Secondo l’accezione più vasta del termine, “meditare” significa dirigere ripetutamente l’attenzione su un’immagine, una parola o un tema allo scopo di calmare la mente e riflettere sul significato dell’oggetto prescelto. Nella pratica buddhista nota come “meditazione di consapevolezza” l’attenzione focalizzata ha anche un altro scopo: approfondire la comprensione della natura della mente. A tal fine la funzione dell’oggetto di meditazione è fornire un punto di riferimento stabile che faciliti l’emersione di tendenze altrimenti celate dall’attività superficiale della mente.

Il Buddha esortava i suoi discepoli a prendere come oggetto di meditazione il proprio corpo e la propria mente. Un oggetto frequentemente utilizzato, ad esempio, è la sensazione associata all’inspirazione e all’espirazione nel corso del naturale processo respiratorio.

Sedersi in silenzio prestando attenzione al respiro conduce, col tempo, allo sviluppo di chiarezza e calma. In questo stato mentale è possibile discernere più chiaramente tensioni, aspettative e umori abituali, e scioglierli con l’esercizio di un’investigazione delicata e al tempo stesso penetrante.

The following pages offer some means to find clarity and calm within a few minutes. They can be put into practice in a range of non-specialized situations – in the time it would take you to drink a cup of tea. If you live a busy life, this guide may help you come out of the momentum of the day and give you more time. These suggestions may also offer you a way to meditate – but that’s up to you and another guide.

Do you ever find yourself dominated by a chain of thought that tells you that you’re not good enough, that you don’t deserve much, and that other people look down on you or tolerate you out of politeness? Do you find yourself snagging on memories of things you did wrong, or relationships that you didn’t get right? Do you feel that you have to be a success in life like you think someone else is – and are consequently critical of yourself? This piece of psychology is called ‘the Inner Tyrant’. The good news is that it’s not just you who has this, and that you can get free of its grip. And the key to this is through establishing, and continually re-establishing, right intent.

Let’s look at the idea of concentration, or samādhi. When you hear those four little syllables, con-cen-tra-tion, what do they imply to you? It may take a few moments to articulate it, but you might immediately feel a particular set of energies starting to take over. You probably get a sense of doing something, working hard at it to get it right. That’s the normal take. We clench up, get tight, and go for it. It’s intensive practice, a ‘concentration’ camp. No slacking! With this kind of thinking, we rev up the controlling systems, the duty systems, the work systems, and the ‘get-it-right’ systems. Right there is stress. A line of tension starts to form across your brow.