Aware of my awareness, consciousness of my consciousness. The process is a self-referential loop — Art48

Is that one explanation of the aim of meditation? — Art48

Yes, the aim of meditation is to move from awareness of objects to awareness of awareness.
But I am wary of seeing it as a self-referential loop which leads to infinite loop.
Awareness of awareness are not two awareness looking at each other but only awareness knowing itself simply by being itself.

I think the aim of meditation is just the first bit:

I sit quietly — Art48

The rest is the usual busy-ness and recitation of thought trying to explain and give purpose where it has no place and does not help.Unfortunately with all that going on, there is no chance of any quiet sitting.

Unfortunately with all that going on, there is no chance of any quiet sitting. — unenlightened

This is the problem, isn't it? The noise is occurring within, and we don't even need the outside to have the infinite feedback referred to by Art. One could have infinite volume within.

My awareness expands into the room and I am back where I started. — Art48

That's why the feedback loop is not infinite, you allow that outside interference to break it up. Work harder! If you start to approach the infinite volume you'll figure out how to utilize the outside interference as a balance, to effectively shut off the internal noise.

I think the aim of meditation is just the first bit:

I sit quietly
— Art48

The rest is the usual busy-ness ... — unenlightened

:100: :fire:

Let's see what should i say about meditation...

In my opinion meditations involving complex directed thoughts and perceptions should not even be attempted until a degree of mastery has been achieved with emptiness meditation first. Contemplation is easier for most people than meditation but also helps with meditation too (empty and directed).

Contemplation is the yang to the yin of meditation.
Thoughts prey on meditation but nurture contemplation.

Attitude:
When you meditate do not meditate. If you are thinking that you are meditating then you are not meditating, but if you did not intend to meditate then you are not meditating. If you are thinking or expecting then you are not meditating. Thoughts should not be entertained merely observed, this is not thinking. If your meditation has purpose then you are not meditating. Control is not meditation. Observe without direction nor description. First empty then full. The less said the better. Silence is golden. :zip:

Quieting Methods:
Preferably at night, comfortable clothes or no clothes, dim lights (1 or 2 candle power), fresh windless air, room temperature or slightly cooler (not cold or hot), not thirsty, not hungry and not full, empty bladder and bowels. Eyes gently closed, and feel instead of visualize.

If you're having trouble with keeping the mind quiet from wordy thoughts then place your focus steady in the upper throat where your voice comes from and feel your breath from that spot. You may want to slightly compress that spot to feel the breath flow more firmly as you breath slowly feeling the gentle warmth of your breath there. Hear the subtle flow of the breath from your inner ear. This method helped me a lot to quiet my mind especially from linguistic thoughts.

At the same time for quieting other types of thoughts i track my breath with my awareness within the microcosmic orbit. Breathing in coming up the spine from the back side to the top of my head, breathing out down the front of the face down the front of the body back to the perineum, and repeat.

You should also pay close attention to your facial muscles especially around the eyes and forehead. Tension there tends to cause more noise in the mind. Make sure to relax the shoulders as well.

To move or sink deeper into meditation begin to feel the slight pressure of the floor or chair you are sitting on. Feel yourself sink deeper into the Earth with every exhale, feel yourself descending slowly with each breath. Descend as much as you are comfortably able to and stop. Now sit in balanced repose and witness the deep, and quiet darkness. Here is where we may begin to know the origin within ourselves.

Contemplation is the yang to the yin of meditation. — punos

This is an intriguing statement. Do you feel that (1) contemplation and/or (2) meditation cannot exist without the other aspect?

Do you feel that (1) contemplation and/or (2) meditation cannot exist without the other aspect? — Bret Bernhoft

Speaking strictly from the human perspective our ability to meditate and contemplate are really two extremes of the same spectrum; as it is with hot and cold, or dry and wet. One implies the other, but it is quite possible to use one to the exclusion of the other. I use them both, but i usually spend more time in contemplation than in meditation (lately). I find that meditation (empty meditation) centers my periods of contemplation, it primes my mind to be less bias and more objective. As a result when in contemplation my thoughts feel less restrained, and more from the origin.

I see it differently, I question this whole system, the meditation and gaining higher consciousness, this all seems like a software installed in an hardware, no matter how much a homo sapiens of contemporary intelligence would think but it would not be able to unlock what is locked, I said lock because, let me ask you a question "If Nothing then what" .. Imagine this, feel this deeply, and repeat this question and focus on it inside your mind, your mind will start bursting, especially your reptilian part of your brain, and that is where the actual journey starts, those who gets enlightenment are the ones who continued to focus on that infinite loop without losing focus, and those who are liberated gets salvation are those who broke that lock but as soon as a homo sapiens gains such higher consciousness it leaves his body, In India they call it "Samadhi" it is not death, or veedo, or psychogenic shock, it is considered as merger of one own consciousness with higher consciousness (You can call it GOD) and if I can explain it in other words, it's unlocking the lock of prior to Big Bang or what started the big bang, it is almost like leaving material behind and getting inside the concious state (but without memory) that means, the (I) would cease to exist as what I was is the brain's mind, which was nothing but the accumulation of food from earth (the body) and mind was the impression of society and what brain has learnt, but the consciousness was the reflection of that intelligence, which is now gone, while shutting off the intelligence which was creating that consciousness.

Contemplation is the yang to the yin of meditation. Thoughts prey on meditation but nurture contemplation. — punos

:fire:

I distill my experience of these 'practices' like this:

meditation – attention without object (re: stillness). The aim: relaxation, peace of mind.

contemplation – object without intention (re: unboundedness). The aim: reflection, understanding.

Elsewhere I've discussed and referred to them as ecstatic techniques.