Buddhist Meditation Positions

Meditation can be described as a complete mental and physical process that helps a person to dissociate him or her self from every thought and feeling to achieve a state of complete awareness. This practice plays an important role in every religion though the word 'meditation' may not be used describe it on every occasion. Meditation does really not always have religious connotations attached to it. It is a natural aspect of the human experience and is increasingly used as a therapy for promoting good health and boosting the immune system. Practicing meditation regularly helps a great deal in achieving inner calm and sharpness of mind and perception.

Successful meditation practice simply means being completely aware. It also means living each passing moment as it unfolds without bringing in judgment or rational thought into the picture. Meditation process involves both the body and the mind. This is particularly significant for Buddhists since they want to avoid 'duality'. For that reason, when the Buddhists meditate, they try to involve the body and the mind as a single entity. The most well known definition of meditation is to take control of the mind so that it becomes peaceful and focused and makes the meditator more aware. The articulate purpose of meditation is to make the mind stop rushing about in an aimless thought. People practicing meditation often say that the aim of meditation is to still the mind. There are many different methods of meditation, some of which have been in use for a long time and have benefited many.

People especially the Buddhists commonly meditate on their own or in groups. Meditating in a group is a good way out to remind a person about his or her belonging to a larger Buddhist community and part of the larger community of beings of every species. Buddhist meditation process helps turn the awareness away from the world of activity that usually connects us to the inner experience of thoughts, feelings and perceptions. For Buddhists people the area of meditation comprises mental states such as calm, concentration and one-pointedness which comprise the six forces: hearing, pondering, mindfulness, awareness, effort and intimacy. Meditation process consciously employs different techniques that encourage these aforementioned states to arise.

The most basic form of Buddhist meditation process involves attending to one's breath. People need to begin by sitting in a simple position, keeping the back erect if one can, the more traditional postures for meditation are the lotus position, sitting on a pillow with each foot upon the opposite thigh, and variations such as the half lotus that is one foot on the opposite thigh, the other out in front of the opposite knee. This is a little difficult for most of the people. Some of the Buddhist people kneel, sitting back on their legs or on a pillow between their legs. Many others use a meditation bench: kneel, and then place a little bench beneath their behind. But meditation can also be done while standing, slowly walking, lying on the floor, or even in a recliner!

• Emma Bullock
• 20/02/2009, 8:59 AM
• 0 Comments