Sex on the Brain: meditation misconceptions

I could meditate. But with Netflix sex and violence on my mind, it's hard to sit still.

Oh no, my wood... -en boat! Now how will I get back to safety? It was only a three hour tour.

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Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) is dead.

When I sit in meditation, I sometimes (okay, often) think of sex. It seems like I've got "sex on the brain").

The solution? Realizing that it's not necessary to stop thinking.

What works better is letting the thoughts be there -- arising and passing away all on their own -- without paying them undue attention, without solidifying them by resisting or craving, without being bothered by their presence or thinking that it's anything unusual for the mind to go on minding.

I never had a chance with either.

The mind is like a male chicken.

It is because if we treat it poorly, that choice will become very obvious when we next try to get it to calm down, like when we sit to be quiet (internally) in meditation.

Though if it gets real bad, the Buddha offered many antidotes like reflecting on the foul.

Six other misconceptions

What's a good meditator? One who meditates.

Meditation has been hailed as a way to boost mental health, ease chronic pain, reduce stress, and build a new appreciation for the world around us.

With all this sudden interest, misconceptions about what this ancient practice is are still circulating.

1. There's only one type of meditation. Only some meditations involve sitting quietly with legs crossed in lotus position. Mindful walking, qi gong (\chi gung\) and tai chi (\tie chee\), for example, focus on meditative movement.

Mary Ann was way better than Ginger! (G.I.)

This combines a relaxed and alert state of mind with slow movements and gentle breathing. Others, like Tibetan Buddhist meditation involve complex visualizations and/or mantras.

There is also “thinking meditation” (called contemplation) where one reflects on topics such as impermanence, while staying relaxed, focused, and reflective.

Many types of meditation also encourage bringing it into ordinary daily activities – such as mindful dish washing involving paying mindful attention to the sensations of the water and hand movements.

• [NOTE: These are subsequent practices for one who can stay focused in sitting meditation. Sadly, many attempt to fool themselves by replacing just paying common attention during ordinary activities. So they are neither meditating nor even attending well to daily activities. It is very easy to mislead ourselves that we are "meditating" without having any idea of what we are missing by jumping ahead.]

Similarly, there is eating meditation, another form of remaining mindful while engaged in every deliberate activity, where one expresses attention, dispassion, nonclinging, and gratitude for food and all who made it possible. More