Buddhist Meditation Explained

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This video is a broad overview of Buddhist meditation techniques aimed at non-specialists. For those looking to explore more deeply, we recommend the following video: • What is Buddhist Medit... , as well as other more in-depth videos from from Doug's Dharma. For those looking for examples of guided meditations from Buddhist teachers, • Beginning Buddhist Med... and • Sitting with the Buddh... are good places to start.
For a short and accessible introduction to the Satipatthana Sutta, see Don Lopez, ed, "The Establishment of Mindfulness," Norton Anthology of World Religions, pages 193-201.
For a translation of the Satipatthana Sutta, see: www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit...
For more about samatha and vipassana, see Rupert Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism, pages 174-197. For a publicly available resource, see the writings of Alexander Berzin, including studybuddhism.com/en/essentia...
For more about mindfulness, sati, and samprajanna, see Jay Garfield, "Mindfulness and Ethics: Attention, Virtue, and Perfection", in A Mirror Is for Reflection: Understanding Buddhist Ethics, pages 204-207.
For more selections from the Pali Buddhist Canon on meditation and mindfulness, see Bhikkhu Bodhi, trans. In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, pages 257-300. There are also ample resources on www.accesstoinsight.org.
For those interested in understanding the development of the term mindfulness as used in contemporary society, see Rupert Gethin, "On some definitions of mindfulness," in Contemporary Buddhism, Volume 12, 2011 - Issue 1.
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00:00 Intro
1:06 Sponsorship
2:16 Misconceptions
4:34 Why do Buddhists meditate?
6:43 Defining meditation
8:18 What does meditation seek to accomplish?
9:35 The two wings of Buddhist meditation
12:13 Mindfulness explained
14:00 Satipatthana Sutta overview
16:51 Takeaways

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Thanks Morning Brew for my daily news briefing - sign up for free here bit.ly/mbreligionforbreakfast

[@MendTheWorld]

@@crossroadcircleoffical A link would be helpful

[@babyelephant3077]

Thank you for making the video

[@MoneyAwake]

Good job, I wish you can do a whole series on Buddhist meditation👍

[@nightradiance7287]

@ReligionForBreakfast Why don’t you try Hinduism? The lack of a single holy book and a corpus of different books from different authors would be interesting for explore, coz there’s more content to go through. In my opinion, at least.

[@babyelephant3077]

@@nightradiance7287 I second this, would be interested in your dive into hindi

[@pip07200]

Being a Thai who grew up in a Buddhist environment, this is a very clear and concise explanation. Too often, I find that western attempts to explain Buddhism and the practice of meditation come out sounding like new age gobbledegook. Thanks !

[@zucced2087]

Gebbledegook lol just learned a new word thanks

[@TheZombieButler]

I think they yearn for the truth but get lost while seeking.

[@vids595]

Very true. But new age gobbledygook is really not superior to supernatural beliefs in deities or reincarnation.

[@Yolaf_]

@@vids595 do you think new aged goblitygook is less?

[@Lee-yn1by]

@@zucced2087this word was popular during the early 80’s. Tikkertyboo is also a great word I like to use meaning everything is good /ok

[@kamenraidajoseph1894]

I'm a Tibetan Buddhist, and I have to say that your research, application, and explanation here were concise, clear, respectful, and accurate in a rare way. Thank you so much for the time and research- I will surely recommend this video to others!

[@catherinehartmannteachingm9156]

Video writer here-- thanks so much! I am glad you found it useful

[@mbuivids]

Is it possible?

[@TheFlappening]

Yall have internet in Tibet? Awesome!

[@chilldragon4752]

@@TheFlappening ...

[@TesserId]

Coming from the Korean Chogye Order, I have to agree.

[@maddiewadsworth4027]

As an avid Buddhist meditator I would have to say that this explanation of meditation is probably one of the best I have ever heard. I have done several mediation retreats at Buddhist monasteries with monks and the explanation given was probably better than that given to me by the actual monks. It did a lot to dispel a lot of misconceptions about meditation. There is one misconception though that I would like to address, and that is the very common misconception that people tend to think they are not good at meditation if their mind does not become quiet or blank while meditating. This is not the case. The mind only becomes quiet after a long time of meditation. For it to be quite busy is not only normal, but increasing awareness of how busy the mind actually is, is one of the goals of meditation.

[@AngloFrancoDane]

I agree.

[@catherinehartmannteachingm9156]

Video writer here. Agreed! One of the misconceptions I wanted to address is that the goal of meditation is clearing the mind and thinking of nothing. First, that's not generally how Buddhists thought of meditation, and certainly that's not how beginners experience it!

[@NatchEvil]

When explaining meditation to my brother or friends who ask, I say "You are not having a clear mind; You are clearing the mind." Best way I've found to express it.

[@maddiewadsworth4027]

@@NatchEvil oh that is a really good way of explaining it!

[@DipayanPyne94]

Matthew, there is an AMAZING channel on Buddha, his Life and his Teachings. It is literally the BEST on KZbin. It's way better than the one above. The content is so amazing that the channel should become the standard introduction to Buddhism for literally any person in the world ...

