When I am doing meditation, if people or neighbors are making noise or playing music, should I hit them hard and beat them ruthlessly? It's very disturbing and annoying. Can I do violence without hatred and anger if someone is disturbing me by any means?

In his book Breath by Breath Larry Rosenberg writes about meditating on the three kleshas directly i.e. meditating on craving, aversion and delusion. He is talking in the context of the Anapanasati Sutta . I can understand how one could recognise aspects their own hatred or craving. But how could someone recognise their own delusion in that moment of meditation? Specifically, I can see that anger would be very obvious and one would become very familiar with the burning, energetic, dominating quality of this. In the same way, one's own craving and desire could become recognisable - we are familiar with what wanting actually feels like. However what does delusion actually feel like. What bodily sensations are associated with it. What does the mental quality actually feel like. I can imagine looking back and with hindsight been able to see that at that point in time I was very deluded and thinking some very strange things. But how can the deluded mind see itself as deluded in that moment? How can we meditate on this? What does delusion feel like and how can we learn to recognise it?

I often experience hallucinogenic images during meditation. I don't believe they are caused by lack of sleep as they occur irrespective of my state of tiredness. Typically the sequence goes 1. Meditating with a lot of discursive thoughts 2. Discursive thoughts settling down 3. Commencement of strange dream like images 4. If i go through this then thought drops away and it the start of a calmer more focused meditation I don't always get the images but if I do then they are very difficult to work with. They are more dominating than the discursive thoughts and more difficult to see them for what they are. However I know that if I can go through this stage then meditation really becomes a lot easier and more pleasurable afterwards (fourth stage above). Has anyone got any advice about working with these kind of hallucinogenic images? Is there any advice either from traditional texts or contemporary teachers about them? Is it just me?

I am attracted to the idea of meditating upon the mind as a path to liberation, as I understand is emphasized in mahamudra. However, I dislike the idea of guru yoga, or meditating in reverence or worship towards living or recently deceased individuals, like the 16th Karmapa. Holding another person up on such a pedestal rubs me the wrong way, and I do not know if I can honestly practice guru yoga. (I wouldn’t mind meditating upon the Buddha. I understand you are supposed to imagine the guru as the Buddha, but I do not want to do that either.) Do you have any recommendations on what to do? Are there other schools that offer meditation upon the mind, but do not have such emphasis on the guru aspect? Similarly, I am discouraged by having to do so many prostrations, but this is not as discouraging as guru yoga.

I haven't even tried Mindfulness properly and I am already facing huge trouble. I tried to practice mindfulness meditation because I have very poor memory and focus in studies. I tried to be mindful but when I tried to do so, it is interfering with subconscious activities like basic memory and understanding. These are stuff that is mostly done subconsciously but when I become mindful my thoughts are becoming extremely diverse and I am overthinking. Let's say a multiplication comes to my mind - 4x9=36. My mind is like "How is this happening? How is this memory forming? What is 4? What is 9? How am I remembering this specific multiplication when I am remembering so many things? How am I remembering the spelling of 'four'?" and thus my mind would try to decipher my memory. When my mind doesn't find any audio-visual reason for my meditation, these basic memories are fading? I tried to use mindfulness while studying. When I read a sentence, my mind would automatically decipher the meaning. However, due to mindfulness, it is becoming way more complex as my mind is asking questions like "What is 'and'? What is 'is'? What is 'market'? What is 'regulation'? How do I remember the word 'regu' and 'lation'?" And so on. It is slowing me down heavily and I can't control it. If I try to focus on the present, as mindfulness would require, I cannot focus on what I am studying, as my focus is on words, not on understanding, since understanding requires me to imagine and use my intuition, which I can't when I am observing my thoughts. The entire process of learning, which was somehow automatic, is becoming tiresome with mindfulness. I cannot recall anything, as the process of recall is automatic (subconscious) and when I am observing the recalling process, I can't do it. Mindfulness involves focusing on breathing, and I do it, but when I resume my daily life, I find myself often distracted, focused on breathing or my 'self' rather than the activities. On top of it I found that [executive dysfunction is a side effect of mindfulness](https://www.verywellhealth.com/mindfulness-can-be-harmful-researchers-say-5186740) , which is making me worried if I will become disabled by practicing mindfulness. The article says that Buddhist scriptures have recorded these negative effects (where?). Dalai Lama apparently said this is happening because people are not focusing on the 'end'. What is that supposed to mean? What should I do? My memory and focus is poor, so I tried to meditate, but when I do, I start overthinking and my automatic and subconscious processes becomes worse.

