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What is Meditation |
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 Meditation
is a method for acquainting our mind with virtue. The more familiar our
mind is with virtue, the calmer and more peaceful it becomes. When our
mind is peaceful we are free from worries and mental discomfort, and we
experience true happiness.
If
we train our mind to become peaceful we will be happy all the time,
even in the most adverse conditions. But if our mind is not peaceful,
even if we have the most pleasant external conditions we will not be
happy. Therefore it is important to train our mind through meditation.
There
are two types of meditation: analytical meditation and placement
meditation. When we contemplate the mean- ing of a Dharma instruction
that we have heard or read we are doing analytical meditation. By
deeply contemplating the instruction, eventually we reach a conclusion
or cause a specific virtuous state of mind to arise. This is the object
of placement meditation. Having found our object through analytical
meditation, we then concentrate on it single-pointedly for as long as
possible to become deeply acquainted with it. This single-pointed
concentration is placement meditation. Often, analytical meditation is
called simply 'contemplation', and placement meditation simply
'meditation'. Placement meditation depends upon contemplation, and
contemplation depends upon listening to or reading Dharma instructions.
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A Simple Breathing Meditation |
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The first stage of Meditation is to stop distractions
and make our mind clearer and more lucid. This can be accomplished by
practising a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to
meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the
traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is
comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair. The most important
thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming
sluggish or sleepy.
We
sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our
breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils,
without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of
the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This
sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on
it to the exclusion of everything else.
At
first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the
meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just
becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a
great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we
should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation
of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is
following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath.
We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles
on the breath.
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