Meditation Tips: 10 Simple Steps to Buddha Mind - About Meditation

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aboutmeditation.com htt p:/ /www .aboutmedit ation.co m/meditat ion- tips-buddha-m ind/ Morgan Dix Meditation Tips: 10 Simple Steps to Buddha Mind Do you want to meditate like the Buddha? First, let’s im agin e what it was like to be him. Y ou are sitting quietly at dusk under the boddhi tree, enj oying the pure pe ace o f being . Not hing i s wro ng. Eve rything is right. The silence and st ill ness is so dee p you can hear the bell s of a temple d rift ing over the so f t breeze from miles away. A feeling of peace and perfection fills the buzzing twilight air. There is nowhere to go and nothing to do. The whole universe feels alive, close, vivid, and awake. You don’t need or want anything at all.

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Morgan Dix

Meditation Tips: 10 Simple Steps to Buddha Mind

Do you want to meditate like the Buddha?

First, let’s imagine what it was like to be him. You are sitt ing quietly at dusk under the

boddhi tree, enjoying the pure peace of being. Nothing is wrong. Everything is right. The

silence and stillness is so deep you can hear the bells of a temple drift ing over the sof t

breeze from miles away. A feeling of peace and perfection fills the buzzing twilight air.

There is nowhere to go and nothing to do. The whole universe feels alive, close, vivid,

and awake. You don’t need or want anything at all.

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Can you imagine that kind of deep joy and contentment—resting in the inf inite buddha

mind? For me, this is what meditat ion is all about.

So what’s the catch?

First, you don’t need to be the Buddha to develop a meditation practice that gives you

access to limitless inner peace and f reedom. However, there is a reason why so many

people know about the benefits of meditation, but so f ew follow through.

To put it simply, meditation isn’t easy. I t takes commitment, perseverance, and a lot of 

practice. To enjoy the peace that Buddha found in himself , we have do some inner work

In general, the kind of work I’m talking about isn’t so popular.

But, let me tell you, from my own experience, it’s totally worth it! Over time, the effort

you invest to create a strong meditation pract ice—even if it’s f or just 15 minutes a day

—will give you access to a part of yourself that is always f ree and at peace.

10 Meditation Tips (And a bonus! Read on…)

So I want to share 10 meditation tips that will help you build your practice. Each one of 

these plays an important role in my own daily practice.

Trust your intention

Select a space to practice

Choose a consistent time

Get the right equipment

Select a specific practice that works f or you

Make a commitment

Don’t give up

Be interested and Experiment!

Spend time with other meditators

Don’t take your practice for granted

1. Trust your intention

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I can’t underscore enough the power of your intention. You are reading this post

because you want to meditate and you want to take your practice to a new level. I

encourage you to trust the impulse that is driving you and never look back. That urge is

st ronger than any of us can ever imagine. I f we are to believe many modern mystics and

sages, that impulse is part of the universal march of evolution. Trust your intention and

never doubt. I can tell you f rom my own f irst hand experience, if you trust your intention

completely, you will f ind the peace and freedom you seek.

2. Select a space to practice

First, f ind a place that’s quiet. Try and meditate in the same place every day. Make it

beautif ul. You may want to create a small alter and light a candle or put a f lower there.

This is Your space to meditate, and you want it to ref lect your special intention.

Designing this dedicated space will support your practice more than you know. Like you

own little temple, church, mosque or dojo, it will start to have it’s own energy and a

quality of st illness and silence you can return to.

3. Choose a consistent time

Try to meditate at the same time each day. Protect that time and draw a line around it.

 As you develop consistency, it will become a habit. Like your f irst cup of tea or cof fee

the morning, it will become part of the natural rhythm of your day and you won’t have to

think about it or negotiate with yourself . This is how you start to create the conditions

for your success in meditation.

4. Get the right equipment

Make sure that you have a cushion, pillow, or chair  that you feel comfortable sitting on.

You need something that is going to allow you to be awake and relaxed, preferably with

a straight spine. I sit cross-legged on a round zafu each morning. That’s what works f o

me. Once you f ind the right equipment, st ick with it. You want as f ew distractions as

possible, so find something that really works from the beginning.

