CONTENTMENT MEDITATION Archives

March 28, 2015 By Admin

Meditations Beyond Mindfulness:

Concentration, Contentment, and Loving Kindness

I have written various entries on concentration meditations in prior posts. Yes, concentration meditation is beyond pure mindfulness meditation. Here I will present briefly two other forms of meditation that are quite intentional and also beyond mindfulness: contentment and loving kindness meditations. Let’s begin with intentional meditation of contentment.

Contentment implies you will NOT live a life of greed and passionate materialism; instead, you will be satisfied by meeting the basic requirements for living a reasonable life. Although the actual meaning of a “reasonable life” may vary among different individuals, it generally means meeting the basic necessities of life. Even that goal may vary considerably among various people and groups. However, it also means that you will NOT live a life of craving materialism and competitive wealth-hording. You may work hard to get ahead within your own definition of a reasonable life, but you will not cling to rampant materialism or harm others in the process. Remember that liberation from craving and avoiding will end much of your personal suffering. Discontentment often leads to thoughts, words and deeds that harm others for the personal goal of self-interest. Desiring and craving for something to be different sets up your mind to be discontented. Now into the meditation on contentment.

Contentment Meditation:

In a sitting or lying down position take a few calm, deep, slow breaths with intention to relax your body and mind. Find your physical comfort on the pillow or mat. Be that comfort, and allow your mind to slow and calm. Concentrate deeply on the following steps. One way to concentrate is to contemplate in a single-pointed manner and go deeper and deeper in concentration as time moves on.

1) Look deeply into your personal meaning for contentment. What does it include, and what feelings are generated by this process?

2) Work on withdrawing your consciousness away from things, possessions, money, etc. Just rest, breathe, and allow the mind to withdraw.

3) Sit with the proposition that personal contentment is simply being satisfied with whatever the present moments brings to you – even in this meditation.

4) Focus deeply – really concentrate – on the possibility that you need NOTHING more than your experience in the present moment, here NOW.

5) Consider the wholesomeness of being content. As you contemplate this, what thoughts, words and actions come to mind? Focus on these.

6) Consider what The Buddha said – “Contentment is the highest wealth.” Cut your craving energies, and let go – let go into total satisfaction right here, right now. Notice!

7) Now reflect mindfully on this experience for the next 5 to 10 minutes. Just be. Just contemplate. Gently return if/when your mind wonders.

Loving Kindness Meditation:

Another way to meditate beyond mindfulness is to concentrate deeply on your spiritual attributes and loving kindness. Sometimes people include spiritual attributes as part of “right concentration.” So concentrate deeply (contemplate in a deeper and deeper manner) on your spiritualiity: what does this mean to you? Certain spiritual attributes guide the way toward wholesomeness in life, and wholesomeness allows more loving kindness.

1) Settle yourself for another meditation period. Prepare yourself for meditating on the spiritual aspects of mindfulness, wisdom, energy, faith, and concentration.

2) Meditate in deeper concentration on the personal experience of mindfulness. What is this experience like for you? Be in it now.

3) Meditate in deep concentration on what wisdom means to you. What is wisdom like as an experience?

4) Now move your meditation to the experience of energy. Get yourself into the inner experience of energy; do deeply inside yourself to connect with that spiritual energy. Concentrate deeply on this.

5) At this point move your meditation object to your personal meaning of faith. Concentrate deeply on what your experience of faith is.

6) Now we will end with a deep contemplation on what your experience of concentration is. Yes, concentrate deeply in your meditation on the experience of concentration.

7) Lastly, we will end our meditation with loving kindness – this time just for yourself. Since this meditation practice has already been taught many times in prior posts, here I will simply offer you some choices regarding what words you may use. Of course, you can make up your own words based on your needs.

The most common themes is – may I be safe, healthy, free from suffering, happy and live with ease.

Or you could say – may I be free from fear, doubt, anger, resentment, restlessness, boredom and other afflictions.

Or you could say – may I be at peace, with compassion, feeling secure, with understanding, and determined.

Or you could say – may I be happy, happy, happy, happy, happy. Hope this improves your sense of wholesomeness and inner peace.

For more information refer to Gunaratana, B. H. (2009). Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory Guide to Deeper States of Meditation. Boston, MA.: Wisdom Publications, pp. 23-57.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

Mindful Happiness – Brain on Meditation Reports from various MRI and self-report measure studies support the proposition that your brain changes (neuronal plasticity) when you practice meditation on a regular (daily) basis. The same is likely true when you practice yoga on a regular basis. Here are some noted changes in brain functioning that […]

Amitabha Buddha – Pure Land Meditation The following meditation had been modified by me to make it a more specific self-healing meditation and to better fit the time we now live in. Sit quietly and complete 3-4 deep, calming breaths. Pay attention to the quality and density of the light you see outside of your […]

How to Find & Choose an Effective Therapist Recently The Harvard Health Newsletter posted some interesting questions to ask while seeking out a psychotherapist. I will add a few more details and areas of inquiry in this post. Keep in mind that these questions and inquiries do not mean you will be happy and improve […]

