Your Step By Step Guide To Finding True Inner Peace Ê...

Buddhist MeditationThe Ultimate GuideYour Step By Step Guide To Finding True Inner Peace

Blon Lee

What Most Meditation Books Don’t Teach

An Introduction

Everyone wants peace.

Not money. Not love.

Yes, people go after these things. People think these things will give them peace.

But they won’t.

True inner peace cannot be handed to you. You have to discover it inside yourself.

But how?

The answer: Meditation.

Perhaps you already know the answer.

Maybe you have always wanted to meditate, and you need some guidance to start.

Maybe you are already meditating, but you don’t feel any better doing so. You want to take it to the next level.

But you don’t even know where to begin.

There are just too many books and websites on meditation. The large amount of knowledge is overwhelming.

Worse, when you try to read them, you realize that these books and articles are usually full of fluff. Even famous teachers don’t always give practical advice.

And when you do get practical advice, it is usually when you have flipped through tons of pages.

Honestly, it is a waste of time.

Perhaps you just want to know how to meditate properly, so you can start right now.

Copyright © 2016 Blon Lee, Dragon Monastery • Page 1

Maybe you have been searching for a guide that teaches you exactly what to do. A guide that gives you all the knowledge you need to get started. A guide that takes you beyond the watered-down, popularized meditations.

A guide that is the real deal.

This is the guide you were looking for.

From basic knowledge to a step-by-step progression plan, this meditation guide will lead you by the hand, all the way through beginner to mastery.

Better still, there will be no fluff and useless theories.

The meditations in this guide are not some modern inventions. Everything from this guide is taken straight from Buddhist traditions.

These are the very meditations that the Buddha did himself, and became awakened doing so.

So, are you ready to find true inner peace within yourself?

If you are, scroll down, and read on.


Table of Contents

What Most Meditation Books Don’t Teach You: An Introduction .................................................. 1

2 Types of Buddhist Meditations ....................................................................................................... 4

Samatha Meditation ............................................................................................................................ 5

Breathing Meditation .......................................................................................................................... 6

Mantra Meditation ............................................................................................................................... 7

Eating Meditation ................................................................................................................................ 8

Samatha Walking Meditation ........................................................................................................... 10

Vipassana Meditation ........................................................................................................................ 11

Watching Your Mind .......................................................................................................................... 12

Mahasi Noting Meditation ................................................................................................................ 13

Mahasi Walking Meditation ............................................................................................................. 14

Metta Meditation (Loving-Kindness) .............................................................................................. 15

From Anguish to Peace: A Step-by-Step Meditation Plan ............................................................. 16

The Complete Progression Plan ...................................................................................................... 17

2 Literally Deadly Mistakes You Should Avoid .............................................................................. 19

What To Do Next ................................................................................................................................ 20


2 Types of Buddhist Meditations There are 2 types of meditations in Buddhism: Samatha and Vipassana.

Samatha Meditation

Samatha meditation is the training of concentration.

Basically, you keep your focus on one object. When your mind wanders elsewhere, you bring your attention back to it. Your concentration becomes better as a result.

Many people think they are practicing mindfulness when they do breathing meditation, but most of the time, they are not.

This is a common misconception. Concentration is not mindfulness. But as you will see, it is not in any way inferior to mindfulness.

In this guide, you will learn Samatha Meditations first. It is very easy to do, and it prepares you for the more difficult meditations later.

Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana meditation is the training of insight. This is the mindfulness meditation everybody talks about.

Instead of focusing on a single object, you observe every sensation, every thought and every emotion within yourself.

As you practice more, you will begin to really understand yourself, and the true nature of life and death.

Vipassana meditation is quite difficult. You will need a high level of concentration to do it well. You should not practice Vipassana until you have some experience in Samatha.


Samatha Meditation As a beginner, you should always practice Samatha Meditation first. Because:

1. It is easy to learn 2. It is easy to do 3. It can be done anywhere, anytime 4. It is relaxing 5. It calms you down 6. It trains your concentration 7. It prepares you for more difficult meditations

Samatha meditation has many forms. It is not just breathing.

