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# 2018-06-18 - How To Meditate by Kathleen McDonald | |
This book was a gift from a friend, who told me that it is a very | |
good book about meditation, and a classic. It is my first time | |
reading about meditation from a Buddhist point of view. It is | |
written in plain English and has a calm tone. I was interested to | |
read about the Tibetan classification of meditation techniques into | |
two categories: stabilizing and analytical. My own practice is | |
primarily stabilizing. I was also interested in the sections on | |
karma and negative energy because they were explained from a | |
psychological perspective. These explanations map pretty clearly to | |
my other reading about the subconscious mind. My comments are | |
included within square brackets. | |
# Preface | |
Most of the meditation explanations here come from the Mahayana | |
Buddhist tradition of Tibet, several from the Theravada tradition of | |
South East Asia, and a few are my own improvisations on Buddhist | |
themes. | |
# Chapter 1 | |
Just about everything we do is an attempt to find real happiness and | |
avoid suffering, The problem is that we see things ... as being the | |
cause of happiness. But they cannot be--simply because they do not | |
last. ... at the root of our problems is our fundamentally mistaken | |
view of reality. We believe instinctively that people and things | |
exist in and of themselves. Our mistaken idea is deeply ingrained | |
and habitual; it colors all of our relationships and dealings with | |
the world. We probably rarely question whether the way we see things | |
is the way they actually exist, but once we do it will be obvious | |
that our picture of reality is exaggerated and one-sided; that the | |
good and bad qualities we see in things are actually created and | |
projected by our own mind. | |
According to Buddhism there is lasting, stable happiness, and | |
everyone has the potential to experience it. The causes of happiness | |
lie within our own mind, and methods for achieving it can be | |
practiced by anyone, anywhere, in any lifestyle... By practicing | |
meditation we can learn to be happy at any time, in any situation, | |
even difficult and painful ones. Mind is at the heart of Buddhist | |
theory and practice. It is a nonphysical kind of energy, and its | |
function is to know, to experience. The key to the mind is | |
meditation. | |
# Chapter 2 | |
Meditation is an activity of the mental consciousness. It involves | |
one part of the mind observing, analyzing, and dealing with the rest | |
of the mind. Meditation is done for the purpose of transforming the | |
mind, making it more positive. Meditation is being totally honest | |
with ourselves: taking a good look at what we are and working with | |
that in order to become more positive and useful to ourselves and | |
others. | |
Tibetan tradition classifies meditation techniques into two | |
categories: stabilizing and analytical. Stabilizing meditation | |
develops concentration. Concentration is necessary for any real, | |
lasting insight and mental transformation. A daily practice can | |
bring an immediate sense of spaciousness and allow us to see the | |
workings of our mind more clearly, both during the meditation and | |
throughout the rest of the day. Analytical meditation develops | |
insight. Using clear, analytical thought we unravel the complexities | |
of our attitudes and behavioral patterns. Both types of meditation | |
are complementary and can be used together in one session. | |
# Part 2, Chapter 1, Advice for beginners | |
To experience the benefits of meditation it is necessary to practice | |
regularly. The importance of being guided by an expert meditator | |
cannot be over-emphasized. In the beginning it is best to meditate | |
for short periods. Any means you use to ease physical tension and | |
improve your ability to sit in meditation is a valuable addition to | |
your practice. ... feel satisfied that you are making the effort to | |
meditate and transform your mind--that itself is meditation. As long | |
as you are trying, it is mistaken to think you can't meditate. | |
Results take time... Habits built up over a lifetime are not | |
eliminated instantly but by gradual cultivation of new habits. So be | |
easy on yourself. | |
Meditation is an internal, not external, activity. Your practice | |
will transform your mind on a subtle level, making you more sensitive | |
and clear, and giving you fresh insight into ordinary day-to-day | |
experiences. Superficial changes are not natural and are unlikely to | |
