I am starting this thread to respond to some of the questions that Loong posted in the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying thread about meditation, as I think many people have the same questions. Here is some of what he wrote when I asked if he also did sitting meditation practice in addition to his mindfulness practice. I think his experience is very common:

"...you asked if I did sitting Meditation.Bluntly .no.

I Have tried many times,sitting on a chair because I have no knees,to say of. I cannot grasp the necessity of such an exercise.Hear me now,All the great masters do sitting meditation.

If someone could clearly explain ,the necessity,the advantages,
the wellness obtained I am ready to listen .

For 3 months ,I did sitting meditation every day for 10 minutes
and could,nt wait for the 10 or15 minutes to finish.

Cannot be more honest than that.I often have breakfast with a guy ,kind of a Sagnace on the Jesus side.He meditates every day.
He writes one page a day.He is leaving for 2 months in India ,soon.Do you know what he does for a living?He's a dope importor and dealer.

I know a few who meditate,never see them with half a smile on their face.I had a friend that meditated 3 times a day 30 minutes at the time.He has been meditating for ,oh close to 20 years now,always in a bad mood.

I am in no way defending myself ,but the exemples I have in a close area ,is nothing to push a man to meditate.

I knew this subject would come up some day ,and when I started reading TNH,with his active meditation,It showed me that I was not that far of..."

- Loong

First of all, I will say that absolutely I agree sitting meditation is nothing on its own. I also know many people who meditate and are basically jerks - they don't seem to get any kinder or happier. Just sitting down to do it guarantees nothing. Some people just sit down and think about themselves, and then develop a sense of self-righteousness about it, so that doesn't help.

There are also so many different things that go under the name 'meditation' now that I am almost reluctant to use that word. I myself teach several different forms of meditation, and some are more oriented around energy healing, and do not on their own lead someone to greater self-awareness of awakening, although they do aid healing. Many of the mindfulness techniques that you mention in relation to your own healing would be called 'meditation' by others.

All that being said, I think there is great value to a sitting meditation practice, even for a short period each day. It is like putting a fence around a baby tree - it protects it and helps it develop strong roots for when you take the fence away. A sitting meditation is just like that. It is just mindfulness practice sitting still:-) You notice your breath. You notice your thoughts. You notice your sensations. You notice your emotions - even your impatience and restlessness. You just notice and let go.

You are already doing this in daily life as mindfulness all the time. So the time sitting is just some practice 'with a fence around you'. The value of this is that what you notice will more likely be internal. This enables you to see the structures of your mind itself - the way perception works within you. And as you begin to let go of that, you delve ever deeper into the nature of reality and your mind.

You are already doing this. You mention experiencing bliss - bliss is a byproduct of whenver we let go on another level. It is not a goal in itself, but is a stepping stone sometimes (and what a nice one:-)

You asked for books - there are many books and articles I could send you too, but I am reluctant to give you much more to read, as you already have plenty of 'food' for your mind! You already have a lot of knowledge, I think just opening to practicing again will bring about new insights for you.

But here are a few articles of mine from the past that you can look at if you like:

Starting a Meditation Practice - this is very basic, but may offer a good starting point for anyone reading this and trying meditation for the first time.

Thinking vs. Sinking Mind - a way of working with some common hurdles

And since you have been reading about Dzogchen, here is an article on that:
Dozgchen

Dzogchen is sometimes thought of as 'Tibetan Zen'. Do not get caught up in the academic arguments for or against. It doesn't matter in terms of meditation.

Dear Lisa,
I Made a little book from downloading on wiki om Dzogchen
20 pages ,but 3 or 5 are the reference section.If I want to be able to understand the book ,I have to prepare.

You sound very enthousiastic about Dozgchen,so I am eager to start reading the data I gathered.
As for meditation ,have not had time yet to read them.Will do after this post and call it a nite.

Thank you for your time and knowledge

loong

Dear lisa and all,
From the book Tibetan of liv........,
The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you
Can give yourself in this life.For it is only through meditation that you can undertake the journey to discover your true nature,and so find the stability and confidence
you will need to live,and die, Well.Meditation is the road to Enlightenment.

Sogyal Rinpoche

Loong the messenger.

To Lisa,
From SRinpoche

To meditate is to make a complete break with how we :normally:operate,for it is a state free of all cares and conc erns,in which there is no competition ,no desire to possess or grasp at anything,no intense and anxious struggle,and no hunger to
Achieve:an ambitious state where there is neither acceptance nor rejection, neither
hope nor fear,a state in which we slowly begin to release all those emotions and
concepts that have imprisond us into the space of natural simplicit

Loong the messenger

lovely passage

I love meditating - it is a natural part of my martial arts. It also creates balance for me. Thanks for sharing.

Dear Teacher,
While reading The Tibetan BOOKOF...........there is a paragraph in the meditation,mindfulness section,that enlightenment can be attained without meditation,in the sense of stopping everything .As I have said before ,my meditation,is done in a non
Habitual way.
In another subject,this morning while reading the journal de M ontreal,
There was an article by the new pope.NOT knowing it was said by a christian pope,
One would have thought a buddhist was saying those words.
Your student
Loong

Yes, this new Pope says some beautiful things. And his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi has written some of my favorite spiritual Christian writings.

As for enlightenment without meditation, yes I absolutely believe this is true. Awakening can come in any moment. I believe in the power of a sitting meditation, especially in this day and age where we are all so over-stimulated and busy. But everyone's path is different. Trust your intuition for yourself.