Intro/Overview
Hello everyone my name is Davide Bisso and I’ve spent the last
4 years studying and practicing meditation. Being such a broad subject, with
many different disciplines, today I’ll be focusing primarily on the Buddhist mediation
practices. By the end of this presentation you should have a general understanding
of meditation, the Buddhist origins, different learning techniques, and it’s overall
benefit.
What is mediation?
So what is mediation? To put shortly, Meditation is a means of transforming
the mind. We all know there are many things in life that are beyond our
control. This could range from world poverty, war and hatred to more personal
matters such as fears, anxieties and confusions. However, it is possible to
take responsibility for our own states of mind and change our outlook for the
better.
What is mediation pt. 2 (is it important)
Now
you may be thinking why is this so important? Well, we’ve all been in
situations were we’ve been inpatient, correct? This could be with anything.
Wife, kids, people, animals, you name it. Meditation helps to develop the awareness and the
energy needed to transform these ingrained mental habit patterns. No matter how
much we may wish to be good, if we cannot change our desires that make us act
the way we do, change will be difficult.
What
is mediation pt. 3 (Buddhist practices)
Now
the Buddhist meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop
concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature
of things. With regular work and patience these nourishing, focused states of
mind can deepen into profoundly peaceful and energized states of mind. Such
experiences can have a transformative effect and can lead to a new
understanding of life.
Origins
Buddhism was founded and recognized by Gautama Shiddhartha (the
historical Buddha) who lived in India about twenty-five hundred years ago. Siddhartha grew up living the extravagant
life of a young prince. According to custom, he married at the young age of
sixteen to a girl named Yasodhara. His father had ordered that he live a life
of total seclusion, but one day Siddhartha ventured out into the world and was
confronted with the reality of the inevitable suffering of life.
Origin pt. 2
For six
years, Siddhartha submitted himself to rigorous ascetic practices, studying and
following different methods of meditation with various religious teachers. But
he was never fully satisfied. One day, however, he was offered a bowl of rice
from a young girl and he accepted it. In that moment, he realized that physical
austerities were not the means to achieve liberation. From then on, he
encouraged people to follow a path of balance rather than extremism. He called
this The Middle Way.
Origin pt. 3
Origin pt. 3
The Middle
Way is a Buddhist term with rich connotations. Most simply, it implies a
balanced approach to life and the regulation of one's impulses and behavior. While
the word middle denotes balance, the Middle Way should not be confused with
passivity or a kind of middle-of-the-road compromise. Thus, the Middle Way
indicates transcendence for ongoing effort and happiness.
Learning meditation
Seeing as
we’ve discussed meditation and its origin, I believe its time to teach the
various ways to properly meditate. The Buddha taught many different types of
meditation, each designed to overcome a particular problem or to develop a
particular psychological state. But the two most common and useful types of
meditation are Mindfulness of Breathing (anapana sati) and Loving Kindness
Meditation (metta bhavana).
Learning meditation pt. 2
If you’re
new to meditation, I’d recommend starting with Mindfulness of Breathing. For a
clear guide, follows the four Ps: Which are place, posture, practice and
problems. First, find a suitable place, perhaps a room that is not too noisy
and where you are not likely to do disturbed. Second, sit in a comfortable
posture. A good posture is to sit with your legs folded, a pillow under your
buttocks, your back straight, and the hands nestled in the lap and the eyes
closed.
Learning mediation pt. 3 practice
Next comes
the actual practice itself. As you sit quietly with your eyes closed you focus
your attention on the in and out movement of the breath. This can be done by
counting the breaths or watching the rise and fall of the abdomen. When this is
done, certain problems and difficulties will arise. You might experience
irritating itches on the body or discomfort in the knees. If this happens, try
to keep the body relaxed without moving and keep focusing on the breath. You
will probably have many intruding thoughts coming into your mind and
distracting your attention from the breath. The only way you can deal with this
problem is to patiently keep returning your attention to the breath. If you
keep doing this, eventually thoughts will weaken, your concentration will
become stronger and you will have moments of deep mental calm and inner peace.
Prep
Now that we
have a clear understanding for the various meditation techniques, we’re going
to focus on the preparation aspect. Meditation is not something you can just
rush. You must get your body and mind ready for the journey. So, for this
section we will be covering some helpful techniques in order to get the most
out of your sessions.
Prep pt. 2
To start,
make meditation a formal practice. You will only get to the next level in meditation by setting aside
specific time (preferably two times a day) to be still. Next, focus on breathing
and stretching. Breathing deep slows the heart rate, relaxes the muscles, and
focuses the mind. Stretching on the other hand loosens the muscles and tendons
allowing you to sit (or lie) more comfortably.
Prep pt. 3
After getting
into your position, remember why you started meditating in the first place. Beginners
must understand that meditation is an ACTIVE process. The art of focusing your
attention to a single point is hard work, and you have to be purposefully
engaged! This without a doubt will bring frustration. This is very common for
beginners as we think, “why can’t I just quiet my damn mind already”. When this
happens, really focus in on your breath and let the frustrated feelings go.
Prep pt. 4
Prep pt. 4
If you
cant alleviate the frustration, try adding a candle or incense. Meditating with
eyes closed can be challenging for a beginner. Lighting a candle or incense and
using it as your point of focus allows you to strengthen your attention with a
visual cue. Remember to get a candle or incense, of your preference that has a
distinct smell, as it will help you relax.
Prep pt. 5
Stress on
the other hand is something you shouldn't worry about. This may be the most
important tip for beginners, and the hardest to implement. No matter what
happens during your meditation practice, do not stress about it. This includes
being nervous before meditating and angry afterwards. Meditation is what it is,
and just do the best you can at the time.
Prep pt. 6
This leads
us into duration and times. Meditation is best in the mornings as it is
quieter, your mind is not filled with the usual clutter, and there is less
chance you will be disturbed. For duration, It’s good to meditation for 15 minutes every day for a week and then
extend the time by 5 minutes each week until you are meditating for 45 minutes.
Benefits
So at this
point you may be thinking, all this hard work and effort, what are the
benefits? How does it improve my life? How can I use it to my advantage? These
answers will all get covered as the three major beneficiaries to meditation
include psychological benefits, physiological benefits and spiritual benefits.
Each aspect has very unique qualities to improve your overall life.
Benefits pt. 2
So without
further a due, here some benefits. It lowers stress, it lets you get to know
your true self, it makes you more compassionate, it lowers depression, it helps
you sleep better, it reduces negative emotions, it increases self-awareness and
body-awareness, it lowers oxygen consumption, it reduces anxieties, it enhances
the immune system, it also enhances your vigor, energy and strength. Now these
were just a few examples, there is literally hundreds more.
Outro
Hopefully
after this presentation you come to realize why meditation is so important. If
you were skeptical before, now you have a basic overview of what it is, how it
came to be and what it does for you. Thank you for your patience and time.
