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Meditation Glossary

Amitabha (Sanskrit) = The red Buddha of the West. His name means “Infinite Light.” He is particularly important in Far Eastern Buddhism.

Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit) = The Bodhisattva of compassion.

Bhavana (Pali/Sanskrit) = Development, cultivation.

Bodhi (Pali/Sanskrit) = Spiritual awakening, Enlightenment.

Bodhicitta (Sanskrit) = “Mind set on Awakening.” The arising of the desire to seek Enlightenment for the sake of all beings.

Bodhisattva (Sanskrit. Pali, Bodhisatta) = One who aims to attain Awakening for the sake of all beings.

Brahmaviharas (Pali/Sanskrit) = “The Divine Abodes.” The four practices of Metta Bhavana (development of lovingkindness), Karuna Bhavana (development of compassion), Mudita Bhavana (development of empathetic joy), and Upekkha Bhavana (development of Equanimity).

Buddha (Pali/Sanskrit) = One who has attained full spiritual Awakening. More precisely, one who has attained this goal without the aid of a teacher. This is a title, not a name. The historical Buddha was known as Shakyamuni (another title) or Siddhartha Gautama (his personal name).

Dharma (Sanskrit. Pali, Dhamma) = The Truth. The way things are. Reality. The Buddhist teachings and practices that help us to see Reality.

Elements (see Six Elements)

Four Brahmaviharas (see Brahmaviharas)

Karma (Sanskrit. Pali, kamma) = Volitional action that shapes character. Not to be confused with vipaka, which is the result of actions.

Karuna (Pali/Sanskrit = Compassion. One of the Brahmaviharas.

Manjushri (Sanskrit) = Bodhisattva of wisdom.

Mantra (Sanskrit. Pali, Manta) = Phrases that are repeated as objects of meditation. Generally these are connected with specific Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.

Meditation = The cultivation of awareness (mindfulness) and the application of methods to change ourselves in order that we become more fulfilled and more able to see reality.

Metta (Pali. Sanskrit, Maitri) = Lovingkindness, love, universal friendliness. One of the four Brahmaviharas.

Mindfulness = The quality of non-attached, non-judgmental observation of experience.

Mudita (Pali/Sanskrit) = Empathetic Joy, or Sympathetic Joy. Happiness that arises as we become aware of the happiness and positive qualities of ourself and others.

Sampajañña (Pali. Sanskrit, samprajanya) = Mindfulness of purpose. Continuity of awareness over time.

Sati (Pali. Sanskrit, smriti) = Mindfulness of one’s present-moment experience.

Shakyamuni (Sanskrit. Pali, Sakyamuni) = A title of the Buddha, meaning “The Sage of the Shakyan clan.”

Six Elements = Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space, & Consciousness, used as an analytical framework in meditation in order to deconstruct the false sense of a separate and permanent self.

Tara (Sanskrit) = A bodhisattva in the form of a 16 year old goddess. The two most common forms are Green Tara and White Tara.

Upekkha (Pali. Sanskrit, upeksha) = Equanimity, in the sense of 1. Not being unduly swayed by emotions, and 2. Seeing the suffering and joys of living beings with an awareness that suffering and joy arise as natural processes.

Vajrapani (Sanskrit. Pali, Vajirapani) = “The Wielder of the Thunderbolt.” A Bodhisattva associated with the energy that destroys delusion.

The real glory of meditation lies not in any method but in its continual living experience of presence, in its bliss, clarity, peace, and most important of all, complete absence of grasping. The diminishing of grasping in yourself is a sign that you are becoming freer of yourself. And the more you experience this freedom, the clearer the sign that the ego and the hopes and fears that keep it alive are dissolving, and the closer you will come to the infinitely generous “wisdom of egolessness.” When you live in the wisdom home, you’ll no longer find a barrier between “I” and “you,” “this” and “that,” “inside” and “outside;” you’ll have come, finally, to your true home, the state of non-duality.

Sogyal Rinpoche

7 Reasons You Don’t Meditate, Even Though You Know You Should

1. “I don’t have the time”

This is ironic. You may feel like you’re wasting time by just sitting around and doing nothing, but it’s quite the opposite. Regular meditation creates space in your mind, heightens your concentration levels, and helps you cope with stress. Meditation actually helps you get more done in the time you have. We all have the same time. It’s just that we all have different priorities, which is why some people are happy to allocate hours each day to meditation and others only commit to half an hour, 20 minutes, or even 10 minutes. If you really can’t justify an extended period of time, just sit in meditation for the longest amount that you do have. Even if this is just 10 minutes, five minutes, or even 60 seconds – your body and mind will love you for it.

