Buddhist Meditation Techniques

Water Meditation

2008-11-18T03:41:00.000-08:00

(Buddhist value: Water symbolises purity, clarity and calmness, and reminds us to cleanse our minds and attain the state of purity) Imagine that you are now pure clean water. Someone comes along and gently put you into a small bowl. The person then offers you to the Buddha. You rest happily in the bowl knowing that you have an important role to play. You symbolise purity, clarity and calmness. You remind people to practise the Buddha’s teachings, which is constantly
cleansing their minds. Water is used to clean away dirt. When everyone sees you, they are happy and joyful. This is because they are reminded that they can wash away the filth of their minds. They should wash away selfish and unkind thoughts and be clean and pure like you. The Buddha is someone free from dirty defilements like desire, ill-will and ignorance. We should all be like the Buddha, who does not have any dirt of defilements but only purity in his mind.

From - Guided Meditation for Primary Students

Guided Meditation For Primary students

2008-11-14T02:07:00.000-08:00

Guided Meditation For Primary students Why guided meditation in the classroom? Using these meditations with children is not the same as reading stories to them. Reading is passive. Children do understand and become involved in what you are reading, but in guided meditation, they become actively involved. Reading a story and reading a meditation are different functions. Reading stories to children is a must because it helps the child to learn and spell, but meditation enables the mind to become free, to explore. Each meditation has its own distinctive theme and gives children the opportunity to experience it. They feel the love of the Buddha; radiate lovingkindness; climb mountains; collect seashells; become a bird; feel the touch of the wind on their face; and go to the moon. There are so many things they can do, and all these things must bring their imagination to the fore. Most importantly, they learn to appreciate the Dhamma more. In other words, they participate in the meditation and learn to be in touch with the source of love, strength and wisdom inside themselves.
From - Guided Meditation for Primary Students

If samadhi is decreasing, check your mind

2008-11-10T03:16:00.000-08:00

If samadhi is decreasing, check your mind, what attitude are you practising with?Just accept that your sati-samadhi is not very good at the moment. Just accept it.You don’t have to have great sati / samadhi to be aware of what is happening now.How do you feel about your awareness not being so good? Check that too. Keep looking how the mind is feeling always. e mind is always reacting to everything.When the mind is travelling around the world that is an indication that interest in the present moment is not enough. Put more effort into staying with the present moment.Are you properly aware? Is the mind interested into what’s happening in the moment?When you are experiencing something new the mind starts thinking. at is natural, nothing to worry about. But when you are aware that the mind is thinking you must take care of it.Realise that there is not anything we can do about our emotions. ey just come and go and feel in certain ways. at’s the way it is. No need to worry just be aware.Sometimes you find yourself with a wrong attitude, and you have to sit and meditate knowing that the attitude is wrong.Just turn this attitude into you meditation object.Embraced it fully with your attention-awareness and watch it closely.at can be a very interesting experience.Be aware of greed, laziness, expecting — whatever might be there.How much greed hides in habits? It is because of greed that habits develop.Automatic reaction is always unwholesome, because it comes from habits formed by greed.(If you practise the way we practice here), it doesn’t matter
how long you have been practising for. If you are feeling very tired you are not practising the right way.Watching the mind means: knowing what is happening in the mind (emotions, thought process, story making, intentions). Without getting carried away by it.
From - Contemplation of the Mind

SAMADHI - Part 2

2008-11-04T01:33:00.000-08:00

Power grows faster than desire. The boy who wants money to buy lead soldiers sets to work to obtain it, and by the time he has got it wants something else instead -- in all probability something just beyond his means. Such is the splendid history of all spiritual advance! One never stops to take the reward. We shall therefore not trouble at all about what any Samadhi may or may not bring as far as its results in our lives are concerned. We began this book, it will be remembered, with considerations of death. Death has now lost all meaning. The idea of death depends on those of the ego, and of time; these ideas have been destroyed; and so "Death is swallowed up in victory." We shall now only be interested in what Samadhi is in itself, and in the conditions which cause it. Let us try a final definition. Dhyana(Meditation) resembles Samadhi in many respects. There is a union of the ego and the non-ego, and a loss of the senses of time and space and causality. Duality in any form is abolished. The idea of time involves that of two consecutive things, that of space two non-coincident things, that of causality two connected things. These Dhyanic conditions contradict those of normal thought; but in Samadhi they are very much more marked than in Dhyana(Meditation). And while in the latter it seems like a simple union of two things, in the former it appears as if all things rushed together and united. One might say that in Dhyana there was still this quality latent, that the One existing was opposed to the Many non-existing; in Samadhi the Many and the One are united in a union of Existence with non-Existence. This definition is not made from reflection, but from memory. Further, it is easy to master the "trick" or "knack" of Dhyana. After a while one can get into that state without preliminary practice; and, looking at it from this point, one seems able to reconcile the two meanings of the word which we debated in the last section. From below Dhyana seems like a trance, an experience so tremendous that one cannot think of anything bigger, while from above it seems merely a state of mind as natural as any other. Frater P., before he had Samadhi, wrote of Dhyana: "Perhaps as a result of the intense control a nervous storm breaks: this we call Dhyana. Samadhi is but an expansion of this, so far as I can see." Five years later he would not take this view. He would say perhaps that Dhyana was "a flowing of the mind in one unbroken current from the ego to the non-ego without consciousness of either, accompanied by a crescent wonder and bliss." He can understand how that is the {39} natural result of Dhyana, but he cannot call Dhyana in the same way the precursor of Samadhi. Perhaps he does not really know the conditions which induce Samadhi. He can produce Dhyana at will in the course of a few minutes' work; and it often happens with apparent spontaneity: with Samadhi this is unfortunately not the case. He probably can get it at will, but could not say exactly how, or tell how long it might take him; and he could not be "sure" of getting it at all. One feels "sure" that one can walk a mile along a level road. One knows the conditions, and it would have to be a very extraordinary set of circumstances that would stop one. But thought it would be equally fair to say: "I have climbed the Matterhorn and I know I can climb it again," yet there are all sorts of more or less probable circumstances any one of which would prevent success. Now we do know this, that if thought is kept single and steady, Dhyana results. We do not know whether an intensification of this is sufficient to cause Samadhi, or whether some other circumstances are required. One is science, the other empiricism.