I had this dream in an afternoon 3-hr long nap today where I was so drunk that I could not keep track of the present. I remember, at one moment I was conscious that I feel drunk and then the next moment I knew of, much time had already passed from that previous moment of awareness. This all was in the dream itself. There were also accompanying signs like heart palpitations which are actually true for me in real life too. The surprising thing is that I did not drink in real life at all in the past few weeks, and neither did I drink within the dream. I was just curious if there is any insight in Buddhism on this - does it hint at any blockages, or hindrances that I may have in "real life"? Thanks for any insights.

Is there any meditation techniques that we can used to manged Bad Temper. As I know it is possible to manage angers by observing it as "feeling angry.., feeling angry!". However the problem is with the bad temper, sometime it is little bit too late to observer the anger. Any tips to improve the mindfulness to minimise the time gap?

I’ve gone through quite a few periods of meditation everyday, but usually something happens and I tend to off the rails stop for a long period to bad effects. I started learning with Headspace and went through all the Pro lessons and now I meditate without a timer or guide. I’m not really into the religious side of things (sorry if I’m posting in the wrong place.) I’m wondering if I am missing something that is preventing me from furthering my practice. I don’t know where to look or ask. I saw The Mind Illuminated being recommended but then later on being unrecommended due to controversy. I find it hard to trust anyone that says they are on any particular path these days.

I have been smoking for about 5 years now. I never really 'started' one day, but it just made my day to day life more enjoyable, and it did so consistently, so I never had a reason to stop. Recently, I have read about Buddhism and started breath meditation. This brought attention to my lung capacity and, to be honest, made it difficult to meditate without occasionally 'gasping' for air. All the things I have tried when feeling urges (hot showers, nicotine gum, sleeping, video games, money restraints) don't work for long enough. Most days I create a 'reason' to not smoke, I end up smoking anyway because my mind keeps thinking about things like the validity of the reason, why I need an excuse, etc. Similar to how telling a child to not look at an elephant will rarely work. I have always had an addictive personality, and am now realizing the only reason I did not engage in smoking in the past was mostly because I was addicted to something else. Currently, I am unemployed and though I have enough money to get by, I am still looking for a job so that I have something else to direct my energy towards. All of these workarounds and escapes are tiring. But smoking is worse. Is there a way to build willpower and discipline from scratch? Or is the only escape to find something else to do?

Is it a good idea to expose yourself to situations that trigger fear and anxiety and use meditation to get through it, or is the desire to overcome fear and anxiety "bad" because it's technically a desire? (And fear and anxiety are only temporary states anyway and should be recognized for being just that.) Would it even be possible to meditate through a triggering situation since one wouldn't be calm enough to see clearly in such a situation? To put it more simply: could meditation be used as a substitute for CBT? If not, does Buddhism encourage or discourage CBT?

Apologies, this question has been brewing for some time after observing so many expressions of suffering from maybe not so much as misinformation, but more misdirection. Are there any scriptures defining what "wholesome meditation" is with relation to all the Skandha and not just one? Wouldn't wholesome imply a working towards balance between all components that constitute an individual? Because every meditation is a technique of cultivation for the 'individual' to reach enlightenment...? Would this also mean enforcing one and neglecting the other four is not only counterintuitive, but potentially dilapidating for the cultivation of an individual? And such imbalance may shed some light on how there are so many questions regarding some form of suffering while meditating? *Watering a tree, but no offering of light, mineral rich food, interaction from the world or even foundational soil for constitution.* *Yet, plant the tree in the sun, near a creek in soil complimenting and feeding it's roots and birds to spread it's seed...*

At work, I try to be mindful, deliberate, and calm. I found with the help of meditation and being mindful makes me less distracted and less stressed at my work or whatever I do. But I also feel being mindful, deliberate and calm makes me slow, feels less involved at my work(though I feel focused) and less energetic. I used to be very active and fast at certain stuffs I do but now I dont feel like that if try to be mindful. How to overcome this? I want to be mindful and calm but I also want to be fast and involved at my work(or in other words highly active)?