[@Maggasekha]

Buddhist monk here, This is among the best videos I've found on youtube explaining something Buddhist by someone who does not appear to be a Buddhist(?). Bonus points for using and explaining the Pali and talking about how the meditation of the Buddha is placed in context of a much broader practice involving living by virtuous principles and morality. One thing I'd like to clarify though is the statement that its a misconception that all Buddhists meditate. While it is true that over time the history of Buddhism has shown that actually not even most MONKS meditate, let alone lay people, when you read the early texts you see lay people as joint practitioners alongside with monks, and even a case where a lay person taught monks. I would like for lay people to understand that the full practice(of the Noble Eightfold Path) is for everyone, not just monks. That being said however the Buddha did understand that not everyone is ready to do the full and whole practice, so this is not forced or expected, but at the very least available should a person wish to do more then practice dana to monastics and live by basic virtue.

[@abohnad]

since you are a monk, would you please help me answering these questions: (1) if anaata noself or no-soul is true, then what is being born and decaying in Samsara ? (2) if everything is changing, why shouldn't this statement change also why is this statement true all the time with no change ? (3) is Nirvana a state that belongs to the changing world ? why isnt changing ? and if a person achieves nirvana could he go down to Nagara when the wheels of Dharma turns ? (4) if some principles are unchanging how did it get this unchanging quality ? same can be said about Karma , who originated it and operates it the way it is ?

[@tandindorji1591]

@@abohnad this illusionary being is being born and ending in this samsara. Everything is not changing, for eg, space. I think you have misinterpreted the statement of everything is impermanent, it doesn't mean something should change, it means everything is impermanent by it's nature. Nirvana is beyond changing and unchanging world

[@tandindorji1591]

Nirvana is when he understands everything is not as he perceived, when he understands emptiness

[@SherlockHolmes-rl1lg]

@@abohnad 1) I think that there isn't a soul. u die. and someone is born.he is not you. but he is you. he can't remember what you did. but karma will affect to him. btw you can change the effect of karma threw pragha(intelligence). Buddhism is chatuskotika.(Tetralemma) for example, read this do u have relatives in this world? - yes dou have non-relatives in this world - yes do u have anyone other than relatives and non-relatives - yes it's me this question was answered by king dewanampithissa. mihindu arahath thero asked the question to check the king's knowledge about chatuskotika

[@araitol3935]

I wanna ask you. In the video there's two types of meditation, samatha and vipassana. But after that he explains about how to achieve mindfulness through meditation. Whats the name of meditation he's talking about? Is it a combination of Samantha and Vipassana? Or is it whole different thing?

[@carloscoimbra4791]

Something interesting that has always caught my attention, but is rarely commented on, is the impact of Buddhism on Alexandria in the Hellenic/Roman period. I don't know if there really is an impact, but the Silk Road probably made Buddhists from India travel there. clement of alexandria in a passage from the stromata spoke of the followers of "Boutta". Could you record a video on the topic?

[@siriusfun]

Yes, and by extension, Christianity. A video connecting the aforementioned as you put forth would indeed be fascinating.

[@notsavingpvtbrian]

It seems counter intuitive, but the Hellenic world would have neighbored India at the time. Alexanders advances only stopped at the Ganges River. Until about 10AD there was an Indo-Greek Empire in what is today Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. They would have had quite extensive interactions with parts of India and we know the two groups impacted each others culture. Bactrian Greece would have traded with the other Empires further West such as Ptolemaic Egypt. It wasn't very common for single people to travel great distances back than, but goods and information would move across Eurasia from one person to the next. Romans had Chinese silk and the two empires knew about each other although you can tell there was a telephone effect going on with information being altered as it moved along.

[@hzglm3]

Yes, this.

You can find a connection in his video about maniqueism. Take a look

[@nickscurvy8635]

One of the most famous Buddhists, a guy responsible for much of the spread that allowed it to become a world religion(emperor ashoka), actually included the Levant in his collection of territories of the "Buddhist empire ", or areas "conquered by the dhamma". Greece is also included. Major rock edict number 13 is the source of thos

[@josephlevy7320]

As someone who’s practiced Zen meditation for 20 years, I can say that you did a VERY good job on this video! Well done.

[@user-bq7uy5uk9b]

What kind of zazen are you practising? Personally I practise shikantaza

[@josephlevy7320]

@@user-bq7uy5uk9b Shikantaza also.

[@catherinehartmannteachingm9156]

Video writer here-- thanks so much! My goal as a scholar is to do work that is both historically rigorous and also makes sense to practitioners. And congrats on keeping up this practice for so long!

[@ChrisSudlik]

I wouldn't write yourself off as bad at meditation just yet. The texts are pretty thick in their wording, but they are trying to describe very ephemeral phenomenon. What I've found, in the efforts, is that each *meditation* technique is about achieving a specific natural state of mind that the brain can fall into in which it is doing a specific thing. I find it helps to go through the technique, think about what's working and what problems I'm running into, ponder those problems, read some support material, reread the text itself, practice differently, repeat. I've had pretty good luck pushing quite far into the access meditation, jhanas, insight, metta, inner fire, even a fair bit of luck with dream yoga, some of these techniques, via their practice, I can see how they developed out of the passages of the pali canon. I still have a lot of work to go, but keep in mind traditionally this learning was done with somebody who could observe you, see what walls and problems you run into, and help reframe the problem to see you through it. Of course it's going to be far more difficult without a mentor. Great content! I look forward to more on Buddhism!

[@ObakuZenCenter]

Oh dear.

[@TheNeighborhoodZenPriest]

Hello there, Zen Buddhist Priest, Dharma teacher and current scholar of Comparative Religion and History here. Thank you for clearing up some of the most common misconceptions within Buddhism, I'll make sure to share it around. The only thing I would perhaps rephrase is the part about Vipassana, since a general audience might confuse this with the modern Vipassana Movement. Thank you for a great video!

