What to Know Before Starting Meditation: A Buddhist Perspective
Meditation practices are found in numerous ancient cultures and date back to thousands of years. Research speculates practices similar to meditation that potentially existing as early as 5,000 BCE. Earliest written records mentions meditation practices from ancient India’s Hindu, dating back to 1500 BCE. These practices encompassing concepts like Dhyana and forming the round work for Yoga, aimed at self-realization and connecting with the devine.
What is meditation and why is it helpful?
Dhyana (meditation) is called zen in Japanese, chan in Chinese, thien in Vietnamese, and son in Korean. Meditation means being fully aware and present. It has two parts. First is stopping (shamatha), which means quieting the busy mind and living in the now instead of thinking about the past or future. Shamatha helps us focus and feel alive. Second is looking closely (vipashyana) to understand things clearly. Meditation brings a calm, clear mind that helps prevent and solve problems, making life better and more meaningful.
Key Essential Rules to Follow When Meditating for Effective Practice
The most important thing in the daily life of a person who practices effective meditation is to keep and maintain the precepts and to care for them more than you care for your own life. Precepts are rules that symbolize the basic foundation which helps to keep a look out for anything in your behavior that falls short of them. If you simply cave in with the cravings and desires swelling out of the sense of self that has no fear of the fires of defilement, you’ll have to suffer the negative consequences, and one of the consequences is mental instability which makes meditation practice impossible. When people live without any order to their lives—without even the basic order that comes with the precepts— it’s not possible to attain purity.
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A Simple and Universal Truth
Everything is impermanent by nature. Everything constantly changes, shifts, and evolves, and nothing in life lasts forever. Truly understanding this fundamental truth helps you let go of attachments and distractions, allowing you to focus more deeply and effectively on your practice.
The Ultimate Goal in Meditation
Today’s fast-paced and often overwhelming world is full of various distractions such as illness, family responsibilities, and financial challenges. These distractions can prevent us from growing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, making it difficult to move forward in life. Meditation serves as a powerful tool to calm the restless mind, reduce these distractions, and nurture healthier, more positive patterns of thinking. The ultimate goal of meditation is to clear your mind of clutters and confusion, allowing you to find lasting mental peace and clarity.
Whatever your intention about meditation may be, whether it is to gain deeper knowledge or to seek guidance and clear directions towards establishing an effective meditation practice, it is important to keep in mind that understanding the history of meditation along with the fundamental basics will significantly help you achieve a practice that is both effective and sustainable. This foundational awareness can keep you on the right track while providing meaningful and lasting results.
Article Written By: Amber Pham, LCSW
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