I'm currently reading _The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation_ and it says to observe sensations in the body without reacting. 1. What would be an example of a reaction that one might have? When I feel an emotion - perhaps I remember a conversation that I had that produced a strong emotion - I notice a sensation in my body associated with the emotion. Is the goal to focus on the sensation and wait for it to pass? 2. Also, I've tried starting a meditation session by focusing on my breathing. I then try to observe sensations in my body -for example, my stomach gurgling, a tingling on my skin or the temperature on my skin. If I focus on this, no emotions are coming up because I'm focusing only on my breathing or sensations in my body. In the book it says to observe the sensations without reacting. There's nothing to react to though if I'm just focusing on the bodily sensations so I'm not sure what this piece of advice is referring to.

I did my first Vipassana course in Feb 2016. 10 Days. As a first timer, it went pretty well till the 7th Day. 1) On 5th, 6th and 7th day i was suffering from my head thrown back, or front, or sideways. At that that i thought i had dozed off hence the jerk. I ignored it. (I can never sleep while sitting, what i learnt in life from flights and long bus rides). 2) My forehead, third eye, used to feel strong sensations from past 1-2 yrs. It increased in vipassana and Teacher said it was normal. 3) On 7th day, I started having a feeling of light-headedness, like I was flying. I did the evening meditation very dedicatedly. I started "flying" even more, and i went ahead with it thinking it happens in meditation. It drove me away from focusing on body sensations. My focus went to forehead and head which was feeling extremely high sensations and feeling of flying. I ceased to feel my body. There was no pain anymore due to sitting for long without moving. My head was spinning, very high sensations, and flying high and high. I went with it. This was last meditation of the day and I went to bed. 4) The sensations wouldnt stop. Even with eyes open, even if I focused at the wall, the head would spin, sensations in forehead were strong and i would "fly". I tried to sleep, but as soon as i closed eyes, head was extremely dizzy, strong sensations, like maddening. Head was oscillating back and forth and sideways.I had to open my eyes. I sat up and rested my head against the wall. I fell asleep very late, when the body was so damn tired that it gave up, when i went to sleep in 1 second, before the closed eyes could feel the sensations i fell asleep. The night was spent sitting. Next day I talked to the teacher and she said the experiences were normal. She asked me not to "fly" and focus on sensations. 5) Day 8, 9, 10: I was not able to meditate. Day 8 - I was not able to close eyes. The moment i would close, the spinning and flying sensation would start and was unbearable for me. To stop from flying and focus on sensations i had to open my eyes. Day 8 i pretty much spent with few minutes of closed eyes only. Rest, i have sat with eyes open looking here and there, or focusing on breathing with open eyes. 6) Day 8, i realized that the spinning feeling was because of an invisible magnetic field moving around me. I was feeling it like wind blowing around me. Passing time nothing to do, i was casually looking at my thumbs together. My palms were in shape of a ball/cup. And it was like oh my god!.. There was a ver strong magnetic field rotating between my palms!! With this revealation, i focused on it and realized, that was what causing my head oscillate upto 135 degrees left and right, back and forth, 24 hrs, if i didnt held it with force. 7) Day 8, i decided not to meditate in evening. I sat through the sessions blankly with open eyes, after permission from teacher. But this helped me fall asleep at night. 8) Day 9, I met the teacher again. She said, meditate 2-3 min as much as i can. The moment i start flying too much, i should move to Aanapan and focus on breath. If i still fly, i should open eyes, come back to normal, and restart again with sensations. 9) I accepted it and spent my day9 and 10 like this. My concern was, what after 10 days? Do I continue like this? Am i doing anything incorrectly? 10) after returning home, the dizzyness continued.Flying sensations continued. It has been 10 days since i have returned, but i still feel little dizzy all 24 hrs. Dizzyness has reduced as my meditation has come down to 1 hr per day. But not gone. A hard rock music listener before, now even loud talking hurts my ears and head badly. But i take it as anitya and bear with it neutrally. The first time i drove car after vipassana, i took reverse to take it out from house. The reverse movement spinned my head so badly, if there was a car behind me, i wd hv hit it. It's difficult to focus on one thing, like a book, screen, one car ahead close to you, someone talking to you standing close,etc. This is going on with me all the time. I am not reacting, letting it go. 11) Meditation : I try for 1 hr daily, but the same problem persists. In 3-4 mins, i start flying. Forehead has severe sensations and takes my attention away. If i dont open my eyes, i start flying with the flying feeling. Magnetic force starts running around me again. If I continue with it, my head will oscillate again. But I shift to Aanapan, and open my eyes. Take 2-3 mins to be normal. Then restart. I am a strong believer, and I am not gonna leave it being scared. I am hear to face it, and if anything needs to be changed i am ready. Question.. whats happening to me? did i do anything incorrectly? what should i do with problems in normal life? what should i do with meditation practice? Please help Be happy and God bless

