We have meditation classes starting in June. Please call our 24-hour voice mail for details, (617) 299-0970. Better yet, sign up on our Contact form.

A short introduction to our meditation.

Guided Meditations on MP3 below are some guided meditations and visualizations to assist you in your meditation practice.

Concentration On A Candle

Finding Your Heart Center

The Light Expanding From Your Heart

Meditation On A Mountaintop

The meditations are based on Sri Chinmoys writings or inspired by his teachings. For more, see his book 101 Meditation Techniques.

The background music is Eternitys Sunrise Alap Jetzer and used by permission. It may be downloaded for free here:http://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/69/eternitys-sunrise-alap/.

Ourclasses offer practical guidance and inspiration for making meditation a daily habit. They are designed for beginners as well as those looking to brush up on incorporating meditation more deeply into their daily life.

We welcome people from all walks of life and at all stages of meditation and hope to provide meditation techniques of lasting benefit to all.

The classes are always free, we do not even accept donations, and ongoing followup classes are also free.

Here is the original post:
Free meditation classes in Boston

Daoist meditation Chinese Literal meaning Dao school deep thinking

Daoist meditation refers to the traditional meditative practices associated with the Chinese philosophy and religion of Daoism, including concentration, mindfulness, contemplation, and visualization. Techniques of Daoist meditation are historically interrelated with Buddhist meditation, for instance, 6th-century Daoists developed guan "observation" insight meditation from Tiantai Buddhist anapanasati "mindfulness of breath" practices.

Traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese martial arts have adapted certain Daoist meditative techniques. Some examples are Daoyin "guide and pull" breathing exercises, Neidan "internal alchemy" techniques, Neigong "internal skill" practices, Qigong breathing exercises, Zhan zhuang "standing like a post", and Taijiquan "great ultimate fist" techniques.

The Chinese language has several keywords for Daoist meditation practices, some of which are difficult to translate accurately into English.

Livia Kohn (2008a:118) distinguishes three basic types of Daoist meditation: "concentrative", "insight", and "visualization".

Ding literally means "decide; settle; stabilize; definite; firm; solid" and early scholars such as Xuanzang used it to translate Sanskrit samadhi "deep meditative contemplation" in Chinese Buddhist texts. In this sense, Kohn (2008c:358) renders ding as "intent contemplation" or "perfect absorption." The Zuowanglun has a section called Taiding "intense concentration"

Guan basically means "look at (carefully); watch; observe; view; scrutinize" (and names the Yijing Hexagram 20 Guan "Viewing"). Guan became the Daoist technical term for "monastery; abbey", exemplified by Louguan "Tiered Abbey" temple, designating "Observation Tower", which was a major Daoist center from the 5th through 7th centuries (see Louguantai). Kohn (2008d:452) says the word guan, "intimates the role of Taoist sacred sites as places of contact with celestial beings and observation of the stars." Tang Dynasty (618907) Daoist masters developed guan "observation" meditation from Tiantai Buddhist zhiguan "cessation and insight" meditation, corresponding to amatha-vipayan the two basic types of Buddhist meditation are samatha "calm abiding; stabilizing meditation" and vipassan "clear observation; analysis". Kohn (2008d:453) explains, "The two words indicate the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation: zhi is a concentrative exercise that achieves one-pointedness of mind or" cessation" of all thoughts and mental activities, while guan is a practice of open acceptance of sensory data, interpreted according to Buddhist doctrine as a form of "insight" or wisdom." Guan meditators would seek to merge individual consciousness into emptiness and attain unity with the Dao.

Cun usually means "exist; be present; live; survive; remain", but has a sense of "to cause to exist; to make present" in the Daoist meditation technique, which both the Shangqing School and Lingbao Schools popularized.

It thus means that the meditator, by an act of conscious concentration and focused intention, causes certain energies to be present in certain parts of the body or makes specific deities or scriptures appear before his or her mental eye. For this reason, the word is most commonly rendered "to visualize" or, as a noun, "visualization." Since, however, the basic meaning of cun is not just to see or be aware of but to be actually present, the translation "to actualize" or" actualization" may at times be correct if somewhat alien to the Western reader. (Kohn 2008b:287)

Within the above three types of Daoist meditation, some important practices are:

Read more here:
Daoist meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Learn about the science and benefits of meditation,discoverhow to meditate, and enhance your practicewithour guided meditations to connect your body and mind. Recently Added in Meditation 10-Minute Meditation on Self-Care for Mothers

Mothers sacrifice sleep, diet, love life to care for their kids. Take a moment to pause and recalibrate yourself for better balance.

For those suffering from anxiety, yoga can be a lifeline. Heres why doctors are increasingly recommending it as a complementary therapy.

