At Wildmind we're committed to bringing practical information on meditation to anyone who has internet access. We realize that not everyone is able to get to a face-to-face meditation class (although if that's possible we recommend that you make the effort) and we want the benefits of meditation to be available to all.
Posture workshop
If you don't already have a meditation practice (and perhaps even if you do) we suggest starting with our posture workshop, which takes you step-by-step through the process of setting up a meditation posture that will allow you to be both alert and relaxed.
Mindfulness of breathing
The mindfulness of breathing is a fundamental meditation practice that everyone should know. The benefits? You'll find that this practice helps you to calm your mind so that there's less inner chatter (especially the stuff that makes you unhappy). You'll find also that you're less distractible, less emotionally reactive, and better able to pay attention.
Developing lovingkindness
The development of lovingkindness (metta bhavana) works directly on our emotional habits, helping us to become more emotionally positive. You'll learn to be kinder to yourself: more patient, more understanding. You'll find that you're more considerate to others and that it's easier to forgive. You may even find (as others have) that others around you mysteriously become easier to be around. Hmmm.. wonder why that is?
Walking meditation
Walking meditation is a great way to bring more meditation into your daily life; it's a practice that can be done even in a busy city street. In this form of practice we develop greater mindfulness of the body, but we also become more aware of our thought patterns, our emotions, and even of the outside world. It's a calming practice. Walking meditation can also be a lovingkindness practice, especially when you're walking in a public place.
Mantra meditation
Our mantra meditation section is the most popular destination for our visitors. Mantras are simply phrases that we repeat (usually internally, but they can also be chanted out loud). As well as occupying the mind and thus calming it by preventing it from getting up to the usual mischief that causes us pain, mantras also have a symbolic value that evokes spiritual qualities, such as compassion, courage, and wisdom.
The Six Element Practice
The six element practice is a profound reflection on interconnectedness and impermanence. It's a very beautiful form of meditation. It not only helps us to calm the mind and give us a reassuring sense of our place in the great scheme of things, but it can be unsettling and challenging as well. Yes, I know. Reassuring and unsettling. That's Buddhist practice for you!
31 Comments.
Namo Buddhaye, Master.
I want to ask a question which always floats in my mind..
That we all know that Resp. Buddha was so bold to give his points on all matters. And we know that Buddha never commented on God concept. So my ques is tht if Buddha easily n boldly makes his points clear then if he denies gods existence then he may claim clearly that god doesnt exist… so i am confused if he denies god or he knows tht there is no god thn why he spends his whole life spirtualy as an ascetic. Why he not said no need to renounce anything there is no supereme power. Is there anything like God exists who we can say is there.
Why did the Buddha not say there’s no need to renounce anything if there is no supreme power? Because the Buddhadharma is about ending our suffering. The causes of suffering reside in the mind, and the way it operates, and have nothing to do with a supreme being. In order to liberate ourselves from suffering we need to let go of clinging, and one thing that can be helpful is to live very simply, by renouncing family life and embracing a monastic lifestyle. I’m no monk, but when I’ve been on retreat and lived a quasi-monastic lifestyle, the point of this “asceticism” was not to create suffering for myself, but to create the simplicity and stillness that allow for intense observation of the mind and for the joy of simplicity to emerge.
I have been meditating for many years and found your article on some of the sensations helpful. I generally feel very much at peace but have noticed over the past 3 years or so that ‘vexatious’ people or whom I call ‘unquiet spirits’ have been seeking friendship with me and wondered why this was so. I tried to help them find the same peace I had in my life and wondered if that was what was attracting them. After short periods of ‘friendship’ I found they were upsetting the balance in my life and had to let them go. Is there a meditation you can recommend to provide protection from these ‘unquiet spirits’ seeking one out and attaching themselves to one. I do not want any more of these pseudo friends in my life who sap my energy and take me down to their frequencies so that I have to rebalance to find peace again.
Hi, Robyn.
I don’t think there’s any one meditation for this. Metta (especially self-metta) helps us recognize that our own need for happiness is important. If we really look into compassion practice deeply we see that we need to avoid the “idiot compassion” that allows people to walk over us. Upekkha bhavana helps us to recognize that we can’t “save” anyone (just in case you’re sending out signals saying “Let me save you”).
Thank you anyway. I read a lot; Hindrance of Doubt was helpful.
I have been reading Trungpa’s Cutting through Spiritual Materialism, and I find it very challenging. One thing that has confused me is the idea to give up “the watcher.” I am confused perhaps because of semantics, but my practice for years has been to try to “watch” my thoughts (or breath) during practice. What I think Trungpa means is a propensity for constant self-judgment, which I have. When I attempt to suspend this and quiet it (at those times I am aware of this tendency), the result is indeed spaciousness and clarity without bliss and without depression (at times…). I would appreciate your thoughts on my confusion as I try to deepen practice. Thank you.
I haven’t read the book, I’m afraid, so I don’t know what Trungpa meant by giving up “the watcher.”
Dear Bodhipaksha, I am deaf but I can read. kindly give me step by step loving meditation instructions that you have made in the audio. I will read, take notes and remember and practice this meditation. thanks. Ranganatha from India.
Having a transcription would be a good idea. I’ll give that some thought, Ranganatha. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Lars
I love you all