What are Objects in the Mind?
Being aware of objects in meditation using the metta meditation as a guide.
We had discussed earlier the concept of open awareness; it is beautifully demonstrated in this image. Objects of meditation merit a lengthy discussion by the Buddha, but they can be broken down into straightforward parts.
“In the classical Buddhist system, 40 different meditation objects are taught. They range from focusing on the breath to focusing on the disgusting smell of a rotting corpse (seriously!). They also included visual meditation objects (blue, white, red, yellow), elemental objects (fire, earth, air, water, space), auditory objects (a mantra), complex mental states (like loving-kindness or compassion), and even ideas (like death or peace).” Buddhist Geeks Guide
Are you happy this is the Practical Buddhist, and we’re not going to discuss all 40?
An object in meditation can be anything that you are aware of. It can be breath, bodily sensations, a sound or noise, or focusing your eyes on a particular object. You can stay totally with this object as a form of concentration meditation, or you can use this object when it seems as if nothing in particular is arising in the mind to observe. You can also focus on emotions, or on what is called feeling tone – the natural response you have to the rising of something, pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. You can use guided meditations or the metta practice.
Today's short meditation in the Daily Tejaniya is especially helpful. I believe that I have said that Sayadaw Tejaniya is my primary teacher.
It is vitally important to understand what an object is: whatever we know is an object. Remember this and recognize it. It makes meditation a whole lot easier.
(The mailing list for these brief daily teachings can be found at The DailyTejaniya.)
I have discovered that being open to any and every object as an object of meditation can support the development of concentration without as much striving. I can relax more into the present moment because that is what I am watching now, not desperately trying to observe the breath for half an hour.
I have mentioned the metta practice several times. It is a vital component of the Vipassana school, along with insight meditation. It is a practice that focuses on concentration, sending goodwill directly to some people, and then to the world. Once you understand how to do it and practice it frequently, you will find this object meditation compelling.
Initially, I found the full metta script to be uninteresting. This is not uncommon, and many teachers will tell you of their difficulty with introducing this into their practice. After speaking with several teachers, I was able to follow their suggestions on how to relax into concentration, using visual images of the people to whom I am sending metta. Rather than just saying the words, I can focus my attention on the person or people who are the objects of my good wishes.
I want to offer you this Metta meditation. You can always change the wording to something that resonates with you. One of the suggestions that I have received is to wish that all people's hearts be free from hatred. That is a universal wish that can be offered to even those whom we find most difficult.
The basis of all loving-kindness is to learn to love yourself. That's why this begins with time to offer yourself the good wishes that lead to the end of suffering. If you find this difficult, as many of us do, proceed with what you can and then offer yourself peace.
You can then move on to someone who has been a mentor, a guide, or beneficial to you in some way. This can be a living or deceased person, your pet, your teacher, or a friend. You will probably have many people in mind whom you would like to include in this category. Still, this meditation is designed to encompass all living beings, so you can rest assured that these beings are incorporated into your practice.
Some find this next session difficult. We are asked to offer loving-kindness to a person whom we do not know at all. This can be someone you pass every day on the street or the train to work, the people doing yardwork or construction, the clerk at the Starbucks, a person driving the car in the lane next to you, or a street person asking for money. The trick here is to use an actual person that you have seen in as much detail as possible. You don't have to sweat this; you can say: that person digging with the shovel, or that man who is always doing a crossword puzzle. Just have someone to visualize.
Remember that you can stop at any point. You can use all the time to wish kindness to yourself. The following parts become a little more difficult, but don't force yourself to find a person or to do any of them. Just wish that all living beings be free of suffering.
The next step is to choose someone difficult for you to deal with. We all have a long list of these people, too, so pick the first person that comes to mind or someone with whom you recently had an unpleasant encounter. Try offering them phrases of loving kindness; if you can't, then wish them well and return to what has been comfortable for you.
After that, you can choose someone whom you hate with a passion. Thankfully, I don't believe that most of us have many of these people. This is where the phrase "May they be free from hatred” is valuable, followed by “May I be free from hatred.” Don't forget that last part.
Then you can move on to people in your neighborhood, your city, your state, all the way throughout the world. You can include birds, animals, and the planet. Just open your heart wide and offer good things to everything that exists. This final part brings a profound sense of connection and oneness with our world.
Yes, I hope you will try this and stick with it for a while to see if it benefits you. This is offered simply as an example of an object of meditation to guide you during awareness meditation.
These are the traditional statements of loving kindness that I use. I offer them to all of you as you read this.
May you be safe, protected, and free from inner and outer harm.
May you be happy and content.
May you be healthy and whole in mind and body to the greatest extent possible.
May live with ease and well-being.
May you all be free from suffering and its causes.