Comprehensive List of Practices and Meditation Styles
- Madhyama Pratipada
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:33 pm
Comprehensive List of Practices and Meditation Styles
A friend and I are seeking to compile a comprehensive list of Buddhist meditation styles across traditions. Consulting books, online resources, teachers, and personal practice, we have already encountered quite a few different techniques and approaches. Although we've created partial lists from our background research and our own meditation experience, we would like to hear what fellow practitioners can contribute. In addition to meditation styles, we're interested in other activities people consider part of their formal practice, including but not limited to activities practiced on retreat. We also intend to run a survey/poll about the most widely used forms of meditation in the near future.
So this inquiry consists of two main questions:
1. What are the various forms of meditation that are practiced in Buddhism - whether specific to a certain school or universal to all schools?
2. What other activities (apart from meditation) are typical of your practice and/or retreat settings?
Many thanks.
So this inquiry consists of two main questions:
1. What are the various forms of meditation that are practiced in Buddhism - whether specific to a certain school or universal to all schools?
2. What other activities (apart from meditation) are typical of your practice and/or retreat settings?
Many thanks.
sarvopalambhopaśamah prapañcopaśamah śivah
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Do you have a working definition of "meditation"? So that it becomes possible to consider styles.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Well, I must say you have quite a task ahead of you. At the retreat seminar I went to this year we learnt around twenty different techniques for shine (calm abiding) meditation.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
- Madhyama Pratipada
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:33 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Meditation for the purpose of this list refers to formal practice, particularly within the categories of shamatha and vipashyanā. A few examples from the present Mahayana list of meditation styles are included below:
Zazen
Shikantaza
Kōan
Huatou
Kinhin
Sādhanā
Visualization
Tantra
Tonglen
Dzogchen
Mahāmudrā
Ngöndro
If appropriate, these practices can be further elaborated upon (i.e., various meditation practices that fit under the broader category of Ngöndro) or even classified as sub-styles of either (or both) shamatha and vipashyanā. Any and all feedback is much appreciated.
Zazen
Shikantaza
Kōan
Huatou
Kinhin
Sādhanā
Visualization
Tantra
Tonglen
Dzogchen
Mahāmudrā
Ngöndro
If appropriate, these practices can be further elaborated upon (i.e., various meditation practices that fit under the broader category of Ngöndro) or even classified as sub-styles of either (or both) shamatha and vipashyanā. Any and all feedback is much appreciated.
sarvopalambhopaśamah prapañcopaśamah śivah
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
- Madhyama Pratipada
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:33 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Although the categories shamatha and vipashyanā are helpful for defining meditation, Buddhist practices in general are also of interest here. These can include anything from Zazen to Nembutsu to recitation of the Bodhisattva Vows. In addition to the brief list of meditation styles outlined in the post above, a few examples from our list of "other activities" related to practice are as follows:Astus wrote:Do you have a working definition of "meditation"? So that it becomes possible to consider styles.
Meal ceremony (oryoki)
Pūjā recitation
Work practice (samu)
Sanzen, Dokusan
Prostrations
Dhāraṇī/Mantra
Of course, this is an incomplete list (as is the list of formal meditation styles), and we welcome input from other practitioners from all traditions.
sarvopalambhopaśamah prapañcopaśamah śivah
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
- Madhyama Pratipada
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:33 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Would you mind sharing the twenty shamatha techniques you learned? This would be of great help in fleshing out the list we have at the moment, which remains quite skeletal. Many thanks.gregkavarnos wrote:Well, I must say you have quite a task ahead of you. At the retreat seminar I went to this year we learnt around twenty different techniques for shine (calm abiding) meditation.
sarvopalambhopaśamah prapañcopaśamah śivah
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
I think you have started off on the wrong foot.
For example: you have puja recitation, prostrations and dharani/mantra (which are two different things, by the way) under "other" whereas they would fit quite neatly into the "meditation style" of tantra (and not only).
Ngondro is its own "style"??? Ngondro is 100% tantra!
Visualisation is a style seperate to tantra?
What in tarnations do you consider tantra then?
etc...
For example: you have puja recitation, prostrations and dharani/mantra (which are two different things, by the way) under "other" whereas they would fit quite neatly into the "meditation style" of tantra (and not only).
Ngondro is its own "style"??? Ngondro is 100% tantra!