Motivating Mind - part 1

2008-11-04T01:10:00.000-08:00

Motivating mind is that mind-idea that arises as you are practising and makes you feel that you must attend immediately to some kind of job, before it’s too late, or because this is the best time, or before you forget and so on.is is one of the most devastating weapons in the destructive mind’s arsenal. Very effective in dragging you right away from the practice. Can you feel its powerful force?You must be aware and take care of it as soon as you encounter it. Watch it until it disappears. Even when it seems to have gone at the back of the mind it is still there and it will come to the front again. You want it to go for good. (Back and front of the mind are just concepts).e easier and simpler you lifestyle is, the easier it is to keep your mindfulness. Mindfulness keeps your life simple and easy, you make less mistakes, in life and you suffer less.Meditating is knowing what is going on, being mindful. Not about trying to stop what is going on, or trying to have an experience that is not there.e most basic and important factor in meditation is to be in the present moment and have no thoughts or words about what you are knowing; this is paramattha.Whatever happens in the moment is your object.e mind cannot remain without an object to attend to, when it’s not knowing anything, it tends to think and that tires the mind.

Cittanupassana

2008-11-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Cittanupassana I am not going to write pages about it but only briefly define it, as you are expected to be familiar with the subject. If you are not, it’ll benefit you to do some of your own investigating before going any further.Cittanupassana is the ‘Contemplation of the Consciousness’ as mentioned in the Mahasatipatthana Sutta, or as most people understand it simply, ‘the watching of the mind.’In the Mahasatipatthana sutta e Buddha teaches the Four Foundations of Mindfulness:Contemplation of the body (Kayanupassana),Contemplation of Feelings (Vedananupassana),Contemplation of Consciousness (Cittanupassana) andContemplation of Mental Objects (Dhammanupassana).But what is Contemplation of the Consciousness in practical terms? How is one to approach and work with the mind in a way that leads to ‘Liberation through Wisdom?’is is the question this book will try to address to the fullest.‘If you know your mind then you can use the mind to look at your body and your feelings. e body you know with your mind, the feelings you know with your mind.It is basic to this form of meditation that you must know mind and body, but the mind is more important. at’s why it’s emphasized here.’

SAMADHI - Part 1

2008-10-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

MORE rubbish has been written about Samadhi than enough; we must endeavour to avoid adding to the heap. Even Patanjali, who is extraordinarily clear and practical in most things, begins to rave when he talks of it. Even if what he said were true he should not have mentioned it; because it does not sound true, and we should make no statement that is "a priori" improbable without being prepared to back it up with the fullest proofs. But it is more than likely that his commentators have misunderstood him. The most reasonable statement, of any acknowledged authority, is that of Vajna Valkya, who says: "By Pranayama impurities of the body are thrown out; by Dharana the impurities of the mind; by Pratyahara the impurities of attachment; and by Samadhi is taken off everything that hides the lordship of the soul." There is a modest statement in good literary form. If we can only do as well as that! In the first place, what is the meaning of the term? Etymologically, "Sam" is the Greek {in Greek alphabet: sigma-upsilon-nu--} the English prefix "syn-" meaning "together with." "Adhi" means "Lord," and a reasonable translation of the whole word would be "Union with God," the exact term used by Christian mystics to describe their attainment. Now there is great confusion, because the Buddhists use the word Samadhi to mean something entirely different, the mere faculty of attention. Thus, with them, to think of a cat is to "make Samadhi" on that cat. They use the word Jhana to describe mystic states. This is excessively misleading, for as we saw in the last section, Dhyana(Meditation) is a preliminary of Samadhi, and of course Jhana is merely the wretched plebeian Pali corruption of it. There are many kinds of Samadhi.<> "Some authors consider Atmadarshana, the Universe as a single phenomenon without conditions, to be the first real Samadhi." If we accept this, we must relegate many less exalted states to the class of Dhyana. Patanjali enumerates a number of these states: to perform these on different things gives different magical powers; or so he says. These need not be
debated here. Any one who wants magic powers can get them in dozens of different ways.
from - THE WAY OF ATTAINMENT OF GENIUS

