A Short Course in Buddhist Meditation

The Method:
1. Begin by sitting in a comfortable position with the back straight and the head tilted slightly down. Let your eyes be either gently closed or just slightly open; enough to be aware of some light yet unfocused from your surroundings.
2. Breathe only through the nose and bring your attention gently to the sensation of in and out breathing at the tip of the nose, letting the breath be natural and even. Be aware of how the breath feels, long or short, fast or slow. If it feels uncomfortable, let it gradually adjust until it feels easy and natural.
3. As you remain focused on the breath, awareness of other sensations will arise. Simply let your awareness of them be experienced through abiding with the breath. Allow them to rise and fall away naturally.
A) As Sensations of the body arise, feelings or tactile sensations and sensations of sight, hearing and smell; notice these through the rising and falling of the breath.
B) As perception arises with its recognition of particular things; simply bring your attention back to the sensation of breathing in and out, feeling your chest rise and fall naturally.
C) As thoughts arise, thoughts of today, recollections of past events, thoughts of things yet to be done. Do not follow these but simply watch them arise and fall through the sensation of breathing in and out.
4. Allow yourself to feel peaceful and at ease.
5. Through the awareness of the rising and falling of the breath, let your awareness gradually expand throughout the entire body; notice how the body feels with the gentle movement of the breath. Let your awareness spread evenly and gradually, so that there is a sense of calmness and unity.

There are four postures of meditating.  Those are:

1.Sitting Meditation 

2.Standing Meditation

3.Walking Meditation and

4.Reclining Meditation. 

There are 2 main kinds of meditation in Buddhism.  The first one is called Samatha or Tranquility Meditation while the second one is called Vipassa or Insight Meditation.

How to practice Tranquility Meditation ?

Samatha Meditation is the way that we try to calm down our minds.  Normally our minds are traveling, wandering all the time.  It's very hard to stop our minds from thinking but it's possible.  Can we stop our minds from traveling?  Yes, of course.  How can we stop it?  And what are we going to get if we can stop our minds from thinking?   First of all, go and find your spot. Sit down in a crossed leg position.  Place your left palm on your lap, right palm on your left.  Straighten your back.  Gently close your eyes.  Take three deep breaths and then breathe normally.  Focus your mind at the tip of your nose.  When breathing in, recite the word "Bud" , (pronounce bood) while breathing out recite the word "Dho" .  Keep reciting this for at least 45 minutes.  Your mind will calm down and will reach the stillness.  At that time, you will feel more relaxed, light and contented.  Your will find that your mind is very hard to control at the beginning but if you keep trying, you will see that you mind will calm down little by little.  When you get used to, it'll be easy.  The more you practice, the more stable your mind is.  When it becomes stable, it's good for Vipassana Meditation or to use for some other purposes, like reading, writing, driving etc. 

How to practice Vipassana Meditation ?

Vipasana or Insight Meditation is the second step that you should practice after you have experienced the first one.   The purpose of Insight meditation is to gain wisdom. When you gain wisdom, you can use it in the way that you want to but the wisdom that you need here is to see things as they really are, particularly to see all things as impermanent, suffering, and non- self.  Just like our bodies, we have to see them as they are, namely, to see them as impermanent.  Our bodies are the subject that has to change all the time.  It changes from being a child in youth, from youth to old age and from old age to death.  It is suffering.  Our bodies cannot stay like that forever.  They need to change.  For example, you cannot sit or stand for all the time.  You need to change your posture.  It's non-self.  Because our bodies are just a component which is composed of organs like the arms, hands, head, ears, eyes and so on.  And they stay just for a period of time.  When you die, your body will revert to the four fundamental elements. While we are living, the mind will control you as they want.  For example, when you see a pretty girl, you will have a craving desire because you cling to the thought of her body (which you shouldn't cling to). When some body scolds you, you will get mad because you don't like that person.   So, to practice Insight Meditation is to gain more wisdom.  If you have more wisdom, you can use your wisdom to get rid all the defilements.  If you can get rid all the defilements, you can become a noble person just like the Buddha's disciples.