Let me be straight.

You should not do breathing meditation just because everyone else is doing it.

I have a slight breathing problem, but I followed the herd and did breathing meditation. I would strain my breathing muscles badly after every session.

It was torturous. I dropped breathing meditation soon after.

I went on to explore different techniques, and I settled on mantra meditation. I feel comfortable doing it, and my concentration became much stronger.

Remember, different people have different body types. What is fit for one person may not be fit for you.

Try out all the Samatha techniques below, before deciding on which one you like the best.

Sitting Posture

Sit comfortably. Keep your back erect. Don’t puff your chest out, but don’t slouch either.

It doesn’t matter if you sit cross-legged. If you want to sit on a chair, make sure both your feet firmly touch the floor.


Breathing Meditation

Breathe through your nose. Breathe naturally, don’t force deep breaths. You will get tired quickly and strain your breathing muscles.

Focus on your in-breaths and out-breaths.

When you realize you are following your thoughts, your mind is wandering. This is normal. Return your focus to the breath, and continue.

2 Ways to Focus on Your Breath

1. Focus on the tip of your nose. Feel the flow of air as you breathe. 2. Focus the rising of your belly as your breathe in, and the falling of the belly as your

breathe out.

The second technique comes from the Mahasi tradition. The stomach is a larger point of focus, and may be easier if you are a beginner.

Either way, try both and see which fits you better.

Increase Your Concentration By Counting

You can mentally count your breaths to drastically deepen your concentration. Zen practitioners rely on this technique heavily.

When you inhale, you mentally note “In, one.” And when you exhale, note “Out, one.” Continue your next breathe with “In, two. Out, two.”

When you reach ten, return to one.

You will lose count at some point. But don’t worry, everyone does. It is part of the practice. Just restart from one when you do.


Mantra Meditation

First, pick a mantra from a credible source. Below are some common Buddhist mantras. Choose one you like the most.

• Om • Namo Amitabha • Om Mani Padma Hum • I have arrived.

Depending on your faith, you can also use your own mantra.

When you are still a beginner, use a mantra with no more than 8 syllables. The more the syllables, the harder it is to hold your focus.

Sit comfortably, and begin.

The Art of Chanting

Chanting is an art.

If you chant silently in your head, your focus could be too vague. Your random thoughts may drown out the mantra. You may even fall asleep.

That is why some Buddhists favor chanting aloud. Yes, the faster and louder your chant, the easier it is to concentrate. But then, you get tired very quickly.

The solution?

Vary your tempo and volume according to your concentration level.

Say you are chanting silently. It feels okay at first. But as time passes, focusing on the mantra becomes harder and harder.

Now to reclaim your focus, try moving your lips without vocalizing. If that doesn’t work, chant in a whisper. If that doesn’t work, chant with a low voice.

When you start to get tired, you can tone your volume and tempo down.

As with breathing meditation, you can use counting to increase your concentration. For example, “Namo Amitabha, one. Namo Amitabha, two.” When you get to ten, restart from one.


Eating Meditation

Other than “formal” sessions, you can also meditate within your daily life. Eating meditation is a popular way to do so.

This basic eating meditation has five stages. As you begin your meal, you start with contemplation, followed by smelling, tasting, chewing, and finally swallowing.

1. Contemplation

Contemplation is like prayer. For a Buddhist contemplation, you can use the “Five Contemplation of Food” on the next page. You can use a prayer from your religion as well.

This puts your mind in the right mindfulness before you eat.

2. Smelling

Draw the dish near your nose. Inhale in awareness. Notice the flow of air. Notice how you can sense the smell of food when air comes into contact with your nose.

Breathe for at least 3 breaths. If your mind wanders, breathe some more until you regain calmness.

3. Tasting

Put a portion of food into your mouth. Notice how the food touches your tongue. Notice what part of your tongue is in contact with the food, and notice how that contact is giving you a sense of taste.

