Occult, Qabalah, Golden Dawn disillusionment

[Aion]

That's an interesting analogy. I hadn't thought about it in quite that way.

When I meditate, in the first five minutes or so, nothing is being accomplished. The only thing that is being accomplished is that I'm going more inwards. But as to answer your question more directly, I don't have a particular focus when I begin my meditation. I just let the thoughts flow in and out. I don't focus on any one thought or try to eliminate any thoughts. That's exactly what shikantaza is. I don't focus on my breath or anything. I just let the thoughts come in and out. I don't feel any sense of bliss in these first five minutes or so. Like I said, it's just a proxy to allow my mind to go deeper. For me this is much more effective than focusing on your breath. I can't speak for anybody else, but this technique is absolute magic for me. Maybe it's just the way my brain is wired.

Why do you ask?

I think you do have a focus, it's just abstract. I more mean before you actually start meditating, or do you just sit down anywhere and do it? Are there any regular times you prefer to do it?

I sometimes have a focus before I meditate. I'll just try to center myself and remind myself not to cling to my thoughts or whatever I learned in the previous "session." I meditate while lying down on my bed in my room. My back starts to hurt too much if I'm in a sitting posture, and I just can't get comfortable in general enough to not be distracted. I do have a regular time. I have a regular time because it helps me be consistent with my meditation. I meditate for an hour beginning at 9:00 pm, roughly. The reason I do it so late is because I feel that no one's going to bother me at that time. But I do have to be disciplined as far as that time goes. I take a medicine that makes me sleepy at around that time. So if I take the medicine at around 8:00 pm, that makes me sleepy during my meditation. So I try to take my medicine at around 8:30 or later. And when I drink my medicine I only take two sips of liquid at the most and leave the rest for after I meditate, or else I want to use the bathroom while I meditate.

I find it interesting and strange that you're asking me this. This is something that I've wanted to share, but I haven't had a chance to tell anyone.

So this is my point - that is your ritual. I think that ritual is actually more like a western term for meditation rather than being something different. Meditation as a concept is derived largely from yoga as well as Buddhism and other such Eastern practices. The equivalent in the west is rituals, 'workings', 'exercises'. In this case the ritual is signified by consistency. There are 'chaotic' rituals but I don't personally believe they are the most efficient.

There are lots of different types of rituals just as there different kinds of meditations. For example, your meditation ritual at 9pm is a daily ritual which, as it appears to me, is your form of 'spiritual hygiene', the way in which you collect yourself back in to your center. This is good to do regularly for anyone because it releases excesses in the mind, body and spirit. So with that in mind you can see why shikantaza is an effective practice for you.

Now, that being said, like the bicycle or space station, the technique will be limited in its mode of transformation of your consciousness, just as it will be able to do thing others techniques won't.