With this Buddhist Meditation Plan
for Beginners, I'm supposed to learn the best Buddhist meditation techniques
for quieting my mind, cultivating inner peace, and achieving sustained
happiness.
The key to being successful with this meditation plan for beginners is to commit to it. . I need to try and do at least one of the exercises each day. In this set meditation training plan, it is suggested when to do each technique, but feel free to meditate according to your own plan. What matters with meditation is simply that you do it! So let’s get started.
A Buddhist Meditation Plan for Beginners: Step 1
The first step in our meditation plan for beginners is simply to acquaint yourself with the different types of techniques. Of course before starting something we need to learn a little or as much as we feel comfortable about it. Reading about some of the techniques that we have previously written about here or elsewhere, in books or watching videos on
Youtube.com would be a great start. At the same time, it is important not just to read or watch videos but to also practice the techniques. Your meditation training should be broken down into 90% practice with a 10% theory.
To begin with, acquaint yourself with the following meditation techniques.
In
a moment we will look at how to use these techniques for beginners in an ideal meditation plan. First, however, it is important to learn about the techniques themselves. Read through these descriptions and click the link for more detailed information on each technique.
Buddhist Meditation Plan for Beginners #1: Breathing: The absolute best technique for beginners is a simple breathing meditation.
With this technique, you will learn to focus your mind on your breathing. This will teach you the basic process of meditation and is the entry point for more advanced techniques.
Learn Breathing Techniques Here.
Buddhist Meditation Plan for Beginners #2 Mindfulness: Mindfulness is a simple practice that gets you to focus your mind on the present moment. This is important for many different reasons. It is an excellent way of removing stress and learning to relax, but it also makes you more effective at what you are doing because you will learn to focus your mind on your actions. Learn
Mindfulness HERE.
Buddhist Meditation Plan for Beginners #3 Zen Walking: With
Zen Walking you will focus your mind on the process of walking. This is very important for many reasons. To begin with, you will heighten your mind/body connection. This helps to focus your mind on your actions and also makes you more aware of your body. Zen Walking is also a good form of gentle exercise and is one of the most relaxing meditation techniques in the world. Learn
Zen Walking HERE.
Buddhist Meditation Plan for Beginners #4 Vipassana:
Vipassana
is a specific type of meditation in which we cultivate mindfulness of thoughts. Essentially, with Vipassana meditation we learn to recognize when we are experiencing thoughts, we then learn to see a thought as only a thought and nothing more. This is very important for quieting the mind. Once we become more aware of our thoughts we are able to silence them. Most people think mindlessly. They simply think about things over and over without awareness of the fact that they are thinking and that their thoughts are interfering with the mind. When we practice Vipassana meditation we learn to recognize thoughts, which in turn gives us control over our thoughts and finally allows us to quiet the mind. A very impressive website to learn
Vipassana meditation. But if you are looking for a simpler explanation here you go
click here.
Buddhist Meditation Techniques for Beginners Step 2:
Now
that we are familiar with the different types of Buddhist techniques it
is time to put that knowledge into practice by adopting a training
plan. Here is the plan that's recommended.
WEEK 1: The most important thing in your first week is simply to commit to practice. In week 1 you want to do only the simplest techniques, which is a breathing meditation. Take twenty minutes each day to sit and focus your mind on your breathing. This will quiet your mind and enhance your focus. Choose a time each day where you can focus on your breath for twenty minutes.
Do not focus on results during this time, simply aim to do twenty minutes of breathing meditation each day.
WEEK 2: In week 2
you will want to continue your breathing practice, continuing your commitment to those twenty minutes a day. We now want to advance our
progress a little too, though, which is why we will now introduce Zen
Walking. In Zen walking, we usually walk on a short and straight path. However, this demands that we put aside another 20 minutes to practice. Many people simply don’t have the time. For this reason, It's recommended practicing Zen walking while on your way somewhere. If you are going to work, for instance, choose a safe path to walk and leave a
little earlier than usual. This will give you the time to practice zen walking while you are on your way to work (which saves time compared to having a dedicated schedule for this practice). You may practice Zen walking whenever you are on a safe path, so the next time you are walking somewhere, go a safe route, and while you walk.
WEEK 3: In
week 3 we want to begin to use meditation in our everyday living. For
this we use mindfulness. It is possible to practice mindfulness meditation while doing anything. Say, for instance, that you are doing the dishes. You can meditate on the process of cleaning, thus practicing while you work. You can equally practice while exercising while showering, and while doing other simple tasks. By practicing mindfulness meditation while you work you are learning to adopt a
meditative style of living, rather than simply practicing at specific times.
WEEK 4: In this final week I recommend adding
Vipassana to your current meditation training schedule. For this, you will need another time slot of twenty minutes each day to sit and observe your mind. I have added two resources for you to "click" on in the article on Vipassana Meditation. I really do recommend a more detailed website. It has an enormous amount of detailed information that is very useful in this meditation practice.
So there it is the complete schedule for “A Buddhist Meditation Plan for Beginners”
What I ended up with in week 4 is a complete training plan that looks like this:
Breathing Meditation: Practice 20 minutes of mindful breathing per day
Mindfulness: While doing any simple tasks, do them mindfully
Walking: While en route somewhere, take the safe path and practice Zen Walking
Insight Meditation: Include a second 20 minute period per day when you will practice Vipassana Meditation (Insight Meditation).
The complete Buddhist Meditation Plan for Beginners.
With this meditation plan for beginners, I hope to find inner peace and
sustained happiness.
A Parents Practical Guidelines for a Mindfulness Practice
