How to Become a Better Meditator

Everyone knows meditation is beneficial, but we still find it difficult to develop a regular practice. This series is designed to deepen our understanding and practice of meditation so we naturally develop a strong meditation practice. Although taught as a series, each class is self-contained, and you are welcome to attend however many you wish. Each Thursday, we will explore a specific theme instrumental to the practice of meditation through talks, guided meditations, and discussion. 1. Breathing and Our Potential From one point of view, breathing meditation is the most basic meditation we can practice. However, it’s also very profound. By practicing breathing meditation systematically, we get a real taste of our own potential for true peace and happiness. In Introduction to Buddhism, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso writes, “Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will disappear. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and friendly toward other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve. We should train in this preliminary meditation until we reduce our gross distractions.” 2. Mindfulness and Overcoming Distractions If we focus on twenty things at once, guess what? We are not focusing on any one thing at all. This is one of the biggest challenges in our current Age of Distraction. Our minds are all over the place. And if we are meditators – or wish to become one – there is no greater impediment to our success than a distracted mind. So what do we do? We attend an overcoming distractions class on Thursday and PAY ATTENTION to the tips and suggestions on offer for improving our concentration. Focused mindfulness and concentration in meditation is a delight, and with some helpful guidance and a little practice, is not at all difficult to achieve. 3. Understanding What is Meditation: Contemplative and Placement The essence of Kadampa Buddhist meditation is a contemplative meditation practice known as Lamrim or The Stages of the Path. Here, we will look at the first of these stages: meditation on precious human life, designed to increase our sense of gratitude and good fortune and connect us to purpose and spiritual potential.