As a beginning meditator, the techniques I typically use are: - Counting breaths, restarting at 10 (learned in Japan). - Envisioning, with warm feelings, all of my friends and family around me in a large circle (learned in Florida). - Attempting to feel the minute sensations from each different part of my body (learned in Florida). - Focusing on identifying as many distinct sounds as possible, particularly when in nature (my own). Are there any other techniques recommended for beginning meditators?

I am attracted to the idea of meditating upon the mind as a path to liberation, as I understand is emphasized in mahamudra. However, I dislike the idea of guru yoga, or meditating in reverence or worship towards living or recently deceased individuals, like the 16th Karmapa. Holding another person up on such a pedestal rubs me the wrong way, and I do not know if I can honestly practice guru yoga. (I wouldn’t mind meditating upon the Buddha. I understand you are supposed to imagine the guru as the Buddha, but I do not want to do that either.) Do you have any recommendations on what to do? Are there other schools that offer meditation upon the mind, but do not have such emphasis on the guru aspect? Similarly, I am discouraged by having to do so many prostrations, but this is not as discouraging as guru yoga.

Why people recommend to sit in meditation for 1 hour not 55 mins 59 mins or 61 mins .Is it something special for 60 mins ? Can I use binaural beats in headphone while meditating ?

When I am lying down, my abdomin fills easily, but when sitting with what I believe is proper posture, it feels like my diaphragm is stuck and my breath cannot expand into my abdomen. Only my ribs and upper chest expand. It is not caused by anxiety, nor does it cause a lot of anxiety, but is very distracting and uncomfortable. It this normal or is it something I can improve with exercises?

I am a beginner in meditation practice (have been meditating for about a week now). Sometimes when I meditate the following occurs: once I am able to keep focus on my breath for some time (some minutes perhaps), I notice that sometimes I slowly begin to go into this state where I am aware that I am breathing but I am not aware of being aware of my breath (if that makes sense). It is as if my mind slows down and calms down, and I begin to be aware of not only my breath but of many other things such as my body, my environment, etc. Is this ok? Or is this some kind of "daydreaming" that should be noted and then I should bring my attention back to only focus on the breath.

Is it possible for a person to have sleeping disorders or problems with large durations of meditation? I know a few very big siddhas that have astonishing powers and they meditate up to 8 hours a day after office hours and sleep for 4 hours only. When I tried a long duration of meditation, I found a lack of sleepiness, and my sleep schedule was a bit altered. Is there any possibility of a large duration of deviation through meditation? What is the best way to manage that?

Namaste, Namo Buddhaya. I'm here in my personal pursuit to understand *death* and *soul* from various perspectives. A few days back I was reading texts on life, death, and reincarnation and got to know that there exist some meditations that cause *OBEs* (Out-of-body Experiences), an important part of NDEs (Near-death Experiences). Biologists and doctors while simulating NDEs in labs concluded that a very large portion of people recall OBE experiences. The official Wikipedia page on NDEs does mentions that: > A three-year longitudinal study has revealed that some Buddhist > meditation practitioners are able to willfully induce near-death > experiences at a pre-planned point in time. Unlike traditional NDEs, > participants were consciously aware of experiencing the > meditation-induced NDE and retained control over its content and > duration. The Dalai Lama has also asserted that experienced > meditators can deliberately induce the NDE state during meditation, > being able to recognize and sustain it. So there are certain medications that can induce OBEs (or roughly, NDEs) too. In the meantime to further research I found a few links on such meditations, one by a Hindu Guru Swami Sivananda : > During the course of practice, one day you will feel that you have > separated yourself from the body. You will have immense joy mixed with > fear, joy in the possession of a new, light, astral body, fear owing > to the entry in a foreign, unknown plane. At the very outset, the new > consciousness is very rudimentary in the new plane, just as in the > case of a pup with newly opened eyes in the eighth or tenth day on the > physical plane. where he tells the experiences of OBEs. Unfortunately, he doesn't elaborate on the details of the meditation. I assumed it was particularly meditation on a point between eyebrows and after a month of practice, I don't see any progress particularly here. I just wish to know what form of meditation in Buddhism (apart from Yoga Nidra Tantra in Hinduism which is basically just hypnosis from sleep) causes OBEs? If my efforts are in the right place.