impress anyone, but the deep, natural changes created by meditation | |
are real and beneficial, both for yourself and others. | |
# Part 2, Chapter 2, The meditation session | |
Consider your goals and motivation. Turn to the object of meditation | |
and keep it firmly in mind throughout the period. Every time you | |
meditate, even for just a few minutes, you create positive energy and | |
develop some degree of insight. The effects of this energy and | |
insight are determined by your thoughts and attitudes as you move | |
from meditation to ordinary activity. | |
# Part 2, Chapter 3, Posture | |
Mind and body are interdependent. Because the state of one affects | |
the state of the other, a correct sitting posture is emphasized for | |
meditation. The practice of hatha yoga or other physical disciplines | |
can be a great help in loosening tight muscles and joints, thus | |
enabling you to sit more comfortably. | |
# Part 2, Chapter 4, Common problems | |
Mental wandering has become a deeply ingrained habit. It is not easy | |
to give up habits, but we should recognize that this one--this mental | |
excitement, as it's called--is the very opposite of meditation. As | |
long as we are busy running in circles on the surface of the mind we | |
will never penetrate to its depths and never develop the | |
consciousness we need for perceiving reality. | |
[The problem of sleep] is related to another of our habits: usually | |
when we close our eyes and relax our mind and body, it's time to go | |
to sleep! Remedies: posture, lighting, eyes open half-way [and, | |
obviously, get enough sleep] | |
Physical discomfort. Remedies: body sweep focusing on and relaxing | |
individual parts, breathing into the discomfort and visualizing it | |
leaving, observing pain as a sensation, amping up the pain then | |
returning to normal and noticing that it appears reduced, visualize | |
that you have taken on the pain of other beings freeing them of their | |
suffering. | |
Noise pollution. The problem is not so much the noise itself, but | |
rather how our mind reacts to it. Remedy: recognize what is | |
happening in your mind and learn to just be aware of the noise | |
without reacting and making commentary on it. Another technique is | |
to make mental notes [labels for the type of noise] then let go of | |
them. You can also [label] reactions you notice in your mind. | |
Hallucinations - these are normal reactions as the mind adjusts | |
itself to new activity and nothing to worry about. On the other | |
hand, do not be attached to such experiences or try to repeat | |
them--this will only distract you from the real purpose of meditation. | |
Discouragement. Remedy: patience. Often, new meditators think that | |
their negative minds are getting worse, not better! And they feel | |
that it is meditation that has caused this. ... meditation is the way | |
to purify the mind of what is already there: at first we discover the | |
gross negativities, then the more subtle ones. So be patient and | |
don't worry! | |
# Part 3, Chapter 1, Meditation on breath | |
Stabilizing meditation is the kind for the purpose of developing | |
concentration. Concentration is a natural quality of our mind--we | |
use it when we study, work, watch TV, or read a book. But our | |
ability is limited. Stabilizing meditation involves focusing the | |
mind on an object and bringing it back whenever it wanders away. The | |
breath is one of the best objects to focus on. | |
Several qualities of the mind are essential in developing good | |
concentration. Mindfulness is recollection. Discriminating | |
alertness monitors what is happening moment to moment. | |
Don't try to control your breath, just breathe normally and gently. | |
Learn to have a neutral attitude toward your thoughts, noticing but | |
not reacting. | |
# Part 3, Chapter 2, Meditation on the clarity of the mind | |
Meditation on the clarity of the mind is an effective antidote to our | |
concrete projections [false beliefs]. We can gain a direct | |
experience of the clear, non-material, transient nature of all | |
thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, thus weakening the tendency to | |
identify with them. This meditation is especially effective for | |
softening our view of our own self. Our intrinsic nature is clear | |
and pure and is with us 24 hours a day. The negativities that rise | |
and fall on the ocean of our consciousness are temporary and can be | |
eliminated. | |
Have a positive motivation. Do a breathing meditation until your | |
awareness has become sharp. Then turn your attention to the clarity | |
of your consciousness. Your consciousness, or mind, is whatever you | |