Physical diagnosis using T'ai chi and Qigong

2008-10-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

Qigong is said to be able to bring a person’s physical and mental situation into a state of balance, so we are able to use this to diagnose.
Observe the person in a Qigong position. If the palms are in the same place as they started after about five minutes, and every other part of the body is in the correct position, then just performing T'ai chi and Qigong will be enough to bring that person back to good health provided the diet is healthy. However if the palms move independently, or the shoulders or arms, etc., then
there is something wrong.
For instance, if the left palm drops to a lower position and the patient is unaware of this, there may be a yang deficiency somewhere in the left-hand side of the body. If the left palm rises then there may be a yin deficiency. The deficiency could be in any of the organs on that side of the body. Sometimes if the ailment is not too far advanced, simply righting the palms, shoulders, elbows, etc. will cure the disease over a period of time, but if not then we must use the T'ai chi form to diagnose which organ the deficiency or abundance is in.
Remember that every posture from the T'ai chi form relates to a certain organ in the body, so we are able to use this for diagnosis. Using the above case, if a person’s left palm keeps dropping during Qigong we know this indicates a yang deficiency somewhere on the left-hand side. We then look at all the postures which deal with the organs of the left hand side such as ‘
Grasping Bird’s Tail’ or ‘Fair Lady Works at Shuttles’ etc. If the patient finds great difficulty in performing any one of these postures, and bearing in mind that most people find T'ai chi difficult at first, then the problem may lie in the organ that is related to that posture. If the extremely difficult posture is ‘Grasping Bird’s Tail’ then this indicates a colon problem; if the posture is ‘
Fair Lady at Shuttles; a heart problem. Book Power T’ai Chi Ch'uan, No.1 covers most of the postures and their related organs.
Once the condition has been diagnosed we can then use the appropriate posture from the T'ai chi form as a Qigong stance to cure that organ.
It must be remembered that a patient in an advanced stage of illness cannot usually be cured with these methods, because it takes some time for the treatment to work. Firstly the patient must be well enough to perform Qigong and then the T'ai chi form, so in these cases the patient should be sent to a very good acupuncturist or to a western doctor who may have to use the only means left — the knife. It is our job as therapeutic movement practitioners to stop the patient from getting ill in the first place.
The natural therapist looks at the person as a whole —diet, lifestyle, sexual habits, and in fact everything that the patient does from day to day. We must look at why the condition has come about and then work out ways to break the cycle so that the disease does not recur. It is not enough to put a Band-Aid on a bleeding finger — we must stop the patient continuing to cut the
finger.
From - Buddhist Meditation - Contemplation of the Mind

An Overview to Hindrances on The Spiritual Path

2008-10-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

There are pleasant and unpleasant hindrances. For example, pleasant visual hindrances such as the Buddha or the Sangha, Temples, Teachers etc. They promote faith. But too much faith brings blind devotion unless it is balanced with wisdom.

If there was wisdom in the first place one would have ignored the encouraging images.

Pleasant Bodily Sensations: Just look at them until they disappear. Piti gives rise to joy; calm (passadhi) gives rise to comfort, to no pain, mental clarity inner happiness etc. (caused by samadhi).

Note, observe, and do not get attached.

Unpleasant Hindrances: sleepiness-restlessness-boredom-doubt-remorse (caused by lack of samadhi).

Sleepiness: With good sati look at it directly without getting involved. If sati is weak look at the properties of sleepiness: dark, heavy, foggy and so on.

By continuously applying your self you will be able to overcome it. Sleepiness is only a mental state.

Restlessness: Return to rising and falling until your mind gets calm enough to overcome it. Check for tension in your body and mind. Tension is the mother of restlessness.

Balancing the Mind: Restlestness and worry: Look straight into the thinking mind. That will cause it to disappear. Then turn your attention to the ‘rising and falling’ for three or four times and look right into the mind again checking for thinking/restlessness. If there is restlessness turn your attention again to the ‘rising and falling’ for a few breaths and look again into the mind checking for thinking. Work like this again and again balancing the mind until thinking mind is totally overcome.

Boredom: Seeing repetition and getting bored. Remind your self that what you are seeing is always new.

Every breath, every thought, every image, every step or movement, you experience is brand new.

Mark the ending of experience carefully.

Doubt: Before anything else see the teacher because different methods apply. Look into this doubt mind, no reason to get alarmed, it’s a very natural thing, but if questions arise while you are practising don’t try to answer them. Leave them for later.

Remorse: Again, see the teacher before anything else, because different methods apply. Don’t let it affect you, or the present moment.

Doubt and Remorse will arise when the practice is good. Look directly into the mind that’s causing it.

Sensual Desire: Ask sensual desire: Why do you arise? Who are you?

Human life is the perfect environment for fighting and extinguishing defilement. Forget suppression, samatha practice and locking up yourself in a volt!

From - Buddhist Meditation - Contemplation of the Mind

Meditation - Principles of Zen Meditation

2008-09-15T03:58:00.000-07:00

What exactly is Zen meditation?