Focus on this taste for as long as you want.

4. Chewing

Pay attention to the way you crush the food with your teeth. Know when you are opening your jaw, and closing your jaw. Notice how the food breaks down inside your mouth.

You can use counting to enhance focus. Mentally note, “chewing, one, chewing, two” each time you close your jaw.

5. Swallowing

Swallow the food. Be aware of the feeling of it travelling inside your body. Notice how it slips through your throat and falls into your stomach.


Five Contemplations of Food

I contemplate how much positive potential I have accumulated in order to receive this food given by others.

I contemplate my practice, constantly trying to improve it.

I contemplate my mind, cautiously guarding it from wrongdoing, greed, and other defilements.

I contemplate this food, treating it as wondrous medicine to nourish my body.

I contemplate the aim of Buddhahood, accepting and consuming this food in order to accomplish it.


Samatha Walking Meditation

Theravada monks often switch between sitting and walk meditation.

Why?

They meditate for long hours, and sitting too long makes their body stiff. Walking meditation is a good way to move around.

Two birds, one stone.

You can do walking meditation in both the Samatha and Vipassana style. Here I will talk about Samatha first.

Meditating with Breath

This is basically a simplified Vipassana walking meditation, as taught by the master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Count your breaths with your steps. Mentally count “in, in, in,” with each step as you breathe in, and “out, out, out,” as you breathe out.

Adjust the number of in-breaths and out-breaths to make yourself comfortable.

While doing so, be aware of your feet’s contact with the ground.

Don’t walk too quickly or breathe too deeply. This is very important. Both tires you very quickly.

Breathe naturally, not too light, not too deep. Walk at a slow to medium pace.

Meditating with Mantra

Pick a mantra. With each step, mentally recite one syllable. You can count your mantras like you would in sitting meditation.

Let’s use the mantra “I have arrived”. Say with each step, “I, have, ar, rived, one, I, have, ar, rived, two”. Return to one when you reach ten.

Again, walk at a slow to medium pace so you don’t tire yourself. Be aware of your feet’s contact with the ground, while reciting the mantra clearly in your head.


Vipassana Meditation The Buddha was enlightened by awakening to impermanence.

Impermanence taught him that everything in this world is but an illusion. The only truth in the world is emptiness.

By the way, have you noticed something lately?

These days, everybody talks about “Impermanence”, “Emptiness”, “Surrendering”, and “Letting Go”, perhaps a bit too much.

Think about it.

How many people actually know what emptiness is? How many people have really experienced impermanence?

How To Really Understand Emptiness And Find True Inner Peace

It is easy to say you know what emptiness is.

Truth is, it doesn’t mean anything.

The Buddha lived, breathed and experienced impermanence with his own body. That is how he really became enlightened.

If you want true inner peace, you have to do the same.

You have to understand emptiness through your own body.

Vipassana Meditation can help you do just that.

Granted, it is quite difficult. Instead of a single focus, you need to pinpoint every single emotion and sensation that arises within you.

You should earn some experience with Samatha meditation first, before moving on to Vipassana.


Watching Your Mind

Here is a simple technique to introduce you to Vipassana meditation.

Stand, sit, or lie down comfortably. Close your eyes.

Stay still, and watch your thoughts. Listen to your inner voice. Look at your mental images.

Be mentally aware of each thought as they arise, and watch them without judgment. Notice how thoughts quickly dissolve in the light of your awareness.

Also, you will start to understand your own thought patterns. This is the beginning of true insight.

It is okay if you let a thought drag your focus away. Simply return to watching.

This meditation is very relaxing, by the way. Try this meditation as you lie down to sleep. You will fall asleep very quickly.


Mahasi Noting Meditation

Sit comfortably and breathe naturally.

Focus on the expansion and contraction of your stomach, not your breaths. When it expands, mentally note “rising”. When it contracts, note “falling”.