are experiencing in the moment: sensations in your body, thoughts, | |
feelings, perceptions of sounds, and so forth. The nature of each of | |
these experiences is clarity, without form or color; space-like, pure | |
awareness. Focus your attention on this clear, pure nature of the | |
mind. | |
# Part 3, Chapter 3, Meditation on the continuity of the mind | |
Each moment of the mind leads uninterruptedly to the next. Buddhism | |
explains that the mind is without beginning or end... | |
Contemplate a positive, beneficial motivation. Concentrate on breath | |
until the mind is quiet and clear. First, take a look at your | |
present state of mind, at the thoughts and sensations flashing by. | |
Just observe them in a detached way without clinging to or rejecting | |
any of them. Now, start to travel backward through time. Briefly | |
skim over the conscious experiences you have had since waking up this | |
morning... Try to recall last night's dreams. Continue to trace your | |
mental experiences to yesterday, two days ago, last week, last month, | |
last year; two, five, ten years ago. The purpose is to get a feeling | |
for the mind's continuity. Go back in your life as far back as you | |
can. Think of your birth, the time you were in the womb, and the | |
moment of your conception. Consider the different possibilities. | |
Having reached back into your memory as far as you can, now gently | |
bring your awareness into the present and again observe the thoughts | |
and feelings that arise. Finally, try to get some idea of where it | |
goes from here. Contemplate your mindstream flowing through the rest | |
of the day, and then tomorrow, the coming days, weeks, and years ... | |
up until death. What happens then? Consider the different | |
possibilities. | |
# Part 4 | |
In analytical meditation we think about and understand intellectually | |
a particular point, and through stabilizing meditation we gradually | |
make it a part of our very experience of life. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 1, Meditation on emptiness | |
All Buddhist teachings are for the purpose of leading one gradually | |
to the realization of emptiness. Here emptiness means the emptiness | |
of inherent, concrete existence; and the total eradication from our | |
mind of this false way of seeing things marks our achievement of | |
enlightenment. | |
We experience not the bare reality of each thing and each person but | |
an exaggerated, filled-out image of it projected by our own mind. | |
This mistake marks every one of our mental experiences, is quite | |
instinctive, and is the very root of all our problems. This | |
pervasive mental disorder starts with the misapprehension of our own | |
self. Our adherence to this false "I"--known as self-grasping | |
ignorance--taints all our dealings with the world. The final | |
solution is to eliminate this root ignorance--with the wisdom that | |
realizes the emptiness, in everything we experience, of the false | |
qualities we project onto things. This is the ultimate | |
transformation of mind. | |
There is a conventional, interdependent self that experiences | |
happiness and suffering, that works, studies, eats, sleeps, | |
meditates, and becomes enlightened. The first, most difficult task | |
is to distinguish between this valid "I" and the fabricated one... | |
w/ the alertness of a spy, slowly and carefully become aware of the | |
"I". Try to locate it physically, and in your mind. Try to think of | |
other possibilities. | |
Apart from this sense of "I" that depends on the every-flowing, | |
ever-changing streams of body and mind, is there an "I" that is | |
solid, unchanging, and independent? The mere absence of such an | |
inherently existing "I" is the emptiness of the self. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 2, Appreciating our human life | |
The starting point for many problems is the way we feel about | |
ourselves and our life. Human existence is very precious, but | |
normally we fail to appreciate it. Over time we develop and | |
reinforce an unfair and low opinion of ourselves. We have to accept | |
our positive as well as our negative traits, and determine to nourish | |
the good and transform or eliminate the bad aspects of our character. | |
Eventually we will recognize how fortunate we are to have been born | |
human. | |
Contemplate that the nature of your mind is clear and pure, and has | |
the potential to become enlightened. Or, think of the positive | |
qualities that you have, and remind yourself that these can be | |
developed even further, and that you can use your life to bring | |
