In this course two meditation practices are outlined: Mindfulness of Breathing and Loving-Kindness (this course can also be downloaded as a pdf document here). The first (as its name indicates) uses as its object the breathing process for the focus of our attention. The second concentrates rather on developing a more positive attitude towards ourselves and others. But before we consider these we should look firstly at our posture. It is very important we position ourselves in such a fashion that we are able to sustain the same posture with the minimum of movement for the duration of the meditation session, and without causing ourselves any harm or producing unnecessary discomfort.
Posture
The general principle in meditation posture is to sit upright with least strain upon the muscles and girdles. Then the body can relax thoroughly and the meditation will not be disturbed by physical discomfort.
The style of sitting, legs crossed or kneeling, depends on what you find most comfortable. Cross-legged styles are most stable, but need more flexibility. If you find sitting on the floor too much of a strain, generally or from time to time, then sitting in an upright chair is desirable. If a chair is used the back legs of the chair should be raised an inch or two to tilt you forwards and bring a little weight onto your feet.
1. Cushion height
Avoid arching: If the cushion is too high, or angled too steeply, there is tendency to arch the back inwards in the lumbar region. It is placing the lumbar region under strain and will cause pain there. Pain may also be felt across the tops of the shoulders. If the cushion is too high we may also tend to lean backwards.
Avoid Bowing: If the cushion is too low, or we sit too far back on it, the tendency is to bow the back outwards in the lumbar region. We take up a generally bowed-out shape all along the back. In this posture strain is felt mostly between the shoulder blades. It is not easy to place the knees on the ground so the posture is unstable and difficult to hold.
2. Body Weight
When the cushion height is correct for our needs, we will be able to sit upright with the least sense of effort and strain. The aim is to sit with the head, shoulders, and chest resting directly over your seat, so that the weight of the body is coming straight through the hips, onto the cushion.
Just sitting upright, you can get a feeling for this balance of weight by rocking back and forth. Don't rock too far, an inch each way will do.
3. Shoulders
The shoulders often carry tension. Flex and roll them as you set up your sitting position. They should slope down and backwards slightly when they are relaxed. It is easier to open the chest and breathe when the shoulders are relaxed.
4. Hands
The placing of the hands affects the freedom of the shoulders. When the hands rest in the lap the arms should be bent. Support may be needed to hold the hands high enough for this. A small cushion or a folded blanket is suitable.
5. Head
For good overall balance, the head should rest lightly and directly over the shoulders. It isn't advisable to strain to bring the head back. It is better to lift the head up only as far as is comfortable. Let the chin come slowly down to touch the breastbone. Feel the stretch at the back of the neck. Then slowly and gently raise the head, letting it go right back as far as it naturally will, without reaching. Rest a little while, feeling the stretch in the muscles at the front of the neck. Then let the head come up slowly and gently, until it feels naturally poised.
6. Breathing
Breathing more fully into the upper chest helps to bring the posture together. When breathing in try and feel a sense of lift imparted to your posture. When breathing out feel that you relax with the breath.
Mindfulness of breathing
In the mindfulness of breathing practice we are working on the development of our awareness, through cultivating the faculty of mindfulness. The practice leads to the experience of a calm, recollected state of mind in which there is also the experience of vitality and clarity. We feel more concentrated as our attention rests more and more on the experience of the breath.
Our awareness, our personal experience of being ourselves, is based on the six senses: the five physical senses and the mind. Our awareness changes from moment to moment as our senses take in new impressions, as our attention shifts from one thing to another.
Positively considered, this shifting of attention, from sense to sense, from object to object, contributes to our overall experiences of awareness. Negatively considered, we live in a state of distraction. Our attention span is not very long and our minds wander from one sense attraction to another.
Mindfulness if the opposite of distraction. Mindfulness is the ability to keep up a continuity of attention, to be well composed, our mind not wandering haplessly about. The more mindful we are, the more aware we can be of ourselves and beyond ourselves.
In the mindfulness of breathing practice we use the breath as an object of attention. We don't need to try to 'concentrate' by fixing our attention on the breath, and holding it determinedly. If we just watch the breath come and go with a relaxed, open mind we may find ourselves becoming more attuned to the rhythm and flow of the breath, more aware of the subtle sensations of the breathing.
The practice
There are four stage of the practice which help us to become progressively concentrated in the experience of the breath.
1st stage: In the first stage we use counting to help us to connect with the breathing. Watching the breath come and go, in its own natural rhythm, we count at the end of the out-going breath. We count ten breaths in this way. Then we count another ten breaths; and continue counting in this fashion. So:
Breathe in, breathe out, and count 1.
