A traditional method given by the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta is to go into the forest and sit beneath a tree and then to simply watch the breath, if the breath is long, to notice that the breath is long, if the breath is short, to notice that the breath is short.
We have taken an objective approach to meditation and both train daily in Anapanasati and Vipassana meditation which we’ve developed over hundreds of hours in silent meditation retreats. It is not a requirement to understand the complexities of these meditation methods in order to begin practice or to experience subjectively what is gained through their practice. We teach Anapanasati meditation to our new clients, this is an objective, insight or mindfullness meditation that can be used to attain full enlightenment in Buddhist tradition. The meaning of Anapanasati is mindfullness through breathing. It is a technique of observation of breath and is used in Tibetan, Zen and many western meditation practices.
In original Buddhist scripture, the following is said of this meditation.
“On whatever occasion the monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world, on that occasion his mindfulness is steady & without lapse. When his mindfulness is steady & without lapse, then mindfulness as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.”
If you have read any scientific articles on meditation, or heard about the meditation being practiced by CEOs in California’s Silicon Valley, then this is the meditation that is generally being practiced.
For more information on these meditation practices, we recommend Dan Harris’ book 10% Happier and Robert Wright’s Why Buddhism is True for remarkable personal accounts of non meditators approaching the practice. We will share with you more in-depth publications during and after your retreat to best suit your requirements for further study.
It may be wise to mention this now, as it is one critique often raised, which is the mixing of traditions and cultural practices. A conscientious Western practitioner of any tradition will seek the best examples of previous experience and understanding. The Egyptians have 3000 years of complex metaphysics when concerning death, Indian philosophy has given us the best explanation of meditative experience and the Shamans of South America have discovered and developed outstanding metaphysical understandings of plant relationships and intelligence in nature. All of these are interpretable by a patient and respectful onlooker. This important subject is something that we will discuss during the retreat.