Direct Experience of Meditation












3















This morning I read many posts on this site. I felt like topics on Buddhist doctrine were somewhat clear to me, but those on meditation seemed complex, difficult to me.



I wondered: Does meditation practice increase knowledge about meditation? Is this what is meant by direct experience?



I feel this may seem as a naive question; I'm mainly wondering how something experienced (i.e. meditation) might affect cognition / knowledge about the topic of meditation.



For example, I'm unsure whether a person hammering nails all day would necessarily understand their task conceptually. Does meditation necessarily give one conceptual knowledge of meditation?










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    3















    This morning I read many posts on this site. I felt like topics on Buddhist doctrine were somewhat clear to me, but those on meditation seemed complex, difficult to me.



    I wondered: Does meditation practice increase knowledge about meditation? Is this what is meant by direct experience?



    I feel this may seem as a naive question; I'm mainly wondering how something experienced (i.e. meditation) might affect cognition / knowledge about the topic of meditation.



    For example, I'm unsure whether a person hammering nails all day would necessarily understand their task conceptually. Does meditation necessarily give one conceptual knowledge of meditation?










    share|improve this question

























      3












      3








      3








      This morning I read many posts on this site. I felt like topics on Buddhist doctrine were somewhat clear to me, but those on meditation seemed complex, difficult to me.



      I wondered: Does meditation practice increase knowledge about meditation? Is this what is meant by direct experience?



      I feel this may seem as a naive question; I'm mainly wondering how something experienced (i.e. meditation) might affect cognition / knowledge about the topic of meditation.



      For example, I'm unsure whether a person hammering nails all day would necessarily understand their task conceptually. Does meditation necessarily give one conceptual knowledge of meditation?










      share|improve this question














      This morning I read many posts on this site. I felt like topics on Buddhist doctrine were somewhat clear to me, but those on meditation seemed complex, difficult to me.



      I wondered: Does meditation practice increase knowledge about meditation? Is this what is meant by direct experience?



      I feel this may seem as a naive question; I'm mainly wondering how something experienced (i.e. meditation) might affect cognition / knowledge about the topic of meditation.



      For example, I'm unsure whether a person hammering nails all day would necessarily understand their task conceptually. Does meditation necessarily give one conceptual knowledge of meditation?







      meditation






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      asked yesterday









      EggmanEggman

      1,914516




      1,914516






















          4 Answers
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          One possible answer is that meditation relies both on the theoretical understanding on what's going on, but also the direct experience. They are mutually dependent as far as i can see.



          A mere theoretical understanding of meditation will not take us very far in the progress, just like meditation without a theoretical description of the phenomena involved probably won't take us far either.






          share|improve this answer































            3














            Simple analogy:



            The experience of watching someone drive (a car) for 1000 years can never compare to actually driving by yourself for 1 hour.






            share|improve this answer































              2














              Going canonical: Meditation involves samadhi (tranquil absorption) and sati (mindful awareness).



              When you investigate a phenomena (breath for example) with this state of mind, depending upon the strength of your mindfulness you will see aspects of the working of the mind itself.



              Almost like seeing through the corner of your mind, you see how the mind itself works. And by virtue of seeing that you might see how reality is- this could come from different angles (impermanence, fabricated nature, dependent arising)- our mind releases a little bit "ahh this is silly, why am I so worried about this!".



              But those are names we use to convey our experiences. No amount of scholarly dissection of those names will help our mind release it. Only direct, real time, seeing would. Meditation develops the skill and arena for such insights.



              This seeing the working of the mind does not need a conceptual framework. But certain conceptual framework (the optimal way to nail a hammer) will help you hammer it deeper and better. But it relies on your experiential understanding of hammering a nail itself. The eight fold path is such a conceptual framework which points us in the general direction of these realizations.






              share|improve this answer








              New contributor




              NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.




























                1














                Its like this.Say you face a problem with the direct experience of a certain feeling ,thus you decided to formulate a new meditation concept where you contemplate that feeling.



                Direct experience is to investigate the true nature of reality its subjective quality



                .In hammering nails one will experience nailing



                Conceptual knowledge comes about as a result of problems faced when having a direct experience.



