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# 2018-06-18 - How To Meditate by Kathleen McDonald
This book was a gift from a friend, who told me that it is a very
good book about meditation, and a classic. It is my first time
reading about meditation from a Buddhist point of view. It is
written in plain English and has a calm tone. I was interested to
read about the Tibetan classification of meditation techniques into
two categories: stabilizing and analytical. My own practice is
primarily stabilizing. I was also interested in the sections on
karma and negative energy because they were explained from a
psychological perspective. These explanations map pretty clearly to
my other reading about the subconscious mind. My comments are
included within square brackets.
# Preface
Most of the meditation explanations here come from the Mahayana
Buddhist tradition of Tibet, several from the Theravada tradition of
South East Asia, and a few are my own improvisations on Buddhist
themes.
# Chapter 1
Just about everything we do is an attempt to find real happiness and
avoid suffering, The problem is that we see things ... as being the
cause of happiness. But they cannot be--simply because they do not
last. ... at the root of our problems is our fundamentally mistaken
view of reality. We believe instinctively that people and things
exist in and of themselves. Our mistaken idea is deeply ingrained
and habitual; it colors all of our relationships and dealings with
the world. We probably rarely question whether the way we see things
is the way they actually exist, but once we do it will be obvious
that our picture of reality is exaggerated and one-sided; that the
good and bad qualities we see in things are actually created and
projected by our own mind.
According to Buddhism there is lasting, stable happiness, and
everyone has the potential to experience it. The causes of happiness
lie within our own mind, and methods for achieving it can be
practiced by anyone, anywhere, in any lifestyle... By practicing
meditation we can learn to be happy at any time, in any situation,
even difficult and painful ones. Mind is at the heart of Buddhist
theory and practice. It is a nonphysical kind of energy, and its
function is to know, to experience. The key to the mind is
meditation.
# Chapter 2
Meditation is an activity of the mental consciousness. It involves
one part of the mind observing, analyzing, and dealing with the rest
of the mind. Meditation is done for the purpose of transforming the
mind, making it more positive. Meditation is being totally honest
with ourselves: taking a good look at what we are and working with
that in order to become more positive and useful to ourselves and
others.
Tibetan tradition classifies meditation techniques into two
categories: stabilizing and analytical. Stabilizing meditation
develops concentration. Concentration is necessary for any real,
lasting insight and mental transformation. A daily practice can
bring an immediate sense of spaciousness and allow us to see the
workings of our mind more clearly, both during the meditation and
throughout the rest of the day. Analytical meditation develops
insight. Using clear, analytical thought we unravel the complexities
of our attitudes and behavioral patterns. Both types of meditation
are complementary and can be used together in one session.
# Part 2, Chapter 1, Advice for beginners
To experience the benefits of meditation it is necessary to practice
regularly. The importance of being guided by an expert meditator
cannot be over-emphasized. In the beginning it is best to meditate
for short periods. Any means you use to ease physical tension and
improve your ability to sit in meditation is a valuable addition to
your practice. ... feel satisfied that you are making the effort to
meditate and transform your mind--that itself is meditation. As long
as you are trying, it is mistaken to think you can't meditate.
Results take time... Habits built up over a lifetime are not
eliminated instantly but by gradual cultivation of new habits. So be
easy on yourself.
Meditation is an internal, not external, activity. Your practice
will transform your mind on a subtle level, making you more sensitive
and clear, and giving you fresh insight into ordinary day-to-day
experiences. Superficial changes are not natural and are unlikely to
impress anyone, but the deep, natural changes created by meditation
are real and beneficial, both for yourself and others.
# Part 2, Chapter 2, The meditation session
Consider your goals and motivation. Turn to the object of meditation
and keep it firmly in mind throughout the period. Every time you
meditate, even for just a few minutes, you create positive energy and
develop some degree of insight. The effects of this energy and
insight are determined by your thoughts and attitudes as you move
from meditation to ordinary activity.
# Part 2, Chapter 3, Posture
Mind and body are interdependent. Because the state of one affects
the state of the other, a correct sitting posture is emphasized for
meditation. The practice of hatha yoga or other physical disciplines
can be a great help in loosening tight muscles and joints, thus
enabling you to sit more comfortably.