Breathe in, breathe out, and count 2 …. and so on up to:
Breathe in, breathe out, count 10 …
Breathe in, breathe out, count 1 again ….. counting another 10 breathing cycles...
2nd stage: In the second stage we change to counting the breath just before the incoming breath. It is a small change but it creates a different emphasis in the way we pay attention.
Count 1, breathe in, breathe out.
Count 2, breath in, breathe out.... and so on up to 10.
Then count another cycle of ten breaths.
3rd stage: In the third stage we let go of the counting and simply watch the breath come and go. We try to keep up a continuous awareness of the breathing. We try to be aware of the whole sensation of the breathing, aware of the space between breaths.
4th stage: In the fourth stage we let our attention focus on the sensations felt near the tip of the nose, or on the lips, as our breath comes and goes. We don't need to strain on this fine point, but we keep up a relaxed attention.
Loving-kindness
In the 'loving-kindness' practice we are able to develop by enriching the emotional quality of our awareness and attitudes. Loving-kindness is an emotion which we can build up gradually through the practice of meditation and through acting in a positive way in general.
The idea of the practice is that loving-kindness is developed over a period of time; it has a kind of cumulative effect. We shouldn't expect to be able to 'generate' loving-kindness by the strength of our will to feel it. We need to build up the qualities of kindness in ourselves gradually.
The practice
1st stage: We begin by dwelling upon positive feelings we have for ourselves, on many aspects of positively caring for ourselves, on our own positive qualities.
We can use our imagination to help feelings to emerge. We may simply say some phrase to ourselves which expresses kindness, “May I be well”, or “May I be happy”. Saying the phrase to ourself and then letting it have space to work, letting the feeling of happiness and the emotion grow from it.
We may recall times when we felt contented, fulfilled, in touch with what delights us, felt care for ourselves. Or we may create situations which stimulate such feelings: sitting by a calm lake, a sunny day …
2nd stage: We choose a good friend, and as we bring them into the practice, we naturally feel the flow of our inner friendliness beginning to include our friend. We can use our imagination to stimulate our feelings, just as in the first stage. But now we say “May he or she be well”, see our friend when he or she was truly happy, picture them in a pleasing setting.
We are advised to choose a friend who is alive, of about the same age as ourself.
3rd stage: We choose a neutral person. This is someone of whom we are aware, but we don't' really know them personally. We don't have any particular liking or disliking for them. It may be someone we see at the bus stop, or at work, a local shopkeeper for example...
4th stage: We choose someone who is an enemy, or someone with whom we find it difficult to communicate or agree. We can try to see beyond the present disharmony and that our enemy too wishes to be happy, to experience a positive state of being.
5th stage: Coming back to the kindness we feel, we bring together ourselves, our friend, the neutral person, and our enemy. We feel the same wish for happiness etc in each of us. We feel the same goodwill towards all four.
We now begin to bring the wider and wider perspective of life around us into the practice. We think of others immediately around us. We look beyond to people living in the vicinity, in the city, in the county, in the country … thinking of people everywhere, wishing them well, identifying their happiness with ours .. we extend to all the continents, thinking of everyone in the world with whom we share our life …. all life everywhere.
Balanced effort
Integration of the mind through meditation cannot be hurried. The various aspects of our psyche need both stimulation and freedom to come together in a unified state of concentration. We need to balance effort with appreciation of the experience of the meditative state.
All of us tend to oscillate between laziness and wilfulness. Within a meditation period, and during different periods of our lives, we tend to err between: wilful resistance and wilful insistence.
Laziness
The general tone of laziness of effort is that we feel soft-headed and hazy, and tend to get distracted easily. If we are lazy in making effort we fail to apply antidotes to hindrances etc. Perhaps we lack a clear sense of the purpose of our practice, and so do not engage with it clearly or strongly. We may be out of touch with our emotional connection with the practice.
Look for obvious factors which cause laziness: too much food and warmth, not enough sleep.
Attitudes that go with laziness are 'Meditation is too much for me, I can't do it … I haven't time this morning, I'll meditate later … I don't want to change my habits …..'
Results: Through insufficient application, we not only fail to gain the benefits of meditation, but also bad habits go on perpetuating themselves. You may fail to acknowledge that your meditation practice is not good.
Wilfulness
The general tone of wilfulness is an inflexible persistence. There is often a lack of sensitivity to oneself, and an unforgiving attitude.
When being wilful we push ourselves too hard in meditation. Perhaps we sit for too long and set up an unconscious reaction to the idea of meditating. Perhaps we are being driven in our practice by unconscious motives which overrule our sensible ability to choose when we wish to practise or not.
When we are wilful we may force ourselves to 'concentrate' because we wish to appropriate a particular result of meditation. We are too concerned with the goal to enjoy the practice of getting there. Not surprisingly there is often a lack of real inspiration or zest in our practice.
