Buddha himself engaged in meditation under the Bodhi tree to attain enlightenment or Nirvana. This is one thing that Buddhist monks do then and until now to follow what their great leader did. They have even expanded and formalized the Buddhist meditation techniques. This meditation starts with the consciousness of the mind called sati or smrti. This invokes consciousness of everything about and within oneself. It is centered on the power of the mind to control one’s life and cravings as well as to project positive mental energies towards others to influence them. Such are attained based on Vipashyana and Shamatha. Shamatha that means serenity or tranquility, and Vipashyana that means insight or clarity of vision must be developed if the desire is to reach more advanced Buddhist meditation techniques like Samadhi and Dhyanas. There are several Buddhist meditation techniques that can meet certain specific problems or to promote a kind of mental status. There are actually two frequently used types and these are the so called Mindfulness of Breathing or Anapana Sati and the Loving Kindness Meditation or Metta Bhayana. In Anapana Sati one can detach oneself from everything by focusing on the breathing. This is achieved by finding a peaceful spot, sitting in an unperturbed manner while maintaining a straight back and hands nestled in the lap, eyes closed, focusing only breathing. Everything must be obliterated from one’s mind like an empty vessel even the numbing sensations of the legs. By doing this on a regular basis, one moves towards Metta Bhayana which in turn can be practiced from twice to thrice a week. After attaining the relaxed state, one directs attention to a more advanced stage and says words such as, “May I will be calm today, may I be happy and peaceful, may I be safe and healthy,may I be well and contented, may I be free from stress.” Doing this gives one the positive mental state that tends to spread to other people dealt with during the day. Such a positive behavior is truly encouraging thus others around are similarly influenced that lead to earning more acquaintances and friends. Despite being Eastern in origin, Buddhist meditation techniques are widely used even by westerners for the benefits that they visibly bring particularly serenity and insight. social worker salary pharmacy technician salary dental hygienist salary
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