Two types of meditation

We are taught by the mindfulness movement that meditation is about stilling the mind, but that is only one type of meditation.

This one is known as single-point meditation (sometimes also referred to as samatha), focusing on one object (which could be the breath) to train the mind to still and quieten. This is the first step in learning to meditate. We need to learn to be still, adopt an alert posture and quieten the mind so that the noise of our thoughts settles down as we focus on the in breath and the out breath. We can also focus on an image to do the same process.

But this process is part of a longer journey of meditation.

We train the mind to be still so that we can then move on to Analytical Meditation, where we focus on a specific topic for the duration of the meditation and examine it. The topic we focus on could be something like generosity, patience, joyous effort or death. Both types of meditation are fundamental to the meditation practise, but if all we do is still the mind and don’t then apply that focus to a purpose, we are wasting an opportunity created by mind training.

The two types of meditation are interlinked. Once we have developed the skill to do both types of meditation, we can begin our practise with single-point meditation and then move into an analytical meditation. We are then using the mind’s potential as it develops through regular meditation.