How to Test and Validate Your Meditation Master?

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.