A meditation method is a technique that evokes a deeper sense of awareness, serenity, and insight in the mind and body. Each meditation method is a different path that can lead you to the same inner state of meditation. At different times, different methods may be most meaningful and relevant.
There is a striking metaphor used by Buddha to describe meditation methods to his disciples:
“Suppose a man were traveling along a path. He sees a great river, with the near shore dubious and risky, and the further shore secure and free from risk, but with neither a ferryboat nor a bridge going from this shore to the other. He gathers grass, twigs, branches, and leaves and, having bound them together to make a raft, crosses over to the other shore. Having crossed over, he might think, ‘How useful this raft has been to me! For it was on this raft that I have crossed over to safety on the further shore. Why don’t I, having hoisted it on my head or carrying it on my back, go on my way?’ What do you think, monks? Would the man, in doing that, be doing what should be done with the raft?”
“No, lord,” replied the monks.
“And what should the man actually do with the raft? Having crossed over, he would think, ‘How useful this raft has been to me! For it was on this raft that I have crossed over to safety on the further shore. I will drag it onto dry land or sink it in the water, and then go on my way.’ In doing this, he would be doing what should be done with the raft. In the same way, monks, I have taught the Dhamma compared to a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Understanding the Dhamma as taught compared to a raft, you should let go even of Dhammas, to say nothing of non-Dhammas.”
A meditation method is a device, like the raft, that serves the purpose of unveiling your innate meditative awareness; in the process, you shed harmful behaviors and patterns that impede your intelligence, happiness, and growth. In Zen, it is said that a meditation method is like a thorn one uses to remove another thorn lodged in the skin; when the job is done, both thorns are discarded.
Methods can appear counterintuitive and often involve recognizing and challenging your existing beliefs and preconceived notions, which can be difficult at first – but that is the whole point, so that you can peel back the layers of conditioning and unlearn the habits, beliefs, and automatic patterns which are destructive. To overcome this difficulty, the methods should be tried experimentally, just as a scientist would tentatively accept a hypothesis and then perform the experiment to see what happens.
In terms of the metaphor of the raft, try the method just as you would tentatively trust and try the raft to see if it can help you cross the river. But once you have crossed over, the raft should not be carried with you. In other words, methods are not objectively true, but in a subjective sense, they can reveal truths to you that are profoundly meaningful, beautiful, eye-opening, and life-changing. The effects of meditation, when done properly and consistently, are not only intellectual and emotional, but existential.
Different methods are different only in their paths. All methods lead to the same underlying meditative awareness. As you go deeper, the methods start to merge together, but on the surface they appear very different, even contradictory. It is rather like using a map to find your way home. The particular route you take depends on where you are starting from; no single route is absolutely right or wrong. As such, there is no fixed number of meditation methods. Although the destination is the same, the starting points are many, and constantly changing.
Sometimes meditators can become attached to a single method, and start believing that it is the “one true” method. This is not different from how each religion believes that their own God is the one true God. There is an old Indian parable which addresses this problem poignantly.
In a small village, four blind men heard that a strange animal called an elephant had arrived. Having no idea what an elephant was, they decided to touch it to understand its nature.
The first man touched the trunk and declared excitedly, “An elephant is like a snake!”
The second, touching a leg, said, “No, it’s like a pillar!”
The third, feeling the tail, shouted, “You idiots, it’s clearly like a rope!”
The fourth, feeling the tusk, cried, “Fools, it’s hard and smooth like a spear!”
Soon they began arguing fiercely, each convinced that he alone was describing the elephant correctly. Their loud dispute attracted the attention of a village elder, who was passing by. The elder approached the men and asked what the problem was. The blind men each reported his own description of the elephant.
The wise elder helped them understand how each of them was right according to his own perspective, while simultaneously being wrong from the perspectives of the others. He persuaded them to walk around and sense the different parts of the elephant. Finally, the blind men stopped arguing and realized that the actual elephant was greater than any single description, or even all their descriptions combined.
No single meditation method is the one true method. Ultimately, all methods have to be dropped and you must be completely free, even from meditation itself. But on the way, in the moment, the meditation method is absolutely true and is immensely helpful. When you are touching the elephant’s trunk, it truly is like a snake, and when you are feeling its leg, it truly is like a pillar. Each experience adds a new dimension to your understanding, and then at some point, the full realization occurs.
Our deeper inner nature is peaceful, joyful, and radiant, but is blocked by unconsciousness and conditioning learning. Meditation, through various methods, helps uncover and unblock your original self.
Methods aren’t meant to be just read and understood, but rather to be tried and implemented experimentally. This difference is similar to, for example, reading about how to ride a bicycle versus actually getting on the bike and pedaling. Unless and until you actually do it, you cannot really get it. It takes some courage, some trial and error, and some practice, but once you get the knack of it, the benefit is instantly evident.
With sufficient practice, one starts to find new insights and methods spontaneously and intuitively. These are extremely valuable because they came to you organically and are uniquely attuned and custom-fitted to you. They may make sense and work only for you, often only at certain points in time. These original insights and methods should not be discounted, but rather implemented sincerely – they will often work better than other “ready-made” methods.
This is the true art of meditation: not just to be able to practice one or two methods, but to understand the underlying methodology and implement it with objects, situations, and experiences that are unique to you or completely new, and not specifically addressed by known methods. The raft is made on-demand by the person who needs to cross the river. It is not made by someone else for you, or brought along as a possession. No special significance is assigned to the raft. It is just a makeshift device, to be let go after use, though not ungratefully.
This collection of methods is a small sample, meant not only as a reference guide but also to show the variety and kinds of methods possible. These are examples to try, and the goal is to inspire and encourage rather than to instruct, so that you can navigate your own unique individual journey of meditation.