benefit and happiness to others. Spend some time contemplating this, | |
and feel joyful about the potential that lies within you. | |
Even if your life does not afford as much freedom and comfort as you | |
would like, and even if you have to live with some very difficult | |
problems and challenges, no matter where you are and what conditions | |
you live in, you can always work on your mind. | |
Once you have seen the disadvantages your life is free of and the | |
advantages you enjoy, decide how best to use your precious | |
opportunities. But the most meaningful and beneficial thing you can | |
do, both for yourself and others, is to develop yourself spiritually: | |
overcoming the negative aspects of your mind and increasing the | |
positive, and actualizing your potential for enlightenment. Resolve | |
to use your life wisely--doing your best to avoid harming others, and | |
instead helping them as much as you can, and developing your love, | |
compassion, wisdom, and other positive qualities that will enable you | |
to actualize your highest potential. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 3, Meditation on impermanence | |
Everything in the physical world is impermanent, changing all the | |
time. Our conscious world is also changing constantly. This | |
constant change is the reality of things, but we find it very | |
difficult to accept. We cling especially strongly to our view of our | |
own personality. By not recognizing impermanence we meet with | |
frustration, irritation, grief, loneliness, and countless other | |
problems. We can avoid experiencing them by becoming familiar with | |
the transitory nature of things, recognizing that they are in a | |
constant state of flux. Gradually we will learn to expect, and | |
accept, change as the nature of life. We will also understand that | |
we have the power to change what we are, to develop and transform our | |
minds and lives. | |
After reflecting on the impermanence of your inner world--your own | |
body and mind--extend your awareness to the outer world. Any time | |
that you have a clear, strong feeling of the ever-changing nature of | |
things, hold your attention firmly on it for as long as possible. | |
Soak your mind in the experience. When the feeling fades or your | |
attention starts to wander, again analyze the impermanence of either | |
your body, mind, or another object. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 4, Death awareness | |
Buddhism explains death as the separation of mind and body, after | |
which the body disintegrates and the mind continues to another life. | |
The conventional self ends... but a different self-image will arise | |
with the new life. We cling to our self-image as something permanent | |
and unchanging, and want it to live forever. This wish may not be | |
conscious... but it is definitely there. The fault is not the wish | |
to prolong life but the fundamental idea of who or what we really are. | |
The understanding of emptiness, or the non-existence of an inherent, | |
permanent self, frees us from fear of death and from all fears and | |
misconceptions. Until that point is reached, however, it is | |
important to maintain awareness of impermanence and death. This | |
meditation forces us to decide what attitudes and activities are truly | |
worthwhile. If we fail to take death into consideration and thus | |
fail to prepare for it, we are likely to die with fear and regret... | |
Awareness of death during life helps us to stay in the present, to | |
see the past as dream-like and hopes for the future as fantasies. We | |
will be more stable and content and will enthusiastically make the | |
most of our life. | |
There are various ways of meditating on death; the one explained here | |
involves contemplating nine points. [Take them at your own pace and | |
group them, if at all, in any way you find most helpful.] | |
* Everyone has to die. | |
* Your lifespan is decreasing continuously. | |
* The amount of time spent during your life to develop your mind is | |
very small. | |
* Human life-expectancy is uncertain. | |
* There are many causes of death. | |
* The human body is very fragile. | |
* Your loved ones cannot help. | |
* Your possessions and enjoyments cannot help. | |
* Your own body cannot help. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 5, Meditation on karma | |
The law of karma is also known as the law of cause and effect. It is | |
a universal law that applies to all beings... The way it works is | |
that when we do an action with our body, speech, or mind, a subtle | |
