List of different meditation techniques as described in the suttas

Discussion
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As we know, the suttas describe several different meditation techniques. I was hoping you could help me in compiling a list of those techniques along with a sutta or two that describes them in adequate detail that we can practice them. My sense is that these are the only 5 core practices:

-Mindfulness of breathing (Anapanasati) and jhana practice is well described in MN118.
-Mindfulness of postures (walking meditation, etc. )
-Emptiness meditation (Sunnyata) in MN121
-Loving-kindness and the other Brahmaviharas in AN10.208 (Brahmavihara Sutta)
-The divine recollections (recollection of the Buddha, the devas, etc. such as AN11.12

Are there any meditation practices and an associated sutta that you would recommend adding to this list? The Satipatthana Sutta has many practices, but if you know of a specific sutta that describes one practice (such as cemetery contemplations or material elements) in adequate detail so that we can practice it, that would be appreciated. Thank you in advance

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Take a look at

Specifically look up “recollection” and “mindfulness” that will start you out on a variety of meditations.

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The suttas don’t really contain detailed meditation instructions. The ones you’ve listed are about as detailed as they get. I used to chafe at this, but I’ve come to see it as a benefit. It gives room for the practitioner to investigate their situation and figure out what works for themselves.

That’s not to say that extra details can’t be helpful. The Visuddhimagga especially is full of them, and I’d recommend checking it out. I think any Buddhist meditator could find material in it that’s useful. You will definitely find details on elements and corpse meditaiton in there.

Some other more “practice-oriented” suttas are the different perceptions, e.g. AN 7.49 and AN 10.60. Dependent origination can be fruitful to investigate (SN 12). The 5 subjects for frequent recollection (AN 5.57) are recommended for every Buddhist. Sometimes it’s nice to just trust the mind with a wholesome theme to investigate rather than try to direct it into analyzing in a certain way. Other times a more focused approach is needed.

An important part of any practice is balance and timeliness. The suttas with similes about the lute (AN 6.55), the cook (SN 47.8), and the fire (SN 46.53) are helpful here. Reflecting on similes can be fruitful. There are multiple ways to interpret them and reflecting on them repeatedly over time can lead to seeing things in different lights.

May your practice be fruitful!

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Thank you for sharing that. I also, at first, was confused why there was so little practical guidance about “HOW TO” meditate in the suttas. Then I discovered MN118 and realized that it had just the right amount of detail–enough so that we knew what to do and could explore it ourselves to deepen our understanding. It was then that I realized how so many of these longer meditation books, written by various contemporary teachers, just confused me because they each seemed to take their own slant on things.

I looked elsewhere in the suttas for other meditation guides, but, like you, found almost nothing, except for MN118 (and its analogues), MN121 (emptiness) and AN10.208 (brahmaviharas). And that’s when I realized that this was all we needed. That the Buddha had intentionally kept things simple and straightforward–he realized that he didn’t need to teach us 50 techniques and that by doing so, it would only confuse us.

This really helped me because I understood that I need to stop searching for more meditation techniques and instead should just sit down and practice the 5 core ones he expounded: 1) mindfulness of breathing leading to jhanas (immersion/insight, such as MN118 or other body-based meditation objects listed in MN119), 2) mindfulness of postures (walking meditation, etc. also mentioned in MN119), 3) the recollections (recollection of the Buddha, the devas, etc. such as AN 11.12), 4) emptiness meditation (MN121), and 5) brahmaviharas (metta meditation, AN10.208). The latter 4 may or may not lead to jhana depending on your perspective, and some suttas overlap in what meditations they describe (such as MN119). In any case, this is the toolkit we need.

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For more detail you might check Pali, for example mindfulness instruction contains the words:

ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ

In gradual training, after sila, guarding the senses - one is guarding them from abhijjhādomanassaṁ (eg. covetousness and depression/wanting and unhappiness). In mindfulness instruction one is to be without abhijjhādomanassaṁ with regards to the world.

After moderation in eating, the next gradual training is satisampajaññena. One is to be sampajāno (eg. aware) while walking, sitting, standing, eating, and so on - so practically - this implies that sampajāno is to be a way of life rather than occasional meditation.

MN118 states regarding “sampajāno”

Nāhaṁ, bhikkhave, muṭṭhassatissa asampajānassa ānāpānassatiṁ vadāmi.
There is no development of mindfulness of breathing for someone who is unmindful and lacks awareness, I say.

