In this post, we’ll unpack all you need to know about Concentrated Meditation versus Analytical Meditation, defining exactly what they are, what they each involve and more.
The 2 Primary Types Of Meditation
Meditation is one of the most powerful tools for transforming how we think, feel and act and ultimately optimising out overall health and well-being.
While there are endless forms of meditation, they all fall within two major categories: Concentrative Meditation and Analytical Meditation.
What Is Concentrated Meditation?
Concentrated Meditation involves concentrating on a single object of focus.
The idea of Concentrated Meditation is to maintain focus for the duration of the practice, constantly returning your awareness whenever you notice that the mind has wandered.
This type of meditation serves to develop calmness.
What Is Analytical Meditation?
Analytical Meditation involves analysing a single object of focus.
The idea of Analytical Meditation is to eliminate all the conditioning (samskaras) and filters through which we perceive the world so we can see reality as it actually is instead of how we think it is.
This type of meditation serves to develop wisdom.
A Deeper Look At Analytical Meditation
Analytical Meditation brings about inner change through systematic investigation and analysis, leading to optimum and proper use of human intelligence and increased wellbeing.
Analytical Meditation involves using logic and reason to analyse information that has been accumulated by the mind so that we can create empowering patterns of behaviour and break disempowering patterns of behaviour.
When evaluating your thoughts using Analytical Meditation, there are 3 stages:
- Identify reasons for thinking or feeling in a particular way.
- Identify the advantages of thinking or feeling in a particular way.
- Identify the disadvantages of not thinking or feeling in a particular way.
When we use Analytical Meditation to gain insight into how the mind works, we can maximise the development of positive states of mind and minimise the development of negative states of mind.
The Same, But Different
Both Concentrated Meditation and Analytical Meditation are the same in terms of the goal (the what) they are aiming to achieve ― they are both techniques for training the mind ― but they are different in terms of the process (the how) of achieving that goal ― one uses concentration and the other uses analysis.
While they may seem contradictory to each other, they are actually complimentary. Concentrated Meditation leads to Analytical Meditation and Analytical Meditation leads to Concentrated Meditation. Both have an object of focus.
Neither is better or worse, they are simply different strategies for achieving the same goal.
Summary
Concentrated Meditation involves focusing on a single object of concentration. Analytical Meditation involves analysing a single object of concentration.
While Concentrated Meditation calms the mind by letting go of thoughts, Analytical Meditation changes the mind by deliberately cultivating beneficial thoughts.
Both Concentrated Meditation and Analytical Meditation are two sides of the same coin ― they both strengthen and support each other, ultimately leading to enhanced health and well-being.
