Find out more about meditation
Humans have been meditating throughout recorded history, and probably much longer. Over time an extensive amount of material dealing with all aspects of meditation in its different presentations has been created. The meditation landscape is becoming even more complex as contemporary forms of meditation and mindfulness add to the hundreds (and possibly thousands) of methods already in existence.
Meditation and mindfulness cannot be thought of as single methods, approaches or bodies of knowledge. Meditation, mindfulness (and to a certain extent contemplation) are blanket terms that only give the most general sense of what meditation is thought to be. For example compassionate meditation (CM) is widely practiced in many parts of the world. However there are different forms of compassion and CM in most cultures. One spiritual tradition might have different forms of CM for meditators with different levels of knowledge and meditation experience.
At the outset a beginner need not be too concerned with the complexities of different meditation systems. Identifying a reliable method delivered by a teacher with an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding is the most useful first step (we currently have vacancies for students in Canterbury and Medway). It is enough for a beginner to be aware that there are a number of tried and tested meditation methods available. As a general rule I have always been reluctant to engage with any meditation system or teacher that claims to be the best or only authentic method!
Below we provide links to further information about meditation and mindfulness methods. We don’t have any control over external websites and these links don’t imply any endorsement. The links are not regularly updated so should be used for information purposes only. We have a very basic FAQ page with some general points about meditation, these are also only for information purposes. If you have specific questions about your practice you should direct them at your teacher or a reliable and experienced fellow meditator.
If you are aware of other resources that might be usefully added to these pages, feel free to send us the details via email.
Meditation News And Features
- Scientific developments in meditation and mindfulness, Stephen Gene Morris – The Science of Meditation
- Five Ways Meditation Saved My Life (No, Really) – Huffington Post
- Mindfulness meditation better than gardening for beating stress – The Telegraph
- Putting meditation to the test – New Scientist
- Seven common myths about meditation – The Guardian
- Britain’s first Hindu free school puts meditation on the timetable – The Guardian
- Stress can equal illness – Mercury News
Meditation Groups in Kent
This list is not exhaustive. Details of other groups can be found through internet search engines.
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Bodhicharya – Kent – A Rochester group under the guidance of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, a Buddhist Meditation Master of the Kagyu order
- Buddhist Meditation in Canterbury – Based at the University of Kent with links to the Thai Forest Tradition
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Canterbury-Tibet-Link – Buddhist meditation and study group situated in the Nyingma/Rimé traditions
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Contemporary Compassionate Practice (CCP) – Our own Canterbury based meditation groups
- Bromley Mindfulness – Mindfulness in Bromley and Beckenham
Meditation Teachers and Therapists
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www.cesaremindfultherapy.com – Experienced and qualified mindfulness training in Medway.
Meditation and Mindfulness in Different Traditions
Some links to a range of meditation resources.
- Wikipedia meditation definition here
- Wikipedia Buddhist meditation here
- Christian meditation here
- Hindu (Dhyana) meditation here
- Wikipedia Jewish meditation here
- Sikh meditation here
- Wikipedia Sufi (Muraqaba) meditation here
- TM here
- Roman Catholic meditation here
Individual and group meditation is currently being run through the Zoom or Teams platforms. If you’d like to particpate get in touch.
As always email us if you have any concerns. And please post your thoughts and experiences below.
