Try putting these essential meditation tips into practice, and you will begin to experience the peace and inner freedom of the Buddha.

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http://www.abo utmeditatio n.co m/meditatio n-tips-buddha-mind/
Meditation Tips: 10 Simple Steps to Buddha Mind
Morgan Dix
Do you want to meditate like the Buddha?
First, let’s imagine what it was like to be him. You are sitting quietly at dusk under the
boddhi tree, enjoying the pure peace of being. Nothing is wrong. Everything is right. The
silence and stillness is so deep you can hear the bells of a temple drif ting over the sof t
breeze f rom miles away. A f eeling of peace and perf ection f ills the buzzing twilight air.
There is nowhere to go and nothing to do. The whole universe f eels alive, close, vivid,
and awake. You don’t need or want anything at all.

2. Can you imagine that kind of deep joy and contentment—resting in the inf inite buddha
mind? For me, this is what meditation is all about.
So what’s the catch?
First, you don’t need to be the Buddha to develop a meditation practice that gives you
access to limitless inner peace and f reedom. However, there is a reason why so many
people know about the benef its of meditation, but so f ew f ollow through.
To put it simply, meditation isn’t easy. It takes commitment, perseverance, and a lot of
practice. To enjoy the peace that Buddha f ound in himself , we have do some inner work.
In general, the kind of work I’m talking about isn’t so popular.
But, let me tell you, f rom my own experience, it’s totally worth it! Over time, the ef f ort
you invest to create a strong meditation practice—even if it’s f or just 15 minutes a day
—will give you access to a part of yourself that is always f ree and at peace.
10 Meditation Tips (And a bonus! Read on…)
So I want to share 10 meditation tips that will help you build your practice. Each one of
these plays an important role in my own daily practice.
Trust your intention
Select a space to practice
Choose a consistent time
Get the right equipment
Select a specif ic practice that works f or you
Make a commitment
Don’t give up
Be interested and Experiment!
Spend time with other meditators
Don’t take your practice f or granted
1.
Trust your intention

3. I can’t underscore enough the power of your intention. You are reading this post
because you want to meditate and you want to take your practice to a new level. I
encourage you to trust the impulse that is driving you and never look back. That urge is
stronger than any of us can ever imagine. If we are to believe many modern mystics and
sages, that impulse is part of the universal march of evolution. Trust your intention and
never doubt. I can tell you f rom my own f irst hand experience, if you trust your intention
completely, you will f ind the peace and f reedom you seek.
2.
Select a space to practice
First, f ind a place that’s quiet. Try and meditate in the same place every day. Make it
beautif ul. You may want to create a small alter and light a candle or put a f lower there.
This is Your space to meditate, and you want it to ref lect your special intention.
Designing this dedicated space will support your practice more than you know. Like your
own little temple, church, mosque or dojo, it will start to have it’s own energy and a
quality of stillness and silence you can return to.
3.
Choose a consistent time
Try to meditate at the same time each day. Protect that time and draw a line around it.
As you develop consistency, it will become a habit. Like your f irst cup of tea or cof f ee in
the morning, it will become part of the natural rhythm of your day and you won’t have to
think about it or negotiate with yourself . This is how you start to create the conditions
f or your success in meditation.
4.
Get the right equipment
Make sure that you have a cushion, pillow, or chair that you f eel comf ortable sitting on.
You need something that is going to allow you to be awake and relaxed, pref erably with
a straight spine. I sit cross-legged on a round zaf u each morning. That’s what works f or
me. Once you f ind the right equipment, stick with it. You want as f ew distractions as
possible, so f ind something that really works f rom the beginning.
5.
Select a specif ic practice that works f or you

4. There are lots of dif f erent kinds of meditation practices – mantra, breath, visualization,
chakra. These meditations f ocus on something. Then there is the kind of meditation like
Zen or Advaita Vedanta, where you just pay attention to awareness itself and let
everything be as it is. All of these are valid. Some are harder than others. For now, f ind
one that you are comf ortable with. You may need to test a f ew to f ind out what works.
Once you f ind the practice that’s right f or you, give everything to that practice and make
it your own.
6.
Make a commitment
You have decided to meditate, and you are serious about it. The most powerf ul tool at
your disposal is your intention to f ollow through on this decision. Make a commitment to
yourself that you can stick to. It’s f ine if you need to take breaks or if you miss a day
here or there. More importantly, you want to keep a big picture view of your practice so
that you can see steady improvement over the long term. Don’t get lost in the details of
your daily practice—in the quality or quantity. Just stay f ocused on the big picture. For
big results, you need to honor this commitment. For that, you need a big view and a big
heart.
7.
Don’t give up
In addition to peace and ease and contentment, you are going to experience doubt,
resistance, inertia and many thoughts and f eelings that don’t support your desire to
meditate. Don’t worry about it. It’s all part of the process. The number one rule is to
keep going. Ignore the hype in your head. Expect unpleasant experiences. It’s not a
problem, even though it f eels like one. Remember…Big Picture! Let it happen and let it
go. Try not to draw any conclusions at all about your progress f rom any single
experience, good or bad. Stick with it and don’t give up.
8.
Be interested and experiment of ten
Ask questions and be curious. Talk about your experiences with f riends. When you are
f ollowing your meditation instructions, allow yourself the f lexibility to experiment. I have
made the biggest strides in my practice through stepping outside the rules and
connecting new dots f or myself . How does meditation relate to lif e? How does my
desire f or peace and f reedom relate to experiences of psychological pain and
contraction?
Meditation can be transf ormative, but you have to be interested and engaged. You can’t
be passive. Being interested activates a dif f erent part of me than the one that f ollows
the rules and perf orms the practice. We need both parts f or a f lourishing practice.

5. 9.
Spend time with other meditators
We all need to talk with peers about our experiences. It helps build conf idence while
opening our minds and hearts. Most importantly, it reinf orces the value of meditation
when we talk with other people who share our interest in meditation. Of ten, a f riend with
a strong intention can ignite your own practice with a f ew inspired words and help to
spark a new insight. Friendship on the path is important.
10. Don’t take your practice f or granted
A stable meditation practice is a precious resource. It is also a like a plant that needs to
be watered. Your practice will give back to you in measure to what you give. If you
invest your time, energy, and commitment, you will see returns. If you don’t invest, your
meditation won’t grow or yield the benef its you want. If you don’t take it f or granted, and
you nurture it with care, it will grow and bear f ruit f or you.
11. Bonus Tip: Your conf idence is everything
In meditation, we ultimately discover that peace, f reedom, and joy are not just
experiences—they are the natural qualities of who we are at our core. As your practice
develops, you will gain conf idence in this limitless part of yourself . As your conf idence
develops, the part of you that is always at ease will grow stronger, and you will have
spontaneous access to meditation. Why? Because that is who you are, and you no
longer need any person or experience to prove that to you.
Perhaps the greatest gif t I have received f rom meditation is this: an essential conviction
that lif e is good beyond measure. I wouldn’t trade that conf idence f or anything. I hope
these meditation tips help you develop a powerf ul practice that builds your own f aith in
the inf inite positivity of lif e and being.
By Morgan Dix
About the Author: Morgan had a lif e-changing spiritual experience when he was
twenty. Af ter that, meditation became a preoccupying passion f or him. Since then, he
has been practicing yoga and meditation on a daily basis. He has learned f rom and
studied with a variety of teachers, including Chagdud Tulku, Paramahansa Yogananda,
Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Chimnoy, and Andrew Cohen. Most recently, he spent thirteen years
living and working in a residential spiritual ashram. He comes to About Meditation with a
passion f or writing and sharing the depths of what he learns about meditation every day.
You can read more of his work at www.aboutmeditation.com.
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