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Menu The Meditation Initiative Give the gift of meditation Frequently Asked Questions Courses available to subscribers Blog Meditation guides Is meditation for me? Can I meditate? About Buddhist Meditation Frequently asked questions Meditation glossary What is your Wildmind? Entering your Wildmind The unexamined life… The problem of perfectionism No easy path Can anyone meditate? Do you have to be a Buddhist to meditate? What will meditation do for me? It sounds simplistic How much time will it take? Should I listen to music when I meditate? Times and places to meditate Is meditation about making your mind go blank? Dealing with noise Keeping a meditation journal Being “in the moment” Symptoms of inner peace Meditation posture workshop Meditation posture problems: slumping Meditation posture problems: over-arching Finding the right height of seat The angle of your seat Spotting meditation posture bad habits Meditation Posture: Shoulders Meditation Posture: Hands Meditation Posture: Head A checklist for your meditation posture Meditation Posture: Body Awareness and Relaxation Notes on burning incense Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation Introduction Coming back to the breath, over and over The power of making choices Benefits of the practice Overview of the practice “Stage Zero” – the importance of preparation “Stage Zero” as a practice “Stage Zero” – the importance of a sense of purpose Stage 1 More on Stage 1 What does this practice do? What’s the counting for? Keep getting distracted? Numbers won’t stay put Timing the stages I find I’m controlling my breathing Dealing with ups and downs Stage 2 More on stage two The difference between stages one and two Bored with the counting? An alternative to counting Second stage feels awkward? Counting on your fingers Stepping back from the process Stage 3 The “gaining idea” in meditation Between the stages Balancing alertness and relaxation Signs of progress in meditation Odd experiences in meditation Using anchors in stage three What’s a good meditation? Thought trains Breathing, not breaths Guiding, not controlling Stage 4 More information on stage four Review of the practice A nasal experiment Ending your meditation practice Four dimensions of mindfulness Reflections in mindfulness Keeping subtlety in the practice Where are you going? Moving from stage three to stage four Why the emphasis on concentration? How long should I meditate each day? What’s next? A complete guide to lovingkindness meditation Introduction to lovingkindness meditation An outline of the Metta Bhavana Cultivating emotions What metta isn’t What metta is What the Buddha said about metta The Metta Prayer Try this Ways of Cultivating Metta – Introduction Cultivating seeds of emotion Using words or phrases Using memories Using creative imagination Using body awareness Being flexible in your approach More on cultivating emotions Emotions and your environment Emotions and your body Emotions and your thoughts Emotions and will Emotions and communication Stage 1 – Cultivating metta toward yourself More on stage one What’s supposed to happen? Timing the stages Is loving yourself okay? What if I find it hard to like myself? Receptivity and activity Walking in the forest of your mind Procrustes’ bed The need for nourishment Stage 2 – Cultivating metta towards a good friend Learning the second stage Who to choose as the friend Should I pick the same person every time? What’s meant to happen in stage two? What if I don’t feel much? Is it okay to do stage two first? What methods can I use? Stage 3 – Cultivating metta towards a “neutral person” More on the third stage Why do we have this stage? Ways of working in stage three I can’t find anyone I feel neutral about Having trouble feeling much for a neutral person? The third stage as rehearsal Stage 4 – Cultivating metta towards a “difficult person” On creating enemies Ways to work in the fourth stage Is there anyone I shouldn’t pick? When I think of an enemy I get angry Why develop metta for a bad person? The fourth stage as rehearsal The disadvantages of anger Try this When meditation seems to stir up negative emotion A meditation for self-hatred Stage 5 – Cultivating metta toward all sentient beings Learning more about the fifth stage The importance of practice Ways of working in the fifth stage Balancing the metta & mindfulness meditations Contacting Emotions Metta and the divine Families and lovers How can all beings be well when they have to destroy each other to live? After the fifth stage Special lovingkindness meditations A meditation for 9/11 9/11 Lovingkindness meditation (text) A compassion meditation for time of war Compassion Meditation for Time of War (text) Lovingkindness chant Walking meditation What is walking meditation? Why walking meditation? How to do walking meditation The “stages” of walking meditation Starting the practice Being aware of the body Being aware of feelings Being aware of emotional and mental states Being aware of objects of consciousness Balancing inner and outer experience Ending the practice Learning the practice a little at a time Making the practice your own Walking meditation and the practice of lovingkindness In beauty may I walk… A video introduction to walking meditation Mantra meditation What is a bodhisattva? Definition of Mantra Meditation How does mantra meditation work? How is mantra meditation used? Buddhist Mantras Sabbe satta sukhi hontu Om shanti shanti shanti Prajñaparamita mantra Avalokitesvara mantra Manjushri mantra Vajrapani mantra Green Tara mantra Amitabha mantra White Tara mantra Shakyamuni mantra Padmasambhava mantra Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) Mantra Vajrasattva mantra of 100 syllables The three refuges and five precepts Postcript: About Transcendental Meditation Mantra in Theravadin Buddhism How are mantras written? The Six Element practice The Earth Element The Water Element The Fire Element The Air Element The Space Element The Consciousness Element Meditation texts and commentaries Mindfulness of breathing Where the meditation practice can take us The anapanasati practice The Arrow — Buddhist attitudes to pleasure and pain Introduction to the sutta Our usual responses to pleasure and pain Wiser responses to pleasure and pain A poetic summary The Buddha’s Words on Love (Metta Sutta) Five reflections for everyone The five facts we should all reflect on Why reflect on these facts? Further thoughts Poetic summary True Blessings (The Mangala Sutta) On happiness From the Dhammapada (Chapter 15) Selections from the Dhammapada Selection one Selection two Selection three Selection four Selection five Selection six Selection seven Dhammapada, selection eight Dhammapada, selection nine Selection ten Applied meditation Mindfulness in daily life Metta in everyday life Dimensions of metta Metta, diet, and lifestyle Metta and the practice of generosity Mindfulness of the truth The power of appreciation Creating harmony: “Seek to understand…” Metta and insight What is mindfulness? Developing a nonjudgmental attitude Tools for learning acceptance 10 tips for mindful driving Mindfulness and daily activities Developing mindfulness triggers Dealing with resistance to meditation Guided Meditations for Busy People Meditation and stress Understanding stress Meditation and stress quotes Taking responsibility for our responses How meditation can help with stress Other stress management tools Meditation for the very, very busy Meditation and depression What is depression? Tools for describing feelings Distinguishing thoughts and emotions How can meditation help with depression? When not to use meditation Learning new patterns Adding (or not adding) to depression Some specific tools for dealing with depression Don’t wait until you’re depressed… Helpful and unhelpful ways to meditate Buddhism and the blues What’s next? Meditation and pain management Primary and secondary suffering Tips to help you deal with pain Three skills useful in managing pain Gu...