Category Archives: Meditation

Daily Buddhism, Meditation

The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 1

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The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 1

Last week, we talked about conceptual, or contemplative, meditation. There are forty meditation themes that have become ‚Äúclassic,‚Äù and we’ll cover those today and tomorrow. There are ten ‚Äúrecollections,‚Äù ten ‚Äúfoul objects,‚Äù ten ‚Äúkasinas‚Äù, four ‚Äúdivine abidings‚Äù, four ‚Äúformless absorptions,‚Äù one ‚Äúresolution into elements,‚Äù and one ‚Äúperception of the filthiness of food.‚Äù Don’t worry about memorizing all that. You’ll get the picture soon enough.

These meditations are to be done thoughtfully and slowly, and you would go about them much like the ‚Äúmeditation on a corpse‚Äù that we looked at last Friday. You’ll soon see that there are many different versions of meditating on corpses. Keep in mind while reading the list that buddhists aren’t especially morbid, but death is probably the biggest fear that most of us have, and death, especially in the Buddha’s time period was often an ugly business. Contemplation on some of the foulest ideas can lead to fearlessness and peace.

Ten Recollections:
1. Recollection of the virtues of the Buddha.
2. Recollection of the virtues of the Dhamma.
3. Recollection of the virtues of the Sangha.
4. Recollection of one’s own moral virtue.
5. Recollection of one’s generosity.
6. Recollection of the qualities that lead to rebirth as a heavenly being.
7. Mindfulness immersed in the body.
8. Mindfulness of death.
9. Mindfulness of breathing.
10. Recollection of the virtues of Nirvana — ultimate pleasure; unexcelled ease, free from birth, aging, illness and death.

Ten Foul Objects:
1. A rotten, bloated corpse, its body all swollen and its features distended out of shape.
2. A livid corpse, with patchy discoloration — greenish, reddish, yellowish — from the decomposition of the blood.
3. A festering corpse, oozing lymph and pus from its various orifices.
4. A corpse falling apart, the pieces scattered about, radiating their stench.
5. A corpse that various animals, such as dogs, are gnawing, or that vultures are picking at, or that crows are fighting over, pulling it apart in different directions.
6. Corpses scattered about, i.e., unclaimed bodies that have been thrown together in a pile — face up, face down, old bones and new scattered all over the place.
7. The corpse of a person violently murdered, slashed and stabbed with various weapons, covered with wounds — short, long, shallow, deep — some parts hacked so that they’re almost detached.
8. Corpse covered with blood, like the hands of a butcher, all red and raw-smelling.
9. A corpse infested with worms: long worms, short worms, black, green, and yellow worms, squeezed into the ears, eyes, and mouth; squirming and squiggling about, filling the various parts of the body like a net full of fish that has fallen open.

10. A skeleton, some of the joints already separated, others not yet, the bones — whitish, yellowish, discolored — scattered near and far all over the place.

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Daily Buddhism, Meditation

The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 2

The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 2

The recollections and foul objects from yesterday were pretty straightforward in their subjects. The other half of the themes are more open-ended and ambiguous. Many of the styles of meditation you hear people discussing fall into the last group. Loving-kindness and compassion meditations, for example, fall under the Four divine Abidings.

Ten Kasinas:
1. Staring at earth.
2. Staring at water.
3. Staring at fire.
4. Staring at wind.
5. Staring at white.
6. Staring at yellow.
7. Staring at red.
8. Staring at blue (or green).
9. Staring at the space in a hole or an opening.
10. Staring at bright light.

Four Divine Abidings:
1. Benevolence, friendliness, good will, love in the true sense.
2. Compassion, sympathy, pity, aspiring to find a way to be truly helpful.
3. Appreciation for the goodness of other people and for our own when we are able to help them.
4. Equanimity. When our efforts to be of help fail, we should become neutral — neither pleased nor upset by whatever it focuses on — so that it can disregard acts of thinking and evaluating, leaving only oneness and equanimity with regard to all objects and preoccupations.

