QUESTION: What is Meditation?
ANSWER:
Meditation is a conscious effort to change how
the mind works. The Pali word for meditation is
bhavana
which means to make grow
or to develop.
QUESTION: Is meditation important?
ANSWER:
Yes, it is. No matter how much we may wish to
be good, if we cannot change the desires that make us act
the way we do, change will be difficult. For example, a person
may realize that he is impatient with his wife and he may
promise himself: From now on I am not going to be so
impatient. But an hour later he may be shouting at his wife
simply because, not being aware of himself, impatience has
arisen without him knowing. Meditation helps to develop the
awareness and the energy needed to transform ingrained
mental habit patterns.
QUESTION: I have heard that meditation can be dangerous.
Is this true?
ANSWER:
To live, we need salt. But if you were to eat a
kilogram of salt it would kill you. To live in the modern world
you need a car but if you don't follow the traffic rules or
if you drive while you are drunk, a car becomes a dangerous
machine. Meditation is like this, it is essential for our mental
health and well-being but if you practise in a stupid way,
it could cause problems. Some people have problems like
depression, irrational fears or schizophrenia, they think
meditation is an instant cure for their problem, they start
meditating and sometimes their problem gets worse. If you
have such a problem, you should seek professional help and
after you are better then take up meditation. Other people
over reach themselves, they take up meditation and instead
of going gradually, step by step, they meditate with too much
energy for too long and soon they are exhausted. But perhaps
most problems in meditation are caused by kangaroo
meditation. Some people go to one teacher and do his
meditation technique for a while, then they read something
in a book, and decide to try that technique, then a week later
a famous meditation teacher visits town and so they decide
to incorporate some of his ideas into their practice and before
long they are hopelessly confused. Jumping like a kangaroo
from one teacher to another or from one meditation technique
to another is a mistake. But if you don't have any severe
mental problem and you take up meditation and practise
sensibly it is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
QUESTION: How many types of meditation are there?
ANSWER:
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).
QUESTION: If I wanted to practise Mindfulness of
Breathing, how would I do it?
ANSWER:
You would follows these easy steps: the four Ps
- 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 be 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, the hands
nestled in the lap and the eyes closed. Alternatively, you can
sit in a chair as long as you keep your back straight. Next
comes the actual practice itself. As you sit quietly with your
eyes closed you focus your attention on the 'M' 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.
QUESTION: How long should I meditate for?
ANSWER:
it is good to do 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. After a few
weeks of regular daily meditation you will start to notice that
your concentration gets better, there are less thoughts, and
you have moments of real peace and stillness.
QUESTION: What about Loving Kindness Meditation?
How is that practised?
ANSWER:
Once you are familiar with Mindfulness of
Breathing and are practising it regularly you can start practising
Loving Kindness Meditation. It should be done two or three
times each week after you have done Mindfulness of
Breathing. First, you turn your attention to yourself and say
to yourself words like May I be well and happy.
May I be
peaceful and calm. May I be protected from dangers. May
my mind be free from hatred. May my heart be filled with
love. May I be well and happy. Then one by one you think
of a loved person, a neutral person, that is, someone you
neither like nor dislike, and finally a disliked person, wishing
each of them well as you do so.
QUESTION: What is the benefit of doing this type of
meditation?
ANSWER:
If you do Loving Kindness Meditation regularly
and with the right attitude, you will find very positive changes
taking place within yourself. You will find that you are able
to be more accepting and forgiving towards yourself. You
will find that the feelings you have towards your loved ones
will increase. You will find yourself making friends with
people you used to be indifferent and uncaring towards, and
you will find the ill-will or resentment you have towards
some people will lessen and eventually be dissolved.
Sometimes if you know of someone who is sick, unhappy
or encountering difficulties you can include them in your
meditation and very often you will find their situation
improving.
QUESTION: How is that possible?
ANSWER:
The mind, when properly developed, is a very
powerful instrument. If we can learn to focus our mental
energy and project it towards others, it can have an effect
upon them. You may have had an experience like this.
Perhaps you are in a crowded room and you get this feeling
that someone is watching you. You tum around and, sure
enough, someone is staring at you. What has happened is
that you have picked up that other person's mental energy.
Loving Kindness Meditation is like this. We project positive
mental energy towards others and it gradually transforms
them.
QUESTION: Do I need a teacher to teach me meditation?
ANSWER:
A teacher is not absolutely necessary but personal
guidance from someone who is familiar with meditation is
certainly helpful. Unfortunately, some monks and laymen
set themselves up as meditation teachers when they simply
don't know what they are doing. Try to pick a teacher who
has a good reputation, a balanced personality and who
adheres closely to the Buddha's teachings.
QUESTION: I have heard that meditation is widely used
today by psychiatrists and psychologists. Is this true?
ANSWER:
Yes, it is. Meditation is now accepted as having
a highly therapeutic effect upon the mind and is used by many
professional mental health workers to help induce relaxation,
overcome phobias and bring about self-awareness. The
Buddha's insights into the human mind are helping people
as much today as they did in ancient times.