Results: Meditation becomes a chore or rigid habit rather than a regular and enjoyable refreshment of the mind. Strong reactions to practising may arise if too wilful an attitude rules for too long.
Balanced effort is marked by a tone of progress in meditation. There is a feeling of satisfaction with the general tone of your practice.
It is effort that you make in a gentle and patient yet persistent way to bring yourself fully into the meditation. It starts with recognising clearly where you are in the practice. What hindrances, what tendencies, do you encounter? How do you respond to them? Do you err towards being swept along by them? Or do you err towards pushing them aside, or using some stock antidote without regard to its success rate?
When effort is balanced there will be a feeling of mental and physical pliancy, rather than dullness or rigidity. You will be able to work creatively, imaginatively, appropriately and quickly with difficulties. You will be aware of positive qualities growing in meditation, even if they are only there in germinal form. There will be a sense of:
Clear edge: knowing where the attention is going, feeling it involved in the practice.
Clarity: thought engaged in and guiding the practice, not just rambling.
Positivity: stillness and pleasure in the body and mind.
The Five Hindrances
This is a group of five states in which we might find ourselves when we try to meditate. They hinder our efforts to engage in the practice, since they dominate our attention, our emotional state, and level of vitality. They are:
1. Ill-will: Hatred or other negative feelings towards others.
2. Desire: Longing for sensual pleasures, including the pleasure of thinking.
3. Restlessness and worry: The mind finds many things to be occupied with, which we think we ought to be doing, or would rather be doing. We feel physically restless and have an urge to move about, to fidget. We may have pressing worries or things on our consciences which stop us from settling down.
4. Doubt: We doubt things about the meditation. Is the practice a good one? Is the teacher a good one? Can “I” do the practice anyway? It goes on endlessly. There is always something which may not be perfect, which means we are convinced it won't work. Really it is you. Resisting the meditation and finding many reasons why that should be so.
5. Sloth and Torpor: Dullness, heaviness, and lack of vitality in the mind and body. It isn't just genuine tiredness. It often arises from an anxious condition, and usually reflects a resistance in us to doing anything in the meditation.
| Hatred | Desire | Restlessness | Doubt | Sloth | |
| Energy | Active | Active | Active | Both but more passive | Passive |
| Adjust | calm down, relax, breathe into the navel area | stimulate breath at tip of nose | |||
Working with hindrances
The essential principle is that awareness is the key to getting beyond the hindrances. It isn't a matter of learning stock lists of remedies. We need to be aware of the state of our mind and body and learn to respond appropriately. However we do need a framework to deal with difficulties
| Four Basic Elements of Working with Awareness | |||||||
| Recognition & Acknowledgement: Often to know that there is a hindrance and to identify it can help you let go of it | Reflection: Reflect on the nature of the hindrance, its causes, and its irrelevance to the practice | Positive regard: Our attitude is often one of rejection of ourself, we need a sense of care and non-blame | Balancing: Respond by looking for factors to restore the balance of calm/vitality etc | ||||
| Five General Methods | |||||||
| Cultivating the opposite: You may try to introduce thoughts and feelings of positive counter-qualities. Don't take the examples given as being absolute. Reflection and a sense of balancing, using your own intuition | Considering the consequences: We need to clearly recognise the state we are in, and where it leads to, how it relates to our future state of mind | Sky-like attitude: Resisting the fact of being caught in a hindrance can bind us all the more to it. We need to become more open to and accepting of our experience. This will allow us to relax more and let go of the attachment to the hindrance. Also works for external sounds etc | Suppressive: Strong willed effort to suppress the hindrance from the mind. Have to be aware of state of mind you are in. Not advisable if you are in wilful or other negative state. The element of positive regard is necessary | Recognition and acknowledgement of the fact that the hindrance has been too much to deal with THIS TIME. But reflection that everything changes and that it will not always be so difficult can help in cultivating a general positive regard for oneself despite the shortcomings of this meditation. This restores the balance against any tendency to despondency, and helps you take a more positive attitude to future periods of practice | |||
Levels of concentration
The mindfulness of breathing and loving-kindness meditation practices can produce calmness, tranquillity and pacification of the mind. They lead to states of concentration in which these qualities are experienced. In the truly meditative state of concentration we experience a continuity of attention upon the object of the practice. This attention is not strained; it is accompanied by clarity of mind and emotional positivity. We feel that we are fully and natural absorbed in the meditation.