I sleep the hours which are said to be needed, but I still feel sleepy. I've been drinking coffee recently to eliminate grogginess, and it does work for me. However, I was wondering if there are other methods of eliminating grogginess?

Which of the five hindrances does '**comparison**' come under? I mean when the mind starts chattering, "***he is better than me, he succeeded where I failed, he got this and I got nothing, he got better of me***" etc etc. I don't have ill-will or hate or resentment towards the person, just plain comparison. And, how to get over this hindrance? I try to develop **mudita (empathic joy)** but does not find that enough. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

So, I meditate every for more than half an hour during the evenings and also five minutes session every one or two hours during my work so I keep myself calm all the time(not every day but I am trying to do in these lockdown days) but what I feel is I easily get exhausted from my work which involves only heavy mental activities. But otherwise if I let myself refresh doing things which excites us like joking with my friends, watching fast beat songs, etc. I can continue my work feeling energetic. But the downside of this is I easily get carried away with the stuffs I do for refreshing or even get stressed with my work. How to balance this?(physically i am weak person due to medical problem)

At certain point of meditation,I feel like I can't breathe properly as in the beginning of meditation(lose of oxygen) and thus I stop meditating and try to get oxygen into my brain. I do no know why this is happening or how to overcome this condition. Is that not a correct way of meditating? Or what am I doing is wrong ?Or do I have to push through?

Can anyone recommend a practice to overcome disturbing sounds. Many times when I meditate or turn inwards I am disturbed by a neighbors loud barking dogs or other loud sounds. I've tried doing visualization, clearing the space energy, Feng Shui mirrors, ear plugs (help to some degree), even talking to the neighbor but I seem to be often in irritation by this. The external disturbance is affecting my inner-commune. I also find my attention goes to that external sound and I feel tense/disturbed by the energy of it. I'd appreciate any ideas / thoughts on how to stay centered and undisturbed in the face of external disturbance / inconsiderate neighbors. Thanks in advance. Rich

Simple question -- how to tackle cold feeling during winter **through meditation** other than clothes or anything? Asking for specific meditation details with insight for tackling cold without any tantra or mantra or yantra. - **What** will be sensations in various parts of body? - **What** will be various body-parts movement during meditation(other than shaking)? - **What** will be the thoughts? - **Will** one have to maintain some pressure within body? - **What** will be the side effects or hindrances, if any? All the **minute details** which can be **generalized to everyone**. Don't write answers with advice like, "think to be born in cold countries..."... **Here coldness/enviornment refers to the point where meditator will have the need to wear woolen clothes...!** If you have any authoritative (**gautama the buddha's only**) source for **meditation** on such, can give that -- but otherwise looking for **specific practical experience**. **Theorist may consider it a challenge, if they haven't experienced** Be Happy, Metta