2. “I don’t know how”

We place far too much pressure on what meditation should look and feel like. If you can sit or lie down, close your eyes, and breathe in and out, you know how to meditate! That is basically all it is. Sure, you can get fancy with mantras and what not, but basic (brilliant) mindfulness meditation has no goal other than sitting still and being comfortable with having nothing to distract you from your own presence. This can be tough at first, because we’re not used to having so little to do, but it’s really that simple. If you really don’t know where to start, download a guided meditation or go to a class. Or click here for more instructions.

3. “I can’t sit still”

The fact that your mind wants you to check the clock, scratch your arm, or get up and check that the hair straightener / stove / iron is switched off just means that your ego is challenging you. Meditation is all about silencing the ego (the internal chatter that keeps you playing small), so therefore the quieter you are, the louder the ego will be. The more you practice meditation, the more you breathe past your ego, the easier it will be to sit still. If you can’t sit still because it hurts your back or your legs, try lying down.

4. “I can’t switch my mind off”

This is exactly why you should meditate. It doesn’t matter if you can’t clear your mind of all thoughts. It doesn’t even matter if your mind continues to race the whole time you’re sitting there. It’s called a meditation “practice” for a reason; we are not supposed to be perfect. Just keep at it. Whenever you notice that your mind is getting carried away with thoughts and stories, just keep bringing your attention back to your breath, to the sounds you hear around you, and to the sensations within your body.

5. “I find it boring”

Of course you do. When you’re so used to watching TV, while you’re working on your laptop, and sending text messages from your phone all at the same time, of course meditation is going to be boring. That is until you surrender to the activity. Realize that there is so much beauty in silence and stillness, and allow yourself to feel the subtle power creep up from within you.

6. “It scares me”

If you’ve never tried meditation, this may sound like a strange excuse. However, many people don’t go back for seconds after they’ve tried and felt the internal fear that can creep up on you when meditating. This fear is often felt because we’re not used to sitting with our feelings and emotions without employing an external force (like food, TV, alcohol, drugs etc.) to numb them.

This feeling can be incredibly overwhelming at first, and you may want to flip your eyes open because it makes you feel so uneasy, but just stick with it. Don’t try to control anything. Feel the fear in your body, breathe into it and allow it to move through you. Then bask in the fuzzy warmth that will follow.

7. “I keep wondering when the time is up”

Set an alarm. So there you have it. You see; there is nothing in the world that can truly stop you from meditating. If you really want to do it, you can and you will. Don’t wait for the right time or the right environment. Regular meditation will allow you to tap into your intuition, develop a deep trust in yourself, live in the present moment, and have clarity and peace in your every day life. What is happening in your outside world is a direct reflection of your internal environment. Meditation is a powerful tool for creating the life you want to be living.

# 7 Reasons You Don't Meditate Even Though You Know You Should

Meditation on Loving-kindness - Metta

Be still and peaceful.

Recite three times — Nammo Buddhaya — (Honor to the Buddha)

Recite three times — Araham — (The Pure One)

Recite:

Buddham saranam gacchami — (I go to the Buddha for refuge)
Dhamman saranam gacchami — (I go to the Dhamma for refuge)

Sangham saranam gacchami — (I go to the Sangha for refuge)

Think thus:

My mind is temporarily pure, free from all impurities; free from lust, hatred and ignorance; free from all evil thoughts
My mind is pure and clean. Like a polished mirror is my stainless mind.

As a clean and empty vessel is filled with pure water I now fill my clean heart and pure mind with peaceful and sublime thoughts of boundless loving-kindness over-flowing compassion, sympathetic joy and perfect equanimity.

I have now washed my mind and heart of anger, ill will, cruelty, violence, jealousy, envy, passion and aversion.

Think ten times:

May I be well and happy!
May I be free from suffering, disease, grief, worry and anger!

May I be strong, self-confident, healthy and peaceful!

Think thus:

Now I charge every particle of my system, from head to foot, with thoughts of boundless loving-kindness and compassion. I am the embodiment of loving-kindness and compassion. My whole body is saturated with loving-kindness and compassion. I am a stronghold, a fortress of loving-kindness and compassion. I am nothing but loving-kindness and compassion. I have sublimated myself, elevated myself, ennobled myself.