imprint is left on our mindstream... Later, when we encounter the | |
right causes and conditions, that mental imprint will manifest in the | |
form of experiences that occur in our mind... The purpose of | |
meditating on karma is twofold: 1) to develop the awareness that we | |
are responsible--we are the creators of our own experiences--and 2) | |
to learn which actions bring suffering and which actions bring | |
happiness. | |
Four aspects, or general principles, of karma to meditate on: | |
* Karma is definite. | |
* Karma increases [compounds]. | |
* If we do not do an action, we will not experience its results. | |
* Karma is never lost. | |
We clear away negative karma by doing a purification practice. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 6, Purifying negative karma | |
The purification process is basically a psychological one... it is | |
our mind (and on the basis of that, our actions) that creates the | |
negativity, and it is our mind that transforms it by creating | |
positive energy. We created the karma, and only we can clean it up. | |
The practice of purification involves contemplating the four opponent | |
powers: regret, reliance, remedy, and resolve. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 7, Meditation on suffering | |
The Buddhist view on suffering can be summarized as what are known as | |
the four noble truths. | |
* Suffering exists. | |
* Suffering always has a cause. | |
* There is an end to suffering. | |
* There is a means to end suffering. | |
In the meditation, there are three aspects of suffering to | |
contemplate. Don't just make a mental checklist of the points but | |
bring your emotion and intuition into the meditation. | |
* The suffering of suffering. | |
* The suffering of change. | |
* All-pervading suffering. | |
All-pervading suffering: Lacking a direct, intuitive insight into the | |
true nature of things, we think, speak, and act under the control of | |
delusions, our habitual negative tendencies. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 8, Equanimity meditation | |
We can start to cultivate the mind of enlightenment now, in our | |
day-to-day lives, by being kind and open to the people we meet: being | |
patient with them and aware of their needs. It is easy, however, to | |
deceive ourselves, to play the role of a friendly open person while | |
hiding our feelings of irritation and intolerance. So it is | |
important to get in touch with our feelings while also making an | |
effort to extend ourselves to others, and this is done most | |
effectively in the concentration of meditation. | |
The following meditation has us examine our attitudes and feelings | |
towards other in order to recognize where they are mistaken. This | |
can lead us gradually to a state of equanimity, in which our mind is | |
more balanced and less under the control of attachment to loved ones, | |
aversion and hatred toward enemies, and indifference toward strangers. | |
Imagine three people in front of you: friend, enemy, and stranger. | |
For each, ask: | |
* Why do you feel like/dislike/indifference toward this person? | |
* Are there good reasons? | |
* Is you ego involved? Were you helped/harmed/ignored? | |
* Do you regard this relationship as permanent? | |
* Are your feelings conditional? | |
* Consider past/future life relationships. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 9, Meditation on love | |
Loving-kindness is a natural quality of the mind where we want others | |
to be happy. Some meditations involve meditating on an object. | |
Others involve transforming the mind into the object. So ideally | |
when we do this meditation our mind truly experiences love. However, | |
this is something that normally takes time and practice, so don't be | |
frustrated if you don't feel anything initially. It's enough to | |
simply think the thoughts and say the words "May you be happy, etc." | |
By making your mind familiar with these, in time the feeling of love | |
will arise naturally. | |
Mentally rehearse loving words and feelings towards your loved ones, | |
neighbors, and lastly enemies. Conclude the session thinking that | |
you definitely have the potential to love everyone, even those who | |
annoy or hurt you, and those you don't even know. Generate a strong | |
wish to work on your own anger, impatience, selfishness, and the | |
other problems that prevent you from having such love. Keeping your | |
mind open and trying to overcome your ego's prejudiced attitudes will | |
leave much space in your heart for pure, universal love--and thus | |
happiness for yourself and others--to develop. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 10, Meditation on compassion and tonglen | |