We can contrast this concentration with two kinds of opposite: wilful fixation and distraction. Wilful fixation is trying too hard to concentrate, struggling to hold our wandering attention on the object of meditation. The 'concentrated' state we get into in this way does not contain the experiences of tranquillity, clarity and emotional positivity. The mind and body may feel rigid, with a sense of resistance and difficulty in the meditation. Distraction is a state in which our attention is wandering helplessly about, from one mental interest to another. There is little sense of being mentally recollected.
Effective meditation brings about a unification or integration of the mind, as our attention and interest becomes naturally absorbed into the object of the practice. Concentration can be seen in terms of progressive integration of the mind. There are three stages which we can see concentration developing through.
1. Preliminary concentration
When we sit down to practise we need to make a conscious effort to bring our attention steadily onto the object of meditation. We use the faculty of thinking; thinking, again and again, of the meditation, to build up a continuity of attention. What we are doing is drawing together the interests of the conscious mind into the practice. This is called horizontal integration of the mind.
In preliminary concentration we experience this basic continuity of attention on the object of the meditation practice. The main obstacles we will have to overcome are the Five Hindrances.
2. Access or Neighbourhood Concentration
At this stage we have become fully mindful of the object of meditation. The effort needed to concentrate becomes less. Our sense of the focus of attention grows stronger, and the object itself becomes more subtle and interesting to us. We are entering into deeper concentration, in which a sense of completeness and enjoyment are developing. The body and mind may feel light and buoyant. The interests of the conscious mind have already been unified. There is now vertical integration, as awareness extends into what is normally the unconscious mind.
The obstacles we are likely to be most aware of are Sinking and Drifting (see below), and wandering thoughts. Wandering thoughts are the stream of thoughts about no particular topic which wander as a background chatter in the mind.
3. Absorption
Concentration at this level is characterised by a feeling of completeness or absorption, not only within oneself but also with the object of meditation. The intensity and subtlety of the experience of concentration becomes stronger. There is mental clarity, thought is fully on the object of meditation and gradually recedes from consciousness. Intense feelings of physical and mental pleasure develop, and give way to a deeper experience of tranquillity.
Vertical integration is where consciousness is now extending into super consciousness – perception and awareness with greater clarity and intensity. We have left behind the realm of consciousness conditioned by the senses, and desire for their experience. We have entered the more refined realm of consciousness established in meditative absorption.
Sinking and Drifting
When we meditate, we find that even when it is going well, we may not be able to keep up the meditation. We cannot simply carry on, getting more and more absorbed. Our concentration fades and moves away from the practice. This is the tendency towards Sinking and Drifting.
Sinking
This is the tendency for our mind to withdraw from concentration on the practice, to become dull and hazy. As attention is loosened, we gradually forget what we were concentrating quite well upon. We may end up sitting in an unaware state with no real attention on anything.
Let's say we are sitting in a vibrant, clear state of concentration. As the mind begins to sink, to withdraw, we first lose the edge of intensity in that sense of concentration. The loss of that edge means that our concentration is no longer progressing. The concentration may feel pleasant and we may not realize that we need to get out of it, into a more alert state.
If the sinking carries on we lose the sense of being concentrated also. We become progressively dull and hazy. We are in an uncreative blankness.
Drifting
This is the tendency for the attention to move onto something outside of the meditation. Though we remain mentally active, we have lost touch with our purpose. We may end up more absorbed in whatever has taken our attention.
We feel quite concentrated and attention is clear, but there are two things in our mind. A large part of our attention is with the meditation, but we also turn to thoughts, feelings or images of something else.
As this carries on, we lose the attention on the practice to the new interest. It may be that we have been trying too hard, become too excited, so that we can't keep up steadiness of attention. It may be that there isn't a strong enough engagement with the meditation to hold our interest.
Working with Sinking and Drifting
Sinking: When we learn to recognise the loss of 'edge', we can remedy it quickly by simply trying a little harder with our effort to concentrate. We could breathe a little more fully, or focus on breathing at the tip of the nose, or focus on brighter features of people in the kindness practice. There is a tendency to overshoot in drifting, but we learn to be more deft in adjusting.
When sinking has become gross, we need to refresh ourselves. Open the eyes, sit up straight. Perhaps get fresh air, allow the room to cool. If we recognise sinking as a regular problem, we'll have to prepare well. Start off the practice in a fresh, awake state, have a bright resolve and be clear that we need to check our state regularly as we meditate.
Drifting: When the mind wanders a little, the chances are that it's through trying too hard. We simply need to relax, be aware of the possibility of sinking …
When we have drifted fully away, we need to 'sober up'. It's time for some reflection and consideration of the consequences of where we've come to. This drifting about is wasting our time. We aren't going to enjoy the benefits of meditation if this is what happens when we practise.
If we are excitable we may need to calm down more. If of disinterested disposition, we need to stimulate ourselves more.
