Meditation FAQ – first dive. Initial questions for people just starting.

Red Pill is the reality of thinkers and philosophers. Blue Pill is mostly the view taken by annoying morons. A simplistic and unexamined belief coupled with emotional decision. Reality for thick people.

An apparently paradoxical statement which traveller on a meditative path must resolve. They are used in certain schools of Zen to break your mind, burn out the intellect and ego to reach another intuitive kind of understanding. With good ones a fundamental ‘truth’ is buried in the koan for the follower to realise. With poor Koans fake dogma is being fixed in peoples’ minds while they are suggestible and vulnerable.

It is a bundle of different techniques that helps you to detach from mental processes. Key is stopping or quieting internal dialogue. Some meditations are focussed on a certain thing, others are not.

Being fully present in your moment, what is going on around you. Everything that you can access in that moment. Not thinking about future or past, just Now.

Meditation is fundamentally positive. However it opens doors to altered states and brings up fundamental questions regarding the nature of being and the universe. This can be challenging. Done right It is essentially a red pill practice, you might not like what you see. Certain types of meditation can be dangerous. For instance one type of TM meditation involved you jumping up and down in full lotus – people have broken bones in their back. Don’t do it. Also some meditations can be psychologically damaging if it is part of a abusive cult to break you down or make you more impressionable in that circumstance. See post on Red Flags.

On a superficial level it can help create balance, peace and calm. Or you may want to explore the nature of being and the universe. Meditation can help with that.

To have the opportunity to access deeper states. By longer periods we are answering in terms of more than 10 minutes to a few hours. Of course it can be much longer than that.

There is very strong evidence to suggest it does because it can stimulate pleasure centres like drugs, making you less inclined to want that artificial high.

Yes it makes it better, closer to your source. Studies suggest more self-awareness, calmness and compassion in subjects.

It can be religious but it doesn’t have to be. For instance meditating on the greatness of Krishna, that’s a bit religious. In Christianity meditation is accepted as long as it leads to Christ. In more advanced states it helps to submit yourself to something be it what you feel to be the universe or even the Moon Goddess if you like. Letting yourself get subsumed is a powerful act. Don’t worry about it, you come back stronger and fully formed.

According to a study just 11 mins a day can help. Why they chose 11 mins is difficult to understand, seems so arbitrary. On a practical level if you like meditating it may discourage you from drinking the night before because it can spoil the meditation.

The oldest known document on meditation originated from India 5000-3500Bc.

It helps you keep a track of how you are getting on and what you can do to improve. To me it is a source of inspiration.

Yes but it isn’t easy initially. This intersects with occultism. Practice holding onto your awareness as your body falls asleep. Expect a feeling of paralyse, the feeling of Chi running around your body and outer body experiences. Make sure you are comfortable before you begin, or things can get very grim.

Don’t torture yourself. As long as you feel Ok with. Start at 10 minutes. Recently they have been excavating very old Buddhist monks who have been off the day to day scene for possibly decades or more in suspended animation. It is meditation related…..