Meditation is generally an inwardly oriented, personal practice, which individuals do by themselves. Prayer beads or other ritual objects are commonly used during meditation. Meditation may involve invoking or cultivating a feeling or internal state, such as compassion, or attending to a specific focal point. The term can refer to the state itself, as well as to practices or techniques employed to cultivate the state.
These are some of the benefits of meditation:
Improved concentration – A clear mind makes you more productive, especially in creative disciplines like writing.
Less bothered by little things – Do you sometimes allow yourself to get upset by little things? It is the nature of the mind to magnify small things into serious problems. Meditation helps us detach. We learn to live in the here and now, rather than worrying about the past or future. We do not worry about meaningless things, but see the bigger picture.
Better Health – There have been numerous studies pointing to the health benefits of meditation. The reason is that meditation reduces stress levels and alleviates anxiety. If we can reduce stress, many health benefits follow.
Knowledge of Self – Meditation enables us to have a deeper understanding of our inner self. Through meditation we can gain a better understanding of our life’s purpose.
How To Meditate
Like anything worthwhile, meditation requires practice. To get the most from meditation you need to do it every day. This requires a place and time where you will not be disturbed. Check out this cool mindmap pdf for inspiration: meditation.pdf
Sit with a straight back. Don’t try to meditate lying down because you are likely to fall asleep. Meditation brings relaxation and peace but at the same time this is a dynamic peace. Meditation is quite different than the relaxation of sleep. When we really meditate, we are fully alert and conscious. Our sense of awareness is heightened. Afterwards you’ll have a positive feeling for the world and a renewed sense of dynamism.
Don’t eat before meditating. After a heavy meal your body will be lethargic with digestion.
It is not necessary to mediate in the lotus posture. It is fine to meditate in a chair, as long as the back is straight.
It is helpful to take a shower before meditating.
Burning incense and having a candle are not necessary, but they can add a little extra inspiration.
It is good to meditate early in the morning. It is said the best time is 3am, although, If u feel it is more important to be awake and not sleepy, You can meditate at 6.30am.
One Pointed Concentration
However you learn to meditate, you must learn to concentrate on one thing at a time. Usually, the mind tries to hold several different thoughts and ideas at once. When you sit down to meditate for the first time, you realize how cluttered the mind is. Mediation teachers have described the mind as a “mad monkey”. However, the mind can be tamed and forced to concentrate on a single thought.
One helpful technique is concentrating on a candle flame. Narrow your gaze to the small tip and block out all other thoughts. When you get distracted, go back to focusing on the candle flame. You can also use other objects like a small dot or flower. The important thing is that you concentrate only on one thing at a time.
Mantra
Another way to learn concentration is through the use of mantra. A mantra is the repetition of a sacred word. For example, you might repeat the mantra AUM a certain number of times. Repeating a mantra forces the mind to focus on a single thought.
The word mantra is said to come from a root meaning “that which protects the mind.” In Buddhist meditation, many things can be used as objects of concentration — as “mind protectors.”
example: Gautama Buddha adjured the students to give this mantra daily. He said, “You must rise to the level of the mantra, for there you will find all of the other devotees and disciples reciting the mantra. And when you are at the level of the mantra, beloved ones, then, then you will strengthen the antahkarana of your Ashram rituals. Then you will see how strong you are as a Body of God, one contacting the other by the sounding of the great mantras. Therefore, let the mantras recited by the Messenger with others …be heard! …Let the mantra overtake you, I say, for the mantra is God. You are God! Therefore, let you, God and the mantra come together every day of your life!”
1)Thinking as "the Creator" / God as the embodiment of mind:
In Buddhism, there is no magical creature who is the creator of everything. Gautama Buddha states that it is our thinking that has made this world. Mind of the Buddha regarded as the creator. We are the fruit of our own mind.
"All of us come from our own thoughts. With thoughts of us, we create our world. (Dhammapada, 1.1-3) "
2)Sutta:
Buddhism a scriptural narrative; esp., an account of a dialogue or sermon of the Buddha.
3)Mantra:
A commonly repeated word or phrase; the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth
religious text, religious writing, sacred text, sacred writing - writing that is venerated for the worship of a deity.
Rebirth is conditioned by the karmas (actions of body, speech and mind) of previous lives; good karmas will yield a happier rebirth, bad karmas will produce one which is more unhappy. The basic cause for this is the abiding of consciousness in ignorance (Pali: avijja, Sanskrit: avidya): when ignorance is uprooted, rebirth ceases. One of the analogies used to describe what happens then is that of a ray of light that never lands.
Karma and Rebirth
The wheel of life, or "samsara", is an ancient symbol that has the same meaning in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is symbolises the cycle of birth, life, and death. When one revolution of the wheel is completed, life begins again with rebirth.
What is karma?
Karma is a Sanskrit word that literally means "action". The word is used to refer to volitional acts as well as the fruits or consequences that arise from these acts. The idea of karma had existed in ancient Indian philosophy before the time of Siddhartha Gautama, and it became an important element of Buddhist philosophy.
The Hindu and Buddhist concepts of karma are quite similar, although Hinduism makes a further distinction between different types of karma, such as present karma, latent karma, and future karma. In the understanding of both thought systems, the law of karma describes the connection between actions and the resulting forces, as follows: wholesome actions lead to wholesome states while unwholesome actions lead to unwholesome states, individually as well as collectively.
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