The breath is used as the object of meditation and sometimes a count is placed on the out-breath.

One popular misconception is that meditation seeks to blot out all thoughts. This is not true (see below). What is cultivated is an open acceptance of all thoughts and feelings that arise into awareness, without trying to avoid or follow them. As meditation strength develops, thoughts naturally become less insistent. There may