As much as you may not realize it, every religion has its own state of meditation. In Christianity there’s prayer, Hinduism involves reciting mantras and Buddhist meditate. The basic point is to place your mind in a semi-trace state. Most religions focus on reaching a point where there’s some kind of contact with a higher being but that is not the case when it comes to Buddhist Meditation. There are two basic forms of meditation including Shamatha (tranquility) and Vipashyana (insight). The meditation practices are usually taught through a teacher and student form experience rather than something that is studied through books.

There are various types of Buddhist Meditations which can get very complex. There are five basic methods:
Mindfulness of Breathing (Shamatha)
Metta Bhavana (Shamatha)
Contemplation of Impermanence (Vipassana)
Six Element Practice (Vipassana)
Contemplation of Conditionality (Vipassana)

Mindfulness of Breathing
This is the most basic type of meditation which involves paying attention to they way one breathes. There are a variety of ways to conduct this type of breathing, beginners usually conduct this meditation in the lotus position in where you sit on a pillow, and legs cross with each foot on the opposite thigh. Those that have difficulty with this position can use a chair or bench to help with their posture. If a chair still brings difficulty one can do this while standing, lying on the floor or walking slowly. Beginners usually breathe slowly and count until they get used to breathing without timing yourself. The objective is to concentrate on one’s breathing to be able to block out the many distractions around you.

Metta Bhavana
Metta Bhavan is one of the most practiced styles of meditation in the world. Before beginning meditation there is a sutta that is always recited called the Karaniya Metta Sutta. In order to master this state, it’s recommended to conduct this type of meditation daily for at least half an hour. Many people that conduct this type of meditation believe that it would bring insight to more world peace. The objective is to have steady state of mind that will make it seem impossible to have bad thoughts, basically to change hatred into love.

Contemplation of Impermanence
It’s suggested that there are 18 chief different types of insights, this type of meditation is considered the first type. According to the Buddhist Dictionary by Nyanatiloka there are four basic types of contemplations including
· contemplation of a decomposing corpse
· reflection on death
· reflection on the "Root Verses"
· contemplations of mental states and external objects
The objective is to be able to transfer the things that distract you and change your reactions to them so that they do not divert you.

Six Element Practice
This is considered to be one of the most important insights amongst the other types of meditations. Before beginning meditation is advised to be aware of the emotions that are present at the time so that you can focus on them and dismiss them accordingly. The objective is to overcome the five basic elements; earth, water, fire, air and space to lead into the final sixth element of consciousness. Reaching this state of mind is considered to be a state of brightness and purity.

Contemplation of Conditionality
The final type of meditation focuses on understanding how the world has come to exist. Buddha believes that there are two types of conditions. One is called the wheel of cyclic existence. In this state you must be aware of the way that you live and the ignorance that exists because you have a lifestyle that is only perceived in your point of view. The second condition is the spiral of liberation. This is the ability to understand that you have emotions that cause you to react a specific way. If you are conscious of how you react you can channel that action into something more positive. The objective is to transfer your divine ignorance into a state of contemplation and wisdom.

Contemporary Movement:

Today the practices of buddhist meditation is being used for other purposes one being to defeat drug/alcohol addiction.
Noah Levine, is the author of, "Dharma Punx" and "Against the Stream" and runs workshops with the 12-step program.
Here's a link that describes his workshop: http://www.orchardrecovery.com/2007_noah_levine.php

Video:
This is an easy "How-To" video. Enjoy.


The introduction to Buddhist Meditation is so simple even a kid can do it!