When you are focus on something, thoughts, sensations and urges will pop up to distract you. You will have experienced this by now.

Instead of ignoring distractions, you now have to focus on them.

Mentally note everything you feel, be it physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, urges and everything else.

How to Use Mental Notes

• When you are thinking or imagining something, mentally note “thinking”, “imagining”. • When you feel enthusiastic, note “enthusiastic”. • When you feel itchy on any part of your body, note “itchy”. • When you want to scratch an itch, first note “intending”. When you scratch, note

“scratching”. • When you want to stretch your legs, first note “intending”. When you stretch, note

“stretching”.

Do not vocalize the note. Perform every action slowly, and note the actions in mindfulness.

After you noted a feeling, keep focusing on it. The feeling will slowly fade. When it does, go back to your stomach, and wait for the next feeling.


Mahasi Walking Meditation

You will also use the noting technique here. First, start with 1 mental note per step. Slowly add more notes as you improve.

How To Use Mental Notes In Walking Meditation

1 Note: As you left foot touches the ground, note “left”. Note “right” as you do the same with your right foot.

2 Notes: As you lift your back foot, note “raising.” As it touches the ground, note “dropping”.

3 Notes: As you lift your back foot, note “raising.” As you bring it forward, note “pushing forward.” As it touches the ground, note “dropping”.

4 Notes: As you lift your back foot, note “raising.” As you bring it forward, note “pushing forward.” As your foot touches the ground, note “dropping”. As you shift your weight on to your foot, note “pressing”.

5 Notes: When you intend to lift your back foot, note “intending”. As you lift your back foot, note “raising.” As you bring it forward, note “pushing forward.” As your foot touches the ground, note “touching”. As you shift your weight on to it, note “pressing”.

While noting your steps, also pay attention to all your thoughts and feelings. When something comes up, pause your walk give it a note. When it fades, resume walking.


Metta Meditation (Loving-Kindness)

This is the only visualization meditation in the guide. It is easy and safe. It is also a very powerful way to develop compassion.

Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Start with 5 minutes of Samatha meditation.

Then, visualize an open space around you.

Imagine people you love standing by your side and at your back. The people you love the most should be standing the closest to you.

Afterwards, imagine people you dislike standing in front of you.

Finally, fill the remaining space with strangers.

Now your visualized space should be full of people.

You need to love yourself first you can start loving others. Make a sincere wish with the follow phrases:

1. May I be free of physical pain. 2. May I be free of mental distress. 3. May I be free from all harm and danger. 4. May I be healthy and strong. 5. May I be able to live in this world happily, peacefully, joyfully, with ease.

This way, you arouse Metta in yourself. You may visualize this Metta as an aura of love surrounding you.

Then, pick a person standing close to you. He or she should be alive, and of the same sex as you are. Sincerely wish him or her happy and peace using the phrases above.

Afterwards, expand your aura of Metta to this person. Repeat this process to all the people you love.

Now, try to spread your love to people you hate. Understand that they also seek peace and happiness like you do. They are just like you.

Once you spread love to your enemies, end with spreading your love to all the strangers in the space.

With practice, you will learn to love every living being in the world, including your enemies. Because of this, you will enjoy better relationships with people in the future.


From Anguish to Peace A Step-by-Step Meditation Plan

If you are a beginner, you probably find the whole meditation thing overwhelming.

If you are meditating already, you are probably confused about how to take your meditation to the next level.

There are too many variations, too much to learn. You just don’t know where to start.

Don’t worry.

Here I am giving you a complete learning plan.

If you follow this plan, you will go painlessly from a beginner to a skilled meditator.

If you follow this plan, true inner peace is within your reach.

This saves you a lot of time researching and filtering out useless information.

You ready for this?

If you are, read on.


The Complete Progression Plan

Step 1: Samatha Meditation

Choose one Samatha technique:

1. Breathing Meditation (Nose Tip) 2. Breathing Meditation (Stomach) 3. Mantra Meditation

Try all three techniques. Pick one you feel comfortable with.