# Part 2, Chapter 4, Common problems
Mental wandering has become a deeply ingrained habit. It is not easy
to give up habits, but we should recognize that this one--this mental
excitement, as it's called--is the very opposite of meditation. As
long as we are busy running in circles on the surface of the mind we
will never penetrate to its depths and never develop the
consciousness we need for perceiving reality.
[The problem of sleep] is related to another of our habits: usually
when we close our eyes and relax our mind and body, it's time to go
to sleep! Remedies: posture, lighting, eyes open half-way [and,
obviously, get enough sleep]
Physical discomfort. Remedies: body sweep focusing on and relaxing
individual parts, breathing into the discomfort and visualizing it
leaving, observing pain as a sensation, amping up the pain then
returning to normal and noticing that it appears reduced, visualize
that you have taken on the pain of other beings freeing them of their
suffering.
Noise pollution. The problem is not so much the noise itself, but
rather how our mind reacts to it. Remedy: recognize what is
happening in your mind and learn to just be aware of the noise
without reacting and making commentary on it. Another technique is
to make mental notes [labels for the type of noise] then let go of
them. You can also [label] reactions you notice in your mind.
Hallucinations - these are normal reactions as the mind adjusts
itself to new activity and nothing to worry about. On the other
hand, do not be attached to such experiences or try to repeat
them--this will only distract you from the real purpose of meditation.
Discouragement. Remedy: patience. Often, new meditators think that
their negative minds are getting worse, not better! And they feel
that it is meditation that has caused this. ... meditation is the way
to purify the mind of what is already there: at first we discover the
gross negativities, then the more subtle ones. So be patient and
don't worry!
# Part 3, Chapter 1, Meditation on breath
Stabilizing meditation is the kind for the purpose of developing
concentration. Concentration is a natural quality of our mind--we
use it when we study, work, watch TV, or read a book. But our
ability is limited. Stabilizing meditation involves focusing the
mind on an object and bringing it back whenever it wanders away. The
breath is one of the best objects to focus on.
Several qualities of the mind are essential in developing good
concentration. Mindfulness is recollection. Discriminating
alertness monitors what is happening moment to moment.
Don't try to control your breath, just breathe normally and gently.
Learn to have a neutral attitude toward your thoughts, noticing but
not reacting.
# Part 3, Chapter 2, Meditation on the clarity of the mind
Meditation on the clarity of the mind is an effective antidote to our
concrete projections [false beliefs]. We can gain a direct
experience of the clear, non-material, transient nature of all
thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, thus weakening the tendency to
identify with them. This meditation is especially effective for
softening our view of our own self. Our intrinsic nature is clear
and pure and is with us 24 hours a day. The negativities that rise
and fall on the ocean of our consciousness are temporary and can be
eliminated.
Have a positive motivation. Do a breathing meditation until your
awareness has become sharp. Then turn your attention to the clarity
of your consciousness. Your consciousness, or mind, is whatever you
are experiencing in the moment: sensations in your body, thoughts,
feelings, perceptions of sounds, and so forth. The nature of each of
these experiences is clarity, without form or color; space-like, pure
awareness. Focus your attention on this clear, pure nature of the
mind.
# Part 3, Chapter 3, Meditation on the continuity of the mind
Each moment of the mind leads uninterruptedly to the next. Buddhism
explains that the mind is without beginning or end...
Contemplate a positive, beneficial motivation. Concentrate on breath
until the mind is quiet and clear. First, take a look at your
present state of mind, at the thoughts and sensations flashing by.
Just observe them in a detached way without clinging to or rejecting
any of them. Now, start to travel backward through time. Briefly
skim over the conscious experiences you have had since waking up this
morning... Try to recall last night's dreams. Continue to trace your
mental experiences to yesterday, two days ago, last week, last month,
last year; two, five, ten years ago. The purpose is to get a feeling
for the mind's continuity. Go back in your life as far back as you
can. Think of your birth, the time you were in the womb, and the
moment of your conception. Consider the different possibilities.
