The second type of meditation is contemplative or analytical meditation. In this type of meditation we think about a certain topic like impermanence, compassion, or wisdom (shunyata). When we get some feeling, understanding, or an “aha” moment, we switch back to the focused single-pointed meditation. My Unclouded podcast instructs the listener in several of these. For example, with the contemplate meditation on compassion, when you get some feeling of love or compassion you stay with that feeling or understanding. In this way you alternate between contemplative and single-pointed meditation. Enjoy the eleventh day of Saga Dawa, the month Shakyamuni Buddha was born, passed into parinirvana, and was enlightened. The consequences of all our actions of body, speech, and mind are amplified hundreds of thousands of times during this month. So be careful to avoid harming yourself and others. Try to cultivate a motivation to benefit to others.