“i Rest” Yoga Nidra Practice (Richard Miller, Ph.D.) All regular meditation and yoga practices are capable of bringing us closer to our true self and our relationships in the world. A by-product is deep relaxation and equanimity. Richard Miller, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychologist, yogic scholar, spiritual teacher), has created a yoga nidra practice that promises to […]

The “I AM THAT” Meditation Elena Brower’s new book, Practice You: A Journal (Sounds True, 2017) has many thoughtful suggestions on how to connect with the true inner self, and – more importantly – how to improve your self-views and the experience of your deep inner self. Below I have modified her presentation of the “I Am […]

Meditation on the Feeling of Letting Go – Pacification! Pacifying the mind is a desired outcome of regular, stable meditation practice. Pacification may be done via meditating on the breath, general mindfulness awareness, vipassana, and various other forms of meditation. However, the wise mind skill of “letting go” of unhelpful, negative, and harmful thoughts and […]

The Nine Bow Ritual for Those You Respect Deeply The Nine Bow Ritual is a simple practice of deep respect. Think of a person, living or not, for whom you have very strong positive feelings. If you select a person no longer living, you may be surprised at the emotional impact of this ritual. If […]

A major part of suffering comes with the inability to shift unhelpful, negative focus on troubling thoughts and feelings. This cognitive reality is common in all the major mental health problems people suffer from: anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Due to the lack of “wise-mind” skills most people suffering from these […]

Help For Therapists: Working with Diversity Clinical interventions, especially strongly evidence-based interventions, impact clients via new skills and practices in mind-body clinical realities. No matter how good (or “good enough” ) a clinical intervention is it requires a highly positive, active therapeutic relationship. As ample research suggests, a strong and positive therapeutic relationship in therapy […]

Enhancing Hope in Psychotherapy The enhancement of personal hope is a key part of successful psychotherapy practice. Some view this requirement as a foundational aspect of the therapeutic alliance; others do not hold the same view. In the case of serious co-occurring disorders, especially trauma and substance misuse, initiating, developing, and sustaining a hopeful future-view […]

Mindfulness and Concentration – Experience Differences In this post I will explain some basic differences between mindfulness and concentration, both of which are required for effective meditation practice. This will be the first of three posts dealing with what mindfulness and concentration are, how to experience them briefly in a body-based activity, and how to […]

Interoceptive Practices for Generic Tai Chi & Chi Kung Postures By Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.D. From The Eleanor R. Liebman Center for the Study of Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont These practices will require either knowledge of Tai Chi/Chi Kung postures or following pictures of the same postures. Be prepared before you begin to practice. […]

Deepak Chopra’s Ideas on “The Future of God” – Part 3 of In this third and last post I will discuss Deepak Chopra’s views of the three worlds of human experience: Material, Subtle, and Transcendent. As usual, I will paraphrase and add my own comments as appropriate. Belief in god or a higher power has […]

My third posting on self-medication- Comes from the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont. Now we will turn our attention to how people become habituated to self-medication to obtain brief moments of joy and/or to avoid emotional suffering. Recall that self-medication becomes a habit (dopamine released in reward centers of the […]

Mindfulness Training From The Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton,Vermont The Problem: Many people become stuck in the suffering of their past, and they continue to re-experience an event in the futile hope to better understand it, or to find an escape from it. Many of the same people become fixated fearfully […]

The Reality of Experience What is deep mindfulness? Deep mindfulness is the concentrated awareness of all experiences, preferably without evaluating as pleasant or unpleasant. Deep mindfulness is pure awareness as it becomes part of personal consciousness. We humans, however, are always evaluating our experiences and phenomena as pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant – often getting hooked […]

Being Mindful Of Dr. Wayne W. Dyer Recently I receive a heart-felt tribute dedicated to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who died recently. The tribute originated from Louise Hay, a long-time associate, colleague and publisher of Wayne Dyer. To those of us who inhabit the spaciousness of the spiritual world, perhaps, no other person in recent […]

Secular Meditation and Addictions Treatment Today we have ample research evidence (NIH, NIDA, SAMHSA, etc.) that mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and mind training all have some effectiveness in improving addiction disorders. In recent meta-analyses the primary effect was through improved emotion regulations, whereas there was a more direct positive impact on chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. […]

More on Mindful Breathing Whole-Heart Breathing – I have modified and expanded this great process from Thich Nhat Hanh. If comfortable close your eyes and simply breathe calming and deeply for a few breaths. Add you personal half smile and allow the soothing (sometimes very subtle) sensation to spread all over your face. Do not […]

Plasticity – The Amazing Human Brain We humans are very fortunate in that our brain is one of the most complex entities in our known universe. Natural selection, genetic modifications, and use-related neuroplasticity have blessed us with a brain quite capable of some of the most complicated tasks imaginable. Some of these tasks (medical miracles, […]