Link to Buddhafield Ireland web page
This is an introduction to basic Buddhist meditation techniques for developing awareness and friendliness - two mental qualities which are of value to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. It is not primarily intended as a "teach-yourself" course; if you have the chance, you are much better off to learn meditation face-to-face, ideally from a recognised meditation teacher (which means someone who other meditation teachers recognise as competent), or - failing that - from someone approved by such a teacher as able to give basic instruction. (This is because responses to meditation can be quite idiosyncratic, and it is useful to be taught by someone who is able to respond to the more unusual experiences and problems.) Failing that, a good book designed to teach meditation (such as the sources listed in the "Sustainable Meditation" section) is the next best thing.
However, it is possible for a range of reasons to be in the unfortunate situation of having neither teachers nor books to hand, and in this case these notes may be of use to a dedicated practitioner who is willing to work systematically until something better comes to hand. The face-to-face course these notes were produced for was intended to give beginners the tools to be able to develop and sustain a practice of their own at the end of eight weeks of practice; the most effective way to use these notes in this way would be simply to read each section carefully and follow the suggestions in it over the following week, setting aside 20 minutes a day for the practice.
My main reason for putting this up on the Web is the hope that it may encourage some people to explore the practice of Buddhist meditation further, in the best circumstances available to them. I have tried to write it in as down-to-earth and non-religious a way as possible, on the grounds that happiness is (or should be) a basic human birthright.
Week one: What is meditation?
Week two: Developing mindfulness
Week three: Working with the mind
Week four: Becoming friendlier
Week five: Meditation and integration
Week six: Orientation in meditation
Week seven: Taking practice further
Week eight: Sustainable meditation
These are the notes from a course I ran for care workers in Waterford in 1998 and 1999, and for newcomers to the Waterford Meditation Group in 2000. They offer a basic introduction to an accessible form of meditation practice, and have been written with a view to giving students sufficient tools to sustain a practice of their own in isolation if need be.
I developed this course with the support of Dharmachari Ratnabandhu in response to the needs I could see among the care workers I was teaching for a reliable source of awareness and emotional resources, after trying and failing to bring down a formal meditation teacher. (We finally managed to bring a teacher down to set up the Meditation Group.) Since first writing this page, I have been using and developing this material in running introductory meditation weekends for the Wexford Meditation Group, with the support of Dharmachari Sanghapala. I am not a qualified teacher, but have been practicing for 11 years.
The course is anything but original, and follows the basic lines of teaching developed in the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), implementing two practices (the anapana sati and the metta bhavana) which can be found in the Pali Canon and in Buddhaghosha's Visuddhimagga.
I do not encourage anyone to use this material on its own unless they have no other resources available to them. I know for myself, however, that it is possible to be deprived of any contact with the Dharma, and have seen committed students achieve wonders in relative isolation. If, as a reader, you can find other and more qualified sources for meditation teaching, please go to them. If you cannot, I hope this may be of some use in developing mindfulness and friendliness in everyday life.
Within Ireland, the annual Buddhafield Ireland retreats, which are now in their fourth year, are designed among other things to make introductory meditation teaching available to those who for whatever reason find it difficult to come to regular classes or attend a traditional weekend. The 2003 Buddhafield Ireland retreat was run as a child-friendly retreat, making it possible for single parents to gain at least an introduction to the practice of meditation, and hopefully this tradition will continue into 2004.
Laurence Cox