So, I have a strong hunch that there must be a root emotional cause of anxiety and not in a worldly manner (*like not related to one's life story). More like an error in judgment of relation to oneself & others. First candidate that comes to my mind is not being kind towards oneself which produces lack of confidence, which in turn produces anxiety given unfavourable external conditions (*like meeting new people etc.)*. I have witnessed meditation to ease anxiety, but only seems like a partial temporary solution. What would be your understanding of the root cause of anxiety, and any possible practices to resolve it on more permanently?

I have done S.N.Goenkas Vipassana and Anapana sati meditation. In both the cases my mind remains active and I have lot of thoughts while meditating. I learnt from Eckhart Tolle that the sensory perception can be portal to silent present moment awareness. In other words being aware of sensory perceptions can lead to meditative states of no-thought or no-mind. When I remain aware of sound, I am in the present moment as sound can only be heard in present moment. So, currently I am meditating on sounds that I hear. I am doing lot of progress as i am having less and less thoughts. Also, after some time i can hear a humming sound which is uncreated which I learnt on youtube is called Anahat Naad, but there is no such reference in Buddhist scriptures on Anahat Naad or any formal sound meditation instructions. I have two questions. Firstly, am I doing right meditation by being aware of the sounds. And secondly, is there any scriptural reference of meditating on sound. thanks.

Can I do some intense exercise before vipassana ? Please guide me. Exercise makes the body very agitated making it difficult to focus on your breath and to stay still? or These endorphins will also help focus the mind?

There are a lot of mantras in our scriptures. Some of these mantras are used to invoke a particular deity, activity or a life-event. Some are mantras for longevity, some for knowledge, immortality, liberation and so on. Some of the highly notable mantras are Three Refuges, Om Mani Padme Hum, and Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato. **Three Refuges** > बुद्धं सरणं गच्छामि | धम्मं सरणं गच्छामि | सङ्घं सरणं गच्छामि > > Buddhaṃ Saraṇaṃ Gacchāmi | Dhammaṃ Saraṇaṃ Gacchāmi | Saṅghaṃ Saraṇaṃ Gacchāmi > > I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take refuge in the Saṅgha. **Om Mani Padme Hum** > ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ > > Oṃ Maṇi Padmē Hūm̐ > > Praise to the jewel in the lotus **Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato** > नमो तस्सा भगवतो अरहतो सम्मा सम्बुधासा > > Namō Tas'sā Bhagavatō Arahatō Sam'mā Sambudhāsā > > Homage to the blessed One, the Perfected One, the Fully Awakened One However, is there **one universal Mantra / Mahamantra** which can be chanted by a devotee, which takes him or her to the highest realm of God realization? Is it one of the above mantras?

Why people recommend to sit in meditation for 1 hour not 55 mins 59 mins or 61 mins .Is it something special for 60 mins ? Can I use binaural beats in headphone while meditating ?

How to learn dhamma as Māhāvihāra Theravāda Buddhists? How Māhāvihāra Theravāda Buddhists learn kammaṭhāna and dhamma for over 2600 years?

I know this is not the place for this kind of questions. But I post this anyway. **I am seeking advice on Samatha meditation.** Time to time, I get strong urge to do Samatha meditation.(I'm not an expert on this). So, I start with a combination of Maithree, Anapanasati and Vipassana meditation to cut down five hindrances . At this level, I reach happy state. Then I switch to Kasina meditation. But I can't continue Kasina meditation enough time to reach any static Nimitta . That's because I lose urge to continue / neediness to reach Dhayana. Sometimes, - I feel full - I feel, can't hold any more fullness ( full pressure) - less neediness to continue . So, I feel one or multiple of above and then I can't continue the meditation. Like, I feel like I can't continue anymore. (but I want to). But through all this, I feel happy. (after Maithree and Vipassana meditation) So, questions are , - Why is this happening? - Why I lose urge? - Why sometimes feel full pressure? - How would I overcome this? ___ My own idea of the problem is, - maybe I didn't actually reduce the five hindrances evenly, maybe I reduced the 1,2 and 5, but I think, maybe I didn't reduce 3rd and 4th hindrances. (main point). - maybe my Vipassana is too much(for Samatha) and I lose carving(thanha) for Dhayana. (newly added this line). - maybe I don't have enough capacity. - maybe my methods are wrong. It could be one of above or something else. ___ Five hindrances > order is as in this article. 1. Sensory desire (kāmacchanda) 2. Ill-will (vyāpāda; also spelled byāpāda) 3. Sloth-and-torpor (thīna-middha) 4. Restlessness-and-worry (uddhacca-kukkucca) 5. Doubt (vicikiccha) **Thanks 🙏. ☸️.** **Any help is appreciated.**