Visualisation is a style seperate to tantra?
What in tarnations do you consider tantra then?
etc...
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
- Madhyama Pratipada
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:33 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
From my own experience, I think it's safe to say that Visualization isn't practiced exclusively within the context of Tantra. For instance, I've practiced Visualization (in the context of Vipassana with a Theravada sangha and Zazen with a Soto Zen sangha) but I've never practiced Tantra.
The following amendments (or clarifications) can be made based on feedback so far:
Zazen
Sādhanā
Visualization
Tantra
Dzogchen
Mahāmudrā
Yes, there will inevitably be plenty of overlap, and in the activities list, some categories were blended due to superficial similarities. The point is not necessarily to separate styles but to compile a list that can be conceptualized as a tree, with various branches and leaves. Some branches are bound to intertwine.
Thank you, Greg, for the feedback. Additional feedback from other practitioners (from all traditions) would be very helpful.
The following amendments (or clarifications) can be made based on feedback so far:
Zazen
- Shikantaza
Kōan
Huatou
Sādhanā
Visualization
Tantra
- Ngöndro
Visualization
Pūjā recitation
Prostrations
Dhāraṇī
Mantra
Dzogchen
Mahāmudrā
Yes, there will inevitably be plenty of overlap, and in the activities list, some categories were blended due to superficial similarities. The point is not necessarily to separate styles but to compile a list that can be conceptualized as a tree, with various branches and leaves. Some branches are bound to intertwine.
Thank you, Greg, for the feedback. Additional feedback from other practitioners (from all traditions) would be very helpful.
sarvopalambhopaśamah prapañcopaśamah śivah
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
- dharmagoat
- Posts: 2159
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:39 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Broad categories have an unpleasant tendency to overlap one another in the way Greg describes.
I think the better strategy would be to dispense with any attempt to cover general areas of practice and just list specific practices.
I think the better strategy would be to dispense with any attempt to cover general areas of practice and just list specific practices.
- Madhyama Pratipada
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:33 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Perhaps it would be more helpful to list practices/emphases under schools/traditions instead. Here's a rough outline (again, this is completely open to revision). Forgive me for enjoying list-making so much.
Mahāyāna
Mahāyāna
- Tendai/Tiāntāi
Zen/Chán- Sōtō/Cáodòng
Rinzai/Línjì
Ōbaku
- Jōdo Shinshū
Jōdo Shū
- Soka Gakkai International
- Sōtō/Cáodòng
- Shingon
Tibetan- Gelug
Nyingma
Kagyu
Sakya
Jonang
Bön
- Gelug
sarvopalambhopaśamah prapañcopaśamah śivah
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
na kimcitkasyacitkaścid dharmo buddhena deśitah
MMK 25.24
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Hi Madhyama PratipadaMadhyama Pratipada wrote:A friend and I are seeking to compile a comprehensive list of Buddhist meditation styles across traditions.
Apologies for butting in but I was wondering if the list you are compiling has a specific purpose more than say for personal interest ...
... or the joy attained in list making.Madhyama Pratipada wrote:Forgive me for enjoying list-making so much.
If there is a specific purpose it may be helpful or of benefit for the reader to know what that purpose is.
.......
- dharmagoat
- Posts: 2159
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:39 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Nice list.
I will start to fill it out from what little i know. (I have included Theravāda too):
Śrāvakayāna
Theravāda
Ānāpānasati
Satipaṭṭhāna
Mettā bhāvanā
Vipassanā
Mahāyāna
Tendai/Tiāntāi
Zen/Chán
Zazen
Kinhin
Sōtō/Cáodòng
Shikantaza
Rinzai/Línjì
Kōan
Ōbaku
Pure Land
Nembutsu/Niànfó
Jōdo Shinshū
Jōdo Shū
Nichiren
Soka Gakkai International
Vajrayāna
Shingon
Tibetan
Pūjā
Tonglen
Lojong
Ngöndro
Taking refuge, Prostrations
Vajrasattva
Maṇḍala offering
Guru yoga
Chöd
Nyingma
Dzogchen
Sakya
Kagyu, Gelug
Mahāmudrā
Jonang
Bön
I will start to fill it out from what little i know. (I have included Theravāda too):
Śrāvakayāna
Theravāda
Ānāpānasati
Satipaṭṭhāna
Mettā bhāvanā
Vipassanā
Mahāyāna
Tendai/Tiāntāi
Zen/Chán
Zazen
Kinhin
Sōtō/Cáodòng
Shikantaza
Rinzai/Línjì
Kōan
Ōbaku
Pure Land
Nembutsu/Niànfó
Jōdo Shinshū
Jōdo Shū
Nichiren
Soka Gakkai International
Vajrayāna
Shingon
Tibetan
Pūjā
Tonglen
Lojong
Ngöndro
Taking refuge, Prostrations
Vajrasattva
Maṇḍala offering
Guru yoga
Chöd
Nyingma
Dzogchen
Sakya
Kagyu, Gelug
Mahāmudrā
Jonang
Bön
- dharmagoat
- Posts: 2159
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:39 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Hello Tara
I can't speak entirely for Madhy, but she and I have been working on compiling a complete list of Buddhist practices these past few weeks, primarily as an interesting exercise in its own right, but ultimately as resource to be incorporated into a new feature for our HamsterWheel Buddhist meditation support site.