I’ve gone through quite a few periods of meditation everyday, but usually something happens and I tend to off the rails stop for a long period to bad effects. I started learning with Headspace and went through all the Pro lessons and now I meditate without a timer or guide. I’m not really into the religious side of things (sorry if I’m posting in the wrong place.) I’m wondering if I am missing something that is preventing me from furthering my practice. I don’t know where to look or ask. I saw The Mind Illuminated being recommended but then later on being unrecommended due to controversy. I find it hard to trust anyone that says they are on any particular path these days.

I've been practicing meditation and studying buddhism for years, and I've always been curious about *vipassana*, but I never knew how should I practice it, on what should I focus, etc. So my questions is: what do you recommend for someone who is starting *vipassana* meditation? How do I begin and how should I do it?

In the sutta quoted here the Buddha recommends cultivating in equal measure concentration, equanimity and uplifted energy. As far as I know, in order to develop concentration one focuses the mind on an immobile object like a kasina, and for developing equanimity one observes the rise and fall of the breath. Similarly, what practice can one perform in order to cultivate uplifted energy? Would shraddha (pious faith) and belief in the dhamma qualify? Or does it refer to moment to moment mindfulness? Is there a specific meditation practice recommended? > "A monk intent on heightened mind should attend periodically to three themes: He should attend periodically to the theme of concentration; he should attend periodically to the theme of uplifted energy; he should attend periodically to the theme of equanimity. If the monk intent on heightened mind were to attend solely to the theme of concentration, it is possible that his mind would tend to laziness. If he were to attend solely to the theme of uplifted energy, it is possible that his mind would tend to restlessness. If he were to attend solely to the theme of equanimity, it is possible that his mind would not be rightly concentrated for the ending of the fermentations. But when he attends periodically to the theme of concentration, attends periodically to the theme of uplifted energy, attends periodically to the theme of equanimity, his mind is pliant, malleable, luminous, & not brittle. It is rightly centered for the stopping of the fermentations. SOURCE: [Nimitta Sutta: Themes - AN 3.100 (xi-xv) PTS: A i 255 Thai 3.103](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.100.11-15.than.html)

Is there a way where someone (could meditate and take up certain Buddhist practices without initiation into Buddhism? This is just a question to understand theory, not directed to be anything argumentative or offensive Thank you and Peace!

Here is a general meditation technique of Anapanasati where one concentrates on the breath. My question is during this meditation where should the eye turned. Should they look up , or straight normally or on nose tip ? Is there any recommendation in the tradition as to what should the eyes do?

I've heard a meditation teacher mention that samatha is less likely to be done wrong while using a visual object. I've also read about how mindfulness meditation may sometimes lead to negative effects in the practitioner. What is the type of meditation that is least likely to cause such possible negative effects, or to be practised incorrectly? Am I right in thinking compassion meditation is more accessible and less likely to cause harm?

Is it a good idea to expose yourself to situations that trigger fear and anxiety and use meditation to get through it, or is the desire to overcome fear and anxiety "bad" because it's technically a desire? (And fear and anxiety are only temporary states anyway and should be recognized for being just that.) Would it even be possible to meditate through a triggering situation since one wouldn't be calm enough to see clearly in such a situation? To put it more simply: could meditation be used as a substitute for CBT? If not, does Buddhism encourage or discourage CBT?

I read a course entitled ' Meditation without exertion' which was purportedly based on Tibetan teachings and methods. It discussed methods of developing concentration and imagination leading to Samadhi. Buddhism seems to present a practical method which leads to discipline and non attachment something which is lacking, at least in my experience, in the the western traditions. I'm looking for direction to these methods and ways of applying these methods to myself and my experience. Your guidance and input will be greatly appreciated

I've noticed it's really difficult for me to be consistent, even with short meditation. I'm thus hesitating between: - 10 min sessions every day - 40 min sessions every 2 or 3 days Which of these seems more beneficial?