Having reached back into your memory as far as you can, now gently
bring your awareness into the present and again observe the thoughts
and feelings that arise. Finally, try to get some idea of where it
goes from here. Contemplate your mindstream flowing through the rest
of the day, and then tomorrow, the coming days, weeks, and years ...
up until death. What happens then? Consider the different
possibilities.
# Part 4
In analytical meditation we think about and understand intellectually
a particular point, and through stabilizing meditation we gradually
make it a part of our very experience of life.
# Part 4, Chapter 1, Meditation on emptiness
All Buddhist teachings are for the purpose of leading one gradually
to the realization of emptiness. Here emptiness means the emptiness
of inherent, concrete existence; and the total eradication from our
mind of this false way of seeing things marks our achievement of
enlightenment.
We experience not the bare reality of each thing and each person but
an exaggerated, filled-out image of it projected by our own mind.
This mistake marks every one of our mental experiences, is quite
instinctive, and is the very root of all our problems. This
pervasive mental disorder starts with the misapprehension of our own
self. Our adherence to this false "I"--known as self-grasping
ignorance--taints all our dealings with the world. The final
solution is to eliminate this root ignorance--with the wisdom that
realizes the emptiness, in everything we experience, of the false
qualities we project onto things. This is the ultimate
transformation of mind.
There is a conventional, interdependent self that experiences
happiness and suffering, that works, studies, eats, sleeps,
meditates, and becomes enlightened. The first, most difficult task
is to distinguish between this valid "I" and the fabricated one...
w/ the alertness of a spy, slowly and carefully become aware of the
"I". Try to locate it physically, and in your mind. Try to think of
other possibilities.
Apart from this sense of "I" that depends on the every-flowing,
ever-changing streams of body and mind, is there an "I" that is
solid, unchanging, and independent? The mere absence of such an
inherently existing "I" is the emptiness of the self.
# Part 4, Chapter 2, Appreciating our human life
The starting point for many problems is the way we feel about
ourselves and our life. Human existence is very precious, but
normally we fail to appreciate it. Over time we develop and
reinforce an unfair and low opinion of ourselves. We have to accept
our positive as well as our negative traits, and determine to nourish
the good and transform or eliminate the bad aspects of our character.
Eventually we will recognize how fortunate we are to have been born
human.
Contemplate that the nature of your mind is clear and pure, and has
the potential to become enlightened. Or, think of the positive
qualities that you have, and remind yourself that these can be
developed even further, and that you can use your life to bring
benefit and happiness to others. Spend some time contemplating this,
and feel joyful about the potential that lies within you.
Even if your life does not afford as much freedom and comfort as you
would like, and even if you have to live with some very difficult
problems and challenges, no matter where you are and what conditions
you live in, you can always work on your mind.
Once you have seen the disadvantages your life is free of and the
advantages you enjoy, decide how best to use your precious
opportunities. But the most meaningful and beneficial thing you can
do, both for yourself and others, is to develop yourself spiritually:
overcoming the negative aspects of your mind and increasing the
positive, and actualizing your potential for enlightenment. Resolve
to use your life wisely--doing your best to avoid harming others, and
instead helping them as much as you can, and developing your love,
compassion, wisdom, and other positive qualities that will enable you
to actualize your highest potential.
# Part 4, Chapter 3, Meditation on impermanence
Everything in the physical world is impermanent, changing all the
time. Our conscious world is also changing constantly. This
constant change is the reality of things, but we find it very
difficult to accept. We cling especially strongly to our view of our
own personality. By not recognizing impermanence we meet with
frustration, irritation, grief, loneliness, and countless other
problems. We can avoid experiencing them by becoming familiar with
the transitory nature of things, recognizing that they are in a
constant state of flux. Gradually we will learn to expect, and
accept, change as the nature of life. We will also understand that
we have the power to change what we are, to develop and transform our
minds and lives.
After reflecting on the impermanence of your inner world--your own
body and mind--extend your awareness to the outer world. Any time
that you have a clear, strong feeling of the ever-changing nature of
things, hold your attention firmly on it for as long as possible.
