Am I supposed to listen to music while doing buddhist mediation?

Question

Am I supposed to listen to music while doing buddhist mediation? Theree sure are a lot of "meditation music" mp3s and such, but what does the buddhist dharma say about that?

Answer 1

I listen to floyd during my masturbation

Answer 2

I think it's a matter of personal preference. I was taught that it's OK to listen to a CD that's a teaching or music used in preparation to meditation but, during the actual meditation period I use nothing since I would find that distracting. But again it's probably more a matter of personal preference. I am aware of nothing that states, "this is the only way to meditate". The concept of Buddhism is that there is not "one size fits all" (that would seem rather contrary to Buddhist teachings as I understand).

Sogyal Rinpoche advises: "There are many ways of making the approach to meditation as joyful as possible. You can find the music that most exalts you and use it to open your heart and mind. You can collect pieces of poetry, or quotations or lines of teachings that over the years have moved you, and keep them always at hand to elevate your spirit. I have always loved Tibetan thangka paintings and derive strength from their beauty. You too can find reproductions of paintings that arouse a sense of sacredness, and hang them on the walls of your room. Listen to a cassette tape of a teaching by a great master, or a sacred chant. You can make of the place where you meditate a simple paradise, with one flower, one stick of incense, one candle, one photograph of an enlightened master, or one statue of a deity or a buddha. You can transform the most ordinary of rooms into an intimate sacred space, an environment where every day you go to meet with your true self with all the joy and happy ceremony of one old friend greeting another." Hope this helps.

May all be at peace.

John

Answer 3

It's up for you to decide. Buddhism doesn't hold you down and force you to do anything.

If it helps, how can it be bad?

Answer 4

no but prayers work....meditation doesnt