Tonglen is Tibetan for giving and taking. One aspect of the thought | |
transformation teachings is learning how to transform problems and | |
difficulties into the spiritual path. With the right understanding | |
and methods we can make problems useful, in the same way that we | |
recycle garbage or turn it into fertilizer for our garden. The basic | |
idea is that we meditate on love and compassion, generate the wish | |
for others to be happy and free from suffering, and then we imagine | |
taking on the suffering of others and giving them our happiness. | |
It is advised that we first practice taking on our own suffering. | |
When we become familiar and comfortable with that, we can then | |
gradually take on the problems and suffering of others, starting with | |
people that we already love and care about, then strangers--people we | |
are more distant from--and eventually even our enemies. | |
The purpose is to train our mind in love, compassion and to create | |
the causes to become enlightened, at which point will will truly be | |
able to help others be free of suffering and attain lasting peace and | |
happiness. | |
# Part 4, Chapter 11, Dealing with negative energy | |
As mindfulness develops we become increasingly sensitive to our | |
thoughts and feelings. With the right understanding and the right | |
tools, every experience that arises in our mind, negative as well as | |
positive, can be a constructive step on the path. Getting caught up | |
in an emotion or suppressing it are both unskillful approaches, and | |
only make matters worse. A more skillful approach is to honestly | |
acknowledge the presence of the emotion and let go. It can help to | |
analyze the emotion. | |
* Step 1: Identify the emotion and select an appropriate tool. | |
* Step 3: Have a healthy, balanced attitude toward the negative | |
emotion. | |
* Step 4: Work on the delusions in meditation. | |
Attachment also known as desire is to want something and not want to | |
be separated from it. Fulfillment of desire is an illusion; desire | |
leads to more desire, not satisfaction. Ways to deal with attachment: | |
* Contemplate the faults of attachment. The attached mind glosses | |
over the facts and deals with projected fantasies. It cannot see | |
things clearly and is unable to make intelligent judgments. The | |
consequences are disappointment and desire. | |
* Recall impermanence and change. | |
* Meditate on death. | |
* Think about emptiness. Try to locate the "I" that experiences | |
the attachment. Also examine the object of attachment. Both do | |
not exist in the way they appear. | |
* Mental dissection and aging of an attractive body. | |
* Contemplate the suffering experienced by all beings involved in | |
the production of your food. | |
Anger is the attitude of wanting to be separate; of wanting to harm. | |
Anger is usually related to attachment. Suppression is no solution. | |
The emotions are still there, brewing below the surface of our mind, | |
making us tense and nervous, and affecting other people. It is also | |
a mistake to see anger as a natural energy that should not be | |
restrained but expressed whenever it arises. This disturbs ourselves | |
and others and establishes a habit. The truly skillful approach is | |
to recognize the anger or irritation as it arises, keep it within our | |
mind, and deal with it there. Catching it when we first feel it | |
defuses [diffuses?] much of the energy. Then we should analyze the | |
emotion. | |
* Contemplate the faults or disadvantages of anger. | |
* Recall karma, cause and effect. | |
* Put yourself in the other person's place and try to see the | |
situation from their point of view. | |
* Buddhist teachings say that we would not see faults in others if | |
we did not have those faults in ourselves. It takes one to know | |
one. Other people are therefore like mirrors, showing us what we | |
meed to work on in ourselves. The solution is to learn to accept | |
that behavior or quality in yourself. This doesn't mean condoning | |
it, but being honest and acknowledging it, but at the same time | |
knowing you can work on decreasing and eventually overcoming it. | |
* Anger is more likely to arise in our mind when we are unhappy or | |
dissatisfied. If you notice yourself getting irritated and angry | |
about even small things, sit down and check what's going on in the | |
deeper levels of your mind. | |
* Turn your attention inward and investigate the "I" that is angry. | |
Analyze where and how it exists. Also investigate the object of | |
