Essay about The Various Stages of Meditation

<p align=justify>In addition, meditation helps one understand various concepts of Buddhism. For instance, meditating on impermanence, such as decomposing bodies, helps dislodge attachment of worldly pleasures and show how everything is impermanent. The two types, “Vipassana” and “Samatha”, both teach the Buddhist how they should behave and in what state of mind. For example, Samatha teaches the Buddhist to detach from everyday concerns and concentrate on being impermanent. Vipassana teaches that everything is attached and interconnected in the world.

Meditation helps Buddhists to understand that the Buddha should be treated as their example, and the attachment on things and how to cope with the feelings of unselfishness and desiring. It helps Buddhists to develop genuine emotions, rejoice in the happiness of others, and do everything they can to free others from suffering. It can help you become a more loving person in daily life.

Mindfulness is another way of meditation. Meditation was used to seek to improve one’s psychological or physical health, or spiritual growth. (Brantley, 2007). The history of Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and his search for enlightenment and a foundation of the four noble truths. The Buddha teaching focus on the four noble truths which consist of knowing suffering exists, there is a cause of suffering, there is cessation of suffering and there is a path that leads to the cessation of suffering. (Van Gordon, 2015). The four noble truths were not only there to represent the Buddha’s experiential understanding of suffering, but also to express the truth (Van Gordon, 2015). Studies of Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths teach us that there is always going to be suffering in our life but to find ways to overcome suffering (Tsering, 2005).

Buddhists meditate to improve their physical and mental health, improved relaxation and happiness. Through meditation Buddhists show their reverence and respect towards Buddha. Buddhists express their religious and cultural beliefs through meditation because meditation is one of their central practices. Buddhists express their religious beliefs and culture through meditation because meditation is one of their practices that is key to their beliefs. Through meditation Buddhists express their religion and culture because meditation is one of of their unique practices and it demonstrates their culture and beliefs. Religious expression contributes to community because religious expression helps us express our different beliefs and culture and it creates a sense of identity and acknowledgement within the community. Buddhists believe that through meditation they can achieve enlightenment and with meditation they have something to unify and bring them together. By practicing meditation with a group of people it can create a sense of unity and

Mindfulness meditation may allow you to finally be the partner you had hoped to be or just give you the ability to finally be a friend to yourself. All of which seemed impossible before starting the practice. Just as a 20-minute practice seemed impossible before, you realize that you can do impossible things. What other miraculous things are capable with the introduction of daily practice to your life? Resent research suggests a myriad of other benefits relating to intimacy satisfaction, secure attachment, and even shows benefits for dreams (Shaver et. al., 2007; Simor et. al., 2007; McCreary and Alderson, 2013; Keune and Forintos, 2010).

Meditation is a huge aspect of the Buddhist way of life because meditation allows one to become connected with their inner self. It was believed that Buddha had become awakened through his meditation and realization of what causes his suffering and happiness which led to what is known as the Four Noble Truths. The meditation sessions take place on Saturdays and does not consist of one class where everything is learned, but instead several different classes where things are learned over a period of time. He had said that the first session was just to get to clear your mind and learn the way you think. This is a significant part of the buddhist beliefs because Buddhist adherents believe happiness comes from within, and in order to release all negativity, one must first connect with their innermost thoughts and

Through learning about psychology and the mind, I have found that there are many aspects that were once thought of as uncontrolled, that are now believed to be controllable. Take for instance Wim Hof, the Dutch “Iceman”, who can control his own core body temperatures through meditation or the Tibetan nuns who can do the same. This has been studied and confirmed through medical means in a small handful of people including some Westerners that were taught the specific meditation practices. There are so many things we thought we knew about our existence and how our minds work but, I don’t think we ever really know the true capabilities our minds have or the control one can achieve by making use of it.

Meditation is used for many other reasons than for religious purposes. The main idea is to generate a more peaceful

All throughout history Buddhist monks and the eastern religion have been performing meditation, but recently others have been trying it. Meditation is a practice in which someone may train their mind to be in a state of consciousness that benefits their mind and body. Meditation is about paying attention, focusing and being very calm. It sharpens creativity and performance while enhancing relationships. Meditators find when they stop taking things in life so seriously, the self-drops away. They are more direct and absorb life easier.(Ellison 3&6). Meditation has been around for thousands of years. In every religion, the instructions for meditating are the same, only the words differ. There are two major types of meditation that may benefit

Initially, I was nervous to begin daily meditations because I had tried to meditate before and I could never truly calm my mind from the thousands of thoughts that would swirl around. However, after meditating for fifteen minutes daily for a week, I can now say that I have become more comfortable with meditation, but it was a challenging week. At many times, I felt uncomfortable sitting in silence because my thoughts would constantly distract me from trying to focus on my breathing. Yet, as the week progressed, I noticed that I became more comfortable with the practice. Surprisingly, time passed very quickly when I meditated, it felt as though it was roughly five minutes, when it was really fifteen minutes. As well, the

It helps lower the levels of emotional reactivity and impulsivity as it gives a latency to the practitioner before reacting. The latency keeps increasing as the practitioner advances in the practice of meditation. It is this latency period that gives a person enough time to think before reacting, which, in its place, comes as proactive response. So, instead of giving in to the temptation of immediate gratification, you will have some time to change your mind. And it doesn't take a lifetime of practice but, on the contrary, behavioral changes to counteract reactivity have been observed after eight weeks of brief daily meditation

The meditation has definitely helped not only with my levels of stress, but also with my introspection, perspective and empathy for others. Learning about alternative medicine also helped me understand and respect those that have different customs and perspectives. Before, I do admit to only believing in a few branches of CAM and making the grand generalization that everything else was foolish. But studying Reiki and meditation during a reiki session made me realize that I can’t deny if it works for others, works for me, and has a history- who am I to judge and condemn a type of

Argumentative thesis: Although many people assume medications such as antidepressants are the only way to treat patients with depression, meditation is a better choice of treatment as it prevents relapse in patients that are recurringly depressed, is accepted by a large portion of patients that are typically unwilling to take medication to treat their depression, and rebuilds brain structures affected by the mental illness,

Mindfulness meditation consists of skills and methods to unplug from the busy world around you and from the busy 'monkey brain ' so often experienced in today 's life and particularly in ADHD, anxiety and depression. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness meditation trains and reinforces the ability to pay attention to the present moment, on purpose which helps to increase concentration, decrease anxiety, improve sleep, improve mood, decrease the stress response, and improve physical and emotional health. The studies are compelling about the health benefits of mindfulness meditation. In fact, studies show that mindfulness meditation actually changes the brain in positive ways. The cortex of the brain is thicker in certain areas of the brain in those who practice mindfulness meditation. And brainwave patterns are changed in healthy ways as well.

During both these practices, I learned quite a bit about myself. I learned that I am very self-critical of myself and I never give myself a break. I also became aware of the fact that it is very easy for me to be kind to others, but when it comes to myself I can’t seem to do the same. Another thing I learned, specifically from the seated meditation is that if I want to fully relax I need to let go of all the things I have bottled up. In my last couple of days doing the seated meditation, I noticed I felt better and more relaxed. I really considered why and I realized during the first couple of days I had a lot on my mind. I was letting that interrupt my meditation. Throughout this entire experience, I learned that it is difficult for me to be truly in the moment when I have a lot of responsibility to do and a lot of activity in my home. Responsibilities for me are homework, babysitting weekly, picking up my boyfriend from work every day, and