:: Buddhapadipa Thai Temple

Meditation is bare observation uninfluenced by opinion or expectations. It is awareness of the body and mind as they are experienced in the present moment. This may sound easy but it is actually hard to do: the mind is constantly looking for something to do, something to entertain it or sustain or defend the ego, or what we think of as the self.

Over the centuries it has been found that the best posture for meditation is the half-lotus position in which one sits on the floor, or on a low cushion, with the legs crossed and one foot placed on the thigh of the other leg, the hands, one on the other, palm uppermost, resting on the lap. This is a very stable position, the back is straight and, when one is used to it, it can be comfortably held for one or more hours. The Buddha is frequently shown sitting in this posture in works of art.

For beginners, however, this posture may be so uncomfortable as to constitute a hindrance. So it is best to begin by sitting on a chair, or a meditation stool, or a pile of cushions, in such a way as to be comfortable but not slumped. If possible it is best to go to meditation classes at the temple, where you will have advice and support and the opportunity to discuss your experiences with teachers. Daily practice at home is a very valuable form of training, but it is good to get regular advice from the experts in case you go in the wrong direction.

The best times and places for meditation at home are those that you choose for yourself, provided that you can feel a sure that you will be comfortable and undisturbed. It is good to stick to a daily routine, if possible, but we should not become attached to it. At first 20 minutes may be enough, and, later, you will want to practise longer, perhaps at home or at the temple, but don’t try to make rapid progress, you have the rest of your life in which to practise, and you are not about to sit an examination at the end of the year.

Meditation is not a penance, it can be a very joyful experience and a practice which one would be reluctant to give up, but it is quite hard to do and there are many obstacles to overcome, particularly in the early stages.

The methods practised at The Buddhapadipa Temple are walking, standing and sitting meditation. The standing and walking are done first. The student, standing in an upright, but relaxed posture, with the hands loosely clasped in front or behind, lets his attention go all over the body for a few minutes. He notes the feeling of weight on the feet and then mentally affirms his intention to walk. The walking is done very slowly and the student is aware of the various movements of the body and also on the part that the mind plays in this process. The mind has intentions which the body corries out.

After walking comes the sitting meditation. The student sits in the cross-legged position, if possible, and gives his attention to the movement of the body caused by the breathing. He is not concerned to control the breathing, but simply to note what happens in the body as the breath goes in and out naturally, and what happens in the mind as a response to internal and external stimuli.

The training is not in disciplining or restraining the mind, but in understanding its nature and the way that it has been conditioned by habits of attachment, aversion and ignorance. By “ignorance” in meant, not only lack of knowledge but also the refusal to try to understand reality: (ignoring it).

In sitting meditation we try to develop mindfulness. We give the mind an object on which to focus, i.e. the breath, and observe what happens. Often the mind skips away, gets involved in more interesting objects, is busy with memories or plans for the future. It is hard to keep it on the breath, but we gently bring it back to that object whenever we are aware that it has strayed. Mindfulness is different from thinking in that it is observing the way the mind works and changes at every moment. We might compare it to the difference between finding out how a television set works, and adjusting it so that it works perfectly, and actually becoming absorbed in the programmes.

At The Buddhapadipa Temple we try to focus on the rising and falling of the abdomen, saying mentally, “rising” and “falling” as each movement occurs, but there are five other ways in which we can use the breathing process and a student may find that one or other of them will suit him better at the beginning. It is not good idea to keep going from one method to another but one should try to stick to one and give it a fair trial. The other methods are as follows.

1, Counting. We count the in-breaths only, mentally saying 1, then 1, 2, then 1, 2, 3, and so on up to 10. At 10 we start again with the series 1, 1, 2 and so on. If we get lost at any point we start again at the beginning. This way is helpful if concentration is weak.

Another method is to follow the breath and note where it seems to touch the body internally. We may be aware of it at the nostril, at the throat, in the chest. In this way we can follow the path of the breath as it goes into the lungs, but not as it comes out.

The third method is to use a mantra such as “Buddho” the first syllable is mentally repeated on the in-breath and the second on the out-breath.

The fourth is helpful for students who find it hard to relax. On the in-breath we imagine a vessel filling up with water and on the out-breath the water flows, calmly, away. Some students like to imagine a large ball, rising up through the body on the in-breath and on the out-breath sinking by its own weight down through the body, and out, taking all tension with it.

The last method is useful for dealing with the pain we often get through sitting still for a long time. The student imagines a light which is draw into the body on the in-breath, focusing on the painful spot. This light goes through the pain, illuminating it and making it an object of interest rather than of dislike. These ways of concentrating are useful for beginners but should be given up as concentration improves.

When we are sitting in meditation we may find that the mind wanders and there are feeling of restlessness, boredom or fear. These are normal experiences which we should not try to suppress. We should recognise them, give them a name and let them go. The aim is to be aware of whatever arises in the mind but not to have opinions about it. In this way we shall become aware of the tricks played by the mind and see the cause of much of our dissatisfaction with life. Sometimes we identify with the body, as when it is in pain, sometimes with the mind as when our beliefs are challenged. When we sit in meditation we are able to see how the mind changes all the time and how the body follows its own rules and neither it not the mind is really under our control.

Wisdom develops gradually and we come to understand reality by means of intuition. The kind of meditation I have described is called “Insight meditation” and we can know if we are doing it right if we occasionally get flashes of insight into the nature of being, but even more if we find ourselves being kinder, more generous, more compassionate and happier. One of the important lessons that mindfulness teaches us that it is not so much circumstances as our opinions about them which cause problems.

There is a Zen saying which is quite interesting. “Beliefs and opinions can answer the question, but only truth can solve the mystery”