You can try meditation like stated below...
Beginning Insight Meditation
For the beginning meditator I believe it would be
helpful to establish an order in the various steps taken in
meditation. First, then, it would be wise to establish a place of
quiet to which one may retire daily and not be interrupted in his
endeavors. Then wash carefully face, hands and feet. Better yet, if
time permits, take a cleansing shower and put on loose, comfortable
clothes. It is wise to meditate at the same time daily to establish
a habit. I do it at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. when the birds begin to
retire in the evening. Then when you begin to meditate consider
your posture. With spine erect and a spirit of awareness be mindful
of sitting without strain but with complete alertness. Now you are
ready to begin. But, first, some introductory thoughts.
As Sujata states in his little book Beginning
to See, "Meditation is the best thing you can do for
yourself." However, it is far from the simple thing it may seem to
beginners. It takes a strong urge to peer deeply within oneself and
beyond it. It takes discipline and willingness to go farther than
merely trying to escape or sidestep personal problems one may
have.
Why meditate? There are many reasons. But those that
stand out most strongly are learning to think clearly, and to
dispel ignorance, illusion, greed, hatred and craving. This is the
road to Nirvana or Nibbana through which one must lose all clinging
to "self." The feeling of having a self is highly resistant to
extinguishing. It is persistent and devious. Often one may feel it
has vanished only to have it crop up again. Only by diligence and
persistence -- and the road for many may be long -- can victory
over it be achieved.
You are seated now, cross-legged on the floor, in a
quiet chamber. In lotus position, if you can, or in half-lotus, or
even on a chair if disability precludes otherwise. Keep your head
erect and balanced lightly on your shoulders. Still, do not strain;
be comfortable, relaxed and attentive.
The first stages of meditation should be simply
observation of breath. Concentrate on the nostrils where the breath
flows in... out... in... out. Be aware of the touch of air as it
strikes the passage through the nostrils. In fact be aware of
everything and nothing. This sounds contradictory. Yet it is really
not. For this is no time to daydream, to entertain vagrant and
migratory thoughts. You are aware of your physical posture. Then
you forget that also. You are aware that the past is dead, that it
is gone. Yet specific consciousness of your whole preceding life is
absent. The future does not yet exist. All you have is "right
now"... the in... out... in... out rhythm of the breath of
life.
The idea is to "empty the mind," to get rid of all
"garbage," all fleeting and intruding thoughts. Simply to breathe
-- in out -- in out, never forcing the breath. You are not even the
breather, but the breathing breathing you, the you, which as time
goes on, will grow more and more vague as it begins to dissipate,
disappear.
Just allow the mind to feel the "touch" of breath as it
flows in and flows out. In your first sessions think of nothing
more. You will find the breath thinning out as it becomes more
subtle and finer until in time you begin to feel you are not
breathing at all. This is the calming of the breath flow. It
becomes very pleasant and satisfying.
I keep a candle burning in the meditation chamber. It
serves two purposes, maybe three. At first, if the mind wanders, it
serves as a point of focus. The eyes, at first observing the
candle, soon close, lightly, easily, by themselves. But even
through closed lids one feels the presence of the light. One can
see it in one's mind's eye. It restores the mind's wandering back
to the present. The second purpose is symbolic: to me it signifies
the Light of the Dhamma, the doctrine on which the
meditation is based. And finally, it makes for a pleasant, lovely
atmosphere. Incense, flowers, Buddha sculpture are nice but really
not necessary. One can, in truth, meditate anywhere,
any quiet place where there can be no interruption. Wherever you
meditate, if it is at home and you have a telephone, it is wise to
remove the receiver to avoid incoming calls.
Bear in mind that the place of meditation is not of key
importance, but it is wise to return to the same place at the same
time daily so that the habit of meditating becomes established. The
Buddha meditated under a Bodhi tree where he achieved
enlightenment. An advanced meditator can choose almost any place
and it will serve his purpose -- a crowded market place, a burial
ground, a cave, a park or a refuse dump. In his inward turning he
becomes totally oblivious of his surroundings; or, contrariwise,
makes the very surroundings, as he advances deeper and deeper into
meditating, the subject of his thoughts. The important thing to
remember is that these thoughts must be schooled and channeled.
They must be kept "on center."
But you, now, are still in your beginning stages.
Untoward thoughts will persist in entering your mind. This is only
natural. You will be amazed at how many and how trivial these
intrusions can be. You must learn, however, to treat these
intruders with courtesy. Do not shove them away in anger. Be
gentle, kindly. Label each one -- past -- present -- future?