Four Formless Absorptions:
1. Being absorbed in a sense of boundless emptiness and space.
2. Being absorbed in boundless consciousness, with no form or figure acting as focal point of one’s concentration.
3. Focusing exclusively on a fainter or more subtle sense of cognizance that has no limit and in which nothing appears or disappears, to the point where one almost understands it to be Nirvana.
4. Being absorbed in a feeling that occurs in the mind, that isn’t awareness exactly, but neither is it non-awareness; i.e., there is awareness, but with no thinking, no focusing of awareness on what it knows.

One resolution into elements: For example, contemplating each part of the body simply in terms of physical properties or elements.

One perception of the filthiness of food: i.e., viewing food as something repugnant and unclean — with regard to where it comes from, how it’s prepared, how it’s mixed together when it’s chewed, and where it stays in the stomach and intestines.

Daily Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews

Book: The Gift of Loving Kindness

Book: The Gift of Loving Kindness
by Mary Brantley and Tesilya Hanauer
Review by Brian Schell, http://www.dailybuddhism.com
New Harbinger Publications, 286 Pages, ISBN: 1-57224-562-X
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157224562X/?tag=askdrarca-20

I’ve mentioned loving kindness meditation here on the Daily Buddhism quit often in my postings the past few weeks, and it may still not be clear what it’s all about. This book makes it clear as glass. The book is small (6‚Äùx6‚Äù), and as the title itself suggests, would make an excellent gift for someone interested in taking up a simple form of meditation for perhaps the first time. Although the introduction and explanatory pages mention Buddha a few times, the book is not religious and could be enjoyed by anyone of any faith.

The introductory section explains why the authors wrote the book, how to use the book, and basic instructions for both formal and informal loving kindness meditations. This takes around 44 pages, and is an interesting, fast read. The instructions on the formal meditation are clearly presented, and easy to follow and practice.

The book centers heavily on the ideas of generosity, forgiveness, and compassion. Towards others, of course, but starting with directing those concepts towards yourself. The book explains early on that it’s hard to direct loving kindness outwards towards others if your mind is filled with blame or self-hate. Therefore, the book focuses on directing loving kindness (generosity, compassion, and forgiveness) towards yourself first, and then expanding that mindfulness outward towards others.

The rest of the book is broken into four parts, consisting of exercises that expand or modify these basic instructions in simple, yet useful ways. Part one of the book consists of meditations of loving-kindness towards yourself, part two is about loving-kindness towards difficult emotions, part three covers loving-kindness towards others, and finally, part four involves loving-kindness towards the world. On the last few pages are some additional resources for further exploration.

The bulk of the pages are filled with 100 mindful practices that can be attempted in any order. Some are quite good, others are a little weak, but since you can pick and choose the ones that appeal to you, there’s plenty to work with. Each exercise is explained clearly and concisely, usually with only two or three paragraphs. Some of the ideas are a bit saccharine, but with a book on this subject, that’s nearly unavoidable.

Buddhism Level: Beginner. All Daily Buddhism readers should be able to understand all parts of this one. It has no jargon and requires no special background. It’s even fine for those who may be uncomfortable with Buddhism, yet interested in meditation.

It’s easy to do, it’s easy to understand. Send yourself a little gift of loving kindness, and you can learn to pass it on to the rest of the world.

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Order the Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157224562X/?tag=askdrarca-20
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Daily Buddhism, Meditation

A Closer Look at Loving Kindness Meditation

Loving Kindness Meditation, Step by Step

Yesterday, I reviewed the book, ‚ÄúThe Gift of Loving Kindness.‚Äù Today I’m going to cover the topic a little more, using an excerpt from the book. This is the first of the 100 practices described in the book, and it’s a nice clear overview of what loving kindness meditation really entails:

Be Your Own Friend

The foundation of loving-kindness meditation is knowing how to be your own best friend. How do you treat your best friend? Is it with care, attention, love, and concern? Here is an exercise that offers you those same deep feelings of care and friendliness you show towards others. This practice helps you remember your core goodness and points you back to yourself.

