Hi and help!

**Jhana Seeker** · 11-23-2011, 06:10 PM

I´ve a huge problem when meditating or trying to meditate. I´ve been trying for over 3 years on and off without ANY gains. I´ve gotten knee pains, mental irritations and bad mood of all the time spent without anything happen with my ability to meditate. Now I´ve changed my way to sit and now I don´t have any knee pains anymore and the pose is no longer a problem but the meditation is far from better, it maybe even be getting worse by time because I seem to be able to sit less and less time before my mind gets distracted and I end up just sitting and thinking about other things with my eyes open.
That´s my problem.

My goal is to reach Jhana. I do want all the benefits from meditation but my main goal is the state of Jhana and the pure clarity it brings afterwards from what I´ve read. I´m a truth seeker and I want the Jhanas to be one of my intruments to seek and understand truths. From all of what I´ve read about the Jhanas it sure must be a powerful thing and this is something I must be able to master!

I´m a athlete and I train my body everyday and I also want to train my mind but that seems to be the hardest thing to train, at least for me, why is that? Just sitting down, relax and concentrate on my breath for an half an hour doesn´t sound that difficult but to be able to actually do it seems almost impossible!

I have tried so many different meditation techniques, guided meditations and most of them often work very well the first times I test them and I´m able to follow my breath for long period of times without interruptions but then it´s back to the same wandering of again. My mind seems to have a very strong and powerfull will to do what ever it want and I can´t do much about it. I need to tame this beast but I don´t know how and I feel I have tried it all so please can someone who have had a hard time attaining access conscentration share your wisdom of how to master it insted of being a slave to it. I just want to be able to focus my attention on my breath when I want to but I can´t manage such a simple task! It´s very embarrassing especially after been trying for so many years!

Please!
Anyone who have had the same problems I describe and have been able to overcome them, can you please help me to come over this huge mountain (access concentration) so I can move towards the Jhanas? I really don´t need to know what you´ve read but your own experience and what worked for you. All I need to know is how to attain access concentration and then I will get used to and master that before I start seeking Jhana. But I need to have clear and simple information in layman terms and maybe even a good technique to attain access concentration and all help I can get is highly appreciated! I´m in great need!

Thank´s for reading this!

**Meditation** · 11-24-2011, 04:08 AM

Fix or do the the things you are thinking about action them, and you will see a slow improvement. Your mind thinks it needs to do these things or action these thoughts.

Meditation is not about sitting and breathing it is about life, the thoughts are yours and you are just opening the thought channel. Once you action the thoughts even in the mind these will calm down.

Welcome to the forum.
Brett.

**JimmyTheTulip** · 12-07-2011, 11:50 AM

To add to that...you should be as comfortable as possible when meditating. You definitely don't want to casue yourself pain while doing it. Have you tried guided meditations, or even putting on some meditative music and concetrating on that. These little "distractions" can help keep your mind from wandering if you have those types of problems. I know that when I go to meditate I put in ear plugs so that I can drown the TV, my wife, and the dog

**Jhana Seeker** · 12-20-2011, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Meditation

Fix or do the the things you are thinking about action them, and you will see a slow improvement. Your mind thinks it needs to do these things or action these thoughts.

Meditation is not about sitting and breathing it is about life, the thoughts are yours and you are just opening the thought channel. Once you action the thoughts even in the mind these will calm down.

Welcome to the forum.
Brett.

I don't understand exactly what you mean with "action them", let's say I think about sex (which is the most hardest thoughts for me to let go of), I'm I then supposed to have sex? I also think alot about what things that has happened the same day of the sitting, things that is going to happen soon after the sitting, what does "action these" thoughts mean?

And about the breathing part. I have just searched some info on the net and it seems like "we" hyperventilate and need to slow down our breathing so right now Iäm really confused about the "right" way to breathe too.

The more I learn the more confused I get...

**Meditation** · 12-23-2011, 05:29 AM

It's all about what works for you, you have to experiment with different breathing techniques to see which helps you relax the body.

On the mind side of things ask why you think about sex, do you just have those thoughts or are you not receiving the satisfaction from sex, and yes action it in a way that suits you. Masturbation if you don't have a partner or discuss with you partner to satisfy the areas that need improving.

Life is all about trial and error, practice and manipulation of you as a whole.

Hope this helps more.
Brett.

PS. Don't let confusion overcome you.

**Jhana Seeker** · 12-31-2011, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by Meditation

Life is all about trial and error, practice and manipulation of you as a whole.

I will do what I can with trial and error. The thing is that my martial arts training, diet, flexibillity has improved alot the whole time by trial and errors but the meditation has almost gone backwards so there has been something really wrong. I may not have been ready and I will try until I am.

Thanks!

**Meditation** · 01-03-2012, 05:33 AM

Have you treid sound as a way to help relax, as sound healing can help with mind clutter/chatter.

Here is free one which relax the mind I found it last week it helps me relax bwfore sleep and works.

http://sonicharmonics.com/

You can also find lots of meditaion music online my favourite is Tom Kenyon. Though you can find lots of different types binural beats is also good and more directly related to certain afflictions.

Brett.