I can't speak entirely for Madhy, but she and I have been working on compiling a complete list of Buddhist practices these past few weeks, primarily as an interesting exercise in its own right, but ultimately as resource to be incorporated into a new feature for our HamsterWheel Buddhist meditation support site.
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
A westerner teacher/translator that did two traditional 3 year retreats some decades ago said that he learned somewhere between 150-200 meditation techniques in one retreat (I assume that was in one tradition). A different teacher I have personally met, in the context of shamatha practice, said he knows somewhere between 30-40 variations of shamatha.
I'm interested to see a list. It seems to be quite a task.
I'm interested to see a list. It seems to be quite a task.
Last edited by Roland on Fri Aug 02, 2013 3:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Seek truth in meditation, not moldy books. Look in the sky to find the moon, not in the pond."
- Persian proverb
- Persian proverb
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
+ Phowa?dharmagoat wrote: Vajrayāna
Shingon
Tibetan
Pūjā
Tonglen
Lojong
Ngöndro
Taking refuge, Prostrations
Vajrasattva
Maṇḍala offering
Guru yoga
Chöd
Nyingma
Dzogchen
Sakya
Kagyu, Gelug
Mahāmudrā
Jonang
Bön
"Seek truth in meditation, not moldy books. Look in the sky to find the moon, not in the pond."
- Persian proverb
- Persian proverb
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Let me point to some problems.
Take buddha-remembrance (nianfo/nenbutsu) as an example.
The Amitayurdhyana Sutra (aka Visualisation Sutra) describes 13 methods. They are visualisations of various objects. But the tradition knows several other objects one could visualise, and the visualisation can be combined with different postures and movements. These are practices related to the Amitabha. Also, in the Pure Land tradition of East Asia the most common understanding of buddha-remembrance is not a visualisation practice but the recitation of the name. Reciting the name also has many forms and styles. Another factor is that not only those who consider themselves Pure Land practitioners use these practices but almost everyone. Also, Mahayana has several other buddhas, and they all have their own visualisations and recitations. That is, in the single category of buddha-remembrance there are numerous practices and interpretations of the practices. The single common feature is that they are all related to a specific buddha or bodhisattva. Just to complicate things, buddha-remembrance also means recalling the virtues of the Buddha (Shakyamuni), as it is used in Theravada, and it is more like an inspirational contemplation rather than a focused repetition or visualisation. Adding another factor, buddha-remembrance can also mean abiding in the buddha-mind, that is again not a typical meditation technique.
Thus, in this single term one can encompass so many things that talking about it as if it were a single method is being blind to the complexities that are actually there. That's why I asked if there is any definition of "meditation", because you can't really put all those methods into the categories of shamatha and vipashyana, and even specific traditions don't view all forms of buddha-remembrance as meditative practices.
If you want to follow traditional categories, you should look at the major meditation handbooks, like the Visuddhimagga, the Mohezhiguan and the Bhavanakrama. Theravada distinguishes samatha and vipassana, while Mahayana adds to this their combined practice (which doesn't mean that in actual practice it is not known in Theravada). If you want to encompass other meditation related practices, you can add to those three a fourth as preliminary practices conducive to meditation. Otherwise, as it shows in the current list posted previously, it won't be a list of meditation techniques but rather of various schools.
