Buddhist meditation techniques are some of the oldest practiced forms of meditation in the world. The universally known symbol of meditation has become a picture of Buddha in repose, carried away by the deep meditation in which he is engaged. Attaining the same peace and enlightenment suggested by the pose of Buddha is something that anyone can pursue. One does not have to follow the Buddhist faith or engage in any other Buddhist practices to use Buddhist meditation techniques.
Buddhist meditation techniques are designed so that the practitioner is able to separate their physical bodies from their conscious minds in order to cast their minds to a higher plateau of existence and thus receive enlightenment in their lives. To do so, one must leave behind the toils and worries of everyday life and instead pursue the higher path to achieving peace and understanding with and in the world around.
There are several main types of Buddhist meditation that you can pursue when you are looking to achieve peace, relaxation and understanding in your own life. The first technique is called the Mindfulness of Breathing. During this type of Buddhist meditation, the practitioner must so fully relax their physical body that the only function they concentrate on is their own pattern of breathing. But putting an entire being's focus just on the repetitions of breathing in and breathing out and breathing in and breathing out, one can successfully move to a higher plane of consciousness where the physical pains of life are not intrusive.
Another main type of Buddhist meditation includes Contemplation of Impermanence. During this type of Buddhist meditation, the practitioner must direct their mind to reflect upon the complete impermanence of life, which cycles through death and living and death and living continuously as a matter of sustaining mankind. By contemplating the mysteries of the impermanence of life, practitioners of Buddhist meditation are able to remove themselves from every day worries and instead exist at a conscious level where they are simply filled with the power of existing.
One of the most commonly used practices of Buddhist meditation includes visualization. During visualization, you will pick an object to picture in your own mind. The object can be nearly anything at all, but it must be something that you can visual in an all-consuming matter. During visualization, you will leave behind all conscious thoughts and all conscious words and simply focus on a mental picture of your chosen object. When you do so, you will be able to move beyond the physical plane and instead to a state where you become at one with the world around you.