Wow, I hope that this title doesn’t seem out of place here. I mean, after all, I’ve been posting on meditation, on its benefits, and on research into meditation now for almost a year. So, why would I post something as “basic” as how to meditate? (and what does a picture of 1000 meditating monks have to do with anything?!?)

The basics of meditation, while simple, aren’t always obvious when we read about how to meditate. Nor are they obvious in how we engage in our practice of meditation. We’ve discussed a lot of the “how tos” of meditation in previous posts on this site. So, this post will be a quick, easy-to-use reference or refresher for those who would like to know how to work with their meditation practice, and those of us who “already know how to meditate” may find some useful tools and ideas in this post. So, read on…

While the subject of meditation is a common topic, the topic of “meditation essentials” often gets missed. There are so many great posts, all over the internet, on how to meditate, that it can become confusing if all you want are the basic characteristics of what makes a meditation practice “good.” So, here are ten essential things to keep in our mind(fulness) when we sit down to meditate. Use them as anchors during your meditation, or as antidotes to the obstacles that may arise when you meditate.

1. Mediation is a state of non-distraction. While seemingly simple, if we really keep this in the forefront of our meditative mind while we’re practicing, we can use this one statement as an anchor, returning repeatedly to a state of non-distraction whenever we find that we’ve become distracted.
2. Meditation is a state where we aren’t altering our mind with thoughts. What this means is that meditation isn’t time to take a break from our usual routine and start thinking about things. It’s about not doing what we’re used to doing, which is to constantly stir up our mind with new thoughts or elaborating previous thoughts. “I’m no good at this meditation stuff…” “How long have I been meditating…” “What’s on TV tonight?”
3. Meditation is not trying to push anything out of our awareness. Meditation is not about trying not to think! I dare you, just try not to think. It can’t be done. Instead, when meditating, we simply allow whatever has arisen to remain until it no longer does so. This doesn’t mean that we try to have something arise, or perpetuate what has already arisen. It simply means that we don’t exert any effort in trying to keep something out of our mind.
4. Meditation is a process of gradually coming to know our mind. Wow! What does that mean? Check it out; it means that we gradually come to know our mind when it isn’t distracted, altered, or at war with what we “should” and “shouldn’t” be thinking. (see #1-3 for more)
5. Mediation is being able to remain present in the face of all that arises without wavering. Kind of like #3, it means that whatever arises, whatever our senses perceive, whatever our mind thinks, we simply remain aware and present.
6. Meditation is about finding our true nature, a nature that is always with us. Like # 4, when we come to know our mind, the mind that is undistracted, unaltered, and uninvolved in the dynamic play of what arises, we come to find a nature that is boundless, unimpeded by the obstacles that we unintentionally throw in the way of clearing knowing our mind.
7. Meditation is about moment-to-moment awareness. Because we aren’t distracted by whatever is arising within our mind based on thoughts, sensations, emotions, or our senses, we’re able to remain present, in the moment, experiencing what is known as moment-to-moment awareness.
8. Meditation is not something that we don’t already have within our mind. The important thing to remember is that even as you sit here, right now, reading this sentence, there is within your mind a “meditative mind,” or meditative awareness that has always been present. This mind is not something “out there,” that you have to find.
9. Meditation is about “just being” without trying to “just be” anything. That is, meditation is less about doing something than it is about being “in meditation.” That is, being in the moment, without trying to be. This can sound confusing, even impossible. As we gain more experience in meditation, and find more stability in our mind, we find that we have to “do” less and are able to “be.”
10. Meditation is beyond all descriptions….

And with that, you’re probably either relieved, delighted, or totally confused. However you find your mind right now, you can find calm within your mind by using these reminders as support to your practice. So, here’s the list for you to print out so that you can sit with it when you meditate.

Oh, and by the way, the picture with 1000 meditating monks is in this post because, just like these monks, there are 1000 ways to meditate, each one based upon how we find our mind within meditation. What’s most important is that we incorporate simple tools and reminders into our practice to insure that when we’re meditating, we’re actually meditating.

For more information on how to meditate, please see the Related Posts below. Also, don’t forget to download the free ebook, Can Meditation Change the Way that You View Your World?, for help with getting started in you meditation practice. Also, you can now download the new ebook, How to Work with the Four Distractions to Meditation to learn how to deal with some of the obstacles to meditation.

NEW – this site has a new page, Media, where you can find articles, MP3 tracks for downloading, and videos on the subject of meditation.

As always, please feel free to share your comments. And, as always, please feel free to contact me if you’d like to see additional content or other discussions on this site.