Practice meditating under stress

Long ago, I saw on the new eastern religion or philosophy or martial art the purposely put themselves under stress. They do this while they meditate.

The idea is that if they can find peace under stress, they can do it anywhere.

Has anybody heard of something like this?

Is their a name?

 

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Vipassana meditation

 

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Zen is the one that believes we are all enlightened already. So they will treat a stressful situation equal with any other situation.

edit:

and draqon is right too.

 

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Stress is caused by a confused mind, once you can understand what it is that is confusing you, then you can become a peace with yourself.

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bizarre!

as if you had to go about looking for stress to insure that one can possibly meditate under such circumstances

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So it is possible to meditate under such stressful situations then right

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I saw an article on the news. I only saw half of it so I didn't get the full story

It visited a shaolin temple. The priests would meditate (or try to)

Naked in the snow
In a tin shed on a sweltering hot day
squatting with a suspended weight tied to their gonads

I just wanted to know if anyone else has heard of anything like it

 

People do all sorts of things.

If you spend a lot of time in under 60F weather you will build your brown fat supplies to the point where they can keep you quite toasty.

If you meditate you can learn to consciously stimulate them.

Yogis use this to have wet blanket drying contests in the snow.

 

The general idea is to start meditating in a quiet, secluded space with as little stress as possible. Then, over time, gradually more and more stress is added to the circumstances of meditation. This way, one gradually learns to control the mind regardless of the circumstances.

Like when a person wishes to train weight-lifting: They start off with very light weights, and then over time, as their muscular strength and endurance increase, the weight of the weights is increased as well. People normally don't start off with 100 kilo weights.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean?

That the principles that apply to 'learning things with the body' are different from the principles of 'learning things with the mind'?

Sure, some professors have well-trained minds, but it takes more than that to learn a new language fast. Such a professor would need, for example, the time and the motivation to do so - and many don't have that.


Other than that, I think it is easier to prepare for a marathon than to control the mind in meditation.

 

Ever been to a 10 day retreat?

 

by myself alone? yes. But I would love to have everything else isolated as well during that retreat. My small tent and me. And sky above with rain and sun shining down on me.

 

Pfft.

Do you know what a Vipassana retreat is like?

Carefully read this:
http://www.dhamma.org/en/code.shtml

From there:

Just reading about it fills me with stress!

 

So what was your experience Dragon? There is a center in Battamband, cambodia and I have been toying with the idea but I am not sure if I am ready as yet to go without abolutely EVERYTHING save my own thoughts for 10 days. You can't even read or write but it sounds like an interesting experience nonetheless

 

I did hatha yoga, it allowed me to do my own meditation.

 

4:00 am Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 am Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 am Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 am Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 am Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's instructions
11:00-12:00 noon Lunch break
12noon-1:00 pm Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 pm Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 pm Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 pm Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher's instructions
5:00-6:00 pm Tea break
6:00-7:00 pm Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 pm Teacher's Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 pm Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 pm Question time in the hall
9:30 pm Retire to your own room--Lights out

It does sound stressful. However so is a training session for a marathon. Both will whip you into shape

 

If it doesn't break me down

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Its the idea of having nothing to focus on that I would find stressful. I find physical engagement a relief. What to do with only your mind?

I spent quite a bit of time at Sivananda Yoga Ranch in Woodburne NY a few years ago but the scheduled meditation was only 30min 2x per day along with yoga 2x a day. The rest of the time there were walks, workshops, gardening, cooking, chopping wood, sauna...you get the picture. This is much more austere.

 

Sure ... but training for a marathon - however austere that training is - is still more like the things we normally do in everyday life and therefore seems more doable, in comparison to sitting still and noting your thoughts for hours on end.