be tempted to
follow.
You might wonder how it is possible to judge if
someone is truly learned, or if they are a great meditator who holds the
essential instructions. To start to determine if someone is learned,
you can begin by looking into this person's background - check their
scholarly training and qualifications. Do some research in the
community where that person was trained or teaches to make sure they
have the training and qualifications they claim. A thorough
investigation of their background is the best way to know if they are
qualified or not.
Unfortunately it is impossible to determine if
someone is a great meditator, so looking for a meditation teacher is a
different thing altogether. You can find information out about the
person to see if he or she spent many years in retreat or not, if he or
she lives in a way that embodies renunciation. One thing is for sure -
if someone is claiming to be a great meditation teacher, or claiming to
be enlightened, that person is not at all reliable.
Anyone who
consistently claims greatness, who tries to control his or her students
strongly by claiming that is the nature of samaya, who tries to tell you
that if you don't obey their commands you will go to hell, who is
clearly trying to collect money, should not be trusted.
To learn dharma
perfectly from the right teacher you must drop your ordinary concepts
and learn to look with new eyes. You cannot search for a meditation
teacher the same way you look for something like a good brand of
toothpaste. Following the best advertising campaign will not lead to
the right teacher. If you judge according to such things as status,
wealth, or number of followers you will not find the right meditation
teacher.
Just like a good meditation teacher, someone who
wants to be a good meditator must also renounce attachment to worldly
life.
A meditator should live simply, without too many responsibilities,
and without ambition. In order to focus, you must be willing to
renounce.
They are hard to be found in this busy world.
