Buddhist Meditation Archives - Mindworks Meditation

Buddhism was founded in India over 2500 years ago by Prince Siddhartha who became the historical Buddha. His teachings on how to work with mind through meditation practice have spread throughout the world. There are many traditions and types of Buddhist meditation, but all contain the essence of this practice. As a complete spiritual path, he taught for over 40 years on many topics from morality to philosophy, to what we now call psychology and epistemology.

Buddhism is not a religion in that it is non-theistic, focusing on the evolution of a person from confusion in their transformation to a more present, kind and wakeful state. Mindworks founders and Mind Trainers all are deeply committed practitioners of Buddhist meditation, and have dedicated their lives to sharing with others the insights and benefits it provides.

Meditation Benefits for the Mind and Body

2021-11-22T19:06:53-08:00By Trungram Gyalwa, PhD|

Our minds and our bodies are connected. If we’re unhappy for an extended time, our bodies become weaker and more susceptible to illness. In the same way, when we’re physically run down, it adversely affects our minds. If you have a healthy, peaceful mind, your perception of the world reflects that. You make informed [...]

Opening the Heart to Love

2022-04-19T16:58:44-07:00By Vinny Ferraro|

4 Heart Practices Meditation I think when I first came to practice, probably for the first couple years, I sat there and I thought about meditation. I thought that was what I was supposed to be doing. To imagine: what would it be like if I was meditating? It would probably be like this. [...]

What is Spiritual Meditation?

2022-04-30T19:39:07-07:00By Mindworks Team|

At its core, spiritual meditation is the mindful practice of connection to something that is greater, vaster, and deeper than the individual self. It may seem paradoxical, but the path to that connection passes through honest self-reflection. While there are many meditation techniques that look to increase spiritual awareness, they all require an attitude of [...]

Does Meditation Make You Happy?

2021-12-10T05:22:26-08:00By Trinlay Rinpoche|

What do we all have in common? What motivates us? What is it that we’re all striving for? We’re all looking to avoid pain, difficulties and dissatisfaction. We all want to be comfortable and happy, and experience a sense of well-being in our lives. But most of us are looking for happiness in the wrong places. [...]

What is This Thing We Call Self?

2022-05-21T06:02:17-07:00By Bart Mendel|

We Are Not What We Think (And The Idea of Selflessness) We know from our experience that everything is always changing. We wake up in the morning feeling one way, but what we think and feel an hour later is very different. What we think about someone, or our job, or our life today isn’t [...]

What Is Buddhist Meditation?

2022-04-18T20:33:46-07:00By Mindworks Team|

There are many forms of meditation and many ideas about what meditation is. While different spiritual paths may associate meditation with contemplation, prayer or other practices, Buddhist meditation is generally associated with mindfulness and awareness. Indeed, although there are a lot more forms of Buddhist meditation than you might think, they all have mindfulness as [...]

Understanding Empathy and Compassion

2022-04-19T16:59:14-07:00By Julia Stenzel|

Compassion is a multidimensional process with four key components Compassion is the heartfelt wish to help others become free of their suffering. In Buddhist teachings on the Four Immeasurable qualities, compassion is the wish that everyone be relieved of suffering and the causes of suffering. Its twin sister, lovingkindness, is the wish to see everybody [...]

How Meditation and Morality are Connected

2022-06-24T19:42:24-07:00By Mindworks Team|

In Buddhism and other ancient traditions, including yoga, training in morality is considered a precursor to meditation practice. At the same time, it’s understood that meditating can strengthen our capacity to act in an ethical manner. Meditation and morality go hand in hand, and each supports the practice of the other. The practice and development [...]

The Contemplative Approach to Compassion

2021-05-24T06:02:14-07:00By Lama Jampa Thaye|

How to develop compassion in a contemplative way, free from suffering The best approach to compassion is probably through love. Love takes us out of ourselves and opens our hearts to others. And when we develop love—the wish that others have happiness and the causes of happiness—we experience joy. With love, we become cheerful, resilient [...]

Contemplating Lovingkindness

2022-04-19T17:00:29-07:00By Lama Jampa Thaye|

The causes of happiness and the role of love in developing connections One of the main causes of happiness is in relationship and openness to others. So how do we get that? How do we move from a sense of self-sufficiency and a rather disregarding attitude to others to what I suggest is the route [...]

What Are the Four Foundations of Mindfulness?

2022-04-18T20:46:57-07:00By Mindworks Team|

Shifting our full attention to the mind itself with direct experience Mindfulness meditation teaches us to be present with whatever arises, accept it without judgment, and allow it to pass. We typically practice mindfulness meditation by choosing a single point of focus, such as breath, and observing it while letting go of distractions if and [...]

Unleashing the Goodness of Mind

2022-04-30T19:42:25-07:00By Tsony Devroux|

Refine Your Mind's Qualities and Potential with Meditation Practice One beautiful thing about the mind is that it doesn’t have to be become anything else. You might think of it as a gold nugget that you’ve discovered. Let’s assume that you recognize it as gold even though it appears to be rather lackluster and ordinary. [...]