                If the nail gets bent then one decides to hammer a bit slowly next time.






                share|improve this answer
























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                  4 Answers
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                  active

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                  active

                  oldest

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                  3














                  One possible answer is that meditation relies both on the theoretical understanding on what's going on, but also the direct experience. They are mutually dependent as far as i can see.



                  A mere theoretical understanding of meditation will not take us very far in the progress, just like meditation without a theoretical description of the phenomena involved probably won't take us far either.






                  share|improve this answer




























                    3














                    One possible answer is that meditation relies both on the theoretical understanding on what's going on, but also the direct experience. They are mutually dependent as far as i can see.



                    A mere theoretical understanding of meditation will not take us very far in the progress, just like meditation without a theoretical description of the phenomena involved probably won't take us far either.






                    share|improve this answer


























                      3












                      3








                      3







                      One possible answer is that meditation relies both on the theoretical understanding on what's going on, but also the direct experience. They are mutually dependent as far as i can see.



                      A mere theoretical understanding of meditation will not take us very far in the progress, just like meditation without a theoretical description of the phenomena involved probably won't take us far either.






                      share|improve this answer













                      One possible answer is that meditation relies both on the theoretical understanding on what's going on, but also the direct experience. They are mutually dependent as far as i can see.



                      A mere theoretical understanding of meditation will not take us very far in the progress, just like meditation without a theoretical description of the phenomena involved probably won't take us far either.







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered yesterday









                      ErikErik

                      1716




                      1716























                          3














                          Simple analogy:



                          The experience of watching someone drive (a car) for 1000 years can never compare to actually driving by yourself for 1 hour.






                          share|improve this answer




























                            3














                            Simple analogy:



                            The experience of watching someone drive (a car) for 1000 years can never compare to actually driving by yourself for 1 hour.






                            share|improve this answer


























                              3












                              3








                              3







                              Simple analogy:



                              The experience of watching someone drive (a car) for 1000 years can never compare to actually driving by yourself for 1 hour.






                              share|improve this answer













                              Simple analogy:



                              The experience of watching someone drive (a car) for 1000 years can never compare to actually driving by yourself for 1 hour.







                              share|improve this answer












                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer










                              answered yesterday









                              Krizalid_13190Krizalid_13190

                              60717




                              60717























                                  2














                                  Going canonical: Meditation involves samadhi (tranquil absorption) and sati (mindful awareness).



                                  When you investigate a phenomena (breath for example) with this state of mind, depending upon the strength of your mindfulness you will see aspects of the working of the mind itself.



                                  Almost like seeing through the corner of your mind, you see how the mind itself works. And by virtue of seeing that you might see how reality is- this could come from different angles (impermanence, fabricated nature, dependent arising)- our mind releases a little bit "ahh this is silly, why am I so worried about this!".



                                  But those are names we use to convey our experiences. No amount of scholarly dissection of those names will help our mind release it. Only direct, real time, seeing would. Meditation develops the skill and arena for such insights.



                                  This seeing the working of the mind does not need a conceptual framework. But certain conceptual framework (the optimal way to nail a hammer) will help you hammer it deeper and better. But it relies on your experiential understanding of hammering a nail itself. The eight fold path is such a conceptual framework which points us in the general direction of these realizations.






                                  share|improve this answer








                                  New contributor




                                  NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.

























                                    2














                                    Going canonical: Meditation involves samadhi (tranquil absorption) and sati (mindful awareness).



                                    When you investigate a phenomena (breath for example) with this state of mind, depending upon the strength of your mindfulness you will see aspects of the working of the mind itself.



                                    Almost like seeing through the corner of your mind, you see how the mind itself works. And by virtue of seeing that you might see how reality is- this could come from different angles (impermanence, fabricated nature, dependent arising)- our mind releases a little bit "ahh this is silly, why am I so worried about this!".



                                    But those are names we use to convey our experiences. No amount of scholarly dissection of those names will help our mind release it. Only direct, real time, seeing would. Meditation develops the skill and arena for such insights.



                                    This seeing the working of the mind does not need a conceptual framework. But certain conceptual framework (the optimal way to nail a hammer) will help you hammer it deeper and better. But it relies on your experiential understanding of hammering a nail itself. The eight fold path is such a conceptual framework which points us in the general direction of these realizations.






                                    share|improve this answer








                                    New contributor




                                    NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                    Check out our Code of Conduct.























