What's the hardest thing in the world to do?

[PaulB]

The hardest thing to attempt is to do....absolutely nothing. And when I say nothing, I mean total nothing.

I have tried and tried and tried and tried but have never even felt the slightest breakthrough and that is to meditate. I find it impossible to sit there with a mind totally empty of thought. I mean NO thought; stillness. If the slightest inkling of a breath of a scintilla of the beginnings of a thought begins to formulate, FAIL! Back to square one. Focus on your breathing and empty your mind. So, so, so easy to say and so blinking flip hard to do.

So I ask, on here, of you good people: does anyone ever do this? Has ANYone ever succeeded in meditating (please, if you are lucky enough to have done so, no experiences; we need to go into this blind, as it were and so want no expectations).

And if you haven't, prove it to yourself 'pon this very eve. Sit there with a totally empty mind devoid of thought and do it for half an hour. Heck do it for half a minute, that'd make a good start.

 

[Night Train]

It's not that difficult to meditate and totally clear the mind, just takes practice.
I've been doing it since I was a kid. Focusing on the breathing is the key but not focusing in the words 'in' and 'out', just the sound of the breath, the white noise it creates, in the sinuses. Also, with eyes closed, focus on the darkness looking for the little flashes of light from cosmic rays hitting the retina.
It gave me something to do at school to block out the noise of children and praying.

 

[dan_bo]

I used to get good-really good results with the meditative seesion we did in the tai chi classes. As NT sez, it does come with practice, and, in my case, tuition.

 

[dan_bo]

I used to get good-really good results with the meditative seesion we did in the tai chi classes. As NT sez, it does come with practice, and, in my case, tuition.

 

[scots_lass]

I can't do it. I find myself talking to myself in my head or counting breaths.

 

[ttcycle]

Firstly there are different types of meditation. Try and find the right thing for you. If you think visualising a scene and focusing on that is useful, do that. Some find it easier to meditate by concentrating on a word or a tone/sound. It does take practice but it's a big myth this idea of emptying the mind of all thought. The thing is thoughts will come, especially if you are new to it- the thing to do is to let the thought drift by, accept it's there and let it pass without engaging in thinking about the thought. Meditation is focusing and concentrating the mind. Simplifying what is going on mentally and becomes easier to do after regular practice

 

[Fnaar]

A bottle of red can help...

 

[Archie_tect]

Never felt the urge or need to stop thinking or doing, but wouldn't mind trying a session in an isolation flotation tank sometime, provided I could get out when I wanted!!

 

[scots_lass]

Never felt the urge or need to stop thinking or doing, but wouldn't mind trying a session in an isolation flotation tank sometime, provided I could get out when I wanted!!

That would be my worst nightmare - water and the dark! and enclosed! <Screams and runs for the hills!>

 

[PaulB]

[QUOTE 1370650"]
There's no such thing as nothing.


[/quote]

That's not true; what have all the London football teams won in the European cup/Champions' League series of competitions?

 

[buddha]

Practice. That's all you need to do.
Same time, each day, same duration (however small). Over time the familiarity of doing just this this will help.
I find focusing on ONE thing helps. Every time you drift on to another thought, go back to the original ONE thought.
Once you can do this for 30 seconds. Try to imagine that ONE thought getting smaller and smaller ...
Although, in my experience, you always have a kind of 'dull', lingering thought, about "thinking about nothing"

Personally, I don't bother with it all anymore. Much prefer going out for a ride!

 

[asterix]

How would you know if you had done it?

 

[Steve H]

How would you know if you had done it?

You may have hit the nail on the head there asterix. Maybe it happens quite regularly and we simply don't remember it, because we weren't thinking of anything to remember!

 

[BearPear]

Never felt the urge or need to stop thinking or doing, but wouldn't mind trying a session in an isolation flotation tank sometime, provided I could get out when I wanted!!

I had a go in one of these - quite pleasant for about 20 minutes then I started to get a bit bored, followed by sea-sick! You can lay perfectly still but in breathing you make small movements in the water which made me nauseous! I bobbed around for a while but got out with about 10 minutes left.

 

[Fnaar]

I'm not one to meditate (careful now), but surely the aim of it is relaxation? A nice bike ride works a treat, as (occasionally) does a bit of P&Q and a few glasses of red + a good telly programme

Om mani padme bottle of rioja hum