[@catherinehartmannteachingm9156]

Video writer here-- That's a useful clarification! Thanks!

[@dumsaint]

Could you elaborate a bit more on what you mean about Vipassana?

[@abohnad]

since you are a monk, would you please help me answering these questions: (1) if anaata noself or no-soul is true, then what is being born and decaying in Samsara ? (2) if everything is changing, why shouldn't this statement change also why is this statement true all the time with no change ? (3) is Nirvana a state that belongs to the changing world ? why isnt changing ? and if a person achieves nirvana could he go down to Nagara when the wheels of Dharma turns ? (4) if some principles are unchanging how did it get this unchanging quality ? same can be said about Karma , who originated it and operates it the way it is ?

[@westsidesmitty1]

@@dumsaint The modern vipassana that came out of Burma at the turn of the 19th century allowed for ''dry'' vipassana, i.e. insight meditation undertaken without having first achieved jhanna as a result of intensive samatha (concentration) meditation. This allowed householders to cultivate insight into the 3 characteristics of existence (unsatisfactoriness, impermanence, and not self) without the rigors of monastic life. Hope that helps!

[@Nerukenshi1233]

@@abohnad Not a monk, but please accept my humble attempt to answer: 1) From a zen perspective (not "the", but "a") no-self is not the absurd statement it pretends to be. Reading the heart sutra, the point of emptiness is that the divisions which we use to navigate the world are creations of our mind consciousness and not objective fact, eg: what is included in the thing you call your body? Where does it begin and end? When you cut your fingernails off, are they still you? What about when you eat, does that food become your body? After you process that food and it exits the digestive system, does it stop being your body? Is a scab part of your body? Your answers to this are not of necessity the same as your neighbors because the distinction is arbitrary, yet meaningful. These paradoxes actually do work themselves out, but it takes time to understand what's being said and a willingness to spend that time charitably and compassionately.

[@bencharits]

As a Buddhist and meditation practitioner, I appreciate your well-described video on Buddhist meditation. I myself have been practicing meditation for over 40 years. And yes while the ultimate goal of it is for liberation or awakening, it is not stressful or strict like you might think. The description of body mindfulness is to let go and liberate you from ego or self attachments and to see things as they are. Once you go pass the stage of feeling strange… it will be one of the most relax and joyful activities. Some (including the Buddha) even said that there is no other happiness greater than the peace of the mind (from practicing meditation). In that sense, I would say nonsectarian relaxation meditation is not that far from true Buddhist teaching.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

They eat too much carbs and then try to meditate all day. lol! Eat a burger.

[@maitreyajambhulkar]

I am an Indian Buddhist and I know about Vipassana. A kind of meditation in which you have to live in a secluded environment and has to meditate everyday. Meditation is all about concentrating on yourself. Knowing yourself and your thoughts and beliefs. The Buddha said that thoughts are like guests. They come and they go. Never get indulged in your thoughts only. Your thoughts make you. The more you think about a thing, you become that thing.

[@vedant6681]

Hi, I am also Indian Buddhist, in Maharashtra and you

[@kafir6722]

The only video on Buddhist Mediatation which is from the actual books and not from google searches. Wonderful JOB.

[@inwyrdn3691]

"It would take many more videos to explore this deeply." That, boys and girls, is what we call a cosmic understatement 😁 Great video - I have a list of people to whom I will definitely be sending this.

[@sofiatgarcia3970]

I am just a person who struggled with addiction and now help and support others trying to do the same. Meditation is one of the various methods I use and teach to remain clean and sober. I encourage others to do the same and have found that meditation can take many forms and each one is as good as the result it produces.

[@Anneliese210]

I am happy for you ❤ I wish others also to be free and haopy

[@PLuMUK54]

Meditation comes easily to me, and, since being diagnosed as high performing autistic, when I was 57, I have wondered if my ability comes from aspects of that autism. I have spoken to others like myself who are able to focus as easily. As a teenager I dealt with stress in my life by carrying out activities that I only later discovered were called meditation. They were not taught to me, instead, they were part of my character. It was through meditation that I eventually became a practicing Buddhist, having decided to explore more about the practice. However, I never found Buddhism fulfilling, and after 20 years of struggling to accept it, I returned to Christianity. It was then that I discovered that I meditated far better whilst moving around, and my introduction to the Rosary took my skills to a whole new level. The constant repetition of the prayers gives me a stronger focus. My favourite is to use the Rosary beads whilst out walking somewhere, especially in nature. It is almost as if, by focusing on the prayers, it in some way lessens the distractions of my conscious mind. My subconscious is then allowed the opportunity to focus upon issues in my life. I am not a Catholic, and my Christianity is more suited to Unitarianism, so the actual words of the prayers do not have a powerful affect upon me, as they would for a practicing Catholic. To me, it's not the words themselves, but a rhythm of the sound. I am fairly sure that other repetitive words would work. A mantra or prayers are not the only way. I think that too much emphasis is being made of the current "trendy" forms of meditation, and this leads to people thinking that they are bad at it, as commented by Dr Henry. Meditation has a long, world wide history, it is just necessary to find the best method for you, and to reject the idea that only Eastern meditation exists. Eastern meditation is difficult, it is tried by many, but only a few succeed. Much of the Eastern meditation in the West is "meditation-lite", and the same level of success could be achieved by following alternative routes. I cannot imagine not being able to meditate, especially when it makes me the calm centre in a whirlwind of activity, noise, and stress.