Think ten times:

May I be well and happy!
May I be free from suffering, disease, grief, worry and anger!

May I be strong, self-confident, healthy and peaceful!

Think:

Mentally I create an aura of loving-kindness around me. By means of this aura, I cut off all negative thoughts, hostile vibrations. I am not affected by the evil vibrations of others. I return good for evil, loving-kindness for anger, compassion for cruelty, sympathetic joy for jealously. I am peaceful and well-balanced in mind. Now I am a fortress of loving- kindness, a stronghold of morality.
What I have gained I now give unto others.

Think of all your near and dear ones at home, individually or collectively, and fill them with thoughts of loving-kindness and wish them peace and happiness, repeating May all beings be well and happy!… Then think of all seen and unseen beings, living near and far, men, women, animals and all living beings, in the East, West, North, South, above and below, and radiate boundless loving-kindness, without any enmity or obstruction, towards all, irrespective of class, creed, color or sex.

Think that all are your brothers and sisters, fellow-beings in the ocean of life. You identify with all. You are one with all.

Repeat ten times, “May all beings be well and happy,” and wish them all peace and happiness.

In the course of your daily life try to translate your thoughts into action as occasion demands.

In the ´70s, when we wandered up the hill to Kopan Monastery in Nepal in various states of drug- and alcohol-induced intoxication, we would ask Lama Yeshe, “What do you think about drugs, alcohol, and meditation? They make us more relaxed so it’s easier to watch our breath, and our visualizations are so much more vivid when we’re stoned.”

Lama, looking at us with an expression that was quizzically serious, would say, “You don’t need drugs, dear. You’re already hallucinating.”

Then, when we stopped laughing, he explained that intoxicants and meditation don’t go together. “Intoxicants take you away from reality; meditation takes you toward reality. Which do you want? You are already intoxicated by ignorance, anger, and attachment and suffer as a result. Why do you want to take more intoxicants?”

—Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron author, Tibetan Buddhist nun, and founder of Sravasti Avvey

# buddhism

# intoxicants

# the fifth precept

# Bikshuni Thubten Chodron

Meditation is not to escape from society,
but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on.
Once there is seeing, there must be acting.
With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Some people do not know the difference between ‘mindfulness’ and ‘concentration.’ They concentrate on what they’re doing, thinking that is being mindful… We can concentrate on what we are doing, but if we are not mindful at the same time, with the ability to reflect on the moment, then if somebody interferes with our concentration, we may blow up, get carried away by anger at being frustrated.
If we are mindful, we are aware of the tendency to first concentrate and then to feel anger when something interferes with that concentration. With mindfulness we can concentrate when it is appropriate to do so and not concentrate when it is appropriate not to do so.

Ajahn Sumedho, Teachings of a Buddhist Monk

# meditation

# Ajahn Sumedho

# Buddhism

# Teachings of a Buddhist Monk

# mindfulness

# concentration

Meditation consists of being attentive to such a state of Rigpa, free from all mental constructions, whilst remaining fully relaxed, without any distraction or grasping. For it is said that ‘meditation is not striving, but naturally becoming assimilated into it.’

Dudjom Rinpoche

# mental contructions

# nature

The basic principles and precepts of all true religions are very pure. What you see as impure is simply the inability of those who adhere to them.

Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche from Meditation, Transformation, and Dream Yoga

# other and all religions

# Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche

# Venerable

# Meditation

# transformation and dream yoga

Don’t be in a hurry and try to push or rush your practice.
Do your meditation gently and gradually step by step.
In regard to peacefulness, if you become peaceful, then accept it;
if you don’t become peaceful, then accept that also.
That’s the nature of the mind.
We must find our our own practice and persistently keep at it.

Ajahn Chah

Anapana Sati - Concentration on Respiration

Mindfully he inhales; mindfully he exhales.

When making a long inhalation he knows: ‘I make a long inhalation’; when making a long exhalation he knows; ‘I make a long exhalation’.

When making a short inhalation he knows: ’ I make a short inhalation’; when making a short exhalation he knows: ‘I make a short exhalation’.

Clearly perceiving the entire breathing process (i.e., the beginning, middle and end), ‘I will inhale; thus he trains himself; clearly perceiving the entire breathing process, ‘I will exhale’; thus he trains himself.

Calming the respiration, ‘I will inhale’; thus he trains himself; calming the respirations, ‘I will exhale’; thus he trains himself.

# Anapana Sati

# Concentration on Respiration