Soak your mind in the experience. When the feeling fades or your
attention starts to wander, again analyze the impermanence of either
your body, mind, or another object.
# Part 4, Chapter 4, Death awareness
Buddhism explains death as the separation of mind and body, after
which the body disintegrates and the mind continues to another life.
The conventional self ends... but a different self-image will arise
with the new life. We cling to our self-image as something permanent
and unchanging, and want it to live forever. This wish may not be
conscious... but it is definitely there. The fault is not the wish
to prolong life but the fundamental idea of who or what we really are.
The understanding of emptiness, or the non-existence of an inherent,
permanent self, frees us from fear of death and from all fears and
misconceptions. Until that point is reached, however, it is
important to maintain awareness of impermanence and death. This
meditation forces us to decide what attitudes and activities are truly
worthwhile. If we fail to take death into consideration and thus
fail to prepare for it, we are likely to die with fear and regret...
Awareness of death during life helps us to stay in the present, to
see the past as dream-like and hopes for the future as fantasies. We
will be more stable and content and will enthusiastically make the
most of our life.
There are various ways of meditating on death; the one explained here
involves contemplating nine points. [Take them at your own pace and
group them, if at all, in any way you find most helpful.]
* Everyone has to die.
* Your lifespan is decreasing continuously.
* The amount of time spent during your life to develop your mind is
very small.
* Human life-expectancy is uncertain.
* There are many causes of death.
* The human body is very fragile.
* Your loved ones cannot help.
* Your possessions and enjoyments cannot help.
* Your own body cannot help.
# Part 4, Chapter 5, Meditation on karma
The law of karma is also known as the law of cause and effect. It is
a universal law that applies to all beings... The way it works is
that when we do an action with our body, speech, or mind, a subtle
imprint is left on our mindstream... Later, when we encounter the
right causes and conditions, that mental imprint will manifest in the
form of experiences that occur in our mind... The purpose of
meditating on karma is twofold: 1) to develop the awareness that we
are responsible--we are the creators of our own experiences--and 2)
to learn which actions bring suffering and which actions bring
happiness.
Four aspects, or general principles, of karma to meditate on:
* Karma is definite.
* Karma increases [compounds].
* If we do not do an action, we will not experience its results.
* Karma is never lost.
We clear away negative karma by doing a purification practice.
# Part 4, Chapter 6, Purifying negative karma
The purification process is basically a psychological one... it is
our mind (and on the basis of that, our actions) that creates the
negativity, and it is our mind that transforms it by creating
positive energy. We created the karma, and only we can clean it up.
The practice of purification involves contemplating the four opponent
powers: regret, reliance, remedy, and resolve.
# Part 4, Chapter 7, Meditation on suffering
The Buddhist view on suffering can be summarized as what are known as
the four noble truths.
* Suffering exists.
* Suffering always has a cause.
* There is an end to suffering.
* There is a means to end suffering.
In the meditation, there are three aspects of suffering to
contemplate. Don't just make a mental checklist of the points but
bring your emotion and intuition into the meditation.
* The suffering of suffering.
* The suffering of change.
* All-pervading suffering.
All-pervading suffering: Lacking a direct, intuitive insight into the
true nature of things, we think, speak, and act under the control of
delusions, our habitual negative tendencies.
# Part 4, Chapter 8, Equanimity meditation
We can start to cultivate the mind of enlightenment now, in our
day-to-day lives, by being kind and open to the people we meet: being
patient with them and aware of their needs. It is easy, however, to
deceive ourselves, to play the role of a friendly open person while
hiding our feelings of irritation and intolerance. So it is
important to get in touch with our feelings while also making an
effort to extend ourselves to others, and this is done most
effectively in the concentration of meditation.
The following meditation has us examine our attitudes and feelings
towards other in order to recognize where they are mistaken. This
can lead us gradually to a state of equanimity, in which our mind is
more balanced and less under the control of attachment to loved ones,
aversion and hatred toward enemies, and indifference toward strangers.
Imagine three people in front of you: friend, enemy, and stranger.
For each, ask:
* Why do you feel like/dislike/indifference toward this person?