Zen meditation is not very different from any other form of meditation. However, some views describe the Zen form of meditation as a spiritual practice in the path to achieving self-awareness.

Its association with Buddhism is not by mere chance; Zen Buddhists are known as Meditation Buddhists. Zazen, the heart of the Zen meditation technique is defined as the study of one’s self. Buddhists believe that to study the Buddha Way means to study the self first

A Japanese Buddhist founded the San Francisco Zen Center. He was responsible for bringing and spreading the practice of Zen meditation in the Western countries. His constant practice has influenced others, especially the youth to follow him. This Japanese Buddhist shared his knowledge and beliefs with his followers and guided them on how they could improve their lives. Even though this Japanese Buddhist was from the Soto school of Zen Buddhism in Japan he taught his followers the Zen meditation technique without laying too much emphasis on Buddhism as a religion. This probably helped in spreading Zen meditation in the west as it did not require one to necessarily follow a religion or subscribe to its teachings.

The Soto Zen meditation teachings declare that all of us are Buddha’s. Buddha means “an awakened one” and true human nature is synonymous to the Buddha nature. It further states that a Buddha is someone who sees things as they really are as opposed to what he or she wants to see. Thus Zen meditation was meant to be a process that would facilitate the awakening of the true nature of our being; a nature that is without the common frills and fancies that disfigure the human nature

Most people have turned to Zen meditation or other techniques of meditation to change their lives. Some want peace and happiness while others desperately want to seek out the answers to some of the questions that relate to the supernatural and spiritual world.

While the reasons to learn and practice meditation differs from person to person and the tendency to lean more towards personal gratification as the ultimate gift is in the human nature, Zen meditation in actuality is a self-expression of our true nature and should be practiced in that respect alone.

Zen meditation is a way of accepting and understanding that while life is full of disappointments and constant struggles, happiness and comfort are still there if we are willing to look for them.

For those of us who take this statement literally, entering a monastery would be the best way to find joy although Zen meditation does not require one to do so.

Zen meditation claims that if done with a strong conviction and unwavering commitment it will help people overcome their addiction to vices and help them recover, and improve the quality of their lives. It is only a matter of how bad you want that change in your life.

By Radhakrishnan K Gurudas

A Brief History Of Buddhist Meditation

2008-08-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Meditation has become a contemporary, trendy topic in today's society. Most people have a definite view on meditation. For Buddhists, meditation is a system of delving into the true spiritual meaning on life a way of keeping oneself pure in mind and spirit. According to their teachings and beliefs, meditation is a way of achieving the status of enlightenment and nirvana.

At the core of Buddhist practice is meditation. Buddhist meditation is a system where the practitioner subjects themselves to mental concentration for liberating the mind while associating importance to the virtue of knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment. The final goal of Buddhist meditation is to achieve the highest level of nirvana or total enlightenment. The main objective of Buddhist meditation is to realize for oneself life’s supreme mission. The Buddhist philosophy focuses on sacrifice. While in a few aspects sacrifice is believed to be accepted aspect of life, Buddhists encourage people to free themselves from it, and it is here that meditation takes its crucial role. Hence when people undertake to practice Buddhist meditation they do so to liberate themselves from all pain and suffering.

The first step towards understanding sacrifice is to discover how the concept of one's sacrifice is generated. In the tenets of Buddhism it is said that sacrafice or as a parallel of the word, 'suffering' is caused due to mankind’s desire overreaching expectation everything material. To free yourself from materilistic things you should prevent yourself from desiring these objects and use meditation as a method to purification and focus.

When we meditate, we can find a new perspective on life and everything that's going on around us. Accordingly, day by day you find yourself becoming enlightened to the world around you as it truly is.

Samatha or tranquility meditation calls forth breathing and development of loving kindness. It bestows the knowledge of how to lead your life through the four jhanas or knowledge, corresponding to four levels of tranquility. This form of meditation teaches the lessons of detachment, concentration, happiness and equanimity. It focuses the mind to concentrate on a single thing so as to produce tranquil states of mind. Samatha meditation can be categorized into forty types.

Practicing spirituality allows us to discover routes to show us how to see through the relative to the absolute. Vipassana; insight meditation develops understanding of the self through deciphering feelings, mind and dhamma, that is the reaching of mental objects. This is a kind of meditation practice that gives us a better opportunity to understand the nature of what is known as "relative reality". Relative reality trains one's mind to explore and understand the value of all things that we perceive through all six senses of the human being. When we practice insight meditation we get in touch with our wiser self to eliminate all ignorance and suffering from our lives. It's considered by all as one of the finest and most pure ways to enhance ones capacity to live to the fullest each and every day.

This is a powerful method to release stress and enable you to discover inner peace to elevate the life you live to a whole new level. Nowadays, Buddhist meditation is widely acknowledged as a way of achieving a number of goals like blissfulness of the spirit and relaxation of the physical self.

Meditation isn't solely for the people of Thailand, Cambodia, or Tibet. We can all use the main principles to enrich our daily lives and discover a whole new perspective and source of spiritual energy. Whether you wish to join a meditaton class once a week, or simply setup your own quiet, tranquil space in your home, you will soon find the benefits of meditating coming into play in your daily life.

