How should a new practitioner pursue meditation and prayer? Many people either place too much emphasis on meditation and prayer or too little emphasis on it. The most important thing when thinking about meditation is to treat it as an essential part of Buddhism, but at the same time it should be done with moderation, particularly for beginner practitioners. Once, a person has practiced for some time, then they will naturally find the right amount for themselves.
Meditation
What is meditation? The actual act of meditation can be very different for each person, but the goal of meditation remains the same- to be able to help the attainment of wisdom and also to train the mind from wandering negatively or aimlessly. Some people might gain other benefits fro meditation such as better health and less stress, that can also be a pleasant result of proper meditation. When the Buddha was entering his final days before enlightenment, he entered into meditation under a bodhi tree. As such, when one is ready to contemplate the deeper Buddhist concepts, they should likewise meditate. Contrary to some widely held beliefs, meditation does not mean the emptying of ones mind. Rather, meditation is to focus the mind. Therefore, one can meditate on the concept of emptiness, but one's mind should not actually be empty. Similarly, meditation should not be done in place of rest or sleep. However, proper and consistent meditation before bed can help one sleep better.
How should one meditate? The worst thing that can happen is for someone to read or hear what is the way to meditate and then once it doesn't work for them think that they have failed at meditating. Meditating is a supremely personal activity, as such no one should tell you how to do it. With that being said, here are some suggestions that you can try or not: 1) set up a nice spot in your house or apartment for meditation. You can invite a "Buddha or Bodhisattva" to your home by getting a statue or painting, although not required, like all religious symbols it can bring the practitioner feelings of calmness and support. 2) Prepare a cushion to sit or kneel on for comfort. 3) Recent studies have shown that incense can be harmful to health, so I do not recommend using incense, and there vapor machines that provide similar effects using oils. 4) decide on something to be the focus of the meditation. This can be anything from your breath all the way to the meaning of life. But you do want to concentrate on something, because you will notice that throughout your meditation, your mind will constantly want to wander away from your focus to your job, family, meal, a movie, an itch, etc., and you will need something to bring your mind back to when that happens. It is okay if your mind wanders, meditation is a learned skill, you will need to do it many times before your mind is trained. But as you meditate more, you will notice you will go 1 minute, then 2 minutes, then 5 minutes without your mind wandering. 5) set up a routine. As with any activity, it is much better to set up a routine, otherwise you will forget or neglect it. Also, I suggest the routine be daily, even if it is only for 5 minutes.
Again the goal of meditation is to train the mind. Just as with exercising the body, the mind also needs to be trained. And just as training the body allows it to handle more taxing situations, training the mind will prepare it for more stressful times. Unfortunately, many people only find religion when they are facing turmoil in life. However, it is with proper meditation throughout our lives, which prepares us for the tough periods in our lives, so that we don't lose perspective.
Prayer
What is prayer in Buddhism? This is very difficult to answer because of all the different kinds of Buddhism. There are some Buddhists who do not believe in prayer at all, and feel that it is only through an individual's own efforts that one can reach Nirvana. Other Buddhists pray to a Buddha, or Buddhas, or Bodhisattavas or all of the above. My personal belief is that prayer in itself can have no negative effects as long as the prayers are just. Furthermore, I believe that prayers like any other volitional action serve to create positive karma. Whether that karma leads to getting the thing you are praying for like good health, I don't know but good karma will eventually bear fruit. Similarly, in many sutras, such as the sutra of the Earth Store Buddha, there are specific instructions for types of prayers that are to be conducted when one is close to death and following death.
How should one pray? In Buddhism there are an uncountable number of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, therefore, when one prays one has to identify who they are praying to. Just as a person will only respond when someone calls their name, a Buddha or Bodhisattva will only listen if someone is calling them. Out of the uncountable numbers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the sutras actually name several thousand, however, many of them are not from our world system or time, as such one should respect, but not actually pray to them. Therefore, if one wants to add prayer and chanting to their meditative routine, they should identify a specific Buddha or Bodhisattva they would like to pray to. Some of the most popular names and mantras associated with them are listed on the mantras page.
Meditation
What is meditation? The actual act of meditation can be very different for each person, but the goal of meditation remains the same- to be able to help the attainment of wisdom and also to train the mind from wandering negatively or aimlessly. Some people might gain other benefits fro meditation such as better health and less stress, that can also be a pleasant result of proper meditation. When the Buddha was entering his final days before enlightenment, he entered into meditation under a bodhi tree. As such, when one is ready to contemplate the deeper Buddhist concepts, they should likewise meditate. Contrary to some widely held beliefs, meditation does not mean the emptying of ones mind. Rather, meditation is to focus the mind. Therefore, one can meditate on the concept of emptiness, but one's mind should not actually be empty. Similarly, meditation should not be done in place of rest or sleep. However, proper and consistent meditation before bed can help one sleep better.
How should one meditate? The worst thing that can happen is for someone to read or hear what is the way to meditate and then once it doesn't work for them think that they have failed at meditating. Meditating is a supremely personal activity, as such no one should tell you how to do it. With that being said, here are some suggestions that you can try or not: 1) set up a nice spot in your house or apartment for meditation. You can invite a "Buddha or Bodhisattva" to your home by getting a statue or painting, although not required, like all religious symbols it can bring the practitioner feelings of calmness and support. 2) Prepare a cushion to sit or kneel on for comfort. 3) Recent studies have shown that incense can be harmful to health, so I do not recommend using incense, and there vapor machines that provide similar effects using oils. 4) decide on something to be the focus of the meditation. This can be anything from your breath all the way to the meaning of life. But you do want to concentrate on something, because you will notice that throughout your meditation, your mind will constantly want to wander away from your focus to your job, family, meal, a movie, an itch, etc., and you will need something to bring your mind back to when that happens. It is okay if your mind wanders, meditation is a learned skill, you will need to do it many times before your mind is trained. But as you meditate more, you will notice you will go 1 minute, then 2 minutes, then 5 minutes without your mind wandering. 5) set up a routine. As with any activity, it is much better to set up a routine, otherwise you will forget or neglect it. Also, I suggest the routine be daily, even if it is only for 5 minutes.
Again the goal of meditation is to train the mind. Just as with exercising the body, the mind also needs to be trained. And just as training the body allows it to handle more taxing situations, training the mind will prepare it for more stressful times. Unfortunately, many people only find religion when they are facing turmoil in life. However, it is with proper meditation throughout our lives, which prepares us for the tough periods in our lives, so that we don't lose perspective.
Prayer
What is prayer in Buddhism? This is very difficult to answer because of all the different kinds of Buddhism. There are some Buddhists who do not believe in prayer at all, and feel that it is only through an individual's own efforts that one can reach Nirvana. Other Buddhists pray to a Buddha, or Buddhas, or Bodhisattavas or all of the above. My personal belief is that prayer in itself can have no negative effects as long as the prayers are just. Furthermore, I believe that prayers like any other volitional action serve to create positive karma. Whether that karma leads to getting the thing you are praying for like good health, I don't know but good karma will eventually bear fruit. Similarly, in many sutras, such as the sutra of the Earth Store Buddha, there are specific instructions for types of prayers that are to be conducted when one is close to death and following death.
How should one pray? In Buddhism there are an uncountable number of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, therefore, when one prays one has to identify who they are praying to. Just as a person will only respond when someone calls their name, a Buddha or Bodhisattva will only listen if someone is calling them. Out of the uncountable numbers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the sutras actually name several thousand, however, many of them are not from our world system or time, as such one should respect, but not actually pray to them. Therefore, if one wants to add prayer and chanting to their meditative routine, they should identify a specific Buddha or Bodhisattva they would like to pray to. Some of the most popular names and mantras associated with them are listed on the mantras page.