* Are there good reasons?
* Is you ego involved? Were you helped/harmed/ignored?
* Do you regard this relationship as permanent?
* Are your feelings conditional?
* Consider past/future life relationships.
# Part 4, Chapter 9, Meditation on love
Loving-kindness is a natural quality of the mind where we want others
to be happy. Some meditations involve meditating on an object.
Others involve transforming the mind into the object. So ideally
when we do this meditation our mind truly experiences love. However,
this is something that normally takes time and practice, so don't be
frustrated if you don't feel anything initially. It's enough to
simply think the thoughts and say the words "May you be happy, etc."
By making your mind familiar with these, in time the feeling of love
will arise naturally.
Mentally rehearse loving words and feelings towards your loved ones,
neighbors, and lastly enemies. Conclude the session thinking that
you definitely have the potential to love everyone, even those who
annoy or hurt you, and those you don't even know. Generate a strong
wish to work on your own anger, impatience, selfishness, and the
other problems that prevent you from having such love. Keeping your
mind open and trying to overcome your ego's prejudiced attitudes will
leave much space in your heart for pure, universal love--and thus
happiness for yourself and others--to develop.
# Part 4, Chapter 10, Meditation on compassion and tonglen
Tonglen is Tibetan for giving and taking. One aspect of the thought
transformation teachings is learning how to transform problems and
difficulties into the spiritual path. With the right understanding
and methods we can make problems useful, in the same way that we
recycle garbage or turn it into fertilizer for our garden. The basic
idea is that we meditate on love and compassion, generate the wish
for others to be happy and free from suffering, and then we imagine
taking on the suffering of others and giving them our happiness.
It is advised that we first practice taking on our own suffering.
When we become familiar and comfortable with that, we can then
gradually take on the problems and suffering of others, starting with
people that we already love and care about, then strangers--people we
are more distant from--and eventually even our enemies.
The purpose is to train our mind in love, compassion and to create
the causes to become enlightened, at which point will will truly be
able to help others be free of suffering and attain lasting peace and
happiness.
# Part 4, Chapter 11, Dealing with negative energy
As mindfulness develops we become increasingly sensitive to our
thoughts and feelings. With the right understanding and the right
tools, every experience that arises in our mind, negative as well as
positive, can be a constructive step on the path. Getting caught up
in an emotion or suppressing it are both unskillful approaches, and
only make matters worse. A more skillful approach is to honestly
acknowledge the presence of the emotion and let go. It can help to
analyze the emotion.
* Step 1: Identify the emotion and select an appropriate tool.
* Step 3: Have a healthy, balanced attitude toward the negative
emotion.
* Step 4: Work on the delusions in meditation.
Attachment also known as desire is to want something and not want to
be separated from it. Fulfillment of desire is an illusion; desire
leads to more desire, not satisfaction. Ways to deal with attachment:
* Contemplate the faults of attachment. The attached mind glosses
over the facts and deals with projected fantasies. It cannot see
things clearly and is unable to make intelligent judgments. The
consequences are disappointment and desire.
* Recall impermanence and change.
* Meditate on death.
* Think about emptiness. Try to locate the "I" that experiences
the attachment. Also examine the object of attachment. Both do
not exist in the way they appear.
* Mental dissection and aging of an attractive body.
* Contemplate the suffering experienced by all beings involved in
the production of your food.
Anger is the attitude of wanting to be separate; of wanting to harm.
Anger is usually related to attachment. Suppression is no solution.
The emotions are still there, brewing below the surface of our mind,
making us tense and nervous, and affecting other people. It is also
a mistake to see anger as a natural energy that should not be
restrained but expressed whenever it arises. This disturbs ourselves
and others and establishes a habit. The truly skillful approach is
to recognize the anger or irritation as it arises, keep it within our
mind, and deal with it there. Catching it when we first feel it
defuses [diffuses?] much of the energy. Then we should analyze the
emotion.
* Contemplate the faults or disadvantages of anger.
* Recall karma, cause and effect.
* Put yourself in the other person's place and try to see the
situation from their point of view.