To find out more about different aspects of meditation, as well as how you can setup your own relaxing, refocusing space in your home, visit our free info page on how to meditate.

By: Jake Jarden

Buddhist Meditation Offers the Ultimate in Tranquility

2008-08-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Meditation has been around for many years and is practiced by many people and many religions, with Buddhism being the major religion for meditation. Buddhist meditation is an essential part of their lives as a goal towards the realization of Nibbana. Nibbana is considered as the ultimate goal in Buddhism. It's not a physical thing that one can see or feel. To reach the realization of Nibbana, one has reached the end of craving and suffering. Nibbana is considered the ultimate bliss and total liberation for all suffering-a total rebirth of the mind and soul.

Living the good life and being the best person they can be in not enough. Although being a good person and doing good things will make the person happy and fulfilled, it will not bring the total enlightenment they require. It is only through Buddhist meditation that they can reach the realization of Nibbana, which is the goal of every Buddhist. The Buddhist learns in explicit details the techniques of Buddhist meditation through the Buddhist scriptures. Although it's important to understand the concept of meditation, it's more vital that the individual learn the actual practice. Two different methods of Buddhist meditation are used in the religion. These two methods are 'samatha' and 'vipassana'.

Samatha means calm or tranquility, which is what the individual is striving to achieve. The beginning stages of samatha have to do with concentration of the mind as one-pointedness. Many different subjects that can be used such as water, light from a candle among many others. A very popular and widely used technique is anapanasati, which is mindfulness of breathing. The body and mind both gain their calmness from concentrating on the breath. Samatha is more than just concentration; however, they need to get rid of the five vices of anxiety, sensual desire, ill will, sloth and doubt. When this goal is reached through this form of Buddhist meditation, great happiness is gained but they still cannot reach Nibbana. This is where vipassana is necessary.

Vipassana is an entirely different approach of Buddhist meditation than samatha. This method rather than concentrating on other things is based on seeing things as they are without any aversions or attractions. Each thing that we do we need to acknowledge. If you are dusting the wall, you need to take note in your mind that you are dusting the wall. This first stage of vipassana is called bare awareness. Bare awareness goes with an insight of our inner lives. This method of Buddhist meditation is used with breathing meditation and can take one to the realization of Nibbana. Many use a combination of vipassana and samatha.

If you want to read more about Meditation and Buddhist Meditation visit Fred Fields Free website about Alternative Medicine

Buddhist Meditation | Buddhist Teaching

2008-08-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

Is Buddhist meditation a religion in itself or simply a mind exercise like most others? While Buddhist meditation is not a religion, it is inspired by the goals of the Buddhism religion. After all, the human mind is the heart of the Buddhist teaching.

The Dhamma, or the teaching of the Buddha, is probably the most misunderstood among all other religions. The Buddha is also being likened to God and people have considered the Buddhist meditation as a hypnotic method to flee from the real world.

Noble Truths in Buddhism

There are eight noble truths involve in Buddhism. The first noble truth is the dukkha, a Pali word which means the unpleasant experiences like worry, pain, sorrow, fear, etc. The second noble truth points out that dukkha are the consequence of desire and craving. The third noble truth says that dukkha can be resolved, while the fourth noble truth tells us the means by which the third noble truth can be achieved.

Relation of Fourth Noble Truth with Buddhist Meditation

Buddhism, through the fourth noble truth is then closely linked to Buddhist meditation. It was transformed into a method or discipline of releasing people from the bondage of negative feelings and enhancing the nature of human life. This part of the Dhamma is known as the Noble Eightfold Path, which encompasses lessons that can influence the personal and social aspect of one’s life.

Buddhist Meditation for Psychological Problems

It may be understood therefore that the cause of everyone’s agony is psychological. Logic would tell us that the cure would be psychological as well. Thus, Buddhism designed mind exercises called the Buddhist meditation, aimed to cure these psychological problems. However, the Buddhist meditation is often confused with other practices that that claim to have possessed powers after engaging in meditation, which is totally in contrast to the Eightfold Path.

Peaceful Life with Buddhist Meditation

Some people view meditation, Buddhist meditation included, as a higher state of the pious life. That meditation is a step towards sainthood or being a holy person. Meditation is not an act of converting a sinner to have a deeper commitment to his religion. But it is just a good instrument to free oneself from the clutter that fills the mind in order to have a more serene life.

Goals of Buddhist Meditation

The goals of Buddhist meditation do not differ much from the other methods of meditation. Specifically though, Buddhist meditation aims to get rid of the dukkha and attain Nibbana. According to many Buddhist meditation practitioners, Nibbana is too difficult to put into words. But they describe it as the highest point of moral and psychological maturation.

Since Buddhist meditation, like any other technique, is a personal experience which brings about self-fulfillment, it must be practiced according to one’s conviction and faith that enlightenment and bliss are attainable.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

An Easy Guide To Meditation

2008-08-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

Meditation is similar to progressive relaxation.

