Your daily mediation practice

[heybai]

Note:  It crossed my mind to post a poll, but that seemed kind of dumb.  I'd rather read about other people's experiences.

What form of meditation do you feel you must do every day?  E.g. sitting / stillness (samadhi); mindfulness, vipassana, metta, something else? 

Has your daily routine changed over time?  How so?  What did you learn that influenced these changes (if any)?

[Sunya]

Currently, I do an average of 30 minutes daily anapanasati, which can be treated as both samatha and vipassana depending on how it's approached. Also, mindfulness throughout the day's activities is a must.

Not sure if I'd call it a routine, but my practice has changed a bit over time. I started 2 years ago with twice weekly zazen, the shorter session at 30 minutes sitting and 10 minutes walking, and the longer session at 30-10-30. I only attend during the academic year, so during summer and winter breaks I'm completely on my own.

Within the past 12 months, I've added the independent meditation practice. Realizing that meditation is something that helps me better understand myself and the world around me catalyzed this change, and I'm very happy I made it!

[Blue Garuda]

Other than when I dedicate periods to special practices, daily practice is a bit like this:

Heart Jewel (Je Tsongkhapa & Protector) in the morning, with 6 session HYT practice through the day (length depends on time) and Dakini Yoga in the evening as one of the six. Yogas related to Vajrayogini and Heruka Chakrasambara at different times of day and night.

Mantras are practiced according to commmitments, for accumulation, prostration and special purposes.

Weekly I perform Quick Path (Vajrayogini HYT sadhana), sometimes more often.

Special practices are performed on 10th and 25th of each month and on other special days.

I'm also performing Chöd more frequently, and an equivalent, Kusali Tsog, daily as part of Vajrayogini practice.

Other rituals according to need - mine and other people's.

So few days are identical, but the core remains the same. ;)

[face72]

What do you study? I'm trying to learn Zazen. I'm trying to learn how to calm myself and to get rid of Bad energy.

[heybai]

Greetings, face72.  Welcome to the forum.

I practice "zazen" as well, and my guess is that most people here do as well, even if they don't call it that.  "Za" mean sit, and "zen," among other things, means "meditation," specifically, meditation on stillness beginning with mindfulness of breath. 

Here's a video I found last year,

how to practice zazen

Attentiveness to the stillness that arises in meditation is essential to Buddhism and Dharma practice, so you are off to a good start!

All the best.
heybai   

[Hanzze]

Just try to be mindful (on intention, feelings, body...) all the time. *smile*

There is a different between using some sessions (how long and special they might be) as in fact compensation to ongoing live and to make live it self a meditation, step by step.

[ground]

Yes, daily rituals may function as a protection against getting too deeply involved. It is only of secondary importance what these rituals consists of. It is just important that they are connected with a somehow "unusual" view of what is experienced. This protection is sort of remembrance and thus it fosters a sort of mindfulness (of whatever view is connected with them).
But they will be just that: Rituals building up a sort of "anti-world" as protection, conditioned, arising in dependence of intention and concepts and since they are  conditioned their effects are conditioned and depending on repetition ... it is like sports, body building ... as soon as you stop doing it the effects will fade away.

[Hanzze]

You mean sports and "normal" life will not lead to health and maybe even healing? *smile* If so, how could we come out of that circle of inter-depending compensation if we are trapped?

[ground]

You mean sports and "normal" life will not lead to health and maybe even healing? *smile*

I have written if you stop the effects fade away.

If so, how could we come out of that circle of inter-depending compensation if we are trapped?

What circle are you talking about? And what trap? Is this another ritual you are referring to?

[Hanzze]

The circle of inter-depending compensation. *smile* So you mean, if one stop sports, one needs to stop also the unhealthy life? Or if one stops the unhealthy life, one does not need to make sports? What an idea! Would safe a lot of money and energy, but doesn't it runs boring after a while? I mean you would have to face your real problem more and more. I guess it's more pleasant to eat good and to have a good sport session after it and then you would not have a guilty feeling eating again, you know that you already make sport and take care of your health. Over all you also do something for the general economy. I mean if there are lesser sport studios there will be also lesser fast-food restaurants or many sized people, but invest in this way has its limits, so its good to provide some compensations and turn the wheel on. *smile*

[ground]

The circle of inter-depending compensation. *smile*

So it seems we have another instance of ritual here ... ritualistic thought. May be cultivated daily or so ... like meditation or even as meditation ... the nature of religion is ritual ...

[Spiny le Norman]

Has your daily routine changed over time?  How so?  What did you learn that influenced these changes (if any)?

To be honest I get bored with any particular set of practices after a while and need a change.   

Spiny

[ground]

Has your daily routine changed over time?  How so?  What did you learn that influenced these changes (if any)?

To be honest I get bored with any particular set of practices after a while and need a change.   

Spiny