[beatgammit]

I think people have overcomplicated meditation. At it's most basic, it's about clearing your mind and practicing keeping it clear over some interval. There are a lot of ways to do that, and lots of accessories, but they mostly have the same goal.

I really liked the way one Zen Buddhist put it: just sit. Don't think about something else, don't focus on passing thoughts, and don't push away passing thoughts, but you may observe them. The point of having a focal point (breath, a fixed point in front of you, an unfixed point) is mostly to give you something that's not distracting to focus on when you get distracted by a passing thought. That same master gave very specific guidelines on posture and whatnot, but at the same time he said to not worry about doing things wrong, they're just there to help you stay comfortable during a meditation session.

If you really want to give it a try, find a comfy position (not laying down, you might fall asleep), focus on something (feeling of your breath, an uninteresting point in front of you, etc), and try to avoid focusing on anything else, returning to the point you picked when you inevitably fail. It's surprisingly difficult, and you immediately get goals (sit for X minutes without distractions). If you like, pick up a book (I liked Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind), or better yet, go to a class, but that's really not necessary to just get started.

[kranner]

> At it's most basic, it's about clearing your mind and practicing keeping it clear over some interval.

If there is one thing I have seen meditation teachers agree on, it is that meditation is not about clearing your mind. Your description of a Zen sitting practice does accommodate passing thoughts, so perhaps you mean something other than a no-thought state by a 'clear mind'?

It is sometimes possible to reach a state in which no thoughts arise for a long time (e.g. second and subsequent Jhana states) but that is quite rare for most meditators.