We use meditation during our bodywork - Myofascial Release sessions as well as guided CD's afterwards whilst lying on comfortable heat!

Like progressive relaxation, you use this method to focus on yourself. There are many ways to meditate. Some people use it in a religious way, where as some people use it solely for taking time for themselves to focus on the positive.

Meditations Relaxing Effects:

Reduces blood pressure
Helps muscles relax
Reduces anxiety
Helps you to learn to focus, clears your thinking
Reduces irritability
Reduces stress headaches
Slows breathing

Meditation is focusing your thoughts on one thing for a sustained period of time. Doing this on a regular basis helps you to control negative thought processes which can cause stress. It allows your body time to relax, and recuperate from the mental or physical stress the body has endured. Meditation is extremely useful when you have been under long or short term stress, when you have been worrying about problems or you have been physically active.

The idea of meditation is to sooth your thoughts by focusing completely on one thing. Meditation is an active process where the individual seeks to block outside thoughts by concentrating completely on one thing.

Techniques

Sit or lie in a position that you can comfortably sustain for a period of time. Start with ten minutes at a time and then gradually meditate as long as you can maintain your focus.

1) Breathing:

Concentrate on breathing in and out by counting your breaths using the numbers 0 to 9. Visualize images of the numbers changing with each breath.

Breathing as Meditation - In Buddhist and yogic traditions, people claim to have reached an enlightened state by doing nothing more than paying attention to the rising and falling of their breath. What easier way could there be to reach such a state? Especially since breathing - following the ebb and flow of your breath - is an intrinsic part of meditation. By paying attention to your breath, you will rapidly change your state of consciousness, begin to relax, and slowly detach from ordinary awareness. Try to focus on the dimensionless point between your in-breath and out-breath, and glimpse the elements of enlightenment in that space.

2) Focusing on an object:

Look at an object paying attention to detail for the entire meditation period. Examine the contours, colour, texture, temperature and movement of the object. Objects such as candle flames or flowing designs are often used.

3) Focusing on sounds:

Some people focus on sounds. This includes soothing music and sounds of nature.

4) Visualization:

Create a mental picture of a pleasant and relaxing place in your mind. Involve all your senses in the imagery, sight, sounds, smell, touch, temperature and movement.

Keep your attention focused. If external thoughts or distractions wander in allow them to drift out or even visualize attaching the thoughts to objects and then move the objects out of your mind.

This article is original material written by Scott van Niekerk, physical therapist and owner of Wholistic physical Therapy in Brewster, NY. We are a Holistic Treatment center, with physical therapists specialised in Myofascial Release, as taught by John Barnes. Please visit our website http://wholisticphysicaltherapy.com for more information on how we can help you be FREE of pain and stiffness, to have your life back!

Understand What Meditation Is

2008-08-07T01:16:00.000-07:00

Meditation is a common term and a common technique used to concentrate mind on studies, work or worship etc. Everybody has an experience on this. But when meditation is used to keep body and mind healthy, it has a deeper meaning. Again when it is used to realize the spiritual truth it has a still more deeper meaning.

Let us understand meditation so far as keeping body and mind healthy or keeping body and mind under one's control. We are living in a competitive world. We are competing with each other for moving upwards in social status and to gain money and power more and more. Mind and body are overworked and remains under constant stress. We gain materially but we loose control over the body and mind. As a result body gets diseased and mind looses sleep, peace and happiness. The right solution to get over all these problems is meditation. Meditation only calms down this overworked body and mind.

Meditation is a method/technique in order to concentrate mind. But the question is on which mind should be concentrated upon? In order to get right answer we should understand meditation in the context of Yoga. Meditation is the seventh limb of Patanjali Yoga. The aim of Yoga is to realise the inner self or true self. Meditation is the method to achieve that. So if we accept meditation as a part of Yoga then its aim should be to realize the true self.

One cannot concentrate mind on true self unless one understands that in meditation - meditator, meditation and meditated(object of meditation) are one and the same. The process of meditation cannot begin unless we believe that meditator, meditation and meditated are one. One should concentrate on oneself. Only then one shall get the result of meditation. In meditation we move from gross body and mind to subtle body and mind. We move from outer world to inner world. We reach to our inner self or true self. In that state there is none other than you. There is no other object or no other individual.

There is no dualism. One attains one's pure or blissful state. This is the true home of all. In deep sleep one experience it everyday. Deep sleep is the most peaceful, blissful and refreshing state. Everybody experiences it everyday. The joy of food, drink, sex or wealth is very very less than the joy one gets from deep sleep. However in deep sleep we are in a sleeping state. We enter into this state unknowingly. But in meditation we enter into this state knowingly. Naturally we shall get more joy, happiness and bliss. In that state you are the Lord over yourself. You can give command over your body and mind, so that your body shall not get diseased and mind shall not loose peace and bliss.

Various Masters teach various techniques for meditation. The most common technique is to see and concentrate on some religious symbol or statue/photograph of God or Godman. In such techniques mind remains in the outside and you remain in dualism. You cannot move inwards and feel the most peaceful and blissful self. You are not meditating but enjoying the outside world. So you cannot relieve yourself from stress. The right techniques for meditation shall be described in the next article.

