Meditation and Yoga in Tibet

Meditation is the best gift we can give to ourselves. I am a beginner meditator but I can say that I am a big fan of meditation. I have seen a few books about meditation and today I would like to share my little information about meditation. They are many benefits we will gain from meditation, we will become more aware of our actions and as long as we are more aware, we are more secure.

Buddha Nature

Buddha was once asked: what did you gain from meditation?

Buddha replied: Nothing.

The person asks again: Then why do you meditate?

Buddha said: " Let me tell you what I have lost: I lost my anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, and fear of old age and death."

In today's article at the beginning, we are just going to follow our breath as a meditation object.

Why meditate in Tibet?

Many great Yogis meditated and attain enlightenment in Tibet from the 7th Century until now. These great masters left lots of blessings. The high altitude brings fresh cool air making us alert, the mountains teach us to be still during the meditation, and the rivers teach us the continuity of the meditation.

Firstly, I would like to share my two proverbs and then share my little wisdom about Meditation. 

Proverb One 

At the moment most pitiful is my mind, 
even though want happiness but because of habit,  my mind is distracted!

At the moment need meditation to make my mind stable! 
As long as the mind is stable, happiness will follow!

Proverb Two

In order to change the effects, we need to change the cause! In order to change the cause, we need to change our habits!  In order to change our habits, we need to practice Meditation!  

Photo: My few minutes of meditation at a Monastery 

In Tibetan Buddhism, they are many different types of meditations like breath meditation, visualization of Guru, Yidam or chanting meditation, and so on. For beginners, one of the best meditations is breath meditation. 

Easy Rules of Breath Meditation

1. Find a comfortable sitting posture.

2. Back straight.

3. Eyes open or closed.

4. Concentrate on the breath in and out from the Nose.

5. When thoughts come and we get lost, come back to the concentration object (breath).

6. Keep doing this for 10-20 minutes per day.

Few Benefits

1. It will boost our concentration.

2. Increase memory power.

3. Reduce Anger, attachment, and desire.

4. We will become more appreciated, which is the key to happiness.

5. Slow aging & glow on the face.

6. We will become more Now, as long as we become more Now, we are enjoying every second of life and many others if we go deeper.

After we become more mature with breath meditation, there is one meditation that I would like to highly recommend.

Tonglen Meditation

One of the most beneficial meditations is compassion meditation, which is also known as  Bodhichitta Tonglen meditation. There was once a great Tibetan master from Kadampa school, who had not even wasted his breath. He practiced Tonglen meditation while breathing.

Breathing in, taking all the suffering of Sentient Beings.

Breathing out, giving all the happiness to all the Sentient Beings.

This is a very beneficial meditation. We don't need to worry that we will get all the sufferings of others, instead because of our great intention, we will reap endless joy and happiness. Travelers who have heart disease or stress problems. This is one of the best medicines.

I highly recommend all Travelers do a short breath and Tonglen meditation during the trip, around 5-15 minutes near the lakes, mountains, and monasteries. It will let us enjoy the beauties of nature and our life completely.

The key is not about the duration, the key is about the number of times we can do the meditation. The best recommendation is to do less duration but do it many times a day until meditation become a habit, once it becomes a habit then it becomes a part of our life. 

Few Best destinations in Tibet for meditation lovers

1. Near the Rongbuk monastery before Mount Everest North Face and around the Mount Kailash kora and Lake Manasarovar.

2. Tidrum nunnery meditation cave near the hill, Travelers have to hike for around 1 hour or a bit more to get here. From here the view of Tidrum Valley can be seen.

3. Ganden monastery Kora hike, located around 65km from Lhasa, and Drakyerpa meditation cave, located around 40km from Lhasa. 

4. Samye Chimpuk meditation caves.

5. Namtso Lake is also a great spot for meditation. 

These are a few of the places where many great Yogis meditated for many centuries.

Yoga 

A few postures of Yoga are great to warm up before doing the meditation.

In Tibet, Yoga is taught only when we practice the Tantric teachings. Tibet is a great place to practice Yoga to get blessings from the great Tibetan Yogis. It is also possible to meet Tibetan Yogis in Tibet to ask questions regarding Yoga if you have merit. The great Tibetan Yogis are practicing Yoga at the highest level. 

1. Channels (Tibetan name: Za)

2. Winds (Tibetan name: Long)

3. Essences (Tibetan name: Tig le)

These are the three main keys that play the biggest role in the mind and the body. 

Thank you for reading Tibet Travelers' article on Meditation and Yoga in Tibet, we will do our best to share more information about meditation and Yoga in our future articles.

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