Meditation is the foundation practice of Buddhism. As such, we almost always include at least a short group meditation in many of our activities.

There are many techniques available to the meditation practitioner. In this section we will highlight a few techniques that are commonly used by the society.

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of meditation, i.e. samatha meditation and vipassana meditation. Samatha (concentration) meditation is one of concentrating the mind on an object, rather than letting it wander off to other things. There are many different types of meditation objects, the most common one being the breath. This process is called anapanasati, the process of watching the inhalation and exhalation of the breath.

Vipassana meditation, or insight meditation, is a means to cultivate a deeper understanding of one's own mental and physical actions and their mutual inter-relation. In other words, one is watching in order to understand the way things are.

A short guide on meditation postures
There are four bodily postures for meditation, i.e. sitting, standing, walking and lying down. There are three types of sitting postures, all of which requires one to sit crosslegged. One can choose to sit placing the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh. This is the full lotus position. If this posture is difficult, as it certainly is to many, the half lotus position may be adopted, that is, simply placing the right foot on the left thigh or the left foot on the right thigh. Perhaps the easiest position of the three is to simply place one leg in front of the other, that is both legs are placed on the floor. When this triangular position is assumed, the whole body is well balanced. Those who find the crosslegged posture too difficult may sit comfortably in a chair or any other support, sufficiently high to rest the feet on the ground. It is of no great importance what posture one adopts provided it is easy and relaxed.

Caveat: I hope readers understand that the information provided here should only be considered as a guideline. My sources are from The Buddha and His Teachings, by Venerable Narada, Mindfulness: The Path to the Deathless, by Venerable Ajahn Sumedho and Practical Guidelines for Vipassana, by Ayya Kheminda.

Editor/Website maintaner