5. Select a specif ic practice that works for you

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There are lots of different kinds of meditation practices – mantra, breath, visualization,

chakra. These meditations f ocus on something. Then there is the kind of meditation lik

Zen or Advaita Vedanta, where you just pay attention to awareness itself and let

everything be as it is. All of these are valid. Some are harder than others. For now, f ind

one that you are comfortable with. You may need to test a few to f ind out what works.

Once you f ind the practice that’s right for you, give everything to that pract ice and make

it your own.

6. Make a commitment

You have decided to meditate, and you are serious about it. The most powerful tool at

your disposal is your intention to f ollow through on this decision. Make a commitment t

yourself that you can stick to. It’s f ine if you need to take breaks or if you miss a day

here or there. More importantly, you want to keep a big picture view of your practice so

that you can see steady improvement over the long term. Don’t get lost in the details of

your daily practice—in the quality or quantity. Just stay focused on the big picture. For big results, you need to honor this commitment. For that, you need a big view and a big

heart.

7. Don’t give up

In addition to peace and ease and contentment, you are going to experience doubt,

resistance, inertia and many thoughts and feelings that don’t support your desire to

meditate. Don’t worry about it. It ’s all part of the process. The number one rule is to

keep going. Ignore the hype in your head. Expect unpleasant experiences. It ’s not a

problem, even though it f eels like one. Remember…Big Picture! Let it happen and let it

go. Try not to draw any conclusions at all about your progress f rom any single

experience, good or bad. Stick with it and don’t give up.

8. Be interested and experiment of ten

 Ask quest ions and be curious. Talk about your experiences with f riends. When you are

following your meditation instructions, allow yourself the f lexibility to experiment. I have

made the biggest strides in my practice through stepping outside the rules and

connecting new dots for myself . How does meditation relate to life? How does my

desire for peace and freedom relate to experiences of psychological pain and

contraction?

Meditation can be transf ormative, but you have to be interested and engaged. You can’

be passive. Being interested activates a dif ferent part of me than the one that follows

the rules and performs the pract ice. We need both parts for a f lourishing practice.

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9. Spend time with other meditators

We all need to talk with peers about our experiences. It helps build confidence while

opening our minds and hearts. Most importantly, it reinforces the value of meditation

when we talk with other people who share our interest in meditation. Often, a friend with

a strong intention can ignite your own practice with a few inspired words and help to

spark a new insight. Friendship on the path is important.

10. Don’t take your practice for granted

 A stable meditat ion practice is a precious resource. It is also a like a plant that needs to

be watered. Your practice will give back to you in measure to what you give. If you

invest your time, energy, and commitment, you will see returns. If you don’t invest, your

meditation won’t grow or yield the benefits you want. If you don’t take it f or granted, an

you nurture it with care, it will grow and bear fruit for you.

11. Bonus Tip: Your conf idence is everything

In meditation, we ultimately discover that peace, freedom, and joy are not just

experiences—they are the natural qualities of who we are at our core. As your practice

develops, you will gain confidence in this limitless part of yourself. As your conf idence

develops, the part of you that is always at ease will grow stronger, and you will have

spontaneous access to meditation. Why? Because that is who you are, and you no

longer need any person or experience to prove that to you.

Perhaps the greatest gift I have received from meditation is this: an essential convict io

that life is good beyond measure. I wouldn’t trade that confidence for anything. I hope

these meditation tips help you develop a powerful practice that builds your own faith in

the infinite posit ivity of life and being.

By Morgan Dix

About the Author:  Morgan had a life-changing spiritual experience when he was

twenty. After that, meditation became a preoccupying passion for him. Since then, hehas been practicing yoga and meditation on a daily basis. He has learned from and

studied with a variety of teachers, including Chagdud Tulku, Paramahansa Yogananda,

Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Chimnoy, and Andrew Cohen. Most recently, he spent thirteen year

living and working in a residential spiritual ashram. He comes to About Meditat ion with a

passion for writing and sharing the depths of what he learns about meditation every day

You can read more of his work at www.aboutmeditation.com.

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