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User:Laelius Linguae/Comparison of meditation techniques

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This is a comparison of various types of meditation and meditation techniques.

Name Origin Description
satipaṭṭhāna, mindfulness Buddhism Awareness is kept open for all thoughts and senses, without focused attention on anything and without getting caught up actively feeling and thinking. When forgetting and getting caught up in a thought, one remembers and returns to only observing thoughts and sensations. The goal is to bring about mindful awareness, sati.
samatha, mind-calming meditation Buddhism Attention is narrowed to focus on only one thing, often focus is kept on the sensations of the breath (e.g. the air coming in and out of the nose, or the movement of the chest as one breathes). Training attention to concentrate on one thing for a long time brings about states of jhāna.
vipassanā, insight meditation Buddhism Mindfulness (open awareness) is combined with samatha (stable meditative attention) with the aim of bringing about insight into the true nature of reality.
mettā, loving-kindness meditation Buddhism Silent repetitions of phrases such as "may you be happy" or "may you be free from suffering", directed at the self and others, who are sometimes internally visualized.

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