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The following six meditations are traditional and simple
practices for awakening a clear mind and a wise and open heart. The art of meditation
teaches us to relax and remain alert in the midst of the problems and the joys of life. It
allows us to rest in the moment with ease and respond to life with compassion.
A SITTING MEDITATION
Let Your Mind Settle Like a Clear Forest Pool
To begin
meditation, select a quiet time and place. Be seated on a cushion or chair, taking an
erect yet relaxed posture. Let yourself sit upright with the quiet dignity of a king or
queen. Close your eyes gently and begin by bringing a full, present attention to whatever
you feel within you and around you. Let your mind be spacious and your heart be kind and
soft.
As you sit, feel the sensations of your body. Then notice what sounds come and go, to rise
and fall like the waves of the ocean. Be aware of the waves and rest seated in the midst
of them. Allow yourself to become more and more still.
In the centre of all these waves, feel your breathing, your life-breath. Let your
attention feel the in-and-out breathing wherever you notice it, as coolness or tingling in
the nose or throat, as a rising and falling of your chest or abdomen. Relax and softly
rest your attention on each breath, feeling the movement in a steady easy way. Let the
breath breathe itself in any rhythm, long or short, soft or deep. As you feel each breath,
concentrate and settle into its movement. Let all other sounds and sensations, thoughts
and feelings continue to come and go like waves in the background.
After a few breaths, your attention may be carried away by one of the waves of thoughts or
memories, by body sensations or sounds. Whenever you notice you have been carried away for
a time, acknowledge the wave that has done so by softly giving it a name such as
"planning," "remembering," "itching," "restless."
Then let it pass and gently return to the breath. Some waves will take a long time to
pass, others will be short. Certain thoughts or feelings will be painful, others will be
pleasurable. Whatever they are, let them be.
At some sittings you will be able to return to your breath easily. At other times in your
meditation you will mostly be aware of body sensations or of plans or thoughts. Either way
is fine. No matter what you experience, be aware of it, let it come and go, and rest at
ease in the midst of it all. After you have sat for twenty or thirty minutes in this way,
open your eyes and look around before you get up. Then as you move try to allow the same
spirit of awareness to go with you into the activities of your day.
The art of meditation is simple but not always easy. It thrives on practice and a kind and
spacious heart. If you do this simple practice of sitting with awareness every day, you
will gradually grow in centredness and understanding.
A WALKING MEDITATION
When You Walk, Just Walk
The natural ease
of walking can be used as a direct and simple way to bring centredness and peace into our
life. Walking becomes a meditation when we bring a careful and present attention to each
step we take. Walking becomes a meditation when we feel ourselves fully here on the earth.
To learn walking meditation, select a place to walk back and forth at a leisurely rate,
fifteen to thirty paces in length. Stand at the end of this "walking path". Feel
your feet on the floor, on the earth. Sense the environment around you. Be aware of
yourself and your surroundings until you feel quiet and composed. Then begin to walk.
Focus your attention on your body, feeling each step as you lift your foot and place it
back on the earth. As you sense each step, return your foot to the earth with care. Walk
upright in a relaxed and dignified fashion. When you get to the end of your path, pause
briefly and then turn around. Stand and centre yourself then and be aware of the first
step as you begin again. You can walk at whatever speed keeps you most present.
Walk with careful attention to each step for fifteen to thirty paces in length. Stand at
the end of this "walking path". Feel your feet on the floor, on the earth. Sense
the environment around you. Be aware of yourself and your surroundings until you feel
quiet and composed. Then begin to walk. Focus your attention on your body, feeling each
step as you lift your foot and place it back on the earth. As you sense each step, return
your foot to the earth with care. Walk upright in a relaxed and dignified fashion. When
you get to the end of your path, pause briefly and then turn around. Stand and centre
yourself then and be aware of the first step as you begin again. You can walk at whatever
speed keeps you most present.
Walk with careful attention to each step for fifteen or twenty minutes. Usually when we
walk we are distracted by a hundred other things. As you walk in meditation, try to let
the thoughts and images that arise remain in the background. Even so, you will regularly
get carried away by thoughts. When this happens, simply stop walking and be aware of the
thoughts. Then quietly re-centre yourself and take the next step. Keep coming back to your
footsteps in this simple way. At times you may wish to do a period of walking meditation
alone. On other days you might walk for ten or fifteen minutes before beginning a sitting
meditation.
After some practice you can learn to use walking meditation to calm and collect yourself,
to become truly present in your body. You can extend this walking practice in informal
ways, when you go shopping, when you walk down the street or to and from your car. You can
learn to enjoy walking for its own sake instead of combining it with the usual planning
and thinking. In this simple way you can move through life wakefully, with your whole
body, heart, and mind together in harmony.
