Samantha Gibbs

S. Atkinson
HUMA 2300 Section 006
October 8, 2014
Meditation in Buddhism
If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.
If you let go completely you will have complete peace. Awakening appears when you stop
wanting anything. Ajahn Sumedho
Meditation is practiced in many different religions and belief systems. It is very present in
many of the Eastern religions, including Buddhism. Meditation is meant to bring on clarity and
understanding in the mind. There are many forms of meditation in almost every religion.
Through this paper I will show how to define what meditation is and what part it plays in
Buddhism.
Meditation is an ancient ritual practiced by many religious and spiritual leaders. In
Christianity prayer and meditation is an important part of spirituality. In the bible there is a verse
in Psalms 49:3 which states, My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart
shall be of understanding. In Hinduism different Mantras and chants are thought of as
Buddhism. Most religions use meditation as a way of speaking to their deity or thinking deeply
on a certain spiritual thought. The goal of meditation in Buddhism is not necessarily the same.
Through meditation Buddhists hope to let go of all thoughts and inhibitions. The goal is to reach
a higher state untethered to the world around them.
Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha was born around 566 BC he lived a life full of luxury and
did not know anything about the outside world. He married a princess and lived in lavish castles
with her. Siddhartha started to become bored with the life of luxury that he and everyone around
him lead. He ventured out into the kingdom and saw four sights that changed his whole

Samantha Gibbs
S. Atkinson
HUMA 2300 Section 006
October 8, 2014
perspective on life. The first sight was a bent old man, the second a sick man, the third a dead
man and the fourth a monk who had renounced all worldliness to achieve lasting happiness.
After seeing these things he decided to leave behind all his worldly possessions and began to
wander. He spent this first part of his journey meditating and hardly ate. Though this threatened
his wellbeing and made him weak. He decided to eat more sustaining foods, saying extremes
such as not eating do not lead to happiness. He continued to meditate and found it is one of the
fundamental elements to happiness. The way Buddha addressed Buddhism is that it allows you
to let go of the world around furthering you away from your worldliness and closer to Moksha.
I attended a meditation service at the Buddhist temple in Salt Lake City. Their sect is
called Jodo Shinshu Honganji or Nishi Honganji. Its fairly small and I was only able to see the
gift shop and the meditation room. The meditation room was dimly lit and at the front of the
room there was a type of shrine. The shrine almost looked like a dollhouse, it contained candles
and incense. I found out incense is used to calm the mind. Incense is used by many who practice
meditation. Using a certain scent or kind of incense each time you meditate can create sort of a
trigger for your brain so that when you smell that certain smell you automatically feel calm and
prepared to meditate.
When I first arrived we were asked to remove our shoes before entering the mediation
room. This is done out of respect for the temple and to keep it clean. There were cushions of the
floor to sit on; they were placed in a rectangle so that we were all facing each other with the
leader at the front of the room. The leader was named Robert or Dr. Bob, he had been practicing
meditation for many years. He started by asking everyone how they were and if anyone had
anything to share. He then asked us to pick the Buddhist mantra book in front of us and open it

Samantha Gibbs
S. Atkinson
HUMA 2300 Section 006
October 8, 2014
up to a certain page. He explained that the mantras were to open up our minds and prepare us to
sit in meditation. The mantras were written in ancient Chinese and we recited 10 pages of them.
I did not understand what any of it meant and had a very hard time keeping up. There were lines
under the letters you were supposed to carry out longer than rest of the line. It was almost like
singing but more monotones. Before we started chanting the mantras one of the woman
mentioned that you should not chant in a high pitched voice and it should be deep and from
within your core. She explained that this helps to lengthen the time you can chant so that you do
not get tired too quickly.
After we were finished with the chants Robert explained that we touched the books to our
heads as a sign of respect. He then told us that we would be meditating in silence for 20 minutes.
He told us that the point of the mediation was not to think and meditate on a certain thought but
to let go of all thoughts. He said that even though it would be hard, we should recognize the
thoughts as they came to us and let them go quickly. He wanted us to be completely aware of
ourselves and how we felt. We were to concentrate mostly on our breathing; he said to make
sure we were breathing slow and deep. I found that concentrating on my breathing really helped
me to be less aware of my surroundings. When I was just sitting there it was hard to let go of
any thoughts that came to my mind. We are so used to being busy and always having something
on our mind that it is very difficult to just sit and let everything go.
Robert started the meditation by playing the Tibetan singing bowl. He said the sound was
to remind us that everything is temporary. When I heard the sound the bowl made I understood
why it was supposed to remind us of that. It started out very loud and then slowly faded away,
showing that even though it was loud and strong at first it eventually faded away into nothing. I

