Message #32204

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I suppose one of the next motivation for meditation was the use of alternative substances that were affecting the times and people of the late 60’s and early 70’s. It seemed like most young people of that time were experimenting with one type of substance or another that changed consciousness in one way or another. When I saw this all happening I kept asking myself if there was a way to have altered states of consciousness without using some substance to do it. Ofcourse the answer was meditation. So many young people were also experimenting with various forms of meditation at the time as well. I being one of them. Reading various books and going to various meditation groups that were around the college campuses where I lived. It was a type of self exploration that didn’t appear to have all the side effects as for instance drugs.

I often read about watching your thoughts while attempting to meditate.Somewhat as an observer would watch people go thru a gate at a concert. Just watching each thought come and go without getting hung up on it and letting your mind take you on endless side tracks. The idea being that thought itself is a hindrance to just being.
 
A friend of mine said she was at a group meeting covering various subjects and for that meeting they were talking about meditation. It was in the early 70’s and transcendental meditation was a big thing to do then. She got out of it that an important part of it was to sit and be quiet so she went home and did that-her first experience with meditation.