乾县铁佛寺移动版

ANSWER: Yes, it is. No matter how much we may wish to be good, if we cannot change the desires that make us act the way we do, change will be difficult. For example, a person may realize that he is impatient with his wife and he may promise

himself:  ‘From now on I am not going to be so impatient.’   But an hour later he may be shouting at his wife simply because, not being aware of himself, impatience has arisen without  him  knowing.  Meditation  helps  to  develop  the  awareness  and the energy needed to transform ingrained mental habit patterns.

QUESTION: I have heard that meditation can be dangerous. Is this true?

ANSWER: To live we need salt. But if you were to eat a kilo of salt it would probably kill you. To function in the modern world you need a car but if you don't follow the traffic rules or if you drive while you are drunk, a car would become a dangerous machine. Meditation is like this, it is essential for our mental health and well-being but if you practice in the wrong way, it could cause problems. Some people have problems like depression, irrational fears or schizophrenia; they think meditation is an instant cure for their problem, they start meditating and sometimes their problem gets worse. If you have such a problem, you should seek professional help and then after you are better take up meditation. Other people over-reach themselves. They take up meditation and instead of going gradually, step by step, they meditate with too much energy or for long periods and soon they are exhausted. But perhaps most problems in meditation are caused by 'kangaroo meditation.' Some people go to one teacher and do his meditation technique for a while.  Then they read something in a book and decide to try that technique. A week later a famous meditation teacher visits  their town  and  so  they  decide  to  incorporate  some  of  his  ideas  into  their practice and  before  long they are  hopelessly confused. Jumping  like a  kangaroo from  one  teacher  to  another  or  from  one  meditation  technique  to  another  is  a mistake.  But  if  you  don't  have  any  severe  mental  problems  and  you  take  up meditation and practice sensibly it is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

QUESTION: How many types of meditation are there?

ANSWER: The Buddha taught many different types of meditation, each designed to overcome a particular problem or to develop a particular psychological state. But the two  most  common  and  useful  types  of  meditation  are  Mindfulness  of  Breathing, anapana sati,  and Loving Kindness Meditation, metta bhavana.

QUESTION: If I wanted to practice Mindfulness of Breathing, how would I do it?

ANSWER: You would follows these easy steps; the four Ps - place, posture, practice and problems. First, find a suitable place, perhaps a room that is not too noisy and

where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Second, sit in a comfortable posture. A good way to sit is with your legs folded, a pillow under your buttocks, your back straight, your hands nestled in the lap and the eyes closed. Alternatively, you can sit on a chair as long as you keep your back straight. Next comes the actual practice itself. As you sit quietly with your eyes closed, you focus your attention on the in and out movement of the breath. This can be done by counting the breaths or watching the rise and fall of the abdomen. When this is done, certain problems and difficulties will arise. You might experience irritating itches on the body or discomfort in the knees. If this happens, try to keep the body relaxed without moving and keep focusing on the breath. You will probably have many intruding thoughts coming into your mind and distracting your attention from the breath. The only way you can deal with this is to patiently keep gently returning your attention to the breath. If you keep doing this, eventually thoughts will weaken, your concentration will become stronger and you will have moments of deep mental calm and inner peace. (责任编辑：admin)