[@hiteshkumar4728]

The practice of using a rosary (called a "maalaa" in India) to focus the mind on a particular phrase/prayer/syllable (called a "mantra") is called "japa" (which means "chanting") in Indian religions. The japa can be done out loud, but mentally reciting it is considered better; the rosary too is technically optional, but is a great aid in the practice. It should also be done with intense devotion, love, and contemplation, not simply mechanically repeated. Various mantras are said to contain extraordinary power (an example given in this video is "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo," but one of the most popular ones in the Hindu tradition is "Om namah Shivaya" or even simply "Raama"). It is indeed a very powerful and ancient practice, found in all religions but widely practiced in Indian ones. In some sense, all meditative techniques are simply analogues of one another, as when observing the breath, you use the breath itself as the "maalaa," and the silent awareness of breath as the "japa."

[@TheSapphireLeo]

Yep and already am mistrusting the reality of "autism", whether it is our sabotage and/or whether a label coined by another dubious germanic "doctor"?

[@Digitaaliklosetti]

ok

[@MarcelGomesPan]

Finally. A serious explananation. Explaining to people that iv’e been meditating despite not seeming peaceful or ”zen” gets old really Quick.

[@dhammapalatan360]

“Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering. Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.” ― Ajahn Chah

[@edwarddodge7937]

If you’ve been immersed in a book for hours, felt acute pain and focused on it as it faded, or watched treetops swaying in the wind with nothing else on your mind, you’ve already been meditating.

[@jzenman]

Yes! I completely agree. We know how to do it we just don't KNOW we know. And the only way to know it is to DO it.

[@user-bq7uy5uk9b]

I practise shikantaza zazen (just sitting meditation of the Soto Zen tradition). My teacher really emphasises that we should focus on nothing and have no goal in mind while practising. Master Dogen, the 13th century monk who brought Caodong Zen in Japan (now known as Soto Zen) says in Fukanzazengi (Principles of Seated Meditation): "Once you have regulated your posture, take a breath and exhale fully. Swing to the left and right. Sitting fixedly, think of not thinking. How do you think of not thinking? Nonthinking. This is the essential art of zazen. Zazen is not the practice of dhyana it is just the dharma gate of ease and joy. It is the practice and verification of ultimate bodhi. The koan realized, baskets and cages cannot get to it. "

[@gabrielschwarz8761]

I'm active buddhist, that's funny part that I was looking for some "preparation" before starting every meditation state. I've never heard teachings od Your Master, but I do the preparation excatly same 😄 Namo Amitabha 🌸🌺

[@user-bq7uy5uk9b]

@@gabrielschwarz8761 Nice! Namu Shakyamuni Butsu

[@robritoboy]

This is sort of the same as jnana yoga, where meditation is a sacrifice to God, you shouldn't expect anything to come from it. It teaches you let go of your desires. I've found that during meditation, I sometimes all of a sudden remember to not want anything from it, and I can let that go, and I continue freer.

[@ObakuZenCenter]

To focus on nothing is not part of shikantaza. It's essentially meaningless. Unless you mean not to get stuck focussing on any particular thing, which is part of shikantaza. Also, the part about having no goal is somewhat of a misunderstanding too. The fact is that as humans, we cannot help but have certain goals at times come to mind. That's normal and natural. In shikantaza though, we treat such things the same as any other thought, so not clinging to, nor rejecting but receiving and then allowing ourselves to return to the greater totality of the present, including both ideas of having, or not having any goals.

[@aungphyoko1214]

An atheist former Buddhist here. This is the best explanation I have seen about history and practices of Buddhist meditation. Most of the Buddhist do not even know about the existence of different types of meditation. In Burma, there are two main schools for meditation, Moe Gyot & Ma Ha Si (the monk at the end of your video). I have never joined their meditation boot camps because I was lazy and I didn’t want to meditate all day. So, I had to learn from various Buddhist texts and I meditated on my free time: both concentration and mindfulness. I used the texts as my guidance. It was not fun at all, especially the mindfulness one. Literally I was experiencing the Dhuka (suffering)😹. But one time, while I was doing concentration-meditation, I felt 1st level Jana (according the text I was following at the time) for a brief period. It was pure ecstasy. But hours long suffering to get a brief ecstasy, not worth it for me. I can only do a few times with my busy schedule, so I gave up. I still have those nostalgic feelings when someone discusses about meditation 🧘.

[@BodhiPolitic]

Awareness usually develops faster than equanimity. So yes, realizing dukkha can be quite unpleasant at times. And in some ways there is no way back. But with practice, and ethics (5 precepts) over time the mind learns to not only be aware of mental object in a friendly way but to let go of them - and so equanimity develops. And when it does the mind is calm and clear in a way that is incredibly freeing. It sounds like a cliche, but practicing to be fully accepting what comes up without judgment is key between noticing and letting go.

[@TheForeignersNetwork]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO. Meditation is not just mindfulness, although that is an important aspect of meditation. I feel that the commodification of meditation is a major problem in our time--It's not just about relaxing, it's about finding out the truth about reality and the truth about yourself. That's invaluable, and it can't be bought or sold.

[@riley02192012]

I was really into Buddhism when I was in my teens and 20s. It was helpful to me with my struggles with mental health. I was never very good at mediation either. My mind runs a mile a minute. I found mediation very uncomfortable both physically and mentally. I thought you did a great job with this video.