The Satisutta SN47.35 defines “sampajāno” as:

And how is a mendicant aware(sampajāno)? It’s when a mendicant knows feelings(vedanā) as they arise, as they remain, and as they go away. They know thoughts (vitakkā) as they arise, as they remain, and as they go away. They know perceptions(saññā) as they arise, as they remain, and as they go away. That’s how a mendicant is aware. A mendicant should live mindful and aware. This is my instruction to you.”

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How about the ‘Signless’?

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Regarding “meditation technique”, many suttas, most of the SN, for example, can be regarded as meditation instructions (regard this aggregate as impermenant, etc…). Some passages, such as the sequence on elements in MN140 and other suttas, can be usefully regarded as guided meditations. In fact, in my practice, I expand on Ven Analayo’s Satipatthana Practice suggestions to include that whole sequence.

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It’s good that you think Dhamma is not about that. I would not bow to a Buddha image or Christ image or any other image. Why is that? Because while others may see it as Buddha image… - what it is in truth is mostly the primary element - earth. So even if others think they might be bowing or worshiping Buddha image… - what they are in fact bowing/worshiping to is earth!
MN116 recommends honoring and praising holy ones - which can be accomplished without an image - it only requires and cultivates faith as one has no image!
In the west, bible teaches that true worship is in truth and spirit and even includes commandment to not make images and worship them - however, still there are many statues in churches all around the world. It seems people ignore what is written.
I am really curious when did bowing to Buddha image originate, and from where it came? I doubt one finds it in EBT as Buddha himself did not bow to images and neither his disciples, or did they?

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To the best of my recollection, it had something to do with Alexander coming to India and Greek sculpture being introduced. Like, the matted hair on Buddha’s head is a distinctly greek feature, while Buddha is described as bald as any other bhikkhu in the Nikayas.

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Thanks-can you point to any suttas from the early Buddhist texts (not Mahayana or Tibetan) that explain this practice in detail? Thanks in advance

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Thanks for that link. It is interesting how that long list of practices does seem similar to the satipathana sutta.

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It seems no sutta or EBT presents any techniques on the so-called ‘walking meditation’ (caṅkamantanti ‘walking to and fro’).

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As I’ve been reflecting on this more, I realize that these 5 practices differ also in the mental strategy that the Buddha outlined. Specifically, the mindfulness (MN118) and recollection (AN11.12) practices involve an immersion of our mind into the meditation object, such as our breath, so that we become fully aware of that meditation object (some like to use the word “concentration”, but if we look at the Buddha’s metaphors, such as a lotus “steeped in cool water”, I think immersion makes more sense).

For the brahmaviharas, though, a different type of mental activity is occurring. Specifically, we are spreading thoughts of goodwill, compassion, sympathetic joy and tranquility to all beings in the six directions (north, east, etc.). We are not immersing our mind, but instead, spreading our positive energy.

Lastly, in the emptiness practices (MN121), our mental activity involves “stepping back” from things, until they become infinitesimally small.

Ultimately, all three of these general mental approaches (immersion (MN118), spreading (AN10.208), or stepping back (MN121)) lead to an expansion of the mind and a progressive diminishing of our sense of self to the point where we can fully understand anatta, anicca and dhukkha.

These three general approaches serve as the vitaka and vicara (directed and sustained thought) that get us to the first jhana. These three general approaches create a sense of seclusion/security/peace which creates the joy/happiness necessary for the jhanas (the five elements of the first jhana are directed thought, sustaining thought, joy, happiness and one-pointedness). We can then stop directing effort at moving our mind to the meditation object (vitaka and vicara are not part of the second jhana) and move onto the higher jhanas. Of note, if our practice involves a meditation object that involves physically moving our body, such as mindfulness of postures (such as mindfulness of walking), we may not be able to enter a jhana state because we need external situational awareness. But in all the other cases, we may be able to progress into the deeper jhana states.

The Buddha has provided us with a relatively straightforward roadmap. It is fascinating how, in the subsequent centuries, we have complicated it so much and become so confused, with all these different teachers (writing 100s of pages of instructions) and approaches. The reality is that the Buddha’s straightforward meditative process tends to unfold naturally as we practice it; in some ways, learning too many details actually starts to get in the way because it creates excessive/extraneous thought that actually distracts us from immersion, etc.