1. Take a few deep breaths. Breathing in, feel the expansion of your chest and abdomen. Breathing out, feel yourself relax.

2. Remember times when you have felt open and friendly. It’s the feeling you get when a child takes your hand, your dog comes running to greet you, or your sweetheart wraps you in a warm embrace. The feeling is one of peace and deep contentment.

3. As these memories and feelings emerge, let yourself feel warm emotions. Now generally direct these phrases toward yourself:

May I be kind to myself.

May I rest in this moment.

May I be at ease.

May I be happy.

These words should not be expressed in a hurried or mechanical manner. Receive the meaning of these phrases as best you can. Let go of the outcome. Be very patient with yourself; remember you are practicing kindness.

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Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Other Forms of Meditation

Other Forms of Meditation

Today we wrap up the mega-series on meditation by mentioning a few other forms of meditation. There are probably others that I haven’t thought of, as there are limitless ways to meditate, and unlimited numbers of subjects to contemplate.

Who Am I? – Self-study meditation to eliminate all false ideas of self.

Meditation via Prayer – Basically what it sounds like.

Thought Power – Self-hypnosis, positive thinking, laws of attraction, etc.

Emotional Meditation – Like yesterday’s loving kindness in practice, but substituting thoughts of sadness, giving, graciousness, surrender, and forgiveness.

Yoga – while practicing yoga, one is meant to be aware of all parts of the body and the movements of those parts. Consciousness of the breath is also heavily stressed in Yoga.

Martial Arts – Often stresses the life force, the body, the mind, the breath, and the concept of oneness.

Sex – Tantric sex requires mental and physical discipline as well as most of the same benefits of Yoga.

Whichever form(s) of meditation you choose, you will enjoy lowered levels of stress, and possibly increased physical health as well. These are documented, scientific benefits of meditating regularly.
In addition, of course, are the spiritual, psychological, and karmic benefits to meditation, which are a bit more subjective, but most practitioners give these heavy value as well.

It’s easy‚Ķ Just sit.

That’s all I have for you on meditation for the moment. I suspect you have questions about meditation, which I’d love to cover before moving on to another topic. Send in your questions by email at dailybuddhism@gmail.com or phone them in at 937-660-4949. I don’t have anything special planned for next week yet, so now is a great time for questions, meditation-related or otherwise.

Daily Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews

CD Review: Koyasan Reiki Sound Healing

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CD Review: Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing
Artist: Deuter
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 8 tracks, 64 Minutes
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LV62DC/?tag=askdrarca-20

Koyasan is a mountain in Japan, and is the home of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Link: http://www.koyasan.or.jp/english/index.html. There are hundreds of temples in the vicinity, and overall is a beautiful place to visit. I have placed a picture of the rock garden at the Kongobuji Temple on the website.

Reiki is a fairly modern invention, also originating in Japan, which explains that there is a limitless life force (‚ÄúKi‚Äù) in the universe that can be controlled with the proper conditioning of the mind and body. Reiki has no obvious connection to Buddhism, so I’m not going to go into it here, but it is an interesting ‚Äúspiritual‚Äù practice worth a look if you are interested..

So what do these two terms have to do with us? They set the stage for Deuter’s latest instrumental/meditation CD, Koyasan. Deuter’s music has obvious Eastern influences, with Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi flute and koto, as well as others from mainland Asia, such as the Tibetan singing bowl. There are, of course, piano and more traditional instruments included in the arrangements, but if you want to meditate and pretend that you are sitting on Mount Koyasan, you can do that.

As I did my research for this review, I found that Deuter has put out dozens of CDs similar to this one. I am not going to comment on whether this is better or worse than his other work, simply because I am not familiar with his other CDs. I would go so far to say this is an excellent “first meditation music CD” to pick up, and I plan to pick up more of his work in the future.

