Buddhist Meditation
I think when many people think of the word meditation, they envision a person cross legged on top of a mountain clearing their mind of all thoughts. Although this is a beautiful image, meditation doesn’t involve this type of effort (climbing to a mountain top etc.), and is much simpler and more straightforward. Meditation (in Buddhism) is not about getting away from your life and having no thoughts. It’s about finding a healthy way to help understand your mind. As someone who lives here on the West coast where mindfulness is talked about constantly, I know many people who have found value in Buddhist meditation. It’s helpful because we are not trying to be perfect, we are just trying to find a way to live with more compassion.
Buddhist meditation has been practiced for over 2,500 years since Siddhartha Gautama. He is what we know as Buddha. Which means "The Awakened One". After spending many years trying to figure out why people suffer and what will bring them happiness. Buddha realized that you could not achieve happiness by having lots of money or power or starving yourself. However, you could achieve happiness by learning how your mind works. Through the practice of meditation, you can learn to gain more wisdom and compassion.
Buddhism views meditation as more of a science. Similar to how you would work out your body. Meditation helps build qualities in your mind such as focus, calmness, compassion and self-awareness. Buddhism does not force you to think certain thoughts. You are able to explore these ideas and decide if they work for you. Buddha told his followers to think about his ideas and not accept them blindly.
Buddhist Meditation
Your mind never stops. We all have thoughts that pop into our head at any given moment. Memories from the past or thoughts about what could happen in the future. We tend to let these thoughts take over our day and rarely notice that we are doing this. Through the practice of meditation, you learn how to be present with your thoughts.
One type of Buddhist meditation is called Samatha. Samatha means calm. So, the purpose of this meditation is to increase your focus. Many Buddhists will sit and focus on their breathing. When your mind starts to wander you simply bring your focus back to your breath. No need to stress if you can’t keep your focus on your breath the whole time. Each time you bring your mind back you are building more focus.
Another form of Buddhist meditation is called Vipassana. Vipassana means insight. During Vipassana meditation you will observe your thoughts, feelings and experience. Noticing how they change and disappear. You are not judging your experience as being good or bad. Just observing how your experience comes and goes. Which leads us to the idea that everything changes. Our thoughts will come and go. Our feelings will change and pass. Once we realize that things can change, we begin to care less about what we have.
Buddhist Meditation & Mindfulness
Mindfulness has become very popular in recent years. Mindfulness is derived from the word Sati. Sati can be translated as mindfulness, but it means more than just being aware. It means remembering to be present with what you are doing. Whether that be eating your breakfast or washing your dishes. Mindfulness allows you to be in the present moment.
Metta is a very powerful type of Buddhist meditation. Metta is known as loving-kindness. During this practice you will wish for yourself and others to be happy. "May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be at peace". Once you feel comfortable sending loving kindness to yourself you can begin to send these wishes to others. Loved ones, friends and even those who you may not like. Loving kindness is something that I enjoy about meditation because you can always be kind to others.
Similar to loving-kindness is compassion. When we practice compassion, we are trying to understand other people’s pain. Through the practice of Buddhist meditation, we become more aware of others who may be suffering. By practicing compassion you can learn how to deal with negative emotions without shutting others out.
Many people believe that meditation means no thoughts. Your mind will always have thoughts that is what makes us human. Meditation teaches us how to not dwell on our thoughts. We learn that thoughts are just thoughts and they will come and go. Breath is used in most types of meditation. Because you’re always breathing so it’s a good reminder as to how to stay present. If your mind begins to drift to the future or past bring your attention back to your breath. There is no reason to stress about your breath as you’re always going to breathe. Meditation can be done anywhere and anytime.
Posture is also important when meditating. You want to make sure your back is straight but comfortable. Some people prefer to meditate on the ground while others like to meditate on a chair. There are even walking meditations you can do that involve focusing on your steps.
Buddhism & Reducing Suffering
A major aspect of Buddhism is to reduce your suffering. Buddhism teaches us that suffering happens when we try to hold onto good things or avoid bad things. Meditation can help you understand that these thoughts will pass. As you become more mindful you will react less to situations that may upset you.
There is a lot of patience that goes into Buddhist meditation. We live in a world where we want everything now. Meditation will take time to become comfortable with. Some days will be better than others. That's ok you don’t have to feel great every time you meditate. Buddhism also teaches you to live ethically. Meditating will allow you to be more mindful of your actions and words. As you become more aware of your surroundings you will become more patient with others.
It’s amazing to see how science has been studying the benefits of meditation. There have been studies that show that meditating can help you with your memory and decrease stress. Buddhism has been teaching these techniques for centuries it’s nice to see that science agrees. I think my favorite thing about Buddhist meditation is that you can do it anywhere. All you need is 5-10 minutes of your day to meditate. As you become more mindful you will carry that into your everyday life. You'll notice that you listen more when someone is talking to you. You'll enjoy your meals more and become more patient when you’re stuck in traffic. Buddhist meditation can help you become a better you. It’s not about becoming someone that you aren't. But learning how to unlock the good that is already inside of you. Through the practice of meditation, we can learn to be wiser, more compassionate and kinder to ourselves and others.