AN EATING MEDITATION
When You Eat, Just Eat
Eating meditation
is a way to learn to eat with a respectful attention to your food and your body. It is
easiest to begin in silence, although with practice you can learn to eat mindfully in any
circumstance.
To start eating meditation, place your food in front of you and sit quietly. Reflect on
the source of the food. Be aware of your body and especially of your own feelings of
hunger. Notice how you feel about putting this particular food into your body at this
moment.
W hen you feel fully present and connected with yourself, begin to eat slowly. In a
relaxed way be aware of each aspect of eating. Be aware of lifting the food to your mouth,
of chewing, of tasting, of swallowing. Notice if you feel hurried. Take your time, taste
each bite carefully. Be aware of the flavours, the textures, the feelings that arise with
each mouthful. Pause for a moment before the next bite. Continue your meal with this same
mindful attention to everything you eat, until you come to the end.
Notice when you start to feel full. Your stomach may tell you it is full first, even when
your tongue or eyes want more. Your thoughts may tell you to finish everything on your
plate, or that you are eating too much. If you can, don't follow these habits but listen
to your whole body. Let yourself be guided by this attention. Practice this eating
meditation when you can during the week. Even one meal eaten this way is a wonderful
reminder of a mindful life.
LOVING KINDNESS
MEDITATION
With a loving heart
as the background, all that we attempt, all that we encounter will open and flow more
easily. Loving kindness meditation uses phrases, images, and feelings to evoke a loving
kindness and friendliness toward oneself and others. It is best to begin this practice by
meditating for fifteen or twenty minutes daily in a quiet place.
Sit in a comfortable fashion. Let your body rest and be relaxed. Let your heart be soft,
letting go of plans and preoccupations. Then begin to recite inwardly the following
phrases directed to yourself. You begin with yourself because without loving yourself it
is almost impossible to love others.
May I be filled
with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
As you repeat
these phrases, you can picture yourself as a young and beloved child, or sense yourself as
you are now, held in a heart of loving kindness. Adjust the words and images in any way
you need to find the exact phrases that best open your heart of kindness. Repeat the
phrases over and over again, letting the feelings permeate your body and mind. Practice
this meditation for a number of weeks, until the sense of loving kindness for yourself
grows.
Be aware that this meditation may at times feel mechanical or awkward or even bring up
feelings contrary to loving kindness, feelings of irritation and anger. If this happens,
it is especially important to be patient and kind toward yourself, allowing whatever
arises to be received in a spirit of friendliness and kind affection.
When you feel you have established some sense of loving kindness, you can then expand your
meditation to include others in the same meditation period. After focusing on yourself
choose someone in your life who has truly cared for you. Picture this person and carefully
recite the same phrases: May he/she be filled with loving kindness, and so forth.
When loving kindness for this person has developed, begin to include other people you love
in the meditation, picturing each one and reciting the same phrases, evoking a sense of
loving kindness for them.
After this you can include others: friends, community members, neighbours, people
everywhere, animals, all beings, the whole earth. Then you can even include the difficult
people in your life, wishing that they too be filled with loving kindness and peace. In
the course of twenty minutes your meditation can open from yourself, to loved ones, to all
beings everywhere.
Loving kindness can be practiced anywhere. You can use this meditation in traffic jams, in
buses and airplanes. As you silently practice this meditation among people, you will
immediately feel a wonderful connection with them - the power of loving kindness. It will
calm your life and keep you connected to your heart.
FORGIVENESS
MEDITATION
The act of
forgiveness is one of the great gifts of spiritual life. It enables us and the world to be
released from the sorrows of the past. Forgiveness is an act of the heart, a movement to
let go of the resentment and outrage that we have carried for too long. It eases the
burden of pain in our heart. To forgive does not mean we condone the misdeeds of another
or ever allow them again. It acknowledges that no matter how much we may have suffered, we
will not put another human being out of our heart. We have all been harmed, just as we
have all, at times, harmed ourselves and others.
For most people, forgiveness is a process. The work of forgiveness goes through many
stages, during which you may feel grief, rage, sorrow, fear, and confusion. In the end,
when you let yourself feel the pain you carry, forgiveness comes as a relief, as a release
for your heart. You will see that forgiveness is fundamentally for your own sake, a way to
let go of the pain of the past.
To practice forgiveness meditation let yourself sit comfortably, allowing your eyes to
close and your breath to be natural and easy. Let your body and mind relax. Breathing
gently into the area of your heart, let yourself feel all the barriers you have erected
and the emotions that you have carried because you have not forgiven - not forgiven
yourself, not forgiven others. Let yourself feel the pain of keeping your heart closed.