Kongobuji Temple, Mt. Koyasan
Kongobuji Temple, Mt. Koyasan

The eight tracks on the CD are all fairly long, running 8-10 minutes each for the most part. There is no noticeable tune or rhythm to any of the songs, yet everything feels right, and sounds good. It’s relaxing without being distracting or jarring, and makes an excellent backdrop to meditation. If you live in a noisy area, playing this while meditating can block out the noise without being too distracting. After a few moments, you stop mentally hunting for a tune and just go with the sounds, gently, calmly, taking whatever comes, and letting it go again.

Will the music heal you, as Reiki practitioners suggest? I have no idea, but I have covered the positive health benefits of meditation here before, so maybe there is something to it. I will definitely recommend the CD for a soothing, relaxing backdrop for meditation, or even just a quiet soundscape to enjoy.

Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Four Foundations of Mindfulness

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Four Foundations of Mindfulness

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A Reader recently wrote:
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I was recently reading something and the author mentioned the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness.” What are these? The same as the Noble Truths?

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My Answer:
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No, the four foundations are not the Noble Truths, but they may look familiar to something we’ve seen before.

Theravada Buddhists use an ancient text called the Satipatthana Sutta, which means “foundation of mindfulness.” Other groups that rely heavily on meditation also use these teachings. The teachings contained in that sutta is more commonly known as the ‚ÄúFour Foundations of Mindfulness.‚Äù The full document is too long to include here, but I will include it in this week’s ‚ÄúWeekly Buddhism.‚Äù As usual, though, you don’t need to read the entire thing to learn the basic idea.

The four foundations are different types and sub-types of contemplation subjects to consider while meditating. Yes, it’s another ‚ÄúBuddhist List‚Äù:

  1. Contemplation on the Body, which includes contemplations on in-and-out breathing, posture, clear understanding, impurities, elements, and nine stages of corpses.
  2. Contemplation on the Emotions
  3. Contemplation on the Mind.
  4. Contemplation on the Teachings/Dharma, including contemplation on hindrances, aggregates, sense bases, enlightenment factors, and the Four Noble Truths.

If you want to compare these to the 40 meditation subjects we covered last month, you’ll see there is a lot of duplication. It’s essentially a different sect’s viewpoint on the same basic idea.

40 Meditation Themes Part 1 & 2:
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/229
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/231

Read the Satipatthana Sutta at: http://www.buddhanet.net/imol/mahasati/index.htm or next weekend in Issue #6 of the Weekly Buddhism.
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Daily Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews

Book: The Accidental Buddhist

The Accidental Buddhist
by Dinty W. Moore
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/accidentalbuddhism

This is a fun book, and I”ve read it a couple of times. It explores the state of Buddhism in America today, following the author as he travels around America visiting and talking to various Buddhist groups. He visits a Zen monastery, a Catholic priest who teaches Buddhism, Buddhist magazine publishers, Tibetan freedom advocates, zafu makers, and even an interview with the Dalai Lama himself.

What are the problems and joys of being a Buddhist in America? And what will the neighbors think? Buddhism evolved in the East, and the East evolved around Buddhism, but that’s not the case in America. It’s not a perfect fit, and there are many dilemmas and problems that the author humorously notes.

Although the book is not really a ‚Äúwhat is Buddhism‚Äù book, you’ll glean a lot of insight into all things Buddhistic in this one. I would definitely call it appropriate for any beginning-level Buddhist, and anyone who has been reading the Daily Buddhism for any length of time should have no problem at all with any of the terminology.

The book is filled with humor; the author has some of the best (and funniest) quotes about ‚Äúmonkey mind‚Äù that I’ve ever come across. But the book also has a serious undertone to it. Why would the Dalai Lama suggest that maybe Americans shouldn’t become Buddhists? How can monks in America support themselves?

And will that monkey ever shut up?

Again, this is not a “how to” book, but I strongly recommend it.

