No, meditation is not like drugs. If anything it’s like exercise for a very particular part of your mind. It can train the mind to be calm, patient, observant and focused. I practiced for many years. In my experience it does not in and of itself bring any sort of feelings of happiness.
Seriously, though, I kindof bristle any time I hear anyone say that “meditation is” some particular thing. What meditation is is extremely broad and varied to the point that it nearly defies definition.
Sure many buddhist jhana practitioners will say that the purpose of jhanas is insight, but what if I develop my jhana skills and never seek insight? Is that really not meditation?
Or, if I sit quietly and learn to contact my subconscious and/or Jungian archetypes. Or if I make up my own idiosyncratic form of practice specifically in order to try to become a hungry ghost in the next life, is that really not meditation?
(Mind you, it’s valid to accept a particular strict definition of meditation within a specific context. If I was at a vipassana retreat doing white skeleton meditation, that’d probably be kindof assholeish. And if the teacher was like “no, correct meditation is such-and-such,” I wouldn’t be like “nuh-uh my ass is meditation, man”. This situation is pretty different. If OP has found a way to “meditate” that’s “better than drugs” rather than “training the mind to be calm, patient, observant and focused”, that hardly makes it invalid or “not meditation.” Any more so than if they say “nice to meet you” rather than “hey, what’s up”, that makes it “not a greeting.”)
Well everyone is different. I practiced Zazen and nobody ever told me of experiencing a high or altered awareness. That’s only my experience though and I’m not trying to discount yours :)
No, meditation is not like drugs. If anything it’s like exercise for a very particular part of your mind. It can train the mind to be calm, patient, observant and focused. I practiced for many years. In my experience it does not in and of itself bring any sort of feelings of happiness.
You’ve been doing the wrong meditation. ;)
Seriously, though, I kindof bristle any time I hear anyone say that “meditation is” some particular thing. What meditation is is extremely broad and varied to the point that it nearly defies definition.
Sure many buddhist jhana practitioners will say that the purpose of jhanas is insight, but what if I develop my jhana skills and never seek insight? Is that really not meditation?
Or, if I sit quietly and learn to contact my subconscious and/or Jungian archetypes. Or if I make up my own idiosyncratic form of practice specifically in order to try to become a hungry ghost in the next life, is that really not meditation?
(Mind you, it’s valid to accept a particular strict definition of meditation within a specific context. If I was at a vipassana retreat doing white skeleton meditation, that’d probably be kindof assholeish. And if the teacher was like “no, correct meditation is such-and-such,” I wouldn’t be like “nuh-uh my ass is meditation, man”. This situation is pretty different. If OP has found a way to “meditate” that’s “better than drugs” rather than “training the mind to be calm, patient, observant and focused”, that hardly makes it invalid or “not meditation.” Any more so than if they say “nice to meet you” rather than “hey, what’s up”, that makes it “not a greeting.”)
Yeah I should’ve written it as “It is not like that for me”. Though this is the first time I’ve heard someone who meditates compare it to doing drugs.
I’ve heard of people having breakthroughs/ego deaths while meditating, so it can definitely get there by the looks of it
Meditation doesn’t get you high?
Drugs don’t alter your awareness?
If there was any proof of that, the laws would be moving to prohibit in certain professions or situations
No it’s a a fairly sober experience.
Well I guess they can. I have no firsthand experience with psychedelics etc. but it doesn’t sound like the same kind of experience.
Well it gets me high. It’s a standard result of meditating. Some even warn us to not get carried away with the high.
And yes, drugs, like meditation, alters my awareness. Not saying they do it exactly the same way but yes, the same stuff, altered.
Well everyone is different. I practiced Zazen and nobody ever told me of experiencing a high or altered awareness. That’s only my experience though and I’m not trying to discount yours :)
The smile at the end makes all the difference.
No
Who said they don’t?
Well meditation gets me high.
And meditation, like drugs, alters my awareness.