your anger. Try to see that the situation is like a dream: | |
although it seems very real now, from your point of view at a later | |
time it will appear distant and faded, a mere memory. | |
* Difficult situations are usually the most productive in terms of | |
spiritual growth. | |
* Contemplate the points of the death meditation. | |
* Having gained some control over your anger through one of these | |
methods, you might like to work on developing love. | |
The above methods involve meditation to try to deal with the anger on | |
our own; it is also possible to resolve a conflict by communicating | |
with the other person. This requires care. First consider whether | |
or not the other person would be open to such communication and if it | |
would bring positive results. Second we should check on our | |
motivation very carefully. We need to be very clear about our | |
intentions and very sincere and honest in explaining our feelings. | |
This kind of open communication is very powerful and can transform | |
enemies into friends. | |
You can physically exercise or pause to dissipate anger prior to | |
meditation. | |
Depression is a dark, heavy, unhappy state of mind, self-centered and | |
lacking in positive energy. The best solution is to analyze our | |
thought patterns to see how we interpret the situation and try to | |
recognize where we are wrong. Gradually we can learn to catch | |
ourselves in time... | |
* Take a step back from your thoughts and feelings and check what | |
they are saying. If we are honest with ourselves, we'll recognize | |
that these thoughts are mistaken or exaggerated. If you can, then | |
do the meditation on appreciating your human life. | |
* Meditate on the clarity of your mind. | |
* Investigate the "I" that feels depression. | |
* Meditate on love, or compassion and tonglen. Turning outward | |
will help you be less self-centered, and thus see your problems | |
more realistically. | |
* Do one of the visualization meditations. | |
* A very effective remedy for depression is to get out and help | |
others. Service and/or physical exercise releases endorphins, | |
which can be useful when we're too depressed to meditate. | |
Fear is not necessarily negative, but it can bring negative results. | |
We should aim to overcome it. The root cause is our misconception of | |
seeing our "I" and all other things as solid, real, and permanent. | |
* Look at your fear. Stabilize with breathing meditation. Then | |
examine and analyze your fear. | |
* Meditate on death. | |
* Meditate on suffering. | |
* Generate an altruistic motivation for the things you do. | |
* Meditate on emptiness. | |
* Bring to mind an object of refuge. | |
# Part 5, Visualization | |
It is common to find visualization difficult. Too much effort | |
creates tension, and then the only vision that can appear is | |
darkness. Too little concentration means the mind is crowded with | |
distractions, leaving no space for a visualized image. Visualization | |
utilizes only the mental faculty. We should be satisfied with | |
whatever does appear, even if it is just a partial image, or a blur | |
of color, or nothing at all! The important part is feeling the | |
presence rather than being concerned about having a perfect | |
visualization. | |
# Part 5, Chapter 1, Body of light meditation | |
Visualize a sphere of white light representing universal goodness, | |
love, and wisdom: the fulfillment of your own highest potential. | |
Visualize it entering and spreading to fill your entire body, | |
dissolving your body to become translucent, white light. Concentrate | |
on the experience of your body as a body of light. Feel serene and | |
joyful. If any thought or distracting object should appear in your | |
mind, let it also dissolve into white light. Meditate in this way | |
for as long as you can. | |
# Part 5, Chapter 2, Simple purification meditation | |
Imagine that when you inhale, all the positive energy in the universe | |
enters your body in the form of pure, blissful, radiant white light. | |
Visualize this light flowing to every part of your body, filling | |
every cell and atom, and making you relaxed, light, and blissful. Do | |
this visualization with every inhalation. | |
Once you are familiar and comfortable with breathing in the white | |
light, then begin to breathe out dark smoke with every exhalation. | |
Imagine that all your negative energy, past mistakes, distorted | |
conceptions, and disturbing emotions leave your body with the breath | |
in the form of a dark smoke. You can transform distractions into | |
dark smoke and breathe them out into oblivion. | |
