I took this out of Sri Ramana Maharshi's book , WHO AM I?, that I found on this site, good book.
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12. Are there no other means for making the mind quiescent?
Other than inquiry, there are no adequate means. If through other means it is sought to control the mind, the mind will appear to be controlled, but will again go forth. Through the control of breath also, the mind will become quiescent; but it will be quiescent only so long as the breath remains controlled, and when the breath resumes the mind also will again start moving and will wander as impelled by residual impressions. The source is the same for both mind and breath. Thought, indeed, is the nature of the mind. The thought "I" is the first thought of the mind; and that is egoity. It is from that whence egoity originates that breath also originates. Therefore, when the mind becomes quiescent, the breath is controlled, and when the breath is controlled the mind becomes quiescent. But in deep sleep, although the mind becomes quiescent, the breath does not stop. This is because of the will of God, so that the body may be preserved and other people may not be under the impression that it is dead. In the state of waking and in samadhi, when the mind becomes quiescent the breath is controlled. Breath is the gross form of mind. Till the time of death, the mind keeps breath in the body; and when the body dies the mind takes the breath along with it. Therefore, the exercise of breath-control is only an aid for rendering the mind quiescent (manonigraha); it will not destroy the mind (manonasa).
Like the practice of breath-control. meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras, restriction on food, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind quiescent.
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Does anyone know of any specific methods of breath control? Sri Ramana Maharshi doesn't go into details. And does anyone know of any specifics about fasting and meditating. I'm asking because I want to find the most efficient method of making my mind quiescent. Has anyone had experience in fasting and meditating and breathing exersises that could share some information? Are there any smart drugs or psychedelics that could aid one in a meditation sesion? I don't know.

Also I do not completely understand how to make an inquiry of the mind, is sounds impossible for me. Maybe I just don't understad, acually I know I don't unerstand but, I do want to, more that anything. I dont know where to start, it all seems to big to begin with for me to even start can anybody help out with this one?

The study of the Self is and has been part of the evolution of man since man has been able to reason.
"Who am I?" The age old question. To the waking mind it is perceived by the collection of thoughts and impressions of the physical body and the extension of that body which is the world.
We each perceive the world according to our beliefs. Beliefs are inspired by the accumulation of experience and knowledge gained from the relative understandings of the collective belief system.(The world is flat, the world is round, lifes a b*tch and then you die, etc.etc.)
Who are you or Who am I? As the question is posed is to look into what is behind the physical reality and the Body. The Consciousness that directs us to get up each morning and desire to create the things we can conceive of. Where do these ideas come from what connects us all to look towards a future beyond judgment and struggle, hatred and fear.

True spirituality is the study and evolution of conscious awareness into union and alignment with that consciousness that moves all things in creation, inspires the thoughts in us to grow and evolve beyond our current state of affairs and levels of reality.
Slowing the breath can help to still the mind but any effort to control the body causes it to exert energy and that energy can distract the mind which is connected to the body.
Stilling the mind and expanding awareness can be effortless and completely natural, for the state of the mind is not naturally in the process of cycling thoughts and fears that keep it from stillness. This is something that is taught to us by our predecessors, our parents and society who were in turn taught by their predecessors.
Man has found either by chance or by studying the teachings of others who have mastered the stilling of the mind and the body, the stillness and the Consciousness that exists in each living thing.
If you have started by reading Ramana Maharshi or any other books it tells me that you have begun the search for what you inherently know in your heart exists beyond lesser beliefs in limitations in the world of fear and manipulation, greed and pride, self worth issues and attachment.

There is a saying, "When the Student is ready the Teacher will appear."
There are a number of methods for achieving expanded states of consciousness. By combining intellectual understanding with practical methods of discipline in thought and action the awareness can quickly expand.
Forcing the mind in any way is unnatural and that would include drugs of any kind.
I find that each creates just what they need, and draws towards them just what they desire to create according to their beliefs in reality. When the student is ready to receive from Consciousness then Consciousness answers. When the student is ready to receive from the intellectual collections of the world as it is in its limited structure and belief systems, it receives more of the collection of beliefs and limitations that are definitions of consciousness and conscious awareness.

Consciousness cannot be defined. No matter who tries to tell you what it is they cannot and will not ever be able to contain it in any definition and form. Science is continuing to evolve towards this reality as it tries to dissect the world from its current state of awareness. Without Consciousness as a permanent part of the equation then the limitless will always be defined within limits of intellectual understanding.

The pursuit of Truth is an individual Journey. Each will have their own experiences and unfortunately the Ego always tries to define the experiences by comparison to defined limitations and past experiences. To let go completely of limitations and the intellect of the ego takes time. It takes dedication and focus. To the heart that has the desire for only that, time is relatively short and conscious awareness dawns very quickly. To the mind that wants to understand but still mixes intellectual limits and attachments the process takes a bit longer.

I know that desire, always leads one to the next step that is perfect for each individual. When you hit what you desire to know it moves you to the next thing, if you are inclined to take it further. Evolution is an ongoing process and it doesn't end with the physical body.

Follow your heart and you will find that it, (Consciousness) will find you.

Look and you shall find it. Talk to those that have also found what they are looking for but never take their word for it, you must know for yourself if it is for you. For That, you will need to have faith and trust.

