Meditation 101 (EN)

Meditation 101 is an introductory course that presents basic Buddhist meditation techniques for complete beginners. It is also suitable for people who are already familiar with meditation in other traditions but would like to know more about how meditation is practiced in Tibetan Buddhism.

Lead by: Ana GC

Every Tuesday from 17h30 to 18h30

The course teaches meditations that can be used by anyone to create more peace and happiness in their daily life. It includes an explanation of:

• what meditation actually is and what it is for.
• meditation postures.
• various kinds of meditation paraphernalia.
• setting up a place for meditation at home.
• How to develop a daily practice.
• the kinds of skills, such as concentration and mindfulness, developed in meditation.
• How to apply these techniques to bring more peace into one’s life.

It provides an overview of meditation in general as well as specific meditation techniques including:

• breathing meditations to pacify compulsive thinking
• mindfulness meditations to live in the present
• visualization meditations to open the heart and bring out our inherent loving qualities
• analytical meditations to transform our minds and re-align our view of ourselves and life with reality.

Students are also introduced to the Buddhist understanding of mind as a nonphysical entity that is a stream of constantly changing moments of consciousness. Because it is possible to change the mind through meditation, harmful mental habits can be eliminated and positive ones developed and strengthened. Students learn the various obstacles that can prevent the mind from remaining focused and methods for counteracting these obstacles. They also learn how to structure a meditation session and how to establish a long-term meditation practice.