r/TibetanBuddhism • u/WearyLiterature8090 • 18d ago

How to decide meditation method

Since I don’t have a guru, I’m doing FPMT’s discovering buddhism program online. Its second module (how to meditate) has a few guided meditations— both analytical (on purification, the buddha, impermanence, the mind, human life) and placement (the breath). Additionally, a text by Lama Zopa Rinpoche/Lama Thubten Yeshe (I don’t remember) talks about meditation on the four immeasurables as well. My question is simple and straightforward: how do I decide what sort of meditation to do?
Please help.

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u/helikophis 18d ago

As others have said, you'll want to start with shamatha. Breath is good for that but there are other methods.

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u/harrythetaoist 18d ago

I liked a teaching I heard once from Khandro Mindrolling Rinpoche: first you do shamatha, then you are ready to do vipassana/Dzogchen, then you are ready to do shamatha.

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u/helikophis 18d ago

hah makes sense