Take buddha-remembrance (nianfo/nenbutsu) as an example.
The Amitayurdhyana Sutra (aka Visualisation Sutra) describes 13 methods. They are visualisations of various objects. But the tradition knows several other objects one could visualise, and the visualisation can be combined with different postures and movements. These are practices related to the Amitabha. Also, in the Pure Land tradition of East Asia the most common understanding of buddha-remembrance is not a visualisation practice but the recitation of the name. Reciting the name also has many forms and styles. Another factor is that not only those who consider themselves Pure Land practitioners use these practices but almost everyone. Also, Mahayana has several other buddhas, and they all have their own visualisations and recitations. That is, in the single category of buddha-remembrance there are numerous practices and interpretations of the practices. The single common feature is that they are all related to a specific buddha or bodhisattva. Just to complicate things, buddha-remembrance also means recalling the virtues of the Buddha (Shakyamuni), as it is used in Theravada, and it is more like an inspirational contemplation rather than a focused repetition or visualisation. Adding another factor, buddha-remembrance can also mean abiding in the buddha-mind, that is again not a typical meditation technique.
Thus, in this single term one can encompass so many things that talking about it as if it were a single method is being blind to the complexities that are actually there. That's why I asked if there is any definition of "meditation", because you can't really put all those methods into the categories of shamatha and vipashyana, and even specific traditions don't view all forms of buddha-remembrance as meditative practices.
If you want to follow traditional categories, you should look at the major meditation handbooks, like the Visuddhimagga, the Mohezhiguan and the Bhavanakrama. Theravada distinguishes samatha and vipassana, while Mahayana adds to this their combined practice (which doesn't mean that in actual practice it is not known in Theravada). If you want to encompass other meditation related practices, you can add to those three a fourth as preliminary practices conducive to meditation. Otherwise, as it shows in the current list posted previously, it won't be a list of meditation techniques but rather of various schools.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
- dharmagoat
- Posts: 2159
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:39 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Thanks, Rowland.Roland wrote:+ Phowa?
You raise some valid points, Astus.Astus wrote:Let me point to some problems...
Clearly we need to give up on trying to provide any kind of structure to the list, and also acknowledge that the various forms of Buddhist practice cannot be described by their names alone.
Instead we can focus on compiling (as best we can) an unstructured list of the names of all the practices that posters here are familiar with. I believe it will still be an interesting exercise, and at the end we will have a list that will be useful for indicating the various practices we are collectively engaging in.
This is especially relevant because the upcoming feature for the HamsterWheel website (mentioned earlier) requires a list of practices that the user can select from when recording their activity on the communal practice log, presented as a chart.
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
What about physical techniques: yoga practices (eg yantra yoga), physical breath practices (tummo), etc...
Another point: Let's take phowa practice (for example). It consists of visualisations, physical breath techniques, mantra, postures, mind based breathing techniques, energy manipulation, prayers, etc... So which category does it fall under?
What about a technique like dakini breathing? It is considered a calm abiding technique but it utilises "tantric" visualisations too.
Another point: Let's take phowa practice (for example). It consists of visualisations, physical breath techniques, mantra, postures, mind based breathing techniques, energy manipulation, prayers, etc... So which category does it fall under?
What about a technique like dakini breathing? It is considered a calm abiding technique but it utilises "tantric" visualisations too.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
- dharmagoat
- Posts: 2159
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:39 pm
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
I no longer think that trying to force practices into categories will be productive.gregkavarnos wrote:What about physical techniques: yoga practices (eg yantra yoga), physical breath practices (tummo), etc...
Another point: Let's take phowa practice (for example). It consists of visualisations, physical breath techniques, mantra, postures, mind based breathing techniques, energy manipulation, prayers, etc... So which category does it fall under?
What about a technique like dakini breathing? It is considered a calm abiding technique but it utilises "tantric" visualisations too.
For the examples you have given above, we can just list them like this:
Yantra yoga
Tummo
Phowa
Ḍākinī breathing
Re: Comprehensive List of Meditation Styles
Or you should use proper analysis. If a term like "phowa" includes various practices, it means it is not a single meditation method but rather a package of methods. It's like a Happy Meal. You have to dissect them, otherwise the toy will be confused with the hamburger.dharmagoat wrote:I no longer think that trying to force practices into categories will be productive.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"