When I am lying down, my abdomin fills easily, but when sitting with what I believe is proper posture, it feels like my diaphragm is stuck and my breath cannot expand into my abdomen. Only my ribs and upper chest expand. It is not caused by anxiety, nor does it cause a lot of anxiety, but is very distracting and uncomfortable. It this normal or is it something I can improve with exercises?

I have been meditating for a few years now. I love the ones that deal with breathe control. I have use Headspace, calm, and balanced. All help a little but I have done trials of all three and don’t know which is better. Please help

Some Buddhist teachers and writings I have seen differentiate between (students of) “high capacity” and “low(er) capacity”. As far as I’ve understood, some of the criteria for saying that some people are of “high capacity” is intelligence and morality. It also seems to me that you actually have to have heard about the Dharma to be of “high capacity”. Can someone give explicit criteria for what “high capacity” and “low(er) capacity” actually means? Or a reference to an explanation?

I returned from Goenka's Vipassana retreat. The technique of being aware of sensations with equanimity was very helpful and led me into deeper states of meditation. But his technique includes scanning the body as you move deeper. What I found was if I am focused on sensations on my face then willfully changing the focus to shoulder disturbs meditation. Also, I have to keep my mind active to control and move my focus with will, from say face to shoulder etc. Else where as I read Ajahn Brahm, his whole technique comprise of 'letting-go' of 'doer' or 'will'. Main emphasis is about the attitude of not getting the 'doer' or 'craving' or 'will' involved. Further to the answers to my last question as I now understand we reach to Vipassana i.e. insight. So my question is can I skip the body scan part. Can I attain Vipassana and Jnana without involving the body scan. Just being aware of sensations on face bring a great deal of Samatha. Keep the doer, controlling mind aside. I am sorry I am mixing Ajahn Brahm and Goenka. What is happening is I am finding it difficult to attain ggod meditative mind through AB's method of focusing on breath but I am doing good progress in sense of calming my mind and reducing the thoughts by Goenkas method to watch sensations through equanimity. So my plan is attain Samatha through Goenka's method of watching sensations and then as I attain meditative mind with no thoughts switch to AB's method to attain Jnana. I checked other question-answers regarding body scan but they do not answer my question as their problem is not 'bringing in the doer' or 'will' their problems are different. So my question is can I skip the body scan?

During meditation in past, it was observed that if focus is maintained on nostrils, tip of nose and center of forehead(between eyebrows) then it causes cold and cough within 2-3 days of such practice. Surprisingly, it was observed whenever it was practised. Tried the same experiment with other fellows at that time, they also had same symptoms, if not sooner then later. In tipitaka, anywhere mentioned about ill-effects of such combination of meditation focus points? Are these ill effects or could be something else, not taken into consideration? Analysis so far- Kayanupashyana and vednanupashyana both are all about focus, observe, analyse body parts (though not always at single area but bit by bit within whole body). There might be somewhere mentioned about such ill effects, if not then either those suttas were burned off or this assumption is wrong or assumption is correct & it might be due to wrong concentration & observation, "upward air entering as cold & sensing nose part nearby forehead leading to formation of runny nose, cold, cough"