* Buddhist teachings say that we would not see faults in others if
we did not have those faults in ourselves. It takes one to know
one. Other people are therefore like mirrors, showing us what we
meed to work on in ourselves. The solution is to learn to accept
that behavior or quality in yourself. This doesn't mean condoning
it, but being honest and acknowledging it, but at the same time
knowing you can work on decreasing and eventually overcoming it.
* Anger is more likely to arise in our mind when we are unhappy or
dissatisfied. If you notice yourself getting irritated and angry
about even small things, sit down and check what's going on in the
deeper levels of your mind.
* Turn your attention inward and investigate the "I" that is angry.
Analyze where and how it exists. Also investigate the object of
your anger. Try to see that the situation is like a dream:
although it seems very real now, from your point of view at a later
time it will appear distant and faded, a mere memory.
* Difficult situations are usually the most productive in terms of
spiritual growth.
* Contemplate the points of the death meditation.
* Having gained some control over your anger through one of these
methods, you might like to work on developing love.
The above methods involve meditation to try to deal with the anger on
our own; it is also possible to resolve a conflict by communicating
with the other person. This requires care. First consider whether
or not the other person would be open to such communication and if it
would bring positive results. Second we should check on our
motivation very carefully. We need to be very clear about our
intentions and very sincere and honest in explaining our feelings.
This kind of open communication is very powerful and can transform
enemies into friends.
You can physically exercise or pause to dissipate anger prior to
meditation.
Depression is a dark, heavy, unhappy state of mind, self-centered and
lacking in positive energy. The best solution is to analyze our
thought patterns to see how we interpret the situation and try to
recognize where we are wrong. Gradually we can learn to catch
ourselves in time...
* Take a step back from your thoughts and feelings and check what
they are saying. If we are honest with ourselves, we'll recognize
that these thoughts are mistaken or exaggerated. If you can, then
do the meditation on appreciating your human life.
* Meditate on the clarity of your mind.
* Investigate the "I" that feels depression.
* Meditate on love, or compassion and tonglen. Turning outward
will help you be less self-centered, and thus see your problems
more realistically.
* Do one of the visualization meditations.
* A very effective remedy for depression is to get out and help
others. Service and/or physical exercise releases endorphins,
which can be useful when we're too depressed to meditate.
Fear is not necessarily negative, but it can bring negative results.
We should aim to overcome it. The root cause is our misconception of
seeing our "I" and all other things as solid, real, and permanent.
* Look at your fear. Stabilize with breathing meditation. Then
examine and analyze your fear.
* Meditate on death.
* Meditate on suffering.
* Generate an altruistic motivation for the things you do.
* Meditate on emptiness.
* Bring to mind an object of refuge.
# Part 5, Visualization
It is common to find visualization difficult. Too much effort
creates tension, and then the only vision that can appear is
darkness. Too little concentration means the mind is crowded with
distractions, leaving no space for a visualized image. Visualization
utilizes only the mental faculty. We should be satisfied with
whatever does appear, even if it is just a partial image, or a blur
of color, or nothing at all! The important part is feeling the
presence rather than being concerned about having a perfect
visualization.
# Part 5, Chapter 1, Body of light meditation
Visualize a sphere of white light representing universal goodness,
love, and wisdom: the fulfillment of your own highest potential.
Visualize it entering and spreading to fill your entire body,
dissolving your body to become translucent, white light. Concentrate
on the experience of your body as a body of light. Feel serene and
joyful. If any thought or distracting object should appear in your
mind, let it also dissolve into white light. Meditate in this way
for as long as you can.
# Part 5, Chapter 2, Simple purification meditation
Imagine that when you inhale, all the positive energy in the universe
enters your body in the form of pure, blissful, radiant white light.
Visualize this light flowing to every part of your body, filling
every cell and atom, and making you relaxed, light, and blissful. Do
this visualization with every inhalation.
Once you are familiar and comfortable with breathing in the white
light, then begin to breathe out dark smoke with every exhalation.
Imagine that all your negative energy, past mistakes, distorted
conceptions, and disturbing emotions leave your body with the breath
in the form of a dark smoke. You can transform distractions into
dark smoke and breathe them out into oblivion.