Then, breathing softly, begin asking and extending forgiveness, reciting the following
words, letting the images and feelings that come up grow deeper as you repeat them.
FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS: There are many ways that I have hurt and harmed
others, have betrayed or abandoned them, caused them suffering, knowingly or unknowingly,
out of my pain, fear, anger, and confusion. Let yourself remember and visualise the
ways you have hurt others. See and feel the pain you have caused out of your own fear and
confusion. Feel your own sorrow and regret. Sense that finally you can release this burden
and ask for forgiveness. Picture each memory that still burdens your heart. And then to
each person in your mind repeat: I ask for your forgiveness, I ask for your
forgiveness.
FORGIVENESS FOR YOURSELF: There are many ways that I have hurt and harmed
myself. I have betrayed or abandoned myself many times through thought, word, or deed,
knowingly and unknowingly. Feel your own precious body and life. Let yourself see the
ways you have hurt or harmed yourself. Picture them, remember them. Feel the sorrow you
have carried from this and sense that you can release these burdens. Extend forgiveness
for each of them, one by one. Repeat to yourself: For the ways I have hurt myself
through action or inaction, out of fear, pain, and confusion, I now extend a full and
heartfelt forgiveness. I forgive myself, I forgive myself.
FORGIVENESS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE HURT
OR HARMED YOU: There are many ways I
have been harmed by others, abused or abandoned, knowingly or unknowingly, in thought,
work, or deed. Let yourself picture and remember these many ways. Feel the sorrow you
have carried from this past and sense that you can release this burden of pain by
extending forgiveness when your heart is ready. Now say to yourself: I now remember the
many ways others have hurt or harmed me, wounded me, out of fear, pain, confusion, and
anger. I have carried this pain in my heart too long. To the extent that I am ready, I
offer them forgiveness. To those who have caused me harm, I offer my forgiveness, I
forgive you.
Let yourself gently repeat these three directions for forgiveness until you feel a
release in your heart. For some great pains you may not feel a release but only the burden
and the anguish or anger you have held. Touch this softly. Be forgiving of yourself for
not being ready to let go and move on. Forgiveness cannot be forced; it cannot be
artificial. Simply continue the practice and let the words and images work gradually in
their own way. In time you can make the forgiveness meditation a regular part of your
life, letting go of the past and opening your heart to each new moment with a wise loving
kindness.
COMPASSION MEDITATION
The human heart has
the extraordinary capacity to hold and transform the sorrows of life into a great stream
of compassion. Compassion in the movement of concern and kindness in response to the
difficulty of any living being. Compassion arises when you allow your heart to be touched
by the pain and need of another.
To cultivate compassion, let yourself sit still in a centred and quiet way. Breathe softly
and feel your body, your heartbeat, the life within you. Feel how you treasure your own
life, how you guard yourself in the face of your sorrows. After some time, bring to mind
someone close to you whom you dearly love. Picture them and feel your caring for them.
Notice how you can hold them in your heart. Then let yourself be aware of their sorrows,
their measure of suffering in life. Feel how your heart opens naturally, moving toward
them to wish them well, to extend comfort, to share in their pain and meet it with
compassion.
This is the natural response of the heart. Along with this response, begin to wish them
well, reciting the phrases, May you be free from pain and sorrow, may you be at peace, while
holding them in your heart of compassion.
After you learn to feel your deep caring for this person close to you, turn your
compassionate heart toward yourself. For a time recite the phrases, May I be free of
pain and sorrow, may I be at peace. Then, one person at a time, extend your compassion
to others you know. Picture your loved ones, one at a time. Hold the image of each in your
heart and be aware of their difficulties and wish them well. May you be free from pain
and sorrow, may you be at peace. After this you can gradually open your compassion
further, to neighbours, and all those who live far away, and finally to the brotherhood
and sisterhood of all beings.
Let yourself feel how the beauty of every being brings you joy and how the suffering of
any being makes you weep. Feel your tenderhearted connection with all life and its
creatures, how it moves with their sorrows and holds them in compassion.
Now let your heart become a transformer for the sorrows of the world. Feel your breath in
the area of your heart, as if you could breathe gently in and out of your heart. Feel the
kindness of your heart and envision that with each breath you can touch the pain of others
and breathe out compassion. With each out-breath wish all living beings well, extend your
caring and merciful heart to them. After some time, sit quietly and let your breath and
heart rest naturally as a centre of compassion in the midst of the world.
From BUDDHA'S LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK, Jack Kornfield, 1994, Bantam Books.
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