In addition to our regular meetings where we learn and discuss the Buddha’s teachings, BSA has meditation sessions where we practice meditation to further our practice. Our meditation practice is mainly centered around samatha meditation where we calm and focus the mind by bringing sustained awareness to objects. While monastics have described dozens of objects of meditation, we tend to use breathing, walking, and sitting as our objects of focus. These three objects, especially breathing, are always available for use during meditation and we practice together in order to cultivate peace and focus in our lives.
Our practice is essentially non-religious and secular and we invite everyone to join us. We begin every meditation session with simple stretches and some instructions on how to begin meditation. We break up our breathing meditation with walking or stretching in order to slowly develop our meditative capacities over time. In time, the goal is to harness this focused awareness in order to cultivate peace, compassion, and happiness into our everyday lives.
Recent studies have suggested that meditation has a positive impact on shaping the brain and engendering happiness of practitioners. A study in 2002 measured the brainwaves of monastics with thousands of hours of meditation behind them and noticed abnormally high and sustained gamma waves, which are associated with intensely focused thought. There was also increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex, associated with positive emotions in the brain. While the science is still new, it has shown that with enough practice, meditators can affect change on the brain, cultivating focus, awareness, compassion, and joy.
Again all are invited to join us. Our meditation sessions for the Winter Quarter 2008 are on Wednesdays from 6-7pm at ENGR II 142.