                                      2












                                      2








                                      2







                                      Going canonical: Meditation involves samadhi (tranquil absorption) and sati (mindful awareness).



                                      When you investigate a phenomena (breath for example) with this state of mind, depending upon the strength of your mindfulness you will see aspects of the working of the mind itself.



                                      Almost like seeing through the corner of your mind, you see how the mind itself works. And by virtue of seeing that you might see how reality is- this could come from different angles (impermanence, fabricated nature, dependent arising)- our mind releases a little bit "ahh this is silly, why am I so worried about this!".



                                      But those are names we use to convey our experiences. No amount of scholarly dissection of those names will help our mind release it. Only direct, real time, seeing would. Meditation develops the skill and arena for such insights.



                                      This seeing the working of the mind does not need a conceptual framework. But certain conceptual framework (the optimal way to nail a hammer) will help you hammer it deeper and better. But it relies on your experiential understanding of hammering a nail itself. The eight fold path is such a conceptual framework which points us in the general direction of these realizations.






                                      share|improve this answer








                                      New contributor




                                      NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                      Going canonical: Meditation involves samadhi (tranquil absorption) and sati (mindful awareness).



                                      When you investigate a phenomena (breath for example) with this state of mind, depending upon the strength of your mindfulness you will see aspects of the working of the mind itself.



                                      Almost like seeing through the corner of your mind, you see how the mind itself works. And by virtue of seeing that you might see how reality is- this could come from different angles (impermanence, fabricated nature, dependent arising)- our mind releases a little bit "ahh this is silly, why am I so worried about this!".



                                      But those are names we use to convey our experiences. No amount of scholarly dissection of those names will help our mind release it. Only direct, real time, seeing would. Meditation develops the skill and arena for such insights.



                                      This seeing the working of the mind does not need a conceptual framework. But certain conceptual framework (the optimal way to nail a hammer) will help you hammer it deeper and better. But it relies on your experiential understanding of hammering a nail itself. The eight fold path is such a conceptual framework which points us in the general direction of these realizations.







                                      share|improve this answer








                                      New contributor




                                      NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer






                                      New contributor




                                      NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                      answered yesterday









                                      NVARNVAR

                                      211




                                      211




                                      New contributor




                                      NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                      New contributor





                                      NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                      NVAR is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.























                                          1














                                          Its like this.Say you face a problem with the direct experience of a certain feeling ,thus you decided to formulate a new meditation concept where you contemplate that feeling.



                                          Direct experience is to investigate the true nature of reality its subjective quality



                                          .In hammering nails one will experience nailing



                                          Conceptual knowledge comes about as a result of problems faced when having a direct experience.



                                          If the nail gets bent then one decides to hammer a bit slowly next time.






                                          share|improve this answer




























                                            1














                                            Its like this.Say you face a problem with the direct experience of a certain feeling ,thus you decided to formulate a new meditation concept where you contemplate that feeling.



                                            Direct experience is to investigate the true nature of reality its subjective quality



                                            .In hammering nails one will experience nailing



                                            Conceptual knowledge comes about as a result of problems faced when having a direct experience.



                                            If the nail gets bent then one decides to hammer a bit slowly next time.






                                            share|improve this answer


























                                              1












                                              1








                                              1







                                              Its like this.Say you face a problem with the direct experience of a certain feeling ,thus you decided to formulate a new meditation concept where you contemplate that feeling.



                                              Direct experience is to investigate the true nature of reality its subjective quality



                                              .In hammering nails one will experience nailing



                                              Conceptual knowledge comes about as a result of problems faced when having a direct experience.



                                              If the nail gets bent then one decides to hammer a bit slowly next time.






                                              share|improve this answer













                                              Its like this.Say you face a problem with the direct experience of a certain feeling ,thus you decided to formulate a new meditation concept where you contemplate that feeling.



                                              Direct experience is to investigate the true nature of reality its subjective quality



                                              .In hammering nails one will experience nailing



                                              Conceptual knowledge comes about as a result of problems faced when having a direct experience.



                                              If the nail gets bent then one decides to hammer a bit slowly next time.







                                              share|improve this answer












                                              share|improve this answer



                                              share|improve this answer










                                              answered yesterday









                                              Omar AhmedOmar Ahmed

                                              1048




                                              1048






























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