About Meditation
At
Triratna Centres, meditation is taught by members of the Triratna Buddhist Order, who have themselves been practicing for years.
Classes and courses are open to everyone: you need not be interested in
Buddhism. Classes have a wide spread of people from different
backgrounds. Motives for learning meditation vary too. Some people
want to improve their concerntration for work, study or sports; others are
looking for calm and peace of mind. Then there are people trying to answer
fundamental questions about life. With regular practice, meditiation can
help all of us find what we are looking for.
A
Tool for Change
Meditation is a tool for change. By applying a consistent
effort (practice can be brief but needs to be regular) we free ourselves from
our limiting habits. In meditation we learn not to react habitually to
experience, but to respond creatively to what comes to us. Some unhelpful
habits may be relatively superficial and easily altered, others can be deeply
ingrained and will only shift incrementally over years. However, fully
developed, tradition says, meditation leads to insight into the nature of
reality
People attending
Triratna Centres are encouraged to begin with two
fundamental Buddhist meditation practices.
Mindfulness
of Breathing
The first practice that most people learn is called the
"Mindfulness of Breathing". As its name implies, it is a
meditation that uses the breath as an object of concentration. It is a
particularly good antidote for restlessness and anxiety -- an extremely common
problem in our times. Concentration on the breath has a positive effect
on one's entire physical and mental state. The breath is also portable,
which means you can do the practice anywhere! The meditation has four
progressive stages leading to a highly enjoyable level of concerntration.
Metta
Bhavana
The second practice is called the "Metta
Bhavana". This translates as "the development of unlimited
friendliness". It brings about a gentle but radical transformation of
our emotional state. Through it we can overcome negative feelings such as
fear and dislike, and replace them with a confident, kind and outward-going
approach to life. We start the meditation by trying to improve our
feelings towards ourselves, and then work in expanding stages until finally we
arrive at a powerful feeling of love for all beings, all forms of life.