[@TheStoicApe]

It's not about the discomfort my friend, it's having a different relationship with your pain and discomfort to move through. ☸️🙏🏻🕉️ Do try again❣️

[@PedroKrick]

@@TheStoicApe well not necessarily, you can use meditation to do some "lone therapy", however, when it comes to mental health it's always wise to talk with a professional and try to use it with supervision or at least keep reporting to your therapist/doctor on results. Meditation is cool, but it can be hard or frustrating when you can't do it or have problems being with your own thoughts too much, and also can be intense if you manage to "go deeper", so to speak. It's also not necessarily for everyone, although there's other kinds of "meditations" like mention in the video, as doing some monotonous thing to relax and focus or clear the mind etc

[@novadirector]

Don't feel guilty if you don't want to get back into meditation. But if you do I'd focus on loving-kindness meditation. Best of luck.

[@THESKYLEE]

It can be difficult for me to sit and meditate as well, so instead I go for a walk and listen to the breeze and watch the sun follow me as I walk by, that’s my form of meditation it brings me vital energy and peace, I think that it’s all up to what makes you feel good 🤘🏼🔆 best of luck to you keep growing

[@nugaming2498]

Why did you get out of buddhism? I’ve gotten into it a while back and trough the realizations you get trough the teachings and vipassana I feel like I can never go back and unrealize things so I am interested how you stopped being buddhist?

[@sushantmanandhar1387]

Watched this in the morning for breakfast, after my meditation I should get a medal

[@storyBuddhas]

"The idea of mindfulness and meditation as tools for understanding the nature of the mind resonates deeply with me. This video serves as a wonderful introduction to those seeking a calmer, more centered life."

[@loveandmercy9664]

That was a good video. It would be an interesting to have mention the popular Monk in the west Thich Nhat Han who recently paased who did a a lot of work to build bridges between Eastern and western contemplative traditions. It would be interesting to do a video on Lectio Divina. This video reminded me a lot of Lectio Divina.

[@mackenlyparmelee5440]

I really liked this video. One topic I wish got a little more attention would be the particulars of jhana, especially the first and second jhanas. The practice of "clearing one's mind" does in fact have some basis in early scripture and practice but it's not really what people construe it to mean. The satipatthana sutta gives us a ton of ways for preparing the discursive mind so that it abandons thinking. The term abandon in the sense does not mean to push thoughts away and "clear the mind" as is often thought. In practice, this means relaxing and letting go to the point at which we no longer need to care about what the mind is doing and we can lot go of it. That aspect of meditation is pretty fundamental and there are a lot of ways of approaching it. The simplest of those methods involves paying attention to pleasant breathing sensations, which the mind will tend to prefer over the chaotic workings of the thinking mind. By simply directing the attention towards something that is relatively stable, pleasant, and not thoughts, the mind will start to grasp the idea of letting go of thinking. This very simple practice is indeed taught in the old scriptures and is extremely similar to a lot of the secular methods taught. In fact, that particular type of meditation predates the Buddha and is found in traditions outside of Buddhism. The Buddha himself said that breathing meditation could lead to awakening on its own as well. I don't think we should be too quick then to say modern practice is so removed or secularized. The difference between modern and capital B Buddhist meditation is that in Buddhist meditation, we are not just trying to be able to let go of thinking, we are trying to let go of everything conceivable, even if it hurts, starting from the body and forms, and working our way down in refinement to feelings, perception and consciousness. The point at which thought can be abandoned is honestly pretty far along the path as it is, as we've demonstrated the ability to at least temporarily abandon the body and thinking by that point. The trick after that is to let it become innate, all encompassing, and guided by compassion. A good sutta on that point is www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.163.than.html It's also of note that not everyone who practiced meditation would practice maranasati or asubhasanna. Those are good tools, but there;s a lot of evidence to suggest that breathing meditation was and still is the crown jewel and most highly regarded practice. Meditation subjects given to monastics are given in accordance with their nature as a sort of yin-yang balancing. For someone with mean temperament, the subject of lovingkindness would be given, and so on. However, it's quite clear that breathing meditation could be practiced by almost anyone, and was easily the most frequently recommended meditation subject. In that, I feel there is a bit more merit in the modern practice than what this video might have us believe, although the information you've presented is unflagging in its factuality and extraordinarily well presented. Great video and again thank you!

[@DaveLopez575]

This is better than what I’ve learned from people who practice or preach meditation. Danyavada 🙏🏼

[@xXxXxXLoveBugXxXxXx]

I normally meditate as I fall asleep, but I've also heard being "in the zone" to be a form of meditation, too. And as an artist, I agree with that very much. In English, I think the word "meditate" has come to mean a special sort of concentration on one thing. Like hyper focusing started with a certain intent rather than your mind just locking onto something and hyper focusing on that without having purposefully chosen whatever you are then focusing on.

[@--Paws--]

"Cultivating", when I went to Korean bible study, I heard that term used and similarly in some shows and even in anime. Cultivating seems to be an umbrella term to for studying, learning, practicing a skill, working or having a career, and it is not usually but sometimes referring to earning money.

[@knowledgeallah]

Bro I love how you cut through the Protestant tendency to divorce theology from ritual.

[@jakklovediablo6293]

As a buddish i do meditation to prove some of the lord buddish quote. The book i read they say if you do satipatha sutta often enough you will see the phenomenon that your soul is unbindding from your body and your mind and that is the end of this practice. I once see this phenomenon happen to me but it's not quite right, i can feel a spirit pop out of the body to describe it feel like you're a jello shot get squeeze out with unopen lid and at that moment you're not breathing and your ear gone deaf

[@liangflrs02]

Always enjoy your lectures and the scholastic view about religion!

[@sasaa5333]

Meditation changed my whole personality.. Everyone has different experience and different ways. Mine was little different. I used to be a short temper person. Little things made me very angry. My anger was different, first I become angry and then feel very bad about myself. I wanted to change myself but I don't know the way, then someone told me about meditation . I started following the things as that person told me. After many days , I felt it's working . So , I continue my meditation journey. Some things which I tried myself to improve my meditation. I feel, food was very important part of my meditation. I read in many books that food has so much impact on your thoughts. I am vegetation , so pure food was not a problem for me. But I tried to eat pure food like food with no garlic and onion. I started living a disciple life. I started control myself. This was very difficult. I wanted to do something but I wanted to control myself . The more I controlled myself, the more I wanted that thing. I guess controlling yourself is one of the most difficult task. After many months, meditation become part of my life. I could control myself. My anger was gone. People said anything on my face, I only smiled. I become a happy soul. Many people will not trust what I am going to write now .. “Sometimes , I could read people mind. For example, my mother was doing something and I saw her and I asked her mummy , are you thinking this . With surprised , she said how do you know . “ There is so many things. Meditation is a path that lead you towards a beautiful life..

[@kigurumii]

I’m glad it worked out for you, and I hope you continue with it. Meditation is a powerful tool.

[@Buddhist_Gnome]

Awesome video! I LOVE your channel! I was fascinated with different religions my whole life. Grew up Catholic and now consider myself Buddhist/Taoist. Just curious, which religion do you find the most interesting or spend the most free time reading about? Do you have one that you really enjoy moreso than all the others?

[@anunthornvinij61]

A++ for your explanation from a lifelong Buddhist in Thailand. Keep up the great work!

[@GaramondGourmond]

I have a complex relationship with meditation. When I was young I was trained by a psychic/energy healer to do "active meditation", which today would be called energy healing. You close your eyes, relax and then focus on doing something within you - opening or closing a chakra, raising kundalini energy, holding a color or sound, etc. But she also told me about "passive meditation" which is what I have always considered Buddhist meditation to be, a sort of free-form calming and silencing technique to achieve greater spiritual states of being. One is about doing, the other about being. These days, I use Reiki symbols to meditate, and I do it not to achieve enlightenment, but to simply feel really, really, really good. The advanced Reiki symbols allow for the most blissful, tranquil feelings I've ever had, and I often get off of work and speed home to do Reiki meditation. It's just that pleasurable. I don't know if that's what I'm *supposed to do with them, but it's what I do, do, and I like it. Allot.

[@ObakuZenCenter]

Unfortunately many things are called meditation that technically are nothing of the sort.

[@siriusfun]

This was 'enlightening' (sorry, couldn't resist! :D) Thanks!

[@georgemoore2226]

Excellent presentation! Please make a part 2 soon. Looking forward! Blessings

[@WaiSoeThein]

I was casually watching the video and ended up listening to your concise, informative & non-judgmental sermon about bhavana. It's so compact that I totally forget to skip any seconds of the 20-minutes long video, which I usually do. Your contents are precious gems. I'm recommending your channel to my friends and monks who would like to expand their knowledge on the historical accounts of other religions. I'm from Burma and learned a few things about meditation practices in the country. According to my observations, Mahasi method is mostly faithful to Satipatthana Sutta whereas Pa-Auk method heavily relies on Visuddhimagga commentary. Different approaches to the same ultimate goal.

[@amriceleste]

This was brilliant, thank you - I really enjoyed how clearly you explained this. I'll look out for more videos on this topic from you!

[@NicholasVettese]

I have been watching your videos for some time, and have always appreciate the context and information that is applied to not only those who are learned, but those who are coming up in understanding. Your work is incredibly important and needed in today's society, so Thank you! As someone who's begun to understand Buddhism, I am extremely thankful for these videos as well. Many Blessings to you and yours

[@SomosLaNuevaEra]

Ultra relaxing music ! Peace on your way to you and all who are reading this ❤️

[@bahadursunny1674]

This is realy a good video.....even as Theravada buddhists living in asia, our idea about meditation is quite vague. To my knowledge you realy touched all...... Further I want to say, lay people (common buddhist) doing meditation is normal..... *In the pali canon in "Sangyutta Nikaya" there is a lay man named "Citta" who masters all 4 jhanas.....and he is praised by the Buddha.*

[@hiteshkumar4728]

Om namo Buddhaya

[@derMcSven]

i meditate since 4 years now and it really is changing my mind to a more calm and focused state -recommend it to everyone 😊

[@AkealSenpai]

Very well done and detailed video as usual ❤ a lot of people within the western world should understand that there is more than one way to practice meditation/mindfulness and that it's much deeper than what is shown commercially.

[@EpicnessYeet]

It is so interesting learning about the culture and the tradition of religions around the world because in my school experiences we rarely learned about religions like buddhism and we instead focused on the abrahamic religions such as christianity, islam and judaism. For me i have always heard and associated buddhism with meditating but i have never known anything else so i am excited to watch this video!

[@user-Void-Star]

Where you from?

[@Magnulus76]

Most western people cannot understand a religion like Buddhism beyond a superficial level, since it comes from very different worldviews with different assumptions (often confusing Buddhism with Schopenhauer's pessimism, for instance). Also, in the past, fewer western people had contact with actual Buddhists.

[@openspace3687]

As someone who has meditated the last seven years daily often 16 hours or more thank you for that clear overview for curious bystanders and practitioners alike.

[@douglashtang]

The fact that this video was uploaded on 02/22/2022 is even more perfect.

[@SanathavihariLosAngeles]

Excellent explanation. concise, clear, and enjoyable.

[@udayanmallik6993]

As mentioned in many comments below please do more video on this subject. As always great and informative video.

[@vrme4420]

This video is great! I've practiced buddhist meditation for the last 8-9 years and this is, as said by others, one of the best explanations I've heard on the topic. I will share it with people who might be interested in starting their own journey.

[@jperry9488]

Universal timing was impeccable 🌊🤙🏽😯🙏🏽 I’ve been looking into the lifestyle of monks and today you post this! 🕊

[@TheZombieButler]

Thank you for the effort and time you took to make this video. It is very appreciated.

[@tyronos]

Love this video. I attended several Vipassana courses led by SN Goenka and volunteer teachers under his organization almost 20 years ago, and it had a profound impact on my life. Great to see the practice explained so succinctly for people new to meditation.

[@Chill_Mode_JD]

“We barely remember, Who or what came before this precious moment…. …We are choosing to be here, right now… …Hold on, stay inside” ~TOOL - Parabola

[@Astral_Wave]

My understanding of meditation is that, it's not that you're doing something, but rather you're doing nothing at all. Going against the grain of your brain's tendency to constantly be "doing or thinking of something" is very difficult. In the past I have had several dozen psilocybin experiences, some being very high in dose. The couple of times I've been successful in meditation, I began to have visions reminiscent of those earlier mushroom trips, and it frightened and shocked me so much that I immediately "came out of" the meditation. It's been a while since I've felt brave enough to attempt this again, but it's been these experiences that have lead me to eastern philosophy, Buddhism and Pantheism in particular, in recent years. You have to turn the ego off and simply experience reality outside of it and it's difficult and scary, at least in my own experiences. Live well.

[@vectrobach9766]

Dude, your breakdown of the meaning of the word meditation... absolutely perfect. You just gained a new subscriber

[@themushmonk]

Very informative, loving your videos and learning a lot!

[@xKumei]

Using meditation to cultivate I think is probably going to be the next big shift in our understanding of meditation in the West. And I appreciate that reminder, in my own practice I've forgotten about at aspect recently and mostly just do the calming and then open awareness. Cultivating the changes I'd like to make in myself/my life sounds helpful.

[@Jokomanopo]

You are the Golden Goose of Buddhism videos, every one you make is gold 🥚

[@TheHartsook69]

This program is great thank you

[@eseetoh]

Another great explanation video!! Well done.

[@gabrielschwarz8761]

First at all, I love ReligionForBreakfast you makes great job! Second thing - that is the BEST explanation about buddhist meditation (cannot found better in English, German) so as a zen buddhist where we see mediatation as the heart of practice (ZEN -> Chan -> Dhjana) i say thank you x2

[@chericruz7937]

An excellent and concise,though comprehensive,commentary on Buddhist meditation.Richard D'CRUZ,Malaysia.

[@lukesmith1818]

Fantastic content as always. Interesting that in Catholicism the method of praying the rosary is described using the verb "meditate." This is used to mean pondering the meaning of each mystery and how the moral can be applied to your own life. I always thought this was an interesting choice and it makes more sense to me now.

[@MisterJang0]

I meditated once, for five or ten minutes, just to see if there would be any effect. I sat quietly with my eyes closed and I focused on breathing through my nose. Once or twice I opened my eyes to look at my timer and see how much time had passed. Were you ever a kid with a messy room, and your mom would occasionally clean up your room but rearrange everything in the process? That's what my mind felt like once I was done meditating; it was disorientating for me. Although, I see the appeal, especially for people who get stressed and anxious a lot. Although, as for myself, I like having a cluttered mind and I don't feel stress so often.

[@assholeyeng]

Just clearing the mind and focusing on the present makes you a good cog in the machine

[@sthelenskungfu]

I had a therapist that was into the whole meditation thing. I'm just not built for stillness. After six months, I learned three things: my results leg syndrome is because my legs fall asleep if they remain still, and the longer I try to do it the worse it gets and after trying that for a year I can literally no longer sit through a movie without my legs falling asleep; after an hour of me "clearing my mind" or "quieting my thoughts," don't approach me because I will feel stressed and I will lose my patience and if you persist I will get violent; it will make it more difficult to fall asleep that evening because I will be stressed out and the numb legs and the shortness with my family weren't worth also losing sleep.

[@thejessica-est]

That sucks 😔. Sleep is so important and it probably made you feel even worse not to be able to sleep well. May I ask, have you ever practiced walking meditation or Tai Chi? I was physically restless when I started and this is what my Dharma teacher suggested. I was able to reap the benefits while not having to fight my body's need to move.

[@sthelenskungfu]

@@thejessica-est I've done Tai Chi. I'm much more of a Kung Fu guy, but I plan on getting back to being able to do the short competition form next year. The Yang long form was just too much for me, though.

[@robbabcock_]

Wonderful video! Thanks.

[@AmblingAloof]

Very good presentation. Thank you.

[@empressoftheknownuniverse]

Great timing, I just finished my yoga and am still floating on the waves of enlightenment. 😊

[@KGTiberius]

Very well done. Excellent intro to meditations.

[@MrRyanVaughn]

This clears up so many of the things I learned from Sam Harris when I was subscribing to his meditation app.

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

Amazing work thanks!

[@weareallbornmad410]

11:32 please do that! I'll be happy to watch many more videos of you exploring concepts and technics of meditation. Didn't know there were more than one dhyana...

[@rumrunner8019]

This is a very good video, but there is one note of clarification: meditation was mostly taught only in monasteries in old times, *however* , being a monk (and sometimes nun) was not a lifelong occupation for most people in most of Buddhism's history. In fact, in many societies, especially in South East Asia, majority of the men spent some time at a monastery. It was almost like going to college is today: young men would spend a year or two at a monastery in the time between reaching adulthood and getting married and having children. They would often meditate during householder life as well, just not as often. And things like chanting meditation was always popular among the laity. Every Tibetan Buddhist in greater Tibet would chant "Om mani Padme hung" as they count out the recitations on their mala beads.

[@lethemyrsmith2847]

Very accurate and fair explanation!

[@TheMattg345]

Swami tadatmananda has an awesome series on how ancient yoga would've really been practiced, I highly recommend it

[@franklarin8100]

Very enlightening and well documented view of meditation. Keep up the good work,👍

[@exoplanet11]

Thanks for dispelling the notion that meditation is just for de-stressing or becoming more productive. There are forms of meditation, such as. Tibetan Bardo, that are truly terrifying and only for the brave of heart...but which permit immense transformations of human consciousness, and expansion of human compassion. Also, the awareness, gained through meditation (or some there way) that the "self" is not real is shocking and painful to most of us who have taken it for granted.

[@carsonwieker]

Very nicely done, appreciated, cheers.

[@promiscuous5761]

Thank you.

[@courtschmied]

This has been very insightful, thank you. I would enjoy if you went into more detail about some aspects on buddhism

[@johndurham6172]

The Nun who thought my Bible study class would use the techniques that he was talking about before she would start class. She said it would help us focus on word of the Lord.

[@smh23100]

This video is his third in an ongoing series on Buddhism!

[@ricardofranciszayas]

Excellent explanation.

[@sorsdeus]

Outstanding, thank you

[@blake8894]

i never got why people fixated so much on the "clear your mind," thing. that's one small exercise in one small branch of Buddhism that only works if you're being instructed by a guru and are already comfortable with the goals and practices here.

[@ferencivanics9980]

Thank you!

[@Casper_Espresso]

I am incredibly happy to have found an academic channel on religion. With all the political unrest going on right now, it is much easier to look back at history and look at the political grasp for power than it is to deal with it in the present, unformed state. The vying for power has been going on since Cain and Abel. It won't stop until enlightenment rushes forth from within and transforms all that it touches. Sometimes academic thought is safer than the world we know and live in. A channel like this gives me a place to hide for a while, and allows me to think, perceive, and contemplate without having to be in a battle ground.

[@goprojoe8943]

Wow, excellent job. Few Buddhists even understand this topic correctly. You might consider taking a month for dedicated monastic practice in the western forest sangha, as first stage enlightenment/revelation is often not so far away.

[@mudithmanu]

Please do a deeper video of Dhyanas. 11:30

[@hollyhartwick3832]

It's so common for borrowed practices to deviate from their core intention. Yoga is a prime example of this. Many in the west think it's just some exercise routine, but it was never intended for that. It's a bastardization of Hatha Yoga, which was developed for spiritual purposes, to right one's inner self and move toward Nirvana, and only one of several traditions in actual yoga. There are, in fact, several schools or branches of yogic practise. Karma Yoga, the yoga of action and right deeds. Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of love and compassion. Jnana Yoga, the yoga of philosophy. And Raja Yoga, the yoga of mysticism. These are entire schools of thought, belief and practise that Hatha yoga encompasses only a tiny fraction of. Buddhist meditation has gotten the same sad treatment, stripped down to veil-thin happy feels and pseudo-wellness. People can live how they like, but to practise something with deep spiritual roots and implications, but being entirely ignorant of those roots, does a grave disservice to those traditions, beliefs and values.

[@FlorenceFox]

Do you have any intention of ever covering other forms of meditation? Buddhist meditation is a fascinating subject, and this was a great video on it, but given how much discussions of meditation tend to focus on Buddhist practices, there's a lot I don't know about other traditions of meditation.

[@marcomartinez1843]

Yes, he should; Henry even acknowledged that meditation existed long before Buddhism in this video.

[@roychen5235]

Meditation exists in Christian traditions as well. And like buddhism is deeply tied to monastic tradition. Meditation was seen as a deep form of prayer.

[@SanDiegoBearLife]

Thank you

[@garyc1384]

Very good explanations and content. Relevant to students of Western 'meditation' techniques too (Alchemy, Magic, Tarot, etc).

[@CRneu]

alchemy, magic, tarot have absolutely nothing to do with meditation. Tarot is nonsense created to sell playing cards, literally. Alchemy is a dead end that doesn't make sense and has nothing to do with concentrated thought. Magic is just scam stuff.

[@oldcowbb]

i'm not spiritual or religious in any sense, but the philosophical side of Buddhism is fascinating

[@elrod3000]

awesome vid; keepem coming!

[@gospelofthomas77thpearl22]

This was great! Thanks 🖖🏼

[@heavynov]

Fascinating subject! I'd be quite interested in a video on Christian meditation's history as well.

[@johnadams5245]

6:07 I love how satipatthana sutta rolls off your tongue, great video, I just started watching your stuff, started with the Buddhism playlist, so far I'm impressed, keepup the good work Holmes

[@williamkauffman5745]

very good summary