Before beginning each analytical meditation, stabilize the mind with a breath meditation exercise. Only when the mind is calm and relaxed should you begin the analytical stage of the meditation. I suggest that when you first begin meditating you aim for ten or fifteen minutes in total, with about one third of the time allocated to calming the mind through breathing meditation . . . before moving on to your chosen analytical subject. . . .
- Reflect on how reality is experienced by animals, who comprise the vast majority of conscious beings on our planet. Think how animals share our desire to avoid suffering, and to have food, safety, and happiness. Consider the lives of most animals who are merely food for other animals. Contemplate the mind states of these sentient beings on a moment-by-moment basis.
- Consider the rarity of being born a human being. Recollect Buddha’s analogy that achieving a human rebirth is as rare as a turtle rising through the ocean and lifting up its head through a yoke that happens to be floating on the surface. Think of the statistical improbability of being born a human being.
- Now reflect on the scarcity of human beings who are born with leisure and endowment compared to the billions who are not. Think how the vast majority of people on our planet spend most of their days struggling for all the basics we take for granted. Recognize the rare opportunity for inner growth that you possess. Think how amazing it is that you enjoy the endowments of leisure and education. Consider how you have also encountered the Dharma, which provides a unique set of tools to help develop the full potential of your mind. How rare are these teachings, and how few people ever come to study them!
- Think: "I have the opportunity, here and now, to start practicing these techniques. This is a rare and precious opportunity for which I feel a deep and abiding sense of gratitude." Try to hold this thought single-pointedly - that is, keeping your focus on it with mindfulness and awareness.