Buddhist Meditation

In Tibetan, meditation is called gom. This literally means to practice and this is exactly what Buddhist meditation is about: one practices to calm mind and rests in its own nature. Buddhists work with two types of meditation, calming meditation and insight meditation. These can be either specific techniques, which may be practiced separately, or they may be combined into the same practice.

“Meditation is mind’s gift to itself.”
— Lama Ole Nydahl

To start a meditation, we first calm and focus the mind. To do this we usually concentrate on the breath or on an object. We then use this focused attention to develop insight. The ultimate aim of Buddhist meditation is insight into the nature of mind – enlightenment.

Meditating on the Buddha, or on the Buddha-like qualities of one’s liberated or enlightened Buddhist teacher, accomplishes both of these. The outer form attracts and holds our attention. And with the insight that our own nature is enlightened like the Buddha’s, we can make fast progress.

You can try a simple meditation on the Buddha by following along with Lama Ole Nydahl in the video below: