Tibetan Buddhist Meditation

Meditation is a key practice used Tibetan Buddhists because it brings one closer to enlightenment by diminishing negative qualities like jealousy, pride, and hatred while fostering compassion, tranquility, and concentration. While meditating, practitioners focus on bodhicitta, the seeking of enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Even though meditation is an individual effort, the goal is to enlighten all that are ignorant. Traditional Tibetan society integrates the spiritual and practical aspects of their culture. For example, medicine had a spiritual appreciation, and over time, the emphasis on meditation practices to help physical or psychological illness grew.

Meditation is split into two main categories: analytical and concentrative. Analytical meditation is usually practiced on teachings that are part of the graduated path to enlightenment. This path is characterized by logical steps that are easy to understand and practice. One the other hand, concentrative meditation focuses the mind on a certain aspect such as the breath. Then, every time a person loses focus on the idea, he brings himself back to the original focus. Both of these approaches raise awareness and focus.