Meditation

We asked our sangha* members why they meditate. Here's what some of them said:

I meditate because:

…it helps me to focus, relax, relieve stress, help with changing my mindset. Overall I feel more relaxed and happier after I meditate. 

…it's part of my wellbeing routine. I like to meditate as a part of a group - I really value the sangha. I think it benefits me in outward ways that I don't fully understand or appreciate yet. 

…I meditate because before I could get quite angry at trivial things. Meditation hasn't stopped the anger, but it has made it less intense and easier to deal with without exploding. 

…I meditate because I feel the benefit not just while I am meditating but because my life in general benefits. 

…I meditate because in the quiet I can ‘see’ more clearly (and I love the calm). 

…I meditate mostly because I feel better than when I don't!

…I meditate to learn and find reality. 

…I meditate to help ground myself when my mental states feel overwhelming. 

…Before I started meditation, I could be reactive, self-serving, and sometimes anxious and depressed. By understanding my mind, I can start to take more responsibility for my mental states and choose a calmer, more unselfish path. I'm not 100% there, of course, but well on the way, I think. 

…I meditate to reconnect with myself. 

…I meditate because I find my serenity. 

*(Sangha means spiritual community).

Types of Meditation within Triratna Buddhism

(Taken from Year One Dharma Training Course for Mitras* - 1.3.2 The Triratna System of Meditation, P128)

Buddhism grew out of meditation. It grew out of the Buddha's meditation under the Bodhi tree, 2,500 years ago. It grew therefore out of meditation in the highest sense: not simply meditation in the sense of concentration, nor even the experience of higher states of consciousness, but meditation in the sense of contemplation - a direct, total, all-comprehending vision and experience of ultimate Reality. It is out of this that Buddhism grew, and out of this that it has continually refreshed itself down through the ages. 

In the Triratna system of meditation, the two most frequently used practices are the ‘Mindfulness of Breathing’ and ‘Metta Bhavana’, both explored here on this website. Other practices within the Triratna system which develop on from these are; Visualisation Practice, the Recollection of the Six Elements and the Just Sitting practice.

*(Mitra means ‘friend’. Someone who has made a commitment to the Triratna Buddhist Community as the main context of their Buddhist practice).