Buddhist Meditation
Buddhist meditation is one of the most complex and varied forms of meditation on the earth. Practiced by millions of people, this form of meditation is varied by the school that teaches it. As each school has a different method of teaching, the specific forms of Buddhist meditation is often unique to that school. However, there are many principles of Buddhist meditation that is carried over between the various schools.
The general goal of Buddhist meditation is to pursue tranquility and insight to obtain Enlightenment and Nirvana. Typically, this is done through the Samatha meditations and the Vipassana meditations. Samatha is a reference towards tranquility, while Vipassana is a reference towards insight. Each of these types have different methods, and these different methods are all used to develop certain aspects of yourself.
In Buddhist meditation, the Samatha meditations are responsible for developing concentration, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. Some schools will also develop more aspects of the self, but these five aspects almost always tend to be pursued.
In Buddhist meditation, the Vipassana mediation tends to develop inner peace and freedom, clarity of self, as well as aspects of wisdom and compassion. Due to the belief system of the Buddhist, some forms of Samatha overlap Vipassana, which is acceptable as achieving Enlightenment and Nirvana is through the combination of both Vipassan and Samatha.
If you do not believe in the Buddhist religion, you can still make use of the fundamental methods of meditation, although much of the spirituality and meaning behind the meditations is lost. Non-Buddhists tend to strive towards health and mental clarity, as well as other non-Buddhist goals. This changes the focus of the meditations, although still permits non-Buddhists to benefit from the form.
Buddhist meditation is a combination of thought and breathing techniques. These two basic techniques span across all of the schools. However, the number of steps used to master the techniques of meditation are extremely varied. For example, the Theravada tradition has a little over ninety ways to develop the mind and concentration. The Tibetan tradition, on the other hand, has thousands of visualization meditations.
Most teachers of Buddhist meditation will only teach from the school they were originally taught from. There are only a few teachers that will try to span the different schools and categorize the practices of these different schools.
Buddhist meditation is typically guided until the principles of meditation have been taught to the pupil.