Meditation is one part of the practice that has the potential to keep deepening with age. Here are 10 guided meditations to return to for years to come.

Without breath, theprana we cultivate through yoga practice would have no real avenue for circulation; the breath is everything.

Gain insight into the way you can use your reactions to sound to understand yourself better and settle deeply into the present moment.

Deepak Chopra is co-hosting aGlobal Meditation for Compassionon Saturday, July 11. Use this practice to open your heart anytime.

If youve struggled with meditation but buy into the benefits, its time to try yoga nidra. This systematic relaxation brings ease to the very deepest layers of our being.

Deepak Chopra empowers children to find positive ways in which they would like to change the world through mindfulness exercises.

Neck pain and stress-related tension are a regular struggle for many, but experts say meditation may be the key to longterm relief.

View post:
Meditation - Yoga Journal

Seattle TM Centers

Transcendental meditation is a simple, natural technique... This form of meditation allows your body to settle into a state of profound rest and relaxation and your mind to achieve a state of inner peace, without needing to use concentration or effort.

You are invited to a special introductory talk on the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique in Seattle. Admission is free. For the schedule, please use the contact form on the left, or call (206) 235-2322.

The TM technique has been learned by over 6 million people, and over 380 published studies have found it highly effective for stress, anxiety, insomnia, hypertension, and more.

Imagine trying to learn a natural golf swing or the violin. You know how valuable it is for a good teacher to show you the proper technique.

The TM technique is easy to learn, but requires personalized interactive guidance. For this reason, its taught only through one-on-one instruction by a certified TM teacher.

There is no other way to learn the authentic TM technique and there is no evidence that anything else provides the full range of benefits documented in the published research on the TM technique.

Its a simple, natural technique practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.

The TM technique is easy to learn and enjoyable to practice, and is not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. Over six million people have learned it people of all ages, cultures, and religions.

The TM technique allows your mind to easily settle inward, through quieter levels of thought, until you experience the most silent and peaceful level of your own awareness pure consciousness.

Read the original:
Meditation Classes Seattle - Transcendental Meditation Seattle

Vipassan (Pli) or vipayan (, Sanskrit; Chn. gun; Tib. , lhaktong; Wyl. lhag mthong) in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality,[1][2] namely as the Three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering or unsatisfactoriness, and the realisation of non-self.

Vipassan meditation is an ancient practice taught by Buddhas, reintroduced by Ledi Sayadaw and Mogok Sayadaw and popularized by Mahasi Sayadaw,S. N. Goenka, and the Vipassana movement, in which mindfulness of breathing and of thoughts, feelings and actions are being used to gain insight in the true nature of reality. Due to the popularity of Vipassan-meditation, the mindfulness of breathing has gained further popularity in the west as mindfulness.

Vipassan is a Pali word from the Sanskrit prefix "vi-" and verbal root pa. It is often translated as "insight" or "clear-seeing," though, the "in-" prefix may be misleading; "vi" in Indo-Aryan languages is equivalent to the Latin "dis." The "vi" in vipassan may then mean to see into, see through or to see 'in a special way.'[2] Alternatively, the "vi" can function as an intensive, and thus vipassan may mean "seeing deeply."[citation needed]

A synonym for "Vipassan" is paccakkha (Pli; Sanskrit: pratyaka), "before the eyes," which refers to direct experiential perception. Thus, the type of seeing denoted by "vipassan" is that of direct perception, as opposed to knowledge derived from reasoning or argument.[citation needed]

In Tibetan, vipashyana is lhagthong (wylie: lhag mthong). The term "lhag" means "higher", "superior", "greater"; the term "thong" is "view" or "to see". So together, lhagthong may be rendered into English as "superior seeing", "great vision" or "supreme wisdom." This may be interpreted as a "superior manner of seeing", and also as "seeing that which is the essential nature." Its nature is a luciditya clarity of mind.[7]

Henepola Gunaratana defined Vipassan as:

Looking into something with clarity and precision, seeing each component as distinct and separate, and piercing all the way through so as to perceive the most fundamental reality of that thing" [2]

In the sutta pitaka the term "vipassan" is hardly mentioned:

If you look directly at the Pali discourses the earliest extant sources for our knowledge of the Buddha's teachings you'll find that although they do use the word samatha to mean tranquillity, and vipassan to mean clear-seeing, they otherwise confirm none of the received wisdom about these terms. Only rarely do they make use of the word vipassan a sharp contrast to their frequent use of the word jhana. When they depict the Buddha telling his disciples to go meditate, they never quote him as saying "go do vipassan," but always "go do jhana." And they never equate the word vipassan with any mindfulness techniques.