Order it from Amazon here: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/accidentalbuddhism

Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Meditation Part 1: Overview and Benefits

3 Comments

Meditation, Part 1

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A Reader recently Wrote:
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I have a quick question. It seems that meditation is at least one of the main hearts of Buddhism. I hear that there are a number of different types of meditation and styles. I am really not sure what this means, but would be very interested. If you ever have time to put that in, I would be very interested in learning more.

Thank you again for putting your knowledge out there. I know there are many of us that truly appreciate it.

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And yet another asks:
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I practice Zen Buddhism but have listened to many pod-casts because there is no zen center near me. In these pod-casts they often refer to other forms of meditation. Some of these are love and kindness or stress a certain aspect of Buddhism. Would you please be so kind as to go over the different types of meditation that you know or are aware off? Great show!!

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My Response:
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Meditation has been defined as: “self regulation of attention, in the service of self-inquiry, in the here and now.‚Äù [Wikipedia]. I found dozens of definitions of meditation to post here, some involved self-healing, some with philosophy, others dealt with spirituality, but the fact is that it’s different things to different people.

There are so many types of meditation and names for styles of practice that it’s hard to keep trackTime Magazine Cover about Meditation. There are literally hundreds of ‚Äúphrases‚Äù that describe various kinds and styles of meditations, but over the next week or so, I am going to focus on a half dozen or so broad categories. Today I want to give a brief overview of meditation in general. We’ve talked about all of this before, but a quick refresher won’t hurt before starting such a big topic.

When you hear the word ‚Äúmeditation‚Äù you probably have a mental picture of someone sitting in the lotus position, hands clasped and eyes closed. That, or something close, is not too far from the truth, but it is an overgeneralized stereotype. Not all forms of meditation involve sitting, but many do. We’ve briefly mentioned walking and working meditations in the past, and those are quite common and easy to perform. If you’re one of the many people who have written in stating that they can’t sit lotus-style, have no fear; I can’t do it either.

All forms of meditation can help you reduce stress and anxiety. Reduced stress is obviously a good thing, both physically and psychologically, and many doctors prescribe meditation to their patients. It’s been proven effective over thousands of years, it’s not some goofy new age thing. It’s safe and its simple, and absolutely everyone can do it, starting with only 10 or 15 minutes a day. It won’t cure cancer or help you lose weight, but it can help reduce physical suffering and give you the mental clarity and fortitude to make big changes in your life. The physical ‚Äúwork‚Äù of meditation can be done with no spiritual or religious trappings, and is a good idea for anyone, of any belief system or any age. Buddhism, of course, adds its own dimension to meditation, but meditation was around long before Buddhism; it goes back at least as far as Hinduism, maybe even further than that.

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Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Meditation Part 2: Breath Watching & Insight Meditation

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Meditation Part 2: Breath Watching & Insight Meditation

This is one of the most popular forms of meditation, and one of the simplest to start practicing. The practitioner sits comfortably in a quiet place and simply focuses on his or her breathing. He or she sits with eyes closed, slowly breathing in and out calmly and regularly, not forcing anything. Breathe in. Breathe out. Feel the air go in and be let out again. Feel the sensations and the path of the air. Feel your chest rising and falling, the lung expanding and contracting. Feel the cool air go in and the warm air come out. Hear the sound of it all. Experience the breathing carefully and consciously, avoiding distractions as much as possible.

For the beginner, that is all there is to it. Take five or ten minutes and try it right now if you are able. You don’t need to sit in any particular position, and you can do it in a chair if you like. The important (and difficult) part in the beginning is to avoid distractions, especially your own distracting thoughts. When you become aware that your mind is wandering, calmly go back to being aware of your breathing and move your mind away from the distraction. You can do breath meditation for five minutes or for hours if you like, but it’s going to be hard to do for more than a few minutes in the beginning.

Breath Meditation Videos:

Thich Nhat Hanh (annoyingly translated, but not awful):
Here’s one you can follow along with yourself:
And here’s one that shows many sitting positions, but keep in mind, the whole ‚Äúpositional thing‚Äù is not something you need to worry about at this stage: