Introduction to Meditation & Practice

CONTROLLING

1. Setting a Platform at the Tip of the Nose For meditation, the mind should be settled in one place. Thus, we set a platform or base-location where we concentrate the mind. Initially, we set this platform at the tip of the nose. By counting with this technique, you can control your mind to stay at the platform at the tip of your nose.
2. Moving the Platform to the Abdomen (to see the rising and falling clearly)

3. Bringing the Mind Back (the mind like a cow or monkey or fish)

ANALIZING
· Wholesome and Unwholesome thoughts by follow the mind. Don’t suppress these thoughts – analyze them. Learn to know about each thought – what, when, where, why, how, who, whom – and, why did this thought arise.
· Cause and Effect by analyze the situation. Why did it occur? What are the reasons?
· Staying Neutral. When analyzing, try to think like an observer. If you make judgments, you may have some bias, according to your likes, dislikes. Fear can, also, bias your judgment. So, don’t judge. Just observe. That is the proper way to analyze.

· Preventing Stress Prevention of stress is much better than trying to cure stress after it has arisen.

SENSING AND FEELING

1. Sensing and Feeling Now, we move on to sensing and feeling. Sensing means receiving signals through our six senses. Filling refers to assessing a state in simple evaluation terms – positive, negative or neutral.

We have been sitting long enough to feel sore. We sense that the legs are beginning to fall asleep, or the mind begins to wander non-stop. Overall, how do you feel – happy, unhappy, or just neutral? Analyze the causes and effects underlying this feeling. Has this meditation has been useful or useless - beneficial or annoying? This all represents sensing and feeling, regarding the practice
2. Recognizing Impermanence Be sure to learn something from each practice. Most fundamentally, you should recognize impermanence, suffering and non-self.

LETTING GO

1. Letting Go

Finally, we come to letting go. How can you let go? Before letting go, you must know what are holding on to. What thought are you clinging to? Letting go means you are going to stop thinking about it. Since you cannot stop thinking easily, letting go comes from controlling, analyzing, sensing and feeling, and being mindful. When you develop mindfulness and control your mind, the conceptualization and thinking process fades away automatically. Don’t formulate ideas. Don’t judge. Just keep watching neutrally, without any desire. Just know, and then let go.

2. Cleaning Up

Visualize working at your desk in your office. It is Friday evening and you are preparing to go home for the weekend. Clean out your drawer and discard what you no longer need. Set your belongings in order and memorize them. Then, close your drawer and lock it. Don’t take anything home. This is how to enjoy the weekend. It is the same with your mind. Letting go means not keeping anything in your mind. Let all your thoughts go. No more thinking. Just keep watching.