What does really meditation mean?

[Volcom23]

Does it mean that you totally give up your material goals and dreams and live spiritually? Does it mean that you totally detach yourself from material things that cause you much pain? Or is it just another tool for coping better in life's hardships?

[Grey]

that is discussed in both of these:

Principles of Meditation & Entrainment

Responses to Meditation Questions

[Panthau]

Thats actually a good question. How could we put it into a sentence...

Maybe "Meditation is removing the layers that hide your true self"?

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by Volcom23

Does it mean that you totally give up your material goals and dreams and live spiritually? Does it mean that you totally detach yourself from material things that cause you much pain? Or is it just another tool for coping better in life's hardships?

First I would like to know if you think of this as a good thing, or does it scare you ?

[olmate]

Hi Volcom23,

This is an excellent question.

For me personally it has meant different things at different stages of my journey.

Way back, I saw it as a tool to FIX me, change what I hated and strive for all those things I perceived as good. As my journey has progressed it transformed into many other contexts.

Today... well it helps me be with me, just as I am, right now, to understand, to sense and live each moment of this short life - whatever each day brings, and as much as possible to suspend judgement and just be curious.

Am I successful? I wish!! I still trip up, skin my knees, get angry sometimes, judge, dream, desire, etc., etc. But it is now a part of who I am and it continues to help me befriend me and live my life in a way that has never been possible for me previously.

Once you set off on this path, I am certain it will become the greatest adventure of your life.

Nothing but the best...

Olmate

[Volcom23]

Originally Posted by Edwin

First I would like to know if you think of this as a good thing, or does it scare you ?

I think of it as a good thing. Probably, meditation will help us find answers to our unending questions. I still don't know if it can really answer my questions because probably I haven't experience yet the effects of meditation. I am just curious.

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by Volcom23

I think of it as a good thing. Probably, meditation will help us find answers to our unending questions. I still don't know if it can really answer my questions because probably I haven't experience yet the effects of meditation. I am just curious.

In that case:

You seem to be making the classical mistake by thinking that detachment from material things will automatically mean losing those things.

Originally Posted by Volcom23

Does it mean that you totally give up your material goals and dreams and live spiritually?

In short, no.
Thank goodness no. You are free to get a good job, raise a family, get that big house, big car ( or 2 ) and 2 dogs, a cat, a goldfish and 2 chickens.
It is nice to have those things, but what meditation does is make you realise that it is not the source of fulfillment and peace of ( or from ) mind.
My wife and kids would not be pleased if I would suddenly sell the house and the car to travel to a mountaintop and "live spiritually". It doesn't sound that appealing to me as well to be honest.

Does it mean that you totally detach yourself from material things that cause you much pain? Or is it just another tool for coping better in life's hardships?

material things don't cause you pain ( well maybe hammers and thumbs ). Your body is a material thing also. Best get rid of that as well then right ?

Attachment, or the illusion of attachment can bring suffering, when you are afraid to lose it.
But never look at the material world as the source of suffering. The source of suffering is your mind. So you see, there is nothing wrong with collecting things around you that give more comfort.
As long as you understand that even tho the receipt says so, you can never own materials. During sleep and after death, you own nothing. Why should you own it when awake ? If it is gone tomorrow, will that change who you are ?

THAT is one of the realisations that can come to you from meditation.

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by Volcom23

Probably, meditation will help us find answers to our unending questions.

I would rather say that meditation will help us end our questions, stop the searching.

When we grow up, society tells us that the answer to a happy life is money and material things. However, after having collected those things, we discover that no matter how much we collect, we always want more.
And suddenly, something happens in our life that makes us wonder " Is this it ? "
It could be the death of a relative or a friend, or a disaster on TV that suddenly makes you realise that you are mortal.
Living your life and then suddenly you are dead seems meaningless in a disturbing way. And this leads to the age-old question:
"What is the meaning of life ?"

Suddenly people become "spiritual" trying to find the answer in religion, or spiritualism of any kind.

But it is hard to live life on faith alone.

Thankfully, more and more people are looking for answers in meditation, and philosophy's from India (Advaita Vedanta, Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism ), China (Confusionism, Taoism, Feng Shue, Tai Chi) and Japan ( Zen Buddhism ) that have embraced meditation as one of the tools to look beyond the realm of mind and matter.

The search can and will end for you in meditation, and through the different filosophy's presented to you here.
Take your time, don't try to rush things, meditate for a year first, and you might want to consider buying LifeFlow because this can speed things up in your brain considerally. If you don't have the money, don't worry, just meditate and over time, you will see results as well.

And follow the many interesting discussions going on in this forum as well ! They can lead to important discoveries that can contribute as well to ending the questions.

[MeditationAnswersNow]

Huh, I think, to me meditation means single pointed attention. You meditate on anything you set your awareness to, and absorve the qualities. The problem is that not every thing is worth our attention. So watch out what you meditate on!

[Karmoh]

I think it was Eckhart Tolle who said…Mediation is the realization that you are…….