Does anyone ever try continuous meditation for 3 days? Yes I did.
This kind of feeling is beyond descriptions for an urban dweller who are always busy with chaos and had not done meditation before.
It is beyond words and you just have to experience yourself if you are new to it.
You will know what I mean until you do it.
The process of keeping your mind empty for 3 days without unnecessary thoughts was a challenge to me and eventually the benefits I reaped from this encountered was priceless and unforgettable.
Although it had been for so many years after I joined a meditation camp in Phor Kark See Monastery, I am still anticipating them to run this activity again for I had gain tremendous benefits from it.
As I can remembered during the meditation camp, we had to woke up in the early 5am, finished our normal chanting ceremony as a Buddhist and had our vegetarian meal at 7am, which I think this place serves the best vegetarian meal.
Even though I am not a vegetarian, I somehow loves the taste.
After the meal, we will walk to the mediation hall mindfully without unnecessary thoughts, sights, speeches.
In fact, we had to be mindful of everything we do during this meditation camp.
We were not allowed to talk or make big movement unnecessary.
The time is set for meditation by keeping us mindful and letting our natural arising thoughts come and go.
Once, I did experience the immense joy during meditation.
I must tell you that this joy was beyond the joy that we experience in this physical world.
It is far more than that.
After the 3 days meditations, I feel that my mind was discipline enough by not attaching feelings to the outside environment.
My mind was peaceful and the outside world is full of distractions.
Unfortunately, after the 3 days camp, I was once again revert back to the normal human lifestyle.
Initially, I found the smell of nicely prepared fish meal stinky for the reason I had been vegetarian for 3 days and the taste buds changed.
From that moment, I realized that how stinky the fish meal was, with that strong intolerable fishy smell.
In addition, scientifically, medical researches had proven that taking higher percentage of meal with vegetables reaped much benefits to our health than a meal full of meat.
Meditation is a natural healing that I had experienced it to be positive to my health.
For me, meditation helps me eradicate unnecessary thoughts in this problematic world.
It brings me peace and distress from this mundane world.
It has to be practiced regularly just like the monk who do it daily in their practices to sharpen their mind free of desires and be mindful in every thoughts and actions.
If we can reach the stage of engaging things with our senses with no attach feelings like anger, jealously or envy, then our stages of meditation should have promoted to a higher level which free us from worries generated from our judgmental mind.
By freeing ourselves form worries, we free ourselves from sickness when our soul is at peace.
But now as a beginner, we just need the discipline to get us doing it frequently to enjoy the tranquility and joy that meditation has to offer.
Some benefits of meditation are: It lowers oxygen intake.
It reduces respiratory rate.
It generate better blood flow and reduces the heart rate.
Improves exercise tolerance in heart patients.
Gives a deeper level of relaxation.
Beneficial for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.
P.
to normal.
Lower anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
Reducing muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
Builds self-confidence.
Generates serotonin production which influences mood and behavior.
Low Serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
Beneficial in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.
Assist in post-operative healing.
Enhances the immune system.
Research shows that meditation increases activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
In addition reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.