Meditate for at least 5 minutes daily. 20 minutes is optimal.

If you wish to, you can meditate for as long as an hour.

But remember: If you meditate too much too soon, you risk burning out and quitting meditation altogether.

Slowly build up your sessions every week, and don’t rush.

Step 2: Samatha Walking Meditation

After you formed a meditation habit, you can start Samatha walking meditation.

If you have the time, devote 10 – 20 minutes weekly for it.

If you don’t, try to meditate as you commute.

Again, it is important to make walking meditation a habit. Meditate whenever you travel on foot.

Step 3: Metta Meditation (Loving-kindness)

If you can dedicate five more minutes to your sitting session, you can now do a Metta Meditation after Samatha.

Step 4: Eating Meditation

Next, you can practice eating meditation.

When you begin, only devote one meal to meditation, ideally breakfast.

In your first month, you will meditate only with this one meal.

At first, only focus on chewing. Too many points of focus make things hard for you.


Once you got used to chewing, you can add more points of focus in this order:

1. Swallowing 2. Smelling 3. Tasting

Once you can meditate with four points, you can practice on a second meal.

Gradually you will be having all your meals in mindfulness.

Step 5: Watching Your Mind

Now we slowly ease into Vipassana meditation.

Let’s start with the easiest one: Watching thoughts.

Do it before you sleep. Every night, as you lie down and close your eyes, calmly observe your thoughts using the technique above.

It is at the same time easy, relaxing, and time-saving.

Step 6: Mahasi Noting Meditation

By this time, you will have meditated a lot. Your concentration level should be high enough to practice Vipassana.

1. Sitting Meditation

Open with 5 minutes of Samatha. Afterwards, practice Noting Meditation for 20 minutes. If you wish to, you can finish off with 5 minutes of Metta.

2. Walking Meditation

Open with 5 minutes of walking Samatha. Continue with 20 minutes of Noting Meditation. Start with only 1 note, and build up gradually. If you are in a hurry, you can skip Samatha and do only Vipassana.


2 Literally Deadly Mistakes You Should Avoid

1. Don’t rush.

A common mistake for beginners is that they aim too high too soon.

They think they have to meditate for long hours.

They think they have to get to the most difficult meditation as soon as possible.

Truth is, if you skip ahead, or meditate too long before you are able to, you will burn out.

Worst, you might stop meditating altogether.

Some meditation is better than no meditation. If suddenly you don’t want to meditate, you are probably rushing. Take a few steps back.

Understand that no one meditation is superior to another. Even the most respected masters practice basic meditations like breathing and chanting.

There is no rush to get to the “harder” ones.

Start with short sessions and easy variations. Build up gradually from there.

2. Avoid fancy, esoteric meditations.

Don’t go around looking for fancy, esoteric meditations, especially when you are still a novice.

By fancy and esoteric, I mean meditations that involve visualization and contemplation.

Without proper guidance, some of these meditations could seriously damage your mental health.

Take the “Reflection on The Decay of The Body” meditation from the Satipatthana Sutra for example.

This meditation comes from a credible sutra, but it is also dangerous. Practiced wrongly, you might develop severe detachment, to the point where you hate your own body.

This meditation had driven people to suicide.

Yes, people actually died.

Many such meditations exist in Buddhism and Hinduism. You should avoid them all, unless you are very experienced or under the guidance of a teacher.


What To Do Next So, you read through the whole guide?

And now you are wondering what to do next?

Well…

You don’t need to know anymore to start.

You now know more about meditation than most people. There is really no secret to it. People just dilute it with lots of fluff.

The benefits you can get from meditation are amazing. You really have to try it yourself to understand it.

And when you get good, you will know what true inner peace feels like.

The only thing is that it takes time.

So, start meditating. The sooner you get started, the better.

Follow the plan diligently, and I guarantee you will get there.

And hey, who knows…

Maybe awakening is waiting for you in your next meditation.

Best Regards,

Blon


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