Meditation takes numerous forms and interpretations in different traditions around the world. Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners are suitable for those interested in pursuing the ideals and traditions of Buddhism. Buddhism has spread far and wide in the 2,600 years since it was established by the historical Sakyamuni Buddha. Yet the origins of Buddhism arise simply from meditation and compassion.
A Buddha is someone who has attained the highest level of enlightenment and acts to benefit all sentient beings. You may simplify your understanding by adding the word “all-compassionate,” which refers to Buddha’s unconditional love for all sentient creatures. Sakyamuni Buddha meditated for 7-8 years to find a spiritual path to liberate himself and all sentient beings. Through meditation, he became enlightened.
In the Buddhist tradition, meditation is the foundation of enlightenment. Thus, practicing meditation is central to Buddhist self-cultivation. Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners include methods such as prostration, The Meditation of Greater Illumination (GI), and chanting. Practice according to your own needs. Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners can improve your health, prolong your lifespan, gift you happiness and ease, and lead you to enlightenment. We are embarking upon a great journey.
What’s the Purpose of Buddhist Meditation?
There are many reasons you may want to learn meditation. Some have health needs, others seek mental clarity; some pray for protection and auspicious blessings, and others, like Buddha, wish to be enlightened from the suffering of this world.
Simply put, Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners can help us live a better life. Consistent meditation practice can help develop our qualities of self-awareness, wisdom, inner peace, compassion, spiritual insight, and even enlightenment. Meditation can also have significant tangible benefits for our energy: from our health and well-being to our relationships with those around us, to our wealth, prosperity, and luck.
Health and Happiness
Do you know what “dharma bliss” means? It has many meanings. Firstly, it is the wonderful feeling we get during our Buddhist practice. This feeling is wonderful, thus it is blissful. We may feel as if we are floating. Our skin becomes fine and smooth. We may have been upset before meditating, but afterward, we feel so comfortable and wonderful. Also, our vision used to be blurry, but now it is clear. We had leg pain in the past, and now it is gone, and we are feeling so happy. All these experiences are examples of dharma bliss.
Meditation is the major method in Buddhist cultivation. We cannot do without meditation. I may not feel dharma bliss if I meditate today, but it does not matter. What matters is endurance and persistence. Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners have shown amazing impacts on health and happiness even after just one session. But if you can keep up one hour of daily practice, you will be remarkable in a year. Attending an introductory retreat where you practice Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners every day for a week is a great way to build a strong foundation and strengthen the health benefits of meditation.
Wisdom and Clarity
Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners are often practiced to tap into, acknowledge, and amplify one’s mind’s best attributes. Your initial wish may be health, but after practicing you will gain not only health but also wisdom. Many become both healthy and happy after practicing The Meditation of Greater Illumination or chanting. Also, they don’t easily lose their temper anymore. They become wiser. They got angry easily because they became irritated and the negative energy blocked their mind, so they lost their tempers. Now, nothing irritates them, so they understand the matter right away and know how to handle the situation at hand.
Through Buddhist meditation, we can experience a state of emptiness. The emptiness of sitting meditation is like a power outage, with no thoughts, no feelings, no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind. We slowly move towards the Zen of deep space. So to reach that state is to see that the world has no life, no edge, no birth, old age, sickness and death, no joy, anger, sorrow, joy, up and down, left and right. It is the state described in the Heart Sutra: “Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form.” When you reach this kind of empty realm, you are no longer an ordinary person, you are very remarkable. You release your attachments and can see the world with a clear mind.
Our mental faculties and capabilities have a great impact on our subjective and objective quality of life. Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners counteract stupidity, ignorance, and darkness. Buddha said that meditation yields tranquility; tranquility yields fortitude; fortitude yields wisdom. With a clear mind, we can make the right decisions for ourselves and our loved ones to lead happy, healthy, productive, and meaningful lives.
Cultivation brings us wisdom, regardless of our class or status. When we keep practicing, we achieve wisdom and “gradual enlightenment.” As long as we practice, we are becoming enlightened.
The Best Tips for Beginners to Do Buddhist Meditation
Meditation can bring us health, happiness, wisdom, and clarity. It can help us become better people and lead better lives. How can we get started with Buddhist meditation?
Grandmaster JinBodhi teaches many different Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners:
- The Meditation of Greater Illumination: The Meditation of Greater Illumination is one of Grandmaster JinBodhi’s most fundamental meditation practices for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Follow along with this guided visualization meditation and quickly replenish physical energy, restore vitality, and boost immunity. This method helps practitioners to relieve physical discomfort, recover from diseases, and regain vibrant health. At the same time, it can purify the body and mind, calm distracting thoughts, inspire spirituality, and awaken wisdom.
- Mantra Chanting Meditation: With each sincere chant, thousands will receive happiness and health. Follow Grandmaster JinBodhi in sincerely chanting to connect with different buddhas and bodhisattvas; awaken your compassion; and create a luminous world of peace.
- Prostration Meditation: Prostration is an easy-to-learn, simple-to-practice, gentle, and safe aerobic exercise. Practicing prostration with sincerity can help practitioners communicate with the compassionate energy of deities and the Buddha, thereby developing wisdom, illuminating body and mind, eliminating disasters, and transforming fate.
Interested in more in-depth guidance regarding how to practice Buddhist meditation techniques for beginners? At Bodhi Meditation, you can learn Grandmaster JinBodhi’s meditation methods such as The Meditation of Greater Illumination, chanting, and prostration.
We offer online lessons and meditation courses that may show you the path to overcoming challenges, enhancing your physical and mental health, and living a happy and healthy life. Let’s connect and get you started on your meditation journey!