What is effect of heart on mind in reality? Is it the effect due to coziness felt across the walls of heart (similar to the one felt by a child sitting in the parent's lap) leading to the change in perception, can be bad (ill hearted), can be good(emotional), can be right(compassion). Or Is that effect due to the oxygen interchanged blood? Blood having usedup O2 usually accompanied with various deep rooted sankharas/emotions/pictures/previous-deeds and blood which got injected by fresh O2 has very low quanties of them. This 2nd one seems little clearer and unveils some concepts like,"how come compassion around an arhat's body is so strong" at physical level. Any Buddha's teaching/sutta in this meditation context.

I find it difficult to meditate without guidance. I wish to use guided meditations for my practice. How effective are guided meditation sessions in achieving the benefits of meditation? What is the best way to use guided meditations to maximise their benefits?

I am finding it difficult to focus on the incoming-outgoing breath. Whenever I become mindful of my breath, the Mind kicks in. I cannot even focus for 5-10 breaths, the mind activates. Giving the mind some work, which is being aware here, kind of activates the mind. Instead, if I become mindful of thoughts, I can remain without thoughts for 5-10 seconds. Correct me if I am wrong, but is this Zazen kind of meditation, -- Just sitting, Doing Nothing. Will this practice help attain meditative absorption states?

I've been practicing and managed to access first jhana, but I haven't found a solution to one obstacle that often frustrates my meditation: [earworms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm) . (Earworms are musical fragments that play repetitively in the head, and which I experience the majority of the time. Outside of meditation I have tried to control earworms using various anecdotal techniques, but the best I have ever been able to do is replace one earworm with another.) When I sit to meditate and I have an earworm going I find it impossible to break free of it. The problem is that whatever part of my mind is playing the earworm seems to be running on a separate thread from my attention. Without an earworm running I can focus on breathing and then feeling and everything else fades into the background. With the earworm running everything fades into the background and then the earworm grabs *more* attention. It's like trying to fall asleep with a fire alarm going off, and the closer you get to sleep the louder the alarm gets. I've tried running white noise machines and focusing on the white noise, but the earworm seems to be independent of outside audio stimulus other than music. Is there some music-like sound that is still conducive to vipassana?

I've been practicing meditation and studying buddhism for years, and I've always been curious about *vipassana*, but I never knew how should I practice it, on what should I focus, etc. So my questions is: what do you recommend for someone who is starting *vipassana* meditation? How do I begin and how should I do it?

In this answer, it is suggested that space between thoughts, less discursive mental activity, is related to relaxation and concentration. I know it is not advised to judge one's inner experience too much during meditation, and that inhibiting thoughts intentionally is not recommended, but would it be right to say that a period wherein thoughts are more infrequent signifies a calmer mind? Does the diminution of thoughts correlate with calmness?

I wonder in how far the burning of human corpses in the open is still a thing? Ideally looking for a place where there are always burnings and corpses and mourning. Heard it's suitable from the Dhutanga chapter of the Visuddhimagga : > Even in sleep the dweller in a charnel ground shows naught Of negligence, for death is ever present to his thought; He may be sure there is no lust after sense pleasure preys Upon his mind, with many corpses present to his gaze. Rightly he strives because he gains a sense of urgency, While in his search for final peace he curbs all vanity. Let him that feels a leaning to Nibbána in his heart Embrace this practice for it has rare virtues to impart

How could one come, if any experiances and understanding, to the idea that one in Jhana isn't able to walk, not to speak of to listen and talk? Maybe there is a different between sitting, standing, walking, lying down? And what did the Sublime Buddha taught and tell about it? What would be the effect on Satipatthana is such ideas would be correct? Bond to sit, 7 days, weeks, month, years... or how would a living one quick react? And refined: would an on-house-holder be able to undertake a jhanic walk-about? Could a wanderer of other sects, say one on the Jakobs-path gain 'accidently' Jhana while developing the Brahma-Viharas?