What is A Bodhisattva?

2022-04-19T17:01:26-07:00By Mindworks Team|

What is the Meaning of Bodhisattva? Definition, Origins & Practices The bodhisattva seated in meditation is among the most iconic Buddhist images. If you’ve been learning about meditation, you may be wondering what does bodhisattva mean? In brief, a bodhisattva is anyone who has dedicated their own awakening to the benefit of all others. There [...]

Learn by Doing Nothing: Emotions and Thoughts in Meditation

2022-04-30T19:40:42-07:00By Tsony Devroux|

How do you practice being present in every moment of your life? Through meditation we learn that we can relate to our emotions with a more natural attitude. Once we’ve developed a meditative foundation of being present in the moment, the next step is to recognize that our emotions are not forced upon us. We [...]

Tonglen Meditation – How to Practice

2022-04-19T17:01:57-07:00By Pamela Gayle White|

Laying a foundation for active compassion in your meditation practice Tonglen is an ancient form of meditation that focuses on compassion: connecting with it, developing it, and learning how to apply it in everyday life. The practice centers on imagining that as we exhale, we are sharing the light of well-being and its causes with [...]

Lovingkindness and Compassion Meditation

2022-04-19T17:03:02-07:00By Bart Mendel|

How is lovingkindness different from love in meditation practice? In our culture, “love” is a loaded word. We usually think of love as a very positive emotion that should be cultivated, but most of the time it’s very conditional. In other words: I love this about you, but I don’t love that. Or I’ll love [...]

Buddhist Meditation Techniques & Practices

2021-05-24T02:17:09-07:00By Mindworks Team|

You probably know that the increasingly popular practices of mindfulness and meditation share Buddhist roots. But did you know that there are many different schools of Buddhism, each with its own meditation techniques and methods? This is because after the time of the historic Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, in the 6th century BCE, Buddhism spread [...]

The Four Qualities of a Wise and Open Heart

2022-04-19T17:04:48-07:00By Mindworks Team|

What are the Four Immeasurables in Buddhism? — An Introduction As meditators, we spend a lot of time practicing the art of presence. We develop the ability to observe our inner workings without getting caught up in judging or manipulating whatever arises in the mindstream. We also learn to use our mindful stability to investigate the mind [...]

Lovingkindness Meditation – A Daily Script

2021-05-14T11:31:16-07:00By Mindworks Team|

A simple and profound lovingkindness meditation to practice every day What is lovingkindness meditation? Often presented as a complement to mindfulness meditation, most formal, guided lovingkindness meditations are rooted in an ancient Buddhist practice called metta (which translates as lovingkindness). Here we’re going to focus on a meditation you can use to familiarize yourself with [...]

What is Zen Meditation? Benefits & Techniques

2021-05-14T11:31:16-07:00By Mindworks Team|

Zen meditation is an ancient Buddhist tradition that dates back to the Tang Dynasty in 7th century China. From its Chinese origins it spread to Korea, Japan and other Asian lands where it continues to thrive. The Japanese term “Zen” is a derivative of the Chinese word Ch’an, itself a translation of the Indian [...]

What is Selflessness?

2022-04-18T12:10:32-07:00By Julia Stenzel|

Developing a deeper awareness of selflessness through compassion When we think about our life, about our experience, who we are and how we interact, do we think that we are individuals? Or do we think of ourselves as being part of a greater whole? We probably think that both are true. Aloneness is undeniable; we [...]

The Great Message of Impermanence

2021-05-14T11:31:17-07:00By Lama Jampa Thaye|

Change and the law of impermanence — Life's great wake-up call One of the most powerful things about being alive is that we’re directly confronted with change. We’re confronted with the fact that we stand on a ground that is constantly shifting; we're breathing air that is constantly changing. There's nothing really solid that we [...]

What is merit . . . . . and how can I get some?

2021-10-10T20:28:20-07:00By Pamela Gayle White|

The wisdom of generosity Merit, as defined across cultures, is the result of good actions or deeds. If you’re familiar with scouting, you’ll know that there are dozens and dozens of merit badges that scouts can earn by learning about things, applying that knowledge and doing something positive with it. So merit is something that’s [...]

Finding Your Mantra

2021-05-14T11:31:17-07:00By Mindworks Team|

Personal mantras explained: their use and benefits What is a mantra? A mantra is a word or phrase that is repeated to bring out its positive, transformative energy. Mantras can be as short as one syllable or as long as a paragraph. They can be repeated in one’s mother tongue or in their source language. [...]

Compassion Overcomes Fear

2022-04-19T17:07:31-07:00By Trungram Gyalwa, PhD|

Freedom from fear comes from lovingkindness and compassion Compassion is the foundation of all goodness. It’s beyond culture, beyond language, beyond religion, beyond time, and beyond space. It’s also beyond humanity because other species demonstrate this quality as well. No matter how fierce and aggressive some of them may be towards other species, they are [...]

