Tibetan Meditation as a Mental Strength Practice

Part of developing a warrior mind is the ability to keep it (the mind) silent.  Recently I wrote a post about mediation tools and today I’d like to give an over of Tibetan Mediation.

This post will differ from the normal posts that I have publish in that this will be more “educational” in nature.

I feel that the beginning to wisdom starts with understanding and knowledge.  So, if you’re going to pursue mediation as a mental strength practice you should more about it.

Arriving at a Basic Understanding of Tibetan Meditation

Tibet has long been considered a mystical land steeped in the spiritual practice of meditation. There are records spanning more than two millennia of how generations of lamas have brought their school of meditation with its techniques to its highest forms. Through the decades, Tibetan meditation has become an intricate web which contains practices from yoga and martial arts.

Although Tibet is pictured of as distant and secluded, its meditation practice show knowledge and techniques gathered from India and China. How this has come about is difficult to ascertain due to the secrecy which surrounds lamaseries. Scholars acknowledge that the Tibetan practice is rooted in Indian Vajrayan,

Fundamental Concepts of Tibetan Meditation

Chakras are an essential concept in the meditation practice that has been handed down from generations of Tibetan lamas to followers all over the world. These chakras are often defined as vortexes or wheels that are believed to be energy centers regulating different organs of the body.

For example, some chakras are supposedly linked to different glands and nerves in the spinal cord. Western medicine in its study of anatomy makes no acknowledgement of any such centers and their links to organs that regulate body functions but chakras remain an underlying thread in this branch of meditation.

The common belief among practitioners is that there are seven main chakras. These are the crown, the brow, the throat, the heart, the solar plexus, the sacral and the root chakra. Under the root chakra, one finds another set of so-called lower chakras. These chakras are active during deep meditation so that both the body and the mind are healed, strengthened and made vibrant.

Like other forms or schools of meditation, the Tibetan branch considers breathing a pillar in achieving the desired state of mind and body. Through the smooth circulation of a person’s breath, blockages in the body are resolved and energy is allowed to flow through.

Other important components of this type of meditation include the concept of communing with nature or keeping an intimate union with the earth. There is also the use of mantras which are considered sacred sounds drawn from Sanskrit. These mantras provide a link to the energy that is connected to a state of enlightenment.

Many are attracted to this particular meditation practice because of its reputation for holding the secret of the fountain of youth, the source of renewed vigor and virility. Serious practitioners however make no such claims and they consistently state that calmness, peace, health and enlightenment are the goals of meditation.

An Overview of Techniques of Tibetan Meditation

It is important to take note that meditation, practiced in the Tibetan way, is closely linked to yoga. A group of techniques known as The Five Rites has been attributed to Tibetan meditation for many decades. This involves a performing a series of movements done while meditation as opposed to solely maintaining fixed poses.

Other styles have come to fore in the last few decades. Some contend that there are techniques such as the Technique of the Dragons which can be used to master the energy of one’s subtle or nonphysical body for healing oneself and others, for spiritual growth and awareness and even for etheric travel or astral projection. For very advanced practitioners there is even a technique to raise one’s body heat and withstand extreme cold.

Regardless of the specific technique involved, the fundamental steps for Tibetan meditation are similar to other meditation procedures. A person begins by assuming a comfortable sitting position, back straight, shoulders relaxed, hands on one’s lap and legs simply crossed if the lotus position is too difficult to execute.

After the proper posture has been achieved, the person then begins to breathe from the belly and starts to focus on his or her mind. He or she allows thoughts to come and go, observing, recognizing and accepting them as if he or she were an outside witness. The thoughts and emotions that are positive and helpful are encouraged or energized. Those that are negative and destructive are discarded.

Tibetan meditation may sound exotic and mystical to the uninitiated but with time and patience, it can be learned and even mastered. On a pragmatic level, it is supposed to help achieve a clear and calm mind, lower blood pressure and improve posture.

More than this, many claim that it helps in conquering addictions and improves memory. Given its benefits, the practice is very much worth a try. For those who are seeking a healthy body and a better way to go through each day, there is no better time to make the effort than today.

If you’d like to begin a practice of conquering your mind, pick up a copy of Develop the Mental Strength of a Warrior today!

Oh yea…please let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.