Meditation Instruction
On this page learn about:
Guided Meditation Videos:
Readings on Basic Meditation Instruction and Shamatha Practice
Articles on Meditation Instructions
Recommended Readings
Request One-on-one Meditation Instruction.
Guided Meditation Videos
Watch guided meditation videos, read articles and excerpts of meditation books on how to meditate. To get more familiar with the meditation we practice, join our live-streamed meditation classes. Weekly Schedule
Online Meditation Group Meetings via Zoom
Meditate with us mornings and evenings on Zoom. Daily Online Morning Meditation from 9AM ET to 10:15 AM ET, Every Evening frin 6:45 - 7:30 PM ET. To learn more about Tibetan Buddhism and meditation, join our ongoing online meditation course on Tuesdays at 7:35 PM ET after evening meditation.
Guided Meditation Instruction
If you would like meditation or tonglen instruction, It is offered in the mornings and at other times by arrangement. Let the Zoom leader know or contact us here, and we will schedule a time. If you would like to discuss your path and/or meditation practice, you are encouraged to do so and may arrange a time by emailing John, Barry, Michael or Laura at:
Guided Meditation Videos
In the videos below meditation teacher John Baker gives basic meditation instruction at the New York Buddha Dharma in NYC (now Path of Awakening Buddhist Center).
Teacher John Baker gives Meditation Instruction at the New York Buddha Dharma meeting at Nalandabodhi in NYC
Meditation Readings
The Practice of Meditation
By Ven. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
These instructions are presented here as the basic foundation of meditation practice. It is important to follow the guidelines to ensure a good understanding at the beginning.
“The practice of meditation is not so much about a hypothetical attainment of enlightenment, but about leading a good life. In order to learn how to lead a good life, a spotless life, we need continual awareness that relates with life constantly, directly and very simply.
The attitude which brings about mindfulness and awareness is not an opinionated one. Mindfulness is simply about a sense of being; you are in contact, you are actually being there. When you sit on the meditation cushion you feel you are sitting there and that you actually exist. You don't need to encourage or sustain your sense of being.
We might actually question what is the purpose of meditation, what happens next, but actually the idea of meditation is to develop an entirely different way of dealing with things, where you have no purpose at all. One is not constantly on the way to somewhere, or rather one is on the way and at the destination at the same time.
Our posture in sitting practice is important. Sitting cross-legged is recommended, the spine is straight, not stiff, so that the breath is not strained or inhibited. However, imposing too much intensity on the body will undermine the whole thing, so you can rearrange your posture as necessary. If there is some physical problem which makes sitting on the floor too difficult, a chair can be used but it is best not to lean against the back.
Eyes remain open, but if we are paying too much attention to visual details and colors the head and neck may tighten. We simply rest the gaze slightly downward without trying to focus on anything.
As you exhale, follow the breath outward. Try to actually identify with it rather than just watching it. The inbreath naturally follows when the lungs are empty, just let it happen without particularly paying attention to it.
It is very important to avoid becoming overly solemn or feeling that one is taking part in some special ritual. One should simply try to identify oneself with the breath, there are no ideas or analyzing involved.
Whenever thoughts arise, just observe them as thoughts and label them "thinking." What usually happens when we have thoughts is that we absorb ourselves and cease to be aware that we are thinking at all. One should try not to suppress thoughts in meditation, but just try to see their transitory nature, their translucent nature. We do not become involved in them or reject them, but simply acknowledge them and then come back to the awareness of breathing. There should be not deliberate effort to control and no attempt to be peaceful. Our thoughts cease to be the VIP’s in our lives.
On the other hand, there is no implication that by sitting and meditating, coming back to the breath, we have found a way to avoid problems, an escape from one point to another. Meditation is not a quick cure or cover-up for the complicated or embarrassing aspects of ourselves. It is a way of life.
It is extremely important to persist in our practice without second guessing ourselves through disappointments, elations, or whatever. We might actually begin to see the world we carry with us in a more open refreshing way. Meditation is very much a matter of exercise, a working practice. It is not a matter of going into some imaginary depth, but of widening and expanding outwards.”
Shamatha Practice
This guided meditation is written by James Ishmael Ford and printed in the Shambhala Sun (Lion’s Roar)
Choose a quiet and uplifted place to do your meditation practice.
Sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion, or if that’s difficult, sit on a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor without leaning against the back of the chair.
Place your hands palms down on your thighs and take an upright posture with a straight back, relaxed yet dignified. With your eyes open, let your gaze rest comfortably as you look slightly downward about six feet in front of you.
Place your attention lightly on your out breath, while remaining aware of the environment around you. Be with each breath as the air goes out through your mouth and nostrils and dissolves into the space around you. At the end of each out-breath, simply rest until the next breath goes out. For a more focused meditation you can follow both out breaths and in breaths.
Whenever you notice that a thought has taken your attention away from the breath, just say to yourself, “thinking,” and return to following the breath. In this context, any thought, feeling, or perception that distracts you is labeled “thinking.”
Alternatively, it is not necessary to say “thinking” to yourself. When a thought arises, you may just gently note it and return your attention to your breath and posture.
Thoughts are not judged as good or bad.
At the end of your meditation session, bring calm, mindfulness, and openness into the rest of your day.
Articles on Meditation
“…meditation is simply training our state of being so that our mind and body can be synchronized. Through the practice of meditation, we can learn to be without deception, to be fully genuine and alive.”
Elephant Journal Article: Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche: Meditation 101
“To benefit from meditation, you need more than just a glimpse. You need to make a commitment to training yourself in meditation. Otherwise, there will be a lot of gaps and missing the point, and you will experience unnecessary confusion. So it’s important to stick with the practice and follow the instructions that you receive. It might be best to look at meditation as a way of life.”
Lion’s Roar Article: A meditation instruction by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Lion’s Roar Article: Basic mindfulness meditation: It doesn’t get easier than this
RECOMMENDED READING
Meditation Books:
Mindfulness in Action - Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
This excerpt from Mindfulness in Action provides an excellent introduction to mindfulness-awareness meditation in more detail.
The Path Is the Goal - A Basic Handbook of Buddhist Meditation by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
“The practice of meditation and the technique was devised by the Buddha himself. We know that he went through the same experiential process. Therefore, we can follow his example. The basic technique is identification with one’s breath or, when doing walking meditation, identification with one’s walking. There is a traditional story that Buddha told an accomplished musician that he should relate to controlling his mind by keeping it not too tight and not too loose [just as he would tune his instrument]. He should keep his mind at the right level of attention. As we practice these techniques, we should put 25 percent of our attention on the breathing or the walking. The rest of our mental activities should be let loose, left open.”
— from “Continuing Your Confusion,” in The Path is the Goal by Chögyam Trungpa
Request Meditation Instruction
Fill out the form below to request meditation instruction or would like to discuss your meditation practice with one of our teachers. Join us also at any of our Zoom meetings and let the group leader know at start of session that you would like meditation instruction. We typically offer meditation instructions in the daily morning meditation starting at 9 AM ET.
Or email directly one of our meditation instructors below:
Barry Cunningham: barry@pathofawakeningbuddhistcenter.org
Laura Read: laura@pathofawakeningbuddhistcenter.org
John Baker: john@pathofawakeningbuddhistcenter.org