Author Mr Premansu Chand, 40, is an Indian and working as Govt. Officer. He practices and teaches Patanjali Yoga in its purest form. He has published a book "the purest interpretation of spiritualism and yoga' through http://lulu.com

http://www.premansuchanda.com

Premansu_chand@rediffmail.com

The Buddhist Way of Meditation

2008-08-06T02:40:00.000-07:00

The ultimate aim of a Buddhist is to attain nirvana. The nirvana is a state where one is liberated from all bindings and does not have to go through the cycle of birth and death. Meditation is a set of techniques through which a Buddhist can realize the state of nirvana.

But before that, meditation is a way to cultivate the mind. Buddhism teaches meditation as a way to reach the state of mindfulness. Mindfulness is that state of consciousness where the practitioner is fully aware of his states of mind. He is aware of each thought and each reaction passing through his mind. He knows himself much more than an ordinary person.

Buddha's teachings centre on the concept of 'Four Noble Truths'. First, there is suffering or dissatisfaction in our world. Second, the suffering is due to our desires and ignorance. The suffering is ultimately due to the state of our mind. We suffer because we do not truly understand ourselves. So consequently, if we understand ourselves and the working of our mind we can end this suffering. Third, this suffering can be put to an end. Better understanding of self leads to the deliverance from suffering. Suffering is actually the inseparable part of this existence. One can reach the state of nirvana, where one goes beyond the cyclic nature of existence - the cycle of birth and death. This is the hope that Buddha held forth to the practitioners of the faith. And finally, the way to accomplish this is The Eightfold Path.

The eightfold path is constituted by right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right understanding, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

The last three, in fact, refer to the path of meditation. Buddhism, perhaps, is the only system which provides the practical means to achieve everything that is promised by it. Buddha advised concentrating on some thing to reach the meditative state. In meditation, the practitioner is mostly asked to direct her attention towards breathing. One consciously observes the breath going in and the breath going out. Not only this, one observes each and every sensation, thought and feeling in one's mind. One thus becomes keenly aware of the workings of the mind. This helps practitioner reach the state of mindfulness.

Broadly, the Buddhist meditation is divided into two categories - the Samatha (calm) and the Vipassana (mindfulness). The Samatha, or Calm, meditation, is done by concentrating the mind to such a degree that mind and body both attain a high level of calmness. There are three benefits of practicing this form of meditation - peace and happiness, a favorable rebirth and the freedom from mental disturbances that are the source of unhappiness. Samatha helps us attain a state of tranquility and calmness with oneself that best depicted by the images of Buddha himself. With Samatha we do not attain nirvana, but get ready to achieve it.

Vipassana is the technique of observing oneself. We become aware of our reactions to the sensations of pain and pleasure. But instead of reacting with like or dislike, we become aware of these disturbances of the mind. This method makes us reach those obscure parts of our consciousness where body and thought, chemicals and feelings, meet each other. Ultimately, we become aware of the processes through which our deepest habits are formed. This awareness liberates us from these habits and we become masters of our mind. It makes us realize the source of all thoughts and feelings and makes one 'aware' in the true sense of the word.

Vipassana helps one attain the state of mindfulness - the state where we see things as they really are. Vipassana is the realization, by direct insight, of the presence of three characteristics of being - impermanence, suffering and non-self, in everything - including our bodily and mental processes. The realization is on a more direct and intuitional level rather than an intellectual understanding.

Michael Russell

Buddhist Meditation At Home

2008-08-05T00:48:00.000-07:00

At the core of Buddhist practice is meditation. Buddhist meditation is a system where the practitioner subjects themselves to mental concentration for liberating the mind while associating importance to the virtue of knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment. The final goal of Buddhist meditation is to achieve the highest level of nirvana or total enlightenment. The main objective of Buddhist meditation is to realize for oneself life's supreme mission.

The Buddhist philosophy focuses on sacrifice. While in a few aspects sacrifice is believed to be accepted aspect of life, Buddhists encourage people to free themselves from it, and it is here that meditation takes its crucial role. Hence when people undertake to practice Buddhist meditation they do so to liberate themselves from all pain and suffering.

The first step towards understanding sacrifice is to discover how the concept of one's sacrifice is generated. In the tenets of Buddhism it is said that sacrifice or as a parallel of the word, 'suffering' is caused due to mankind's desire overreaching expectation everything material. To free yourself from materialistic things you should prevent yourself from desiring these objects and use meditation as a method to purification and focus.

When we meditate, we can find a new perspective on life and everything that's going on around us. Accordingly, day by day you find yourself becoming enlightened to the world around you as it truly is.

Samatha or tranquility meditation calls forth breathing and development of loving kindness. It bestows the knowledge of how to lead your life through the four jhanas or knowledge, corresponding to four levels of tranquility. This form of meditation teaches the lessons of detachment, concentration, happiness and equanimity. It focuses the mind to concentrate on a single thing so as to produce tranquil states of mind. Samatha meditation can be categorized into forty types.