Worthy? Unworthy? Animosity? Vanity? Desire? Egotism? Your very act
of branding them will assist in their cessation. As they begin to
disappear, your mind will gently return to your nostrils, your
breathing. It will grow quieter and quieter.
Other hindrances will obtrude themselves. Noises will
penetrate your consciousness -- children playing and shouting,
buses or airplanes passing. Label them as you do other passing
thoughts. Keep centering on the breathing, the slowing inflow,
outflow. In time the noises, too, will vanish. Whenever you find
yourself "out there," bring yourself gently back to "here" and to
"right now." When you have been able to accomplish this "no
thought" for at least a half hour, your breathing will have slowed
to a point of almost indistinguishable rhythm, to "it" breathing
"you" and not the other way around.
I find it helps in all of this to keep a semi-smile on
my face such as that of the Buddha. It aids in brightening the
mind, makes it happier.
At this point in your beginning meditation, if you have
been at it a half hour or longer, you may terminate it if you wish
or continue as before. Or you can go on to
extend metta or loving-kindness. This meditation
subject is good because iteliminates hatred, envy,
anger and self-pity. It accomplishes love for all, destruction of
self, sympathetic joy, and a good feeling for every being or
non-being that lives or has left this life. Your extension of
loving-kindness should reach out to encompass the earth, the
universe. You will find it difficult in time, to snuff out the life
of even the smallest insect.
In extending loving-kindness it is of great importance
that you first love yourself. In the right way, of
course. You accomplish this by ridding your thoughts of all
"impurities." Think to yourself "I will rid my mind of every
defilement: anger, hatred, ignorance, fear, greed, craving. I will
make my mind clear, fresh and pure. Like a transparent window is my
mind. Then with my stain-free mind, I pour out thoughts of
loving-kindness, of love and of kindness."
Try to get a mental image of each one you are extending
this loving-kindness to. Get into that person.
Feel his or her personality enter your own being
and direct your feeling straight into the mind and heart of that
individual. You will find in time, that there is a sort of mental
telepathy emerging. You will feel the warmth of response. Do not
dwell on this. Go on to the next person and the next and next.
Bring forth all the warmth and kindness of your spirit and instill
this into the being or non-being it is directed toward. If you do
this once or twice daily, your horizon will widen. You will find
yourself directing these vibrations
to all beings and non-beings who have entered
your consciousness, without exceptions. This will include brand-new
acquaintances you hardly know. People you do not even know but see
pass by regularly or irregularly down the street. All who live. All
who have died. Known and unknown. All animals, insects, trees.
Everything organic and inorganic. And in this outflowing there will
ride your self, vanishing into
the all-inclusive.
When you have completed this
meditation sitting, later try
awalking meditation, and, in this, think of the Four
Noble Truths of the Buddha; that all beings are born to suffer,
etc. Then go on to find the "way out"; the way out and the "end" of
suffering. Find this secure path and incorporate it into your daily
life, and, this accomplished, find Nibbana right here on earth!
A Personal Observation
When I first came to Sri Lanka from America, I had just
about given up all hope of living. The doctors in America had
provided me with maybe twenty-five different drugs for a very bad
heart condition and other ailments. We fled America, my husband and
I, to live out our lives among peaceful surroundings -- in the
heart of Buddha-land. Shortly after arrival, what with the long
trip and thoughts of death, I trulywas dying. I had a
myocardial infarction and was taken to the hospital. I found the
hospital conditions so deplorable, I felt it would be better to die
in bed at home. Consequently, I left the hospital. My husband had
found a lovely home for us and there I waited to die. After much
pain and emotional upheaval my husband found
an anagarika, a Buddhist lay brother, who came to our
home and performed a miracle, or to state it better, pointed out to
me the "path" that I shall follow for the rest of my days here on
earth. This monk-like follower of the Buddha, the Anagarika
Tibbotuwawa, instructed me in meditation.
We went through four stages and in time I threw out all
drugs, and the life "here and now" became clear and meaningful.
Many strange things began to occur in the course of meditation.
First I began to feel that I was on another plane of consciousness.
