If you want to experience serenity and happiness, Buddhist walking meditation is one path. It is achieved by bringing a moment to moment awareness (power of now) into your daily life. The walking meditation provides many benefits, takes only 15 to 20 minutes per day and is an easy 5-step process.
Benefits of Walking Meditation:
* Feeling a sense of serenity and happiness
* Achieving a deeply relaxed state
* Naturally “letting go of thoughts” (of the past or future)
* Experiencing Law of Impermanence – all things rise and pass away, nothing is permanent (called Anicca or Anitya in Sanskrit)
* Feeling compassion and loving-kindness for all sentient beings
Walking Meditation Instruction:
General note: Wear comfortable clothing and choose a location (a seashore, a park, a quiet neighborhood, your backyard that you enjoy. Allow about 15 – 20 minutes for walking meditation.)
1. Keep your eyes open and start ‘conscious breathing’ by breathing in through your nose and breathing out through your mouth. Be sure to make the breathing audible.
2. Start walking at your normal pace (you can walk in a circle or you can walk forward and come back). After a while you might naturally walk slowly. NOTE: There is no destination only the journey.
3. Observe your breathing and allow all thoughts to come about. You might notice how your mind takes you to the past (by remembering something from the past or by trying to re-write ‘history’) or takes to the future (planning something in the future, imagining, or day dreaming). It is important that you do not try to get rid of your thoughts. Letting go is a natural process that occurs by simply bringing awareness to your breathing, and thus into the present moment. You might experience both thoughts and your breathing, and so you are in the present and observing your mind at work.
4. After you finish your walking meditation you can stay still or even sit down on a bench and close your eyes.
5. As you feel deeply relaxed, conclude your meditation with the loving-kindness mantra – Metta in Sanskrit. This should be done from the depths of your heart.
Loving-kindness Mantra (Metta as shared by Lama Surya Das)
May all beings be happy, content and fulfilled,
May all beings be healed and whole,
May all beings have whatever they want and need
May all beings be protected from harm and free from fear,
May all beings be awakened, liberated and free,
May there be peace on the earth and the entire universe.”
As you continue doing walking meditation daily, you will achieve serenity and happiness by bringing yourself to the present moment (power of now). By using loving-kindness mantra (Metta), you will start cultivating compassion towards all sentient beings. The 5 step processes will make a profound difference in your life.
With loving-kindness,
Spencer, a.k.a the Urban Monk
Related Articles:
- Get Started: Buddhist Meditation Techniques for Beginners
- Top 5 Reasons Why People Quit Buddhist Meditation
- 5 Antidotes – Re-start Your Buddhist Meditation Today
- Vipassana Meditation – How to meditate for beginners
- Loving-Kindness Meditation – Metta
- Anapana Sati – Mindfulness Meditation – How to mediate for beginners
- Blog: Buddhist Meditation Techniques – Buddhist Meditation