Practicing spirituality allows us to discover routes to show us how to see through the relative to the absolute. Vipassana; insight meditation develops understanding of the self through deciphering feelings, mind and dhamma, that is the reaching of mental objects. This is a kind of meditation practice that gives us a better opportunity to understand the nature of what is known as "relative reality". Relative reality trains one's mind to explore and understand the value of all things that we perceive through all six senses of the human being. When we practice insight meditation we get in touch with our wiser self to eliminate all ignorance and suffering from our lives. It's considered by all as one of the finest and most pure ways to enhance ones capacity to live to the fullest each and every day.

This is a powerful method to release stress and enable you to discover inner peace to elevate the life you live to a whole new level. Nowadays, Buddhist meditation is widely acknowledged as a way of achieving a number of goals like blissfulness of the spirit and relaxation of the physical self.

Meditation isn't solely for the people of Thailand, Cambodia, or Tibet. We can all use the main principles to enrich our daily lives and discover a whole new perspective and source of spiritual energy. Whether you wish to join a meditation class once a week, or simply setup your own quiet, tranquil space in your home, you will soon find the benefits of meditating coming into play in your daily life.

Jake Jarden lives in Indiana with his wife and son. He offers a free publication on common sleep disorders and cures. His recent writings include research into the healing powers of different meditation techniques. Visit relaxandmeditate.net for more info.

Meditation: The Secrets of Buddhist Meditation

2008-08-04T01:10:00.000-07:00

A common misconception regarding Buddhist meditation is that it is the same as practicing Buddhism, probably because of the nature of the practice and its origins. However Buddhist meditation is based on the doctrines of the religion Buddhism and revolves around mind control and concentration.

Buddhism in itself really is a way of life which is based on the teachings of Lord Buddha. Because of the high level of concentration that is required in Buddhist meditation, it is often misunderstood or is mistaken to be a kind of hypnotic trance.

Lord Buddha preached about the “eight noble truth’s” which formed the crux of Buddhism. He spoke about how desire and cravings were the cause of most human misery and suffering, and that by exercising control and discipline of the mind a person can improve the quality of his life.

Human nature is fraught with temptations of the flesh and the material world. Lord Buddha understood this, but he also understood and recognized the power of the mind and thus advocated meditation as a means to strengthen the mind. The fourth noble truth in fact is where Buddhist meditation finds its origins. It involves using meditation as a means to strengthen the mind and thereby getting rid of all desire and cravings. The Noble Eightfold Path preached by Lord Buddha were his interpretations of life and the lessons that govern enriching one’s personal and social life. The mind is the centre of the human existence and Buddhism preaches about how the mind can be used to attain peace and a sense of oneness with the almighty. Thus certain mind exercises were designed which were meant to release the mind from the shackles of human frailties. These mind exercises in time came to be known as Buddhist meditation.

Most people associate meditation as a means to achieving spirituality. While spirituality does comprise of meditation to a large extent, it is not totally dependant or restricted to it. Buddhist meditation along with other forms of meditation is often misunderstood in this regard. Meditation, Buddhist included is a form of releasing the mind thereby relaxing the body. It in no way makes a holy man out of a killer!

Buddhist meditation is quite similar to other forms of meditation. The difference lies in the preaching’s and principle’s behind practicing the Buddhist form of meditation, which aims at ultimately getting rid of all human afflictions through meditation and achieving a state of Nirvana.

Meditation is a personal journey on the path to fulfillment which culminates in the ultimate blend of the mind and the soul. It should not matter which form of meditation one chooses, what matters instead is the faith and conviction behind practicing it.

Buddhist Meditation

2008-08-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

Meditation is the very core of Buddhist practice. Buddhist meditation is a form of mental concentration based on the liberation of the mind, giving importance to the cultivation of virtue and wisdom (enlightenment). The ultimate aim of Buddhist meditation is to attain the supreme bliss of enlightenment (nirvana). The central part of Buddhist meditation is a realization of the ultimate goal of life.

The core of Buddhist meditation is the practice of the eightfold noble path. The eightfold virtues are right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. The proceedings of Buddhist meditation are based on "samatha", which literally means 'tranquility', and "vipassana" (insight), meaning mindfulness.

Samatha (tranquility) meditation involves breathing and development of loving kindness. Samatha teaches how to progress your life through the four jhanas (knowledges), the four stages of tranquility. The aim of this meditation is to develop detachment, concentration, happiness and equanimity. It trains the mind to concentrate on a single object in order to produce states of tranquility. There are 40 different types of samatha meditations.

Vipassana (insight) meditation develops self understanding through comprehending feelings, mind and dhamma (the teaching or mental objects). It trains the mind to observe the various things that come in through the six senses. By practicing insight meditation, you can develop wisdom which eradicates all ignorance and frees you from suffering. It is widely considered as one of the purest and finest techniques that increases your capacity for a balanced and happy living.

Today, Buddhist meditation is widely accepted as a device to attain a variety of goals such as physical relaxation and spiritual blissfulness. It can also function as an adjunct therapy for pain reduction and stress management.

Meditation provides detailed information on Meditation, Meditation Techniques, Transcendental Meditation, Guided Meditation and more. Meditation is affiliated with Tai Chi Videos.