In the Yuganaddha Sutta (AN 4.170) , there is described the four paths stated below. Insight refers to vipassana and tranquility refers to samatha . 1. Development of tranquility before development of insight 2. Development of insight before development of tranquility 3. Tranquility developed in tandem with insight 4. Mind's restlessness concerning the Dhamma well under control (I guess this is "dry insight") Of these four paths, which is the easiest, smoothest and most pleasant to a novice lay practitioner? And why? Or is this question invalid, because meditation, insight and jhana is not suited to the lay practitioner? Please provide quotes to support your answer from the Buddha's words, if possible. I personally suspect that it is tranquility (at least the first jhana) before insight. ---------- In this essay , Henepola Gunaratana promoted tranquility before insight: > The Buddha is constantly seen in the suttas encouraging his disciples > to develop jhana. The four jhanas are invariably included in the > complete course of training laid down for disciples. ... Though a > vehicle of **dry insight can be found, indications are that this path is > not an easy one, lacking the aid of the powerful serenity available to > the practitioner of jhana. The way of the jhana attainer seems by > comparison smoother and more pleasurable** (A.ii,150-52). However, Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu has a different view in this video from timestamp 9m 34s, where he said: > Samatha meditation - these meditations exists. There's no question > that there are meditations out there that will not lead you to > enlightenment. They can't, because they are not focused on reality. > They are creating an illusion in the mind. The only way that they > could lead to enlightenment, is as I said, if you use that to gain > insight. ... and because of the strength of the mind, you can see it > clearer than you would have, otherwise. It's kind of taking a > shortcut, but having to do a lot of preparation. So, not gaining > anything (during this preparation phase), except for these nice states of peace and calm, and maybe > some magical powers along the way, **which is probably best suited for > someone living in the forest**. So, which should be first? It's > totally up to you ... if you want to start with just vipassana, it was > very clear that ... **the Buddha gave this (vipassana) as the quickest > way**. A monk came up to the Buddha and said, "I'm old and I don't have > a lot of time and my memory is not good, I don't want to learn a lot, > give me the basics of the path" ..... So, there's obviously two camps out there. On one side, those who promote tranquility first like Ven. Henepola Gunaratana and Ajahn Brahm. But on the other side, you have those who promote insight alone or insight first like Ven. Yuttadhammo or S.N. Goenka. And then there's the interesting opinion in this answer by Dhammadhatu and this answer by Andrei Volkov, which imply that attainment of Jhana through meditation is not for lay people, which is echoed by Ven. Yuttadhammo's statement that samatha meditation is "probably best suited for someone living in the forest".

I'm currently reading _The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation_ and it says to observe sensations in the body without reacting. 1. What would be an example of a reaction that one might have? When I feel an emotion - perhaps I remember a conversation that I had that produced a strong emotion - I notice a sensation in my body associated with the emotion. Is the goal to focus on the sensation and wait for it to pass? 2. Also, I've tried starting a meditation session by focusing on my breathing. I then try to observe sensations in my body -for example, my stomach gurgling, a tingling on my skin or the temperature on my skin. If I focus on this, no emotions are coming up because I'm focusing only on my breathing or sensations in my body. In the book it says to observe the sensations without reacting. There's nothing to react to though if I'm just focusing on the bodily sensations so I'm not sure what this piece of advice is referring to.

I sleep the hours which are said to be needed, but I still feel sleepy. I've been drinking coffee recently to eliminate grogginess, and it does work for me. However, I was wondering if there are other methods of eliminating grogginess?

I'm looking for something similar to this little book, [The Basic Method of Meditation](https://bswa.org/bswp/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ajahn-brahm_the-basic-method-of-meditation.pdf) (10~20 pages) from Ajahn Brahm. Or something like this -- [Meditation: What is taught and practised in Pa-Auk.](https://www.paaukforestmonastery.org/meditation) Personally, I would need it to be Theravada and preferably be on the gentle side (unlike Brahm and Pa Auk which are pretty strict). But mainly what the title says: an outline of the practices going from beginner to jhana or streamentry.