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Q&A on Meditation
What is meditation?
Meditation is a conscious
effort to change how the mind works. The Pali word for meditation is 'bhavana'
which means 'to make grow' or 'to develop'.
Is meditation important?
Yes, it is. No matter how
much we may wish to be good, if we cannot change the desires that make us act
the way we do, change will be difficult. For example, a person may realise that
he is impatient with his wife and he may promise himself, "From now on I am not
going to be so impatient" But an hour later he may be shouting at his wife
simply because, not being aware of himself, impatience has arisen without him
knowing it. Meditation helps to develop the awareness and the energy needed to
transform ingrained mental habit patterns.
How many types of meditation are there?
The Buddha taught many
different types of meditation, each designed to overcome a particular problem or
to develop a particular psychological state. But the two most common and useful
types of meditation are Mindfulness of Breathing (anapana sati) and
Loving-kindness Meditation (metta bhavana).
How do you practise Mindfulness of
Breathing?
You would follow this
easy steps: the four Ps: place, posture, practice and problems. First, find a
suitable place, perhaps a room that is not too noisy and where you are not
likely to be disturbed. Second, sit in a comfortable posture. A good posture is
to sit with your legs folded, a pillow under your buttocks, your back straight,
the hands nestled in the lap and the eyes closed. Alternatively, you can sit in
a chair as long as you keep your back straight.
Next comes the actual
practice itself. As you sit quietly with your eyes closed you focus your
attention on the in and out movement of the breath. This can be done by counting
the breaths or watching the rise and fall of the abdomen. When this is done,
certain problems and difficulties will arise. You might experience irritating
itches on the body or discomfort in the knees. If this happens, try to keep the
body relaxed without moving and keep focusing on the breath. You will probably
have many intruding thoughts coming into your mind and distracting your
attention from the breath. The only way you can deal with this problem is to
patiently keep returning your attention to the breath. If you keep doing this,
eventually thoughts will weaken, your concentration will become stronger and you
will have moments of deep mental calm and inner peace.
How long should I meditate for?
It is good to do
meditation for 15 minutes every day for a week and then extend the time by 5
minutes each week until you are meditating for 45 minutes. After a few weeks of
regular daily meditation you will start to notice that your concentration gets
better, there are less thoughts, and you have moments of real peace and
stillness.
What about Loving Kindness Meditation? How is that practised?
Once you are familiar
with Mindfulness of Breathing and are practising it regularly you can start
practising Loving Kindness Meditation. It should be done two or three times each
week after you have done Mindfulness of Breathing. First, you turn your
attention to yourself and say to yourself words like "May I be well and happy.
May I be peaceful and calm. May I be protected from dangers. May my mind be free
from hatred. May my heart be filled with love. May I be well and happy." Then
one by one you think of a loved person, a neutral person, that is , someone you
neither like nor dislike, and finally a disliked person, wishing each of them
well as you do so.
What is the benefit of doing this type of meditation?
If you do Loving Kindness
Meditation regularly and with the right attitude, you will find very positive
changes taking place within yourself. You will find that you are able to be more
accepting and forgiving towards yourself. You will find that the feelings you
have towards your loved ones will increase. You will find yourself making
friends with people you used to be indifferent and uncaring towards, and you
will find the ill-will or resentment you have towards some people will lessen
and eventually be dissolved. Sometimes if you know of someone who is sick,
unhappy or encountering difficulties you can include them in your meditation and
very often you will find their situation improving.
How is that possible?
The mind, when properly
developed, is a very powerful instrument. If we can learn to focus our mental
energy and project it towards others, it can have an effect upon them. You may
have had an experience like this. Perhaps you are in a crowded room and you get
this feeling that someone is watching you. You turn around and, sure enough,
someone is staring at you. What has happened is that you have picked up that
other person’s mental energy. Loving Kindness Meditation is like that. We
project positive mental energy towards and it gradually transforms them.
Do
I need a teacher to teach me meditation?
A teacher is not
absolutely necessary but personal guidance from someone who is familiar with
mediation is certainly helpful. Unfortunately, some monks and laymen set
themselves up as meditation teachers when they simply don’t know what they are
doing. Try to pick a teacher who has a good reputation, a balanced personality
and one who adheres closely to the Buddha’s teachings.
I have heard that meditation is widely
used today by psychiatrists and psychologists. Is this true?
Yes, it is. Meditation is
now accepted as having a highly therapeutic effect upon the mind and is used by
many professional mental health workers to help induce relaxation, overcome
phobias and bring about self-awareness. The Buddha’s insights into the human
mind are helping people as much today as they did in ancient times.
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