The suttas contain traces of ancient debates between Mahayana and Theravada schools in the interpretation of the teachings and the development of insight. Out of these debates developed the idea that bare insight suffices to reach liberation, by discerning the Three marks (qualities) of (human) existence (tilakkhana), namely dukkha (suffering), anatta (non-self) and anicca (impermanence). This is a summation on the knowledge and insight on the Four Noble Truths which can only be reached by practising the Noble Eightfold Path. According to Theravada tradition enlightenment or Nibbana can only be attained by discerning all Vipassana insight levels when the Eightfold Noble Path is followed ardently. This is a developmental process where various Vipassana insights are discerned and the final enlightenment may come suddenly as proposed by other schools.

The rest is here:
Vipassan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Meditations on First Philosophy[1] (subtitled In which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated) is a philosophical treatise by Ren Descartes first published in 1641 (in Latin). The French translation (by the Duke of Luynes with Descartes' supervision) was published in 1647 as Mditations Metaphysiques. The original Latin title is Meditationes de prima philosophia, in qua Dei existentia et anim immortalitas demonstratur. The title may contain a misreading by the printer, mistaking animae immortalitas for animae immaterialitas, as suspected already by A. Baillet. [2]

The book is made up of six meditations, in which Descartes first discards all belief in things that are not absolutely certain, and then tries to establish what can be known for sure. He wrote the meditations as if he had meditated for six days: each meditation refers to the last one as "yesterday" (In fact, Descartes began work on the Meditations in 1639.[3]) One of the most influential philosophical texts ever written, it is widely read to this day.[4]

The Meditations consist of the presentation of Descartes' metaphysical system in its most detailed level and in the expanding of Descartes' philosophical system, which he first introduced in the fourth part of his Discourse on Method (1637). Descartes' metaphysical thought is also found in the Principles of Philosophy (1644), which the author intended to be a philosophy guidebook.

Letter of dedication

To the most wise and illustrious the Dean and Doctors of the Sacred Faculty of Theology in Paris

Descartes says that he is asking the protection of the Faculty for his work, and to this end he writes the present dedication.

His first consideration is that the existence of God has to be demonstrated philosophically, besides the theological reasons for belief, particularly if we consider to make a demonstration for the non-believers. Moreover, the believers could be accused of making a circular reasoning, when saying that we must believe in God because of the Scriptures, and in the authority of the Scriptures because they have been inspired by God. He further indicates how the very Scriptures say that the mind of man is sufficient to discover God.

His aim is to apply a method to demonstrate these two truths, in a so clear and evident manner that result to be evident. This method he has developed for the Sciences.[5]

Preface to the reader

Descartes explains how he made a mention of the two questions, the existence of God, and the soul, in his Discourse on Method. Following this, he received objections, and two of them he considers are of importance. The first is how he concludes that the essence of the soul is a thing that thinks, excluding all other nature. To this he says that he has a clear perception that he is a thinking thing, and has no other clear perception, and from this he concludes that there is nothing else in the essence of the self.

Read this article:
Meditations on First Philosophy - Wikipedia, the free ...

The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep that you can ever have. When the mind becomes free from agitation, is calm and serene and at peace, meditation happens.

The benefits of meditation are manifold. It is an essential practice for mental hygiene. A calm mind, good concentration, clarity of perception, improvement in communication, blossoming of skills and talents, an unshakeable inner strength, healing, the ability to connect to an inner source of energy, relaxation, rejuvenation, and good luck are all natural results of meditating regularly.

In today's world where stress catches on faster than the eye can see or the mind can perceive, meditation is no more a luxury. It is a necessity. To be unconditionally happy and to have peace of mind, we need to tap into the power of meditation.

Sahaj Samadhi Meditation is a mantra-based meditation where a sound vibration (mantra), when used in a specific way, gives you deep relaxation and also keeps you alert. It effortlessly allows the conscious mind to settle down. And when the mind settles down, it lets go of all tension and stress and centers itself in the present moment.

read more >>

Go here to see the original:
Meditation | The Art Of Living Global

Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Flip to back Flip to front

Now in a beautiful paperback edition, David Lynch's Catching the Big Fish provides a rare window into the internationally acclaimed filmmaker's methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.

Catching the Big Fish comes as a revelation to the legion of fans who have longed to better understand Lynch's personal vision. And it is equally compelling to those who wonder how they can nurture their own creativity.

Catching Ideas

Ideas are like fish.

If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper.

Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract. And they're very beautiful.

I look for a certain kind of fish that is important to me, one that can translate to cinema. But there are all kinds of fish swimming down there. There are fish for business, fish for sports. There are fish for everything.