Samantha Gibbs
S. Atkinson
HUMA 2300 Section 006
October 8, 2014
found out that Tibetan singing bowls are actually an ancient tradition in meditation and are
considered essential for meditation. They are found in almost every meditation room or temple.
The sound is meant to bring you into a state of deep relaxation. It is extremely helpful when
preparing to meditate because it is so calming. Tibetan singing bowls can be traced back to 560
BC and were brought to Tibet from India by the Tantric master Padmasambhava, he also brought
the Buddhist teachings from India to Tibet.
When the mediation was over Robert played the Tibetan singing bowl again. After it was
completely silent everyone around me began to move into a different position. Sitting cross
legged on those cushions forces you to have a straight back. I found that it hurt to be in that
position for so long and my legs began to fall asleep not even half way through the 20 minutes.
Robert explained to us that when he first started to practice meditation it was very hard for him
to sit with such perfect posture for long period of time. He said it took him some time to get
used to this kind of posture but eventually it became the most comfortable and relaxing position
for him to meditate in.
Using this posture in meditation can be very beneficial to you in your later years.
Meditation is thought to aid in relieving or healing many different illnesses. Some of these
include anxiety, asthma, cancer, depression, high blood pressure and so on. Sitting in meditation
daily not only helps you find inner peace but also helps you find balance in your body. When
you meditate and you are no longer concentrating on everything going on around you so it is
easier to feel your body and understand what it needs and what you should cut out. During our
discussion after our 20 minute meditation many said it helped them to feel more relaxed and to
let go of a lot of stress they had been feeling throughout the day or even the week. Meditation

Samantha Gibbs
S. Atkinson
HUMA 2300 Section 006
October 8, 2014
was originally to find awakening and inner peace but today it is also used as a stress, anxiety and
depression reliever by many. There is no doubt that mediation has health benefits but it is not
suggested as a replacement for medical treatments but as a helping hand to your medical
treatments and routines.
After a short discussion Robert proceeded to lead us into a short humming mediation. It
was very interesting and surprisingly relaxing. We all sat the same as we were during the silent
mediation and all of us began to hum. It was a very amazing experience because it felt like you
were in tune with every person in that room. Though all of us sounded different and hummed at
different pitches it felt like were all connected through the humming.
There are many ways to meditate. The ultimate goal of meditation in Buddhism is to let
go of all earthly tethers and there are many different forms of meditation to help you achieve that
higher state. Some of these include guided meditation, mantra meditation, and yoga. Guided
meditation is usually led by a teacher. The process is to imagine places and things that create a
comfortable state of being. Mantra meditation is when a word or short sentence is chanted
repeatedly in order to keep outside thoughts away, it helps to clear the mind. Yoga is a practice
which includes controlled breathing and different stretches and poses.
After attending the meditation service at the Buddhist temple I have a better
understanding and appreciation for the practice of mediation. I feel that including a daily routine
of meditation into my life, will be extremely beneficial to my health and my wellbeing. I am
glad I attended this meditation service so that I could experience it in a group setting and guided
by an experienced teacher. I would love to attend at the Buddhist temple again.