Self-Esteem and Meditation

2021-05-14T17:21:44-07:00By Tokpa Korlo|

Discovering Genuine Confidence and Self-Worth through Meditation Self-esteem or self-worth come from knowing, unwaveringly, that you are who you are and that you belong. There’s a contentment, a confidence, not in an arrogant sense but an honest one. When you are at ease with your place in the world, there’s no need to compare yourself [...]

Patience is Power

2021-12-06T10:19:19-08:00By Mindworks Team|

What can meditation teach me about the power of patience? Modern society doesn’t know quite what to make of patience. On the one hand, patience may not seem to be assertive or driven enough, while on the other it’s known to be a virtue of the wise. As Master Po tells his student in the [...]

Change is the Great Leveler

2021-11-30T17:01:10-08:00By Lama Jampa Thaye|

Recognizing the law of impermanence: Come back to this present moment What meditation does, to put it very dramatically but, I think, correctly, is allow us to experience birth and death in every moment. Ordinarily, we cling so much to the idea of solidity that we don’t notice that we’re changing right now (whether we [...]

This Precious Human Life

2021-05-14T11:33:50-07:00By Mindworks Team|

We’re human—how fortunate and precious! Now what? Reflecting on the preciousness of being born human is an exercise in gratitude and in defining priorities. Here we are, human beings able to make life choices, to try them on for size, and to adjust where necessary. Among those choices, we have access to spiritual teachings and [...]

Power to Change the Future: Our Karmic Plate

2021-10-10T20:29:01-07:00By Lama Jampa Thaye|

Meditation can change the trajectory of our lives The idea of karma is that what we’ve got on our plate right now has been concocted out of the thousands of choices we’ve made all along the line. These choices then motivated actions that contributed to who we are, with all of our strengths and weaknesses. [...]

Transforming the Mind Through the Three Practices

2022-01-08T20:26:00-08:00By Mindworks Team|

Benefits of integrating discipline, meditation and wisdom Many people are initially drawn to meditation because of its proven physical and mental health benefits. Once practice has become a regular part of your life, you may begin to suspect that the anticipated benefits are just the beginning—and you’d be right. Wondering where meditation could lead you? [...]

Meditation: Discovering the Gold Mine Within

2021-11-01T16:58:39-07:00By Trinlay Rinpoche|

All emotions are related to worries about the self. That’s ego: the fact that you are always concerned about your self. Take depression and fear, for example. These emotions arise due to a way of thinking or to a situation you’re dealing with. Is it possible for you to analyze the situation? What are the [...]

Noting Meditation Practice

2021-05-14T11:33:50-07:00By Pamela Gayle White|

How to use labels to make a busy mind more manageable Oh, those pesky thoughts. When we’re in deep meditation, thoughts, sensations and emotions can feel like the distant drone of bumblebees. They’re familiar and benign; we’re aware of them, but they don’t pull us out of our practice and sense of well-being. Often, however, [...]

What is Vipassana Meditation?

2022-01-08T20:27:03-08:00By Mindworks Team|

Vipassana meditation, also known as insight or awareness meditation, is best summarized by Socrates’s famous maxim “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” The goal of vipassana is to give us insight into the true nature of our experiences. 2500 years ago, the Buddha discovered that knowledge, insight and goodness are the only reliable [...]

Listen, Reflect, Meditate

2021-08-22T15:32:58-07:00By Mindworks Team|

The Power of Contemplative Practice If meditation in general and mindfulness in particular are so popular nowadays, it’s because the cat’s out of the bag: meditative practices are good for us. They improve mental and physical health. They support positive qualities such as patience, resilience and the ability to focus. They boost creativity and self-awareness. [...]

How to Meditate: Tibetan Buddhism

2021-05-14T11:33:53-07:00By Mindworks Team|

As Buddhist meditation and philosophy spread throughout the East many hundreds of years ago, they acquired the flavors of the lands where they took root. Today, when you look at some of the Buddhist meditation techniques of Japan, Indochina, Sri Lanka and Tibet, for example, there are certainly similarities, but there are also some notable [...]

Understanding Karma – Cause and Effect

2021-08-09T20:51:14-07:00By Bart Mendel|

Meditation on karma, motivation and result Karma is something that’s often totally misunderstood. When most people hear the word karma, they associate it with the idea of fate: “It’s your karma. There’s nothing you can do about it.” But the true sense of karma is exactly the opposite. Karma can change. If we want to [...]

The Meaning of Mindfulness and Awareness

2021-05-14T11:34:48-07:00By Mindworks Team|

Mindfulness and awareness are the foundations of meditation. But what’s the difference? If the term “mindfulness” is now part of the zeitgeist, “awareness” is somewhat harder to pin down. In the context of meditation, both mindfulness and awareness are essential. In fact, the journey to understanding the mind and how to work with it [...]