# Part 5, Chapter 3, Meditation on Tara, the Buddha of enlightened | |
# activity | |
Visualize and pray to Tara, the manifestation of all that is | |
positive. Recite the mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha. Tara is the | |
wisdom of reality, and all buddhas and bodhisattvas are born from | |
this wisdom. This wisdom is the fundamental cause of happiness, and | |
of our spiritual growth. | |
# Part 5, Chapter 4, Meditation on Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of | |
# compassion | |
Expand your awareness to take in the troubles and pain of all other | |
beings. Visualize Avalokiteshvara, the manifestation of pure, | |
unobstructed compassion, love, and wisdom. Pray to Avalokiteshvara | |
and recite the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. | |
# Part 5, Chapter 5, Inner heat meditation | |
Visualize the central channel as a transparent, hollow tube, a | |
finger's breadth in diameter, running straight down through the | |
center of the body, just in front of the spinal column, from the | |
crown of your head to the base of your spine. Next visualize the | |
right and left lateral channels, slightly thinner than the central | |
one, starting from the right and left nostrils, traveling upward to | |
the top of the head and then curving over to run downward on each | |
side of the central channel, joining the central channel at a point | |
approximately four fingers' breadth below the level of the navel. | |
Stabilize this visualization. | |
Imagine a red-hot ember inside the central channel at the level of | |
the navel. Really feel its intense heat. In order to increase the | |
heat, contract the muscles of the pelvic floor, concentrating on the | |
internal rather than the external muscles, to bring energy up to the | |
ember. Take full breath through the nostrils, traveling down to join | |
the heat. As you stop inhaling, immediately swallow and push down | |
gently with your diaphragm to firmly compress the energy and lock it | |
in. Now, hold your breath for as long as it is comfortable to do so. | |
Repeat the cycle rhythmically seven times, the intensity of the heat | |
growing with every breath. At the seventh inhalation, imagine that | |
the now burning hot ember explodes into flames. They shoot up the | |
central channel, completely consuming and purifying the deluded | |
energy along the way. At the crown they melt and release a silvery, | |
blissful energy, which pours down the purified central channel. When | |
it meets the blazing ember at the navel level, there is an explosion | |
of bliss. This blissful heat flows out to every atom and cell of | |
your body, completely filling you, making your mind very happy. Just | |
relax and enjoy it. | |
# Part 6, Prayers and other devotional practices | |
To be devoted to one's family, friends, or work is to have love, | |
care, and responsibility. In this sense it means going beyond our | |
usual narrow, self-centered thoughts and concerns, and dedicating our | |
energy to others. In Buddhism faith is a positive mental state, and | |
is explained as clarity, conviction, and aspiration with regard to | |
someone or something that exists (as opposed to something imaginary) | |
and has excellent qualities or abilities. It is association with | |
refuge, the first step on the path to liberation and awakening. | |
Refuge is the attitude of relying upon, or turning to, something for | |
guidance and help. Buddhist refuge involves discovering and | |
utilizing the unlimited potential that lies within each of us. Inner | |
refuge is refuge in ourselves, in our ultimate potential. Outer | |
refuge is appreciating and relying on the three jewels: | |
* Buddha, the enlightened state itself. | |
* Dharma, wisdom. | |
* Sangha, spiritual community. | |
# Part 6, Chapter 1, Prayers | |
# Part 6, Chapter 2, Explanation of prayers | |
# Part 6, Chapter 3, A short meditation on the graduated path to | |
# enlightenment | |
# Part 6, Chapter 4, Meditation on the Buddha | |
# Part 6, Chapter 5, Meditation on the Healing Buddha | |
# Part 6, Chapter 6, Meditation on the eight verses of thought | |
# transformation | |
# Part 6, Chapter 7, Prayer to Tara | |
# Part 6, Chapter 8, Vajrasattva purification | |
# Part 6, Chapter 9, The eight Mahayana precepts [IOW, no fun | |
# allowed] | |
# Part 6, Chapter 10, Prostrations to the thirty-five Buddhas | |
author: McDonald, Kathleen, 1952- | |
detail: https://www.wisdompubs.org/book/how-to-meditate | |
LOC: BQ5612 .M33 | |
tags: book,buddhist,meditation,non-fiction,spirit | |
title: How To Meditate | |
# Tags | |
book | |
buddhist | |
meditation | |
non-fiction | |
spirit |