Everything, anything that is a thing, comes up from the deepest level. Modern physics calls that level the Unified Field. The more your consciousness-your awareness-is expanded, the deeper you go toward this source, and the bigger the fish you can catch.

Link:
Amazon.com: Catching the Big Fish: Meditation ...

Editors note: This is a guest post from Todd Goldfarb at the We The Change blog.

Meditation is the art of focusing 100% of your attention in one area. The practice comes with a myriad of well-publicized health benefits including increased concentration, decreased anxiety, and a general feeling of happiness.

Although a great number of people try meditation at some point in their lives, a small percentage actually stick with it for the long-term. This is unfortunate, and a possible reason is that many beginners do not begin with a mindset needed to make the practice sustainable.

The purpose of this article is to provide 20 practical recommendations to help beginners get past the initial hurdles and integrate meditation over the long term:

1) Make it a formal practice. You will only get to the next level in meditation by setting aside specific time (preferably two times a day) to be still.

2) Start with the breath. Breathing deep slows the heart rate, relaxes the muscles, focuses the mind and is an ideal way to begin practice. 3) Stretch first. Stretching loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit (or lie) more comfortably. Additionally, stretching starts the process of going inward and brings added attention to the body.

4) Meditate with Purpose. Beginners must understand that meditation is an ACTIVE process. The art of focusing your attention to a single point is hard work, and you have to be purposefully engaged!

5) Notice frustration creep up on you. This is very common for beginners as we think hey, what am I doing here or why cant I just quiet my damn mind already. When this happens, really focus in on your breath and let the frustrated feelings go.

6) Experiment. Although many of us think of effective meditation as a Yogi sitting cross-legged beneath a Bonzi tree, beginners should be more experimental and try different types of meditation. Try sitting, lying, eyes open, eyes closed, etc.

7) Feel your body parts. A great practice for beginning meditators is to take notice of the body when a meditative state starts to take hold. Once the mind quiets, put all your attention to the feet and then slowly move your way up the body (include your internal organs). This is very healthy and an indicator that you are on the right path.

Go here to see the original:
Meditation for Beginners: 20 Practical Tips for Quieting ...

Posted January 08, 2014, 1:05 pm

My mom began meditating decades ago, long before the mind-calming practice had entered the wider public consciousness. Today, at age 81, she still goes to a weekly meditation group and quotes Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist monk known for his practice of mindfulness, or present-focused awareness.

Although meditation still isnt exactly mainstream, many people practice it, hoping to stave off stress and stress-related health problems. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, has become more popular in recent years. The practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and then bringing your minds attention to the present without drifting into concerns about the past or future. (Or, as my mom would say, Dont rehearse tragedies. Dont borrow trouble.)

But, as is true for a number of other alternative therapies, much of the evidence to support meditations effectiveness in promoting mental or physical health isnt quite up to snuff. Why? First, many studies dont include a good control treatment to compare with meditation. Second, the people most likely to volunteer for a meditation study are often already sold on meditations benefits and so are more likely to report positive effects.

But when researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD sifted through nearly 19,000 meditation studies, they found 47 trials that addressed those issues and met their criteria for well-designed studies. Their findings, published in this weeks JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest that mindfulness meditation can help ease psychological stresses like anxiety, depression, and pain.

Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, a psychiatrist at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says that mindfulness meditation makes perfect sense for treating anxiety. People with anxiety have a problem dealing with distracting thoughts that have too much power, she explains. They cant distinguish between a problem-solving thought and a nagging worry that has no benefit.

If you have unproductive worries, says Dr. Hoge, you can train yourself to experience those thoughts completely differently. You might think Im late, I might lose my job if I dont get there on time, and it will be a disaster! Mindfulness teaches you to recognize, Oh, theres that thought again. Ive been here before. But its just thata thought, and not a part of my core self,' says Dr. Hoge.

One of her recent studies (which was included in the JAMA Internal Medicine review) found that a mindfulness-based stress reduction program helped quell anxiety symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder, a condition marked by hard-to-control worries, poor sleep, and irritability. People in the control groupwho also improved, but not as much as those in the meditation groupwere taught general stress management techniques. All the participants received similar amounts of time, attention, and group interaction.

To get a sense of mindfulness meditation, you can try one of the guided recordings by Dr. Ronald Siegel, an assistant clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. They are available for free at http://www.mindfulness-solution.com.

Some people find that learning mindfulness techniques and practicing them with a group is especially helpful, says Dr. Hoge. Mindfulness-based stress reduction training, developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA, is now widely available in cities throughout the United States.

More:
Mindfulness meditation may ease anxiety, mental stress ...