Meditation
Practical exploration of Buddhist meditation, attention, concentration, insight and the mind.
Exploring Meditation from the Inside
My interest in Buddhist meditation is primarily practical and investigative. I am interested in what happens to attention, concentration, perception, mental activity and experience when meditation is practised systematically.
These articles explore meditation techniques, traditional descriptions, terminology, personal observations and questions that arise when Buddhist meditation is examined through both direct practice and analytical inquiry.
Samatha
Concentration, tranquillity, stability of attention and the progressive calming of mental activity.
Vipassana
Insight practice, observation of experience and investigation into the characteristics of phenomena.
Jhāna
Meditative absorption, concentration states, their characteristics, development and practical exploration.
Mindfulness & Sati
Mindfulness, recollection, awareness and their roles within Buddhist meditation practice.
Concentration & Attention
How attention behaves, becomes stable, narrows, expands and changes through meditation.
Meditation Techniques
Practical methods, meditation objects, instructions and approaches drawn from Buddhist traditions.
Practical Problems
Obstacles, uncertainty, restlessness, dullness, expectations and other problems encountered in practice.
Buddhist Teachings
Teachings that directly inform meditation and their practical implications rather than purely doctrinal study.
Terminology & Translation
Examination of Pāli terminology, translations and how language affects interpretation of Buddhist teachings.
How I Approach Meditation
I approach meditation primarily as something to practise and investigate rather than something to believe.
Traditional descriptions provide maps, terminology and methods, but practice raises its own questions:
- What is actually happening in experience?
- How can different meditation states be distinguished?
- Which changes are caused by concentration, attention or perception?
- How closely does direct experience correspond to traditional descriptions?
- What does a particular Buddhist term actually mean in context?
- Can an interpretation be tested against both practice and the early texts?
My meditation writing therefore combines practical experience, traditional sources, terminology and analytical investigation.
Explore the Meditation Articles
Browse writing on Buddhist meditation, samatha, vipassanā, jhāna, mindfulness, terminology, practical experience and the exploration of mind.