Buddhist Meditation Techniques & Practices

Category: Buddhist Meditation | Buddhist Path | Popular | Types of Meditation

Three approaches to Buddhist meditation:

• Shamatha: develop calmness, clarity and steadiness through mindfulness practice.
• Metta or lovingkindness: cultivate goodwill toward yourself and extend it to others.
• Contemplative meditation: reflect on teachings that inspire and inform practice.

If you’re wondering where to begin, see guided Buddhist meditation for beginners below.

How Do Buddhists Meditate?

The many schools of Buddhism offer different approaches to meditation. All arise from the Buddha’s insights into the nature of existence, the causes of suffering and happiness, and how to live a wholesome and constructive life.

As Buddhism spread across Asia and beyond, its practices took root in different cultures. Today, Tibetan visualization practices, Zen, vipassana, Pure Land and Nichiren, among others, are taught in many parts of the world.

Below are three Buddhist meditation practices to explore. Each offers a way to bring the teachings into your own experience.

Shamatha

Shamatha (mindfulness) is a well-known Buddhist practice that focuses on developing calmness, clarity and equanimity. With the proper guidance and commitment, the cultivation of these qualities can ultimately lead to deep inner peace. When combined with vipassana (awareness) practices, it can lead to profound insights and spiritual awakening. The initial stages of mindfulness meditation are essentially non-denominational and can be practiced by anyone, regardless of their faith tradition.

The basis of shamatha, or mindfulness meditation, is as follows:

• Sit in a comfortable meditation posture: find a pose that doesn’t hurt your back or knees. Watch our Take Your Seat video or see our post to learn about the best Buddhist meditation postures. Keep your back straight and try to find a happy medium between too rigid and too relaxed.
• Observe your breath: You don’t have to manipulate your breath, use abdominal breathing or have long, deep in-breaths and out-breaths. Just breathe normally and pay attention to your breathing process, one breath at a time. Keep your awareness focused but be gentle; you should have an attitude of discovering and making friends with yourself.
• Acknowledge the thoughts that pop into your mind without engaging them. Simply observe them and let go. Come back to the breath. We call this “touch and go.” Let the thought arise, touch on it gently, and then let it go.

Check out our article on vipassana meditation for more information.

2. Metta or lovingkindness

Another popular method for how to practice Buddhist meditation is Metta, or lovingkindness, meditation. There are many different forms of this meditation as well. They begin with a period of śamatha to get the mind settled and receptive.

In one technique, we begin by directing wishes for well-being and lovingkindness toward ourselves. Then we open it out and direct lovingkindness towards a person or pet that we love. Then someone we feel neutral about, followed by somebody we have problems with or even an enemy. Ultimately our love flows equally towards all beings everywhere, regardless of how we feel about them. This form of meditation is about feeling the love and radiating out until the distinct edges that usually categorize us as “me, friend, enemy, etc.” fade away and what is left is benevolence, pure and simple.

We might repeat slogans or mantras that inspire our practice, such as “May my love for myself and others flow freely.” Or “May I and all living beings be safe, happy and peaceful.” A traditional Buddhist invocation called the four immeasurables starts with “May all beings find happiness and the cause of happiness. May they be free from suffering and the cause of suffering.” After a period of active metta practice, we sit in quiet awareness for a time. The full experience of this practice is highly transformative. For continued study, Level 3: Lovingkindness in Journey to Compassion explores the four immeasurables. This course is for students who have completed another Mindworks Journey and the preceding Compassion levels.

3. Contemplative meditation

The Buddhist teachings share some fundamental beliefs. Practitioners are encouraged to reflect on them in a focused, contemplative manner. This contemplation may be integrated into a practice session. One of the best-known contemplations is called “The Four Thoughts that Transform the Mind.” Their purpose is to give us a good reason to sit down and practice rather than, for example, spend the next two hours on social media or in a shopping mall. These four thoughts, in brief, are:

• I can choose to devote my energy to developing wisdom, compassion and the power to benefit others. Many people in other situations, as well as other forms of life such as animals, don’t have this possibility. I recognize the preciousness of this opportunity and vow not to waste it.
• But who knows how long this precious life will last? Everything changes. My entire existence depends on an out-breath being followed by an in-breath. No time to waste!
• Everything that exists has a cause, and every action has consequences. This speaks to the truth of interdependence – and means that our actions have more of an impact than we might imagine.
• At one point or another, we will be separated from all of the material things we’re attached to. So much effort, so little lasting gain! Doesn’t it make more sense to focus our energy on being of benefit by developing the precious qualities of wisdom, compassion, and spiritual skills? May my meditation practice help me reach this goal!

Guided Buddhist Meditation for Beginners

If you’re beginning Buddhist meditation and aren’t sure how to go about it, try following a guided meditation. It offers a way to learn through listening and practice, with a teacher leading you through the session.

You might also join a local meditation class. It’s a way to learn alongside other practitioners and share questions and experience. Our companion article, What Is Buddhist Meditation?, explores the purpose and motivation behind these practices.

Mindworks Buddhist meditation courses provide guidance for new and experienced practitioners. For a free introduction, Explore the Buddhist Path draws on Journey to Liberation, with 5 days of teachings, guided meditation and contemplation.

Explore the Buddhist Path — Free Five-Day Course

About the Author: Mindworks Mind Trainers

Articles under the Mindworks Mind Trainers byline are collaborative works involving two or more Mind Trainers in writing, editing and production. They draw on many years of meditation practice, Buddhist study, and experience applying meditation to the challenges of daily life. Bringing together multiple experienced perspectives reflects the Mindworks approach to learning: many voices contributing to a coherent path of study and practice. Learn more about Mindworks Mind Trainers here.