Buddhist meditation is a way to learn to know yourself, and to transform. It needs a relaxed, open and alert attitude, and this attitude is developed by engaging in it. In meditation your attention and concentration are sharpened, and you develop calmness, kindness, and presence. Very often the effects can be noticed after even a short while. By practising regularly and patiently, these qualities become habits and can transform yourself and your environment.
The main meditations taught in Triratna are the ‘mindfulness of breathing’ (anapanasati), the ‘cultivation of loving kindness’ (metta bhavana), and ‘just sitting’. Besides that we also do reflective meditations (vipassanna).
Meditating is a voyage of discovery, an adventure. In earlier centuries people went to other continents to explore those. Now the outer world has been mapped out, but the inner world is for a large part still unknown, and the way of exploring is also completely different. The voyage of meditation can transform you, lead you to deeper levels of consciousness, and eventually to awakening.