Peaceful Abiding

The main meditation taught at the Ottawa Shambhala Meditation Centre is a mindfulness meditation called shamatha (Sanskrit for "peacefully abiding"). It is practised as sitting meditation, walking meditation and shamatha yoga.

"In meditation we learn how to calmly abide: we learn how to let ourselves just be here peacefully." — Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Meditation

Why Meditate

We come to meditation for various reasons: to find a way to relax and reduce stress, to release the grasp of strong emotions, to experience freedom from the agitation of our mind, to understand more about how mind works, or to complement our physical disciplines or our spiritual path.

What is Meditation

Meditation is a very simple yet profound training that can help us to develop a broader perspective on life as we discover our basic human sanity. It is a process of clarifying and strengthening the mind so that it becomes more workable and useful.

The human mind is fundamentally joyous, calm and clear. Meditation shows us how to access these natural qualities and make them more stable. Anyone can do this practice. It does not require belief in any particular spiritual tradition and requires no particular physical skill.

Mindfulness Meditation

In mindfulness meditation, for example, we use the breath as the object of our mindfulness to come back to the present moment and away from distractions. This is how we train to relate directly to the flow of our life.

Meditation Instruction is offered free of charge two wednesdays per month at 7pm during the Learn to Meditate open houses.

Group meditation practice is also free of charge.

Everyone is welcome.