Different types of Meditation?

clearview

I've been meditating now for 8 months. I simply focus on my breath and when I realize I'm following my thoughts around I go back to my breath immediately. Upon stumbling around I see many people are talking about specific meditations with names I can hardly pronounce. But what is there more to meditation than simply focusing on breath? I know I'm not doing it wrong, but at times I wonder if I am doing it ineffectively. I never repeat mantras or what not in my head, and I never think on an image and hold it. I simply focus on my breath, the sound of my breath, and I keep doing this over and over while thoughts are popping into my head. What else is there to do??

Mystification

You can focus on the breath, or you can focus on a teaching, or you can simply be mindful of what is. All are good techniques.

blueberriesplease

I think there's a wide range of ways to meditate. I once read we can meditate while doing the dishes, or walking to our car. When we take a 'break' from meditating, we can still be meditating. I'm not sure if you were looking for this kind of answer, I'm not sure of specific meditations. One meditation I like to do in particular though is to sit and do compassion meditation. I invision being behind the eyes of people I see throughout the day. I really put myself there, and try to work my way up to putting myself behind the eyes of people who I have difficulty with and I end up forming compassion. compassionate meditation is very uplifting, and relaxing when trying to decrease the tension or block one may have with others or any being for that matter. I extend the compassion to others in the world, and try to imagine many people throughout the world living their daily lives. I try to be aware of the life and feelings of the other person throughout the practice, and it works for me, maybe you will enjoy it also.

DhammaDhatu

Upon stumbling around I see many people are talking about specific meditations with names I can hardly pronounce. But what is there more to meditation than simply focusing on breath? I know I'm not doing it wrong, but at times I wonder if I am doing it ineffectively.

Hi

The Buddha called his primary method of meditation Anapanasati or mindfulness with breathing.

Mindfulness with breathing incorporates both tranquility (samatha) and insight (vipassana).

Currently, the impression I have gained is you are developing tranquility.

To develop mindfulness with breathing more effectively, to deepen tranquility & especially to give rise to insight, one must learn to refine their concentration or mental application.

However, the mind must be ready for this refinement. Ideally, the mind needs to have the necessary capacity to remain quiet & still.

So, if you feel your mind is ready, to make meditation more effective, instead of applying the mind onto the breathing, one gives up applying the mind and simply abides in stillness & quietude of mind, until the breathing comes to & merges with the mind.

When the senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue body & mind) are quiet, the breathing in & out naturally become the grossest sense object. It follows there is no need to pursue or search for the breathing in & out. When the mind is quiet & still, the breathing in & out will come to the mind.

OK. Despite this technique being quite advanced, it is all I can offer.

Kind regards

DD

clearview

I think there's a wide range of ways to meditate. I once read we can meditate while doing the dishes, or walking to our car. When we take a 'break' from meditating, we can still be meditating. I'm not sure if you were looking for this kind of answer, I'm not sure of specific meditations. One meditation I like to do in particular though is to sit and do compassion meditation. I invision being behind the eyes of people I see throughout the day. I really put myself there, and try to work my way up to putting myself behind the eyes of people who I have difficulty with and I end up forming compassion. compassionate meditation is very uplifting, and relaxing when trying to decrease the tension or block one may have with others or any being for that matter. I extend the compassion to others in the world, and try to imagine many people throughout the world living their daily lives. I try to be aware of the life and feelings of the other person throughout the practice, and it works for me, maybe you will enjoy it also.

This sounds like a good idea, and this may be a dumb question but...what do you mean you invision being the people you see throughout the day? Do you think of all their characteristics and try to understand why they do what they do etc...Do you literally imagine being them? The reason I'm asking is because by thinking of other people it seems that it could lead to wandering thoughts, and following thoughts without directing them.

fabianfred

clearview...you are doing OK.
they call mindfulness of breathing..Anapannasati

formermonkJohn

DD the meditation technique you talk about is not advanced at all, its the second thing i was taught after breathing focus, some call it blank mind meditation, slowing or stopping the thoughts, once you have mastered that you can go on to higher stages that involve concentrating the thought on an object, etc.

blueberriesplease

clearview: You're right, without the right concentration wandering thoughts can arise. I don't try to understand or analyze their actions because that might lead me to being critical of them, instead, I try to relate and understand the fact they are humans and have sufferings and have desires to be happy just like myself and every human. I try to be very simple about it and not get too distracted. I do literally imagine seeing the world behind their eyes, seeing their lives unfold with all the pains and joys, and compassion arises because I see a commonality and connection. I begin to deeply wish them well, not based on any particular aspects the individual performs or has, but out of a very deep commonality that we both suffer and we both want to not suffer. Simple as that
Hope I explained that well

B

taiyaki

Check out true meditation by Adyashanti.

Building concentration is important for those without concentration.
But real meditation involves self inquiry. Check out Ramana Maharshi!

Your true nature is that which comes before thinking. It is your awareness.

Sabre

There are different kinds of meditation, but there is only one kind of mind. Wwhatever makes you more peaceful is a good way to meditate. The Buddha told us about more kinds of meditation but they are esentially all the same. They are all about kindly (not using force) focussing on one object in the present moment.

I mainly do breath meditation, because this was one of the main methods as taught by the Buddha. The second one is walking meditation, paying attention to the sensations in walking. But there is more as you noticed. Occasionally I do some loving kindness (metta) meditation, which is focussing on your kind feelings towards others, yourself, your breath or whatever. And a body scan is another kind. Focussing on the senstations in your body and relaxing them.

And you can do 'drink tea meditation', 'watch the sky meditation' or 'sitting on the toilet mediatation'. In fact it is all quite the same thing.


"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

seeker242

I simply focus on my breath, the sound of my breath, and I keep doing this over and over while thoughts are popping into my head. What else is there to do??

Another thing to do is to do nothing. Dhamma Dhatu referred to it as "abiding in stillness". When you are abiding in stillness, you're not "doing" anything except just sitting there. Japanese Zen tradition calls this "Shikantaza" or "just sitting", i.e. resting in a state of brightly alert attention that is free of thoughts, directed to no object, and attached to no particular content. However, most zen students start out with just breathing and coming back, just like you are doing now and after one gains skill in concentration, one moves on to the more advanced practice of "nothing". However, right now you are doing much more than just following your breath and dealing with thoughts popping up. You are developing powers of concentration that are very important for gaining insight and wisdom. You are also witnessing, in real time, the transient nature of mental things. It may not seem that way with these thoughts popping up all over, but the place in between those thoughts is the place where wisdom is coming to you.

rainbowwarrior

Try to find a teacher to give you instruction on meditation. there are lot of meditation methods that are not public knowledge.