About Buddhist Meditation

There are many different forms of meditation in Buddhism. Some go back to the Buddha himself (and possibly further back in time than that) while others are more recent developments.

But what is meditation? Meditation is the conscious cultivation of mindfulness, positive emotion, and clear perception of the ways things are.

Meditation is not a form of prayer, in which we call upon an external agency, but a form of inner training, in which we cultivate new ways of being. In meditation we consciously cultivate positive mental habits.

The term meditation encompasses many different techniques that facilitate the the cultivation of, amongst other things, calmness, relaxation, one-pointed concentration, lovingkindness, compassion, a sense of wellbeing, and insight into the impermanent and interconnected nature of reality.

In meditating we use some object on which we direct our attention. We can use the sensations of the breath, our emotional connection with ourselves and others, the physical sensations of the body, sounds, visualized images, etc.

Buddhist meditation is broadly divided into Shamatha and Vipashyana practices. Shamatha (Pali: Samatha) practice calms the mind and helps develops one-pointed concentration and positive emotions. Vipashyana (Pali: Vipassana) practice builds on the calmness, focus, and positive emotion generated in Shamatha , and helps to develop an awareness of the impermanence, interconnectedness, and the contingent nature of our experience.

On Wildmind we follow the traditional approach of cultivating Shamatha before approaching Vipashyana. In traditional Buddhist teaching there is a great emphasis on learning to calm the mind so that we can then go on to insight practices. Generally we at Wildmind don’t teach Insight Meditation except under supervision on our online courses.

We teach the following practices on this site:

We also offer advice on meditation posture (essential to establishing an effective practice), and on our blog we have a constant output of articles on all aspects of practice as well as news on the latest developments in the world of meditation.

Meditating has been shown in clinical studies to have many medical and psychological benefits, including promoting a sense of wellbeing, boosting the immune system, promoting the development of cortical matter in the brain, and slowing aging.

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    • Also a Dubai resident here and looking for a place to meditate. I am at least lucky enough to have got a medidation timer on my pc which helps with home-based medidations, but it would be nice to find out if there are groups over here.

      Kindest thoughts,

      Jon

    • Hi Jon,

      I sometimes check our site stats and wonder who it is that's logging in from the Middle East (22 from Saudi Arabia, last month, 7 from Oman, 1 from Yemen, 55 from UAE, 15 from Qatar). It's good to know who at least one of these people is!

      Sadly we have no information about where you can practice meditation in Dubai, but we wish you well on your search. If there are no groups available perhaps you could advertise in some way in order to connect with others who want to practice meditation? Then you could get together and at the very least listen to a guided meditation on CD.

      All the best,
      Bodhipaksa

    • Dear Friend ,
      I am a spiritual seeker , seeking liberation (like many of us , but at the lowest level) .Can you please help this amateur with the following questions .

      a.)I am meditating on my breath . How do i know if i am progressing ? How would the experience be in stages ?

      b.)What is the time taken for realization, if i am totally dedicated to medidation ?or is it based on our Karma.

      c.)I am aware that realization cannot be expressed in plain words ,as it an undescriptive experience .But what would be the closest way of putting it in words.

      d.)After a soul is realized , at anytime will the soul be again caught back by materialistic desires or worldly sensual objects ?

      Please help me in getting an insight .

      Thanks very much ,
      Krishnadas

    • Hello Krishnadas,

      You seem very concerned to see signs of progress. That's quite natural, in a way, but many people have had to learn that grasping after results actually slows down our progress. Sure, we want to see changes happening, but it's best simply to focus on doing the practice as best we can, having a patient and forgiving attitude towards ourselves as we work at becoming a little more mindful and a little kinder.

      I've written a little about signs of progress in meditation, and you can check that out. For now, I'd say that your main sign of progress would be to be less focused on making progress.

      All the best,
      Bodhipaksa

    • Hello to everyone..!!!

      I'm a Sri Lankan, trying hard to be a practicing Buddhist.

      I devote quite a lot of time of the day to hear dhamma talks and read books on dhamma.
      ALthough I try to meditate daily it is not regular as it should be and was trying to find a group for support, hence the comment.

      I found the following websites very helpful. http://www.buddhanet.com (for dhamma articles and ebooks) and http://www.bswa.org (website of Bddhist society of Western Australia ). In this website you can listen to dhamma talks by Ajahn Brahmavamso (English and trained under Ven Ajahn Chah) and Ajahn Sister Vayama etc. Also guided meditaion sesions available. Dhamma talks are very helpful. Please visit this site, I'm sure you will find it inspiring and helpful to further your practice along the path to liberation.

      Basic Method of Meditaion by Ven Ajahn Brahmavamso is also available on this site.

      With Metta

      De Silva

    • Hi Terry, I am new to this site. I am interrested to know more about your Guru, Prah ajarn viriyoung sirindharo. I also live in Thailand part of the year. Thanks, Will

    • Dear Will

      My master , Veneral Prah Ajarn Viriyoung Sirindharo , presently the abbot of Wat Dhammamonkon and several
      meditation branches networks in Thailand and also in Canada and the USA

      you may visit the website below to find more detailed information about his biography and teaching experience
      https://www.willpowerinstitute.com - any more query or information, please feel free to let me know

    • I am also in Dubai and interested to find a group meditation .. if anyone knows of one can you please let me know. Thanks.

    • I am in living Dubai. I am looking for a meditation group in Dubai to practise with. Anybody know of such groups or even individuals? please get in touch. Thanks

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