# Part 5, Chapter 3, Meditation on Tara, the Buddha of enlightened
# activity
Visualize and pray to Tara, the manifestation of all that is
positive. Recite the mantra Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha. Tara is the
wisdom of reality, and all buddhas and bodhisattvas are born from
this wisdom. This wisdom is the fundamental cause of happiness, and
of our spiritual growth.
# Part 5, Chapter 4, Meditation on Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of
# compassion
Expand your awareness to take in the troubles and pain of all other
beings. Visualize Avalokiteshvara, the manifestation of pure,
unobstructed compassion, love, and wisdom. Pray to Avalokiteshvara
and recite the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum.
# Part 5, Chapter 5, Inner heat meditation
Visualize the central channel as a transparent, hollow tube, a
finger's breadth in diameter, running straight down through the
center of the body, just in front of the spinal column, from the
crown of your head to the base of your spine. Next visualize the
right and left lateral channels, slightly thinner than the central
one, starting from the right and left nostrils, traveling upward to
the top of the head and then curving over to run downward on each
side of the central channel, joining the central channel at a point
approximately four fingers' breadth below the level of the navel.
Stabilize this visualization.
Imagine a red-hot ember inside the central channel at the level of
the navel. Really feel its intense heat. In order to increase the
heat, contract the muscles of the pelvic floor, concentrating on the
internal rather than the external muscles, to bring energy up to the
ember. Take full breath through the nostrils, traveling down to join
the heat. As you stop inhaling, immediately swallow and push down
gently with your diaphragm to firmly compress the energy and lock it
in. Now, hold your breath for as long as it is comfortable to do so.
Repeat the cycle rhythmically seven times, the intensity of the heat
growing with every breath. At the seventh inhalation, imagine that
the now burning hot ember explodes into flames. They shoot up the
central channel, completely consuming and purifying the deluded
energy along the way. At the crown they melt and release a silvery,
blissful energy, which pours down the purified central channel. When
it meets the blazing ember at the navel level, there is an explosion
of bliss. This blissful heat flows out to every atom and cell of
your body, completely filling you, making your mind very happy. Just
relax and enjoy it.
# Part 6, Prayers and other devotional practices
To be devoted to one's family, friends, or work is to have love,
care, and responsibility. In this sense it means going beyond our
usual narrow, self-centered thoughts and concerns, and dedicating our
energy to others. In Buddhism faith is a positive mental state, and
is explained as clarity, conviction, and aspiration with regard to
someone or something that exists (as opposed to something imaginary)
and has excellent qualities or abilities. It is association with
refuge, the first step on the path to liberation and awakening.
Refuge is the attitude of relying upon, or turning to, something for
guidance and help. Buddhist refuge involves discovering and
utilizing the unlimited potential that lies within each of us. Inner
refuge is refuge in ourselves, in our ultimate potential. Outer
refuge is appreciating and relying on the three jewels:
* Buddha, the enlightened state itself.
* Dharma, wisdom.
* Sangha, spiritual community.
# Part 6, Chapter 1, Prayers
# Part 6, Chapter 2, Explanation of prayers
# Part 6, Chapter 3, A short meditation on the graduated path to
# enlightenment
# Part 6, Chapter 4, Meditation on the Buddha
# Part 6, Chapter 5, Meditation on the Healing Buddha
# Part 6, Chapter 6, Meditation on the eight verses of thought
# transformation
# Part 6, Chapter 7, Prayer to Tara
# Part 6, Chapter 8, Vajrasattva purification
# Part 6, Chapter 9, The eight Mahayana precepts [IOW, no fun
# allowed]
# Part 6, Chapter 10, Prostrations to the thirty-five Buddhas
author: McDonald, Kathleen, 1952-
(HTM) detail: https://www.wisdompubs.org/book/how-to-meditate
LOC: BQ5612 .M33
tags: book,buddhist,meditation,non-fiction,spirit
title: How To Meditate
# Tags
(DIR) book
(DIR) buddhist
(DIR) meditation
(DIR) non-fiction
(DIR) spirit