Tibetan Meditation For Beginners

Tibetan Buddhism entered the consciousness of the West as a cultural force in the 1920s with the translation of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" by Walter Evans-Wentz. Since then, many forms of Tibetan meditation practice have percolated around the world, bringing new adherents and disciples to this ancient religion from the snowy highlands of Tibet and the surrounding mountains of Nepal, Bhutan and India.

Schools of Tibetan Buddhism

While many recognize Tibetan Buddhism's influence through the work of the 14th Dalai Lama, several other schools of Tibetan Buddhism still practice today with different values, cultural beliefs and meditative practices. Tibetan Buddhism has four schools: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug. These traditions have further subdivisions with different emphasis on ethics, logic and the path toward enlightenment, also known as liberation. Despite the wish of many to practice independently, all schools of Tibetan Buddhism emphasize community and the importance of choosing a teacher.

Developing Compassion

For beginners to Tibetan Buddhism, the Gelug school might be the most appropriate starting place. The Dalai Lama's works stress the virtue of compassion as the foundation of any Buddhist practice. The book "How to Practice" addresses how to lead a meaningful life full of happiness and tolerance for others by engaging in everyday meditation practices.

Purifying the Mind

Another popular and easily accessible meditative path in Tibetan Buddhism is Vajrayana, a set of practices and beliefs that originated in the oldest school of Nyingma. Vajrayana is considered a "fast path" to enlightenment but also a dangerous one without proper instruction. This branch of Tibetan Buddhism has many education centers dedicated to training and community building, including Naropa University, a Buddhist school in Boulder, Colorado, that was founded by Tibetan scholar Chögyam Trungpa. Vajrayana meditation practices focus on mindfulness, visualization and body awareness, according to the Institute of Tibetan Classics. These practices also include the so-called "tantric" exercises that sublimate the body's sexual energies and emotions in order to purify the mind.

Dissolving Illusion Through Dreams

Until the 20th century, Tibetan Buddhists considered dream yoga to be a secret practice for advanced meditators. Today, the practice has caught the imagination of the world as a practice that can be done while sleeping. Dream yoga is not a lazy man's path to enlightenment, however. Scholar Tenzin Wangyal, author of "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep," lays out a powerful set of dream practices and waking life meditations that can help the meditator realize the illusionary nature of the mind and the world at large. At the center of this meditative practice is learning how to be self-aware in the dream, at which point the dreamer can make active choices and perform special meditations. This ability is also known as "lucid dreaming" in the West.

Toward Enlightenment

Dzogchen has a reputation as being the quickest path toward enlightenment, but scholars and practitioners warn that beginners should find a reputable teacher from a known Tibetan lineage of masters. The Dzogchen teachings are easily understood by beginners because the tradition does not emphasize culture or religion, but rather the ancient practices themselves. In the words of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, as quoted by the Dzogchen Community of North America, "To be a practitioner of Dzogchen, one does not need to change anything externally--one's clothes, one's job or one's way of life." Dzogchen meditation practices emphasize a return to enlightenment, not as something to be reached for, but rather as a state of being already here in the moment.