Objects of meditation

• Serenity attained by focusing on body or what is based on body
• Cultivating concentration using the breath or conventional nature of the mind
• Using emptiness as your object of meditation
• The benefits of visualizing the image of the Buddha
• Six preliminary practices and generating a proper motivation

Gomchen Lamrim 111: Objects of Meditation (download)

Contemplation points

1. Venerable Chodron taught a variety of meditation objects. Why are there so many different objects upon which we can develop serenity?
2. Spend some time considering some of the advantages of meditating on a conceptual image of the Buddha: it helps us to remember the Buddha’s qualities, we remember the Buddha at the time of death, it deepens our refuge and inspires our mind, it creates merit and contributes to the attainment of the Buddha’s form body, doing other practices involving visualizing the Buddha becomes easier, we aren’t lonely when we can simply imagine the Buddha with us all the time.
3. Why is it so important to receive instructions on how to meditate before we begin?
4. What is the importance of your motivation in meditating? What was you motivation when you first began? Examine how your motivation has changed as you have received teachings and continued to practice.
5. Do the serenity meditation on the Buddha as Venerable Chodron described. How might meditating consistently on the Buddha as an object of serenity meditation influence the way you practice on and off the cushion?