Thank you you've been very helpful. Maybe what I don't understand is meditation, what are supposed to do exactly? I know it's my ego getting in the way but my ego is all I have experienced. How do I understand something that I have not experienced? By going out and doing it right? Well how do I take that "first step into the water"? I think that's my problem. I've read books like Bagavad-Gita, Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching, etc. But my laziness and lack of experience has left me dry, doubting myself and whatnot. I doubt myself because the self that I see myself as is a fool and wont do anything I tell me to. I feel such a hypocrit at times and have close to no control over myself. So meditation is the only thing I see that could help me, from what i've read.

I was wondering about fasting because I heard that it is an effective way to learn self control. When I say self control I don't mean to ignore something and just forget about it. I mean learn to understand it so that it is no longer a burden on me.

I don't know if what I am saying makes sense or not. I feel like I have all this information and have forgotten it almost as soon as I was done reading it. Do you understand?

Hi Rock,

It may be a cliche and maybe hard for you to accept but you already have the answers you need Don't be afraid to experiment, stay open minded. Try things out, see if they work for you and if they don't, move on.

I did a search for you on techniques and found this, its a bit gay and new age hippie but maybe it will help you. The grounding as they call it is a good visualisation of the start of meditation.

kundalini meditation

First, I must apologize if I was supposed to introduce myself somewhere else before I posted.

Rock - There is no wrong or right way to meditate. Everyone has a different technique. Some people just close their eyes in a secluded room and see what may come, or some focus on a peaceful scene (e.g. waterfall). There is all kinds of meditaion techniques on the web and in books that may help you get started. However, don't get discouraged with yourself if you think things are not working out as planned. Stress and outside influences tend to hurt the mediataion process. So relax, and make sure you are in a room where no one can intefere. You can't plan how these things will work. It just happens along your path of discovery.

As far as fasting goes, I can only give you my point of view from my own experience (which wasn't for very long - a weekend fast). So, again, everything is learned from your own experience. Fasting didn't help me that much, but it might for you. However, if you do decide to try it, make sure you read up on all of it beforehand. There are some risks involved.

I'm sorry if it sounds like the same thing everybody else said. I hope this helped though.

ganjah smoker, that's a wonderful contribution to this thread on fasting and meditation!! You deserve a prize!!

What's your experience with Kundalini meditation, Laz and how does it differ from TM or more traditional methods?

Fasting for over 36 hours has never done much for me so I don't recommend it

I have had trouble meditating, mostly because my mind is constantly pestering me with activity... so taking a recommendation from a friend, I tried Bikram's yoga.

It's done in a room heated to over 100 degrees, lasts 1.5 hours, and is very intense. It's like a yoga workout, with no room for the mind to stray.... allowing myself time to concentrate inward, and work the body every which way at the same time... I leave every week practically feeling purged... and a natural high...
(and then the tight buns benefit ) So many ways to turn inward, which is what I think meditation should be about... Bikram's a super way, in my humble opinion...
good luck, Suzette

Hi ganji,

I don't have any experience of Kundalini meditation, i just searched in google for techniques to help Rock out. I really liked the detail of the grounding and the little animation that went with it.

As for my meditiation technique, I would say i have a home grown technique that is similar to the Kundalini grounding to begin with but also has some mantra added and some Intent. I don't think its important to say you use one or the other technique, just find something that works

I generally use meditation as a means of relaxing before sleeping but always try to throw an angle on it. At the moment i'm mad keen on trying to wake up in my dreams and realise that i'm dreaming!

I like the sound of Bikram's yoga Suzette, could I just use a local sauna for that or do I need a chaperone to watch over me?

Nuts, forgot to login!

I think if I were going to make a judgment on fasting, I'd have to try it for at least 30 days, to start to feel the real good spiritual effects that are supposed to come with it. 2 days probably didn't do much for you I'm guessing because it was only 2 day you know? Of corse you need to plan ahead for that type of thing. The point of fasting is to humble yourself, I think. And you need a lot of self control to fast for that first week because your body isn't used to that type of thing. After the first week your body gets out of the habbit of digesting and your will to eat deminnishes. I have heard that fasting is very good for you and cleanses your digestive system and blood stream, on the count a not having a constant flow of food coming in and out. If you think about it that makes pretty good sense. Back in the day when famons and starvation were of actual concern to to greater portion of the world, people probably discovered fasting. I just pulled that out of my a*s of corse but, who knows!? There are many things to look into health wise, I read a little book about if. If you want the full effects of fasting then you should get a book and read up or, check the web.

peace

Or if you want the effects quickly, and you don't want to flat out deprive your body of nutrients, I suggest increadibly strenuous exercise. I am cooped up in a van driving 13 hrs a day for about 6 months at a time, when I get home I don't eat anything after about 6pm and the next morning when I wake up I do not eat. Then I go for a 20 mile run and the shock on my body is so profound, that I actually induce a psychedelic trip (intense euphoria, altered perception of time, movement of inanimate objects, heightened colors namely reds and greens, weightlessness and a profound sense of universal order). I know most people have heard of a runners high, but this goes way beyond~ A big part of it for me is keeping a constant pace, about an 8:40 mile for me, the entire time, and drawn out breaths through the nose. My high typically lasts about 4-6 hours.