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!

Helper Self-Care is Important In the most current issue of The National Psychologist (July-August, 2019) an article linked helper effectiveness, risk management, and clinical outcomes to helper self-care. To make a long story shorter, I will simply paraphrase and re-word the suggestions. These recommendations support YOUR emotional survival and successful risk management as a helper as […]

Emptiness – Meditation Practice The Brahma-Viharas (higher abodes) include four powerful meditation practices ( Loving Kindness/Maitri or Metta; Compassion/Karuna; Sympathetic Joy/Mudita; and, Equanimity/Upekkha) that involve boundless radiation outwardly all the way into the infinite universe. These boundless or infinite space meditations, working with deep absorption and projecting kindness outwardly, may lead to positive changes. Experienced […]

Chronic Pain and Doing Body Scanning Although doing body scans cannot fully relieve your pain, it may help you manage it better. If your pain is serious and chronic you need to work with a qualified pain management professional, who will use both psychological and medical interventions. Note that a recent issue of Consumer Reports reviewed […]

Subtle and Direct Experiences of Happiness Khenpo Sherab Zangpo’s 2017 publication The Path: A Guide to Happiness, Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications has much to offer about how to become a happier person. Read over the listing below and see what you may be missing. Try this mantra: “I am happy the way I am.” “I am happy […]

Brain Habits – Helpful Vs Unhelpful Nora Volkow, MD, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse ( video below) has noted that people suffering from addictions may experience some dysfunction in in brain areas related to personal motivation, reward recognition, and inhibitory controls. Neuroscientists have utilized various brain imaging techniques to document this possibility in addicted individuals. These […]

Polyvagal Interventions for Anxiety S. Porges and his Polyvagal Theory may provide innovative interventions for both anxiety and depression. Many people become trapped in ruminating about the past or worrying about the future; they cannot seem to keep their mind and body in the present moment. Some strong, fear-based, bodily defenses may not respond well to […]

Mindful Movement as Part of Practice Mindful movement is an accepted part of regular practice. Such practices as walking meditation, more vigorous yoga asanas, qi gong, and tail chi are all part of this respected mindfulness tradition. Here I will introduce you to a very simple pre-meditation movement sequence. Hope you practice it very soon. […]

Trauma Informed Care – Avoidance Process Although more and more clinicians are learning about and using principles/practices of Trauma Informed Care, too few understand the behavioral dynamics of negative reinforcement in the avoidance of trauma-related cues (people, places, things, internal sensations, emotions and images). This post will give a very brief description of negative reinforcement […]

Healing Meditations for Destructive Emotions Based on the mountain of research supporting the use of regular meditation practices and yoga, it is safe to say that Buddhism and its practices have merged with modern scientific investigation. From the early days of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (the MBSR of Jon Kabat-Zinn) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (the DBT […]

A Primary Source of Unhappiness Self-medication to reduce or avoid pain and suffering is a major unhelpful habit in the United States. It is a desperate human effort to reduce pain and suffering in physical and psychological experiences. Therefore, we humans may be hard-wired for it. When we suffer and do not utilize effective wise […]

Using Mindful Movement as a Form of Meditation Practice with the Body In Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction practices Hatha Yoga has been used as part of the recovery process from both psychological and physical suffering. In my own clinical use of mindful movement with children, youth and adults, I found that basic Qi Gong/Che Kung, Walking […]

Drink a Cup of Tea with Thich Nhat Hanh According to the article “A Perfect Cup of Tea” by Noa Jones, The Great Meditation Master offers this sage advice about the best way to enjoy a great cup of tea. I suppose if you would rather drink coffee, the same suggestions may apply. Recognize that […]

Mindfulness in the NFL Yes, mindfulness as part of sports psychology programming is being used in the NFL. Yes, big and physically tough football players are being helped via a mindfulness component of sports psychology. There are some important roots here. Dogen, the famous ancient Japanese Buddhist meditation master, brought Chan Buddhism from China to […]

Tips on Practice During These Troubling Times Some people are religious, and I am sure turn to those sources for support and hope. Others are spiritual, and I hope also pursue those sources for emotional stability and closeness to the “their” divine. Other people may be Agnostic or Atheist; I am certain such people also […]

How to Offer Personal Tribute to Those Who Have Died The Four Noble Truths tell us sobering news. There is suffering, and impermanence of all things including us and our loved ones. Below I have listed several thing you can do to HONOR a person you have lost. Here is the list. Recall a special […]

Contemplative Practices – Affirmative Self-Inquiry Contemplation and affirmative self-inquiry may be helpful in improving your awareness of your better parts of self – your positive strengths and traits. Our self-critical mind often causes us to spend far too much time on critical, negative thinking about ourselves and about others. The practice below may be helpful […]

More Psychoanalytic Gems – In an earlier post, I noted a list of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Gems, including a later post on D.W. Winnicott’s approaches to building a therapeutic alliance. My general aversion to this form of therapy has more to do with its slowness and high costs than to its effectiveness. It is effective! However, […]

Strategies to Cool Your Hot Emotions: Using Mind and Body First, let me note that one of the best sets of mind-body approaches to cooling down hot emotional reactions can be found in the various emotion regulation skills and practices in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (created by Marsha M. Lineman, a practicing Buddhist). These skills may […]

In The Dhammapada the Buddha includes an important section on the topic of happiness. How to be happy in a life of changing joy, suffering, and neutrality? How to be happy in a world of attachment/craving for desired pleasures and avoidance of all suffering? Attachment, impermanence and unhelpful experiences – all cause suffering. It is quite […]

Concentration Vs Mindfulness? Many people new to meditation often confuse the differences between mindfulness or accepted bare attention to whatever arises in the moment and concentration or strong penetrating awareness on one thing without distraction. Concentration is a more intensely focused and engaged form of mindful attention. Concentration is sustained, powerfully focused, one-pointed attentional awareness. […]