I no longer had a self, sick or otherwise. I was at one with all,
all of us in a new world, with all non-beings too. I found that the
"ego" that nearly wrecked my life was now gone. I felt reborn, and
extended my meditation to vibrations of loving-kindness. Thought
messages I call them. Then one morning a friend called from
America. On the phone he said that he had received my message. He
was elated beyond belief, thanked me and promised to come here in
the near future. The strangest of all was a telegram from my
sister. She asked if we could accommodate her at our home in three
weeks. I nearly had a heart attack! My sister is seventy-eight
years old. I had heard no word from her for fifteen years. Yet I
had been sending her "thought messages" of loving-kindness, and her
image was growing clearer and clearer -- even before arrival. She
was "with me" even before arrival. At age seventy-eight she had
traveled half-way around the world to see me. When she arrived she
said she had had a compelling urge to see me. We were both
delighted and, to my amazement, she meditated each evening with me
and said she had never known such "peace and love" as she found in
our home.
She could not remain with us, as I had hoped, but had
responsibilities at home that she felt better able to cope with
now. She left, adding, "I have promises to keep -- and many miles
to go before I sleep."
These few experiences have been so uplifting that now,
even though I never proselytize, many young people
come to me for instruction in meditation. Recently a young man from
Switzerland came to our home. He felt he was dying of rabies
("rabbits" he called it in broken English). I was so sure he did
not have this disease that I suggested that he meditate with me and
Anagarika that day, and he seemed pleased with the experience.
Well, this young man came not only each evening, but also every
morning at 5:30 a.m. bringing fresh flowers for the Buddha. He
left, after three weeks of intensive meditation and instruction and
reading of the Dhamma, well and happy and full of ideas to help
suffering humanity.
There are, of course, many ideas I have omitted which
are advanced procedures in insight meditation, the three stages
which usually follow the concentration on breathing. These are
body, feelings, perceptions and consciousness, ultimately
expressing themselves in "the mind experiencing pure mind." I feel,
however, that the reader can find these steps in many publications
that have been released on this subject. If this booklet helps the
beginner with just a little insight into the "way" and the "why" of
meditation, this will be my happiness.
Is Buddhism a Religion?
This is a question which is often asked. It really
depends upon how one defines religion. If it is thought of as a
belief in a supreme being to whom one prays for redemption,
security, favors or relief from suffering, then, no,
Buddhism is not a religion.
The Buddha himself never claimed divinity -- only
clear-sightedness and purity of apprehension of truth through
deepest intuition, leading to equanimity and enlightenment. He was
a great and rare individual but not a god. If some simple and
mistaken few have elevated him to godship and worship him with
requests for favors and special dispensations, this does not alter
the situation one bit.
It seems that in these troubled times, as, indeed,
since time immemorial, man has felt the need to have a faith in a
supreme being, one who could redeem him from "sin" and relieve his
suffering. This is a great fallacy. If indeed there were such a
being, why should he be asked to give redemption? Isn't it more
important for man to redeem himself? This is what the Buddha
believed. Man, he said, is born to suffering.
Life issuffering. That is the first of the Four Noble
Truths he enunciates -- that there is suffering.
In the Second Truth he points out that all suffering has its
origins which we must learn to understand, because this is the only
way we can arrive at the Third Truth, which is that cessation of
this suffering can be achieved. His Fourth Truth
clarifies the way out from suffering via the Eightfold Path which
we will discuss later.
Therefore we ask, if Buddhism is not a religion, what
then is it? Our reply is: Buddhism is a way of life, a philosophy,
a psychology, a way of thinking, through which we may ourselves
take on the responsibility of determining how our life-bearing
kamma (karma) will work out for us. Meditation is one of the
procedures of mental discipline and purification through which we
may begin to learn such responsibility.
Many young people have come to me saying, "How can I
embrace Buddhism without destroying my own beliefs and culture?" I
tell the Christians among them to think about the precepts of
Christ. Are they so totally opposed to, and different from, those
of the Buddha? Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal or commit
adultery. The ethical injunctions among the Ten Commandments -- are
they not almost exactly the same as the precepts of the moral life
laid down by the Buddha (the Five Precepts)?
I tell them that the Dhamma, the sacred texts of
Buddhism, are much more voluminous and explicit than those of the
Old and New Testaments and commentaries. The Buddhist texts are, in
fact, elevenfold as extensive and contain an enormous range of wise
teachings, none of them derogatory to the faiths of other creeds.
He did not deny the existence of deities, but he did reserve
scepticism as to the infinity of their duration, their omnipotency,
their powers to help mankind in every kind of urgency. Have these
gods and messiahs, which we of Western faiths have been prone to
believe in, been sublimely successful in the mitigation of human
suffering, hunger, sorrow and affliction? The
answer is open to doubt.