What is the basic method of meditation? ~ by Ajahn Jayasaro

What is the basic method of meditation?
~ by Ajahn Jayasaro ~ 🥀

Although certain fundamental principles inspire all forms of Buddhist meditation, there is great variety in the specific techniques employed to embody them. There is not one basic method of meditation but many. 

One particular approach is as follows. 

Firstly, the meditator gives attention to the external conditions. It is helpful to have a particular space put aside specifically for practicing meditation. The meditator wears loose clothing and ensures reasonable ventilation: stuffy rooms induce dullness. 

Sitting cross-legged is the best posture, as it produces feelings of stability and self-reliance which support the meditation practice. Most people find it helpful to use a small cushion as support for the lower back. 

The posture should be straight, but not rigid; the meditator looks for a balance between effort and relaxation (the free flow of the breath is a sign that this has been achieved). The meditator places the hands in the lap or on the knees and gently closes the eyes (they may be kept slightly open and unfocused if sleepiness threatens). If sitting cross-legged is not possible, the meditator sits on a seat, but if possible, without leaning against the backrest. 

Meditators begin by spending a few moments of reflection recalling their motivation, the technique to be employed and the pitfalls to avoid. They then systematically pass their attention from the head down to the feet, identifying and relaxing any tension in the body. On discovering a knot of tension, in the shoulders for example, the meditator consciously increases the tension for a second or two and then relaxes it. 

Physically prepared, meditators now focus on the particular meditation object which they have chosen. 

Here we will discuss breath meditation, the most popular form in the Buddhist tradition: the meditator trains to be present to the sensation of the breath at the point in the body in which it is felt most clearly. 

For most people this point will lie in the area around the tip of the nose. It is unwise to force the breath in any way. The meditator is merely aware of the present sensation as it appears. 

To help sustain attention on the breath, a two-syllable mantra may be recited mentally, first syllable on the in-breath, second on the out-breath. The most common word used by Thai Buddhists is Bud-dho, but reciting ‘in’ on the inbreath, and ‘out’ on the outbreath would also work. Counting the breaths may also be used to sustain the connection between the mind and the breath. The simplest form of counting the breath is to count in cycles of ten, taking one inbreath and outbreath as 1, and then continuing up to 10 and then back to 1. 

Whatever technique is adopted, the mind will wander. Just as in learning to play a musical instrument or learning a language, the meditator must be patient and committed, and have faith that in the long run meditation is worth the time and effort. Gradually the mind will settle down. 

(From “Without and Within, Bhavana (Mental cultivation)” by Ajahn Jayasaro) 

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To read the ebook, please visit ‘Without and Within', by Ajahn Jayasaro:

https://www.bia.or.th/ebook/content/web/index.php?bookid=130

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For other teachings by Ajahn Jayasaro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website:

https://www.jayasaro.panyaprateep.org/

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Photo: ‘Without and Within’