A Path of Calm, Clarity, and Insight
Many people today first encounter Buddhist meditation through the modern mindfulness movement. I got into Buddhist meditation back in 1980 before there even was such a thing.
Now mindfulness is everywhere, in phone apps, hospitals, therapy offices, schools, and workplaces. But many folks I speak with do not know these practices have their roots in ancient Buddhist traditions that go back more than 2,600 years.
The approach here is closely aligned with Insight Meditation—a contemporary expression of early Buddhist practice that began in the West during the 1970s.
Among the first group of Western teachers trained in Asia were Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and Sharon Salzberg, who later helped establish meditation centers in the United States devoted to the serious practice of insight meditation.
Start with the breath
If you are new to meditation practice, I suggest you start with the breath.
These first two guided meditations are offered by Sharon Salzberg, one of my first Western teachers. The first is an 8-minute introduction to feeling the breath, followed by a 10-minute guided meditation on the practice of counting the breath.
Go deeper with Jack Kornfield and Carol Wilson
If you would like to take beginning meditation instructions a gentle step forward, I invite you to let Jack Kornfield guide you with these next two meditations: here and now meditation, followed by waves of experience.
And finally, if you would like a deep dive into mindfulness from the point of view of meditation practice, give yourself forty-five minutes of quiet time to listen to Carol Wilson describe the qualities of mindfulness in this talk she gave during a retreat at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, in 1990.
Read a free introductory book
If you would like an accessible introduction to Buddhist mindfulness meditation, I highly recommend Gil Fronsdal’s excellent book The Issue at Hand: Essays on Buddhist Mindfulness Practice. This free PDF download offers clear and practical instructions for sitting meditation, walking meditation, and mindfulness in daily life.
The following three recordings are readings of the clear instructions from this book.
- Brief Instructions for Sitting Meditation (05:14)
- Instructions for Walking Meditation (06:47)
- Mindfulness Meditation as a Buddhist Practice (06:16)
Practice mindfulness in daily life
Meditation begins with something as simple as paying attention to the breath, but the practice can open into much more. We can learn to bring the same mindful awareness to the body, our emotions, our thoughts, and the mind itself—and eventually to the ordinary experiences of daily life.
In the recordings below, Gil Fronsdal offers a wonderful introduction to these different dimensions of mindfulness, both in formal meditation and beyond the cushion.
- Mindfulness of Breath (1:24:47)
- Mindfulness of Body (20:04)
- Mindfulness of Emotions (1:35:07)
- Mindfulness of Thoughts (1:33:42)
- Mindfulness of Mind (1:25:47)
- Mindfulness in Daily Life (1:35:00)
Keep reading
If you would like to dive deeper into this style of meditation, explore our suggested reading list. You might also find these personal reflections helpful: sit quietly and observe your thoughts and broken wings.
Sit with us in Honolulu
If you live on Oʻahu, you are welcome to join our group. We meet every Thursday evening from 6:00 to 7:30 in my home in Pālolo Valley. Come as you are, and we will find you a cushion.