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 dragging you down. 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. In some cases you may even need to tweak the raft to get it to work for you. 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 even life-changing. The effects of real meditation seem not merely intellectual or emotional, but existential.
Some methods are similar to each other, just operating on different objects, while others are even contradictory. But the differences are only in the paths. All methods lead to the same underlying layer of meditative awareness. 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.
There are deep springs of blissfulness within you, but they have been blocked by thick layers of illusions, fallacies, and conditioning. Meditation, through various methods, helps uncover and unblock your inner blissful and radiant nature.
This collection of methods is just a small sample. Once you get the knack of it, you can even create your own methods that may make sense and work only for you, often only at a certain point in time. Indeed, these methods are meant to give you a solid foundation so that you can navigate your own unique individual journey of meditation.