{"id":335,"date":"2022-06-08T08:38:04","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T08:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preparing-for-dying.com\/?page_id=335"},"modified":"2022-06-14T01:40:36","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T01:40:36","slug":"buddhist-meditation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/preparing-for-dying.com\/?page_id=335","title":{"rendered":"Buddhist Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Buddhist Meditation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Buddhism the person meditating is not trying to get into a hypnotic state or contact angels or any other supernatural entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meditation involves the body and the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the most general definition, meditation is a way of taking control of the mind so that it becomes peaceful and focused, and the meditator becomes more aware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working With the Mind<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Dhammapada, Chapter 1:1-2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These lines from the ancient Buddhist scripture, the Dhammapada<\/em>, suggest that the mental states we experience are the key to everything in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are consumed by craving<\/em> or aversion<\/em>, we will experience the world very differently from the way we will experience it if we are overflowing with generosity and kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhist meditation is an invitation to turn one’s awareness away from the world of activity that usually preoccupies us to the inner experience of thoughts, feelings and perceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Buddhists, the realm of meditation comprises mental states such as calm, concentration and one-pointedness (which comprises the six forces: hearing, pondering, mindfulness, awareness, effort and intimacy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methods of Meditation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some classical meditation methods use the meditator’s own breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meditators may just sit and concentrate on their breathing … not doing anything to alter the way they breathe, not worrying about whether they’re doing it right or wrong, not even thinking about breathing; just ‘following’ the breathing and ‘becoming one’ with the breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important not to think: “I am breathing”. When a person does that they separate themselves from the breathing and start thinking of themselves as separate from what they are doing \u2013 the aim is just to be aware of breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Three Trainings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the West, for many of those who want to explore a spiritual path, meditation is the first thing they encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Buddhist tradition, meditation is the second part of the ‘threefold path’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many formulations of the Buddhist path to spiritual awakening but the threefold path is generally seen as the most basic one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first training<\/em>, and the indispensable basis for spiritual development, according to the Buddha, is ethics (shila<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhism does not have laws or commandments but its five ethical precepts are guidelines for how to live in a way that avoids harming others or oneself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meditation (samadhi<\/em>) is the second training<\/em>. Acting ethically gives rise to a simpler life and a clear conscience, which are a sound basis for meditation practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meditation clarifies and concentrates the mind in preparation for the third training<\/em>: developing wisdom (prajna<\/em>). The real aim of all Buddhist practice is to understand the true nature of our lives and experience<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Four Types of Meditation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A useful way of understanding the diversity of meditation practices<\/em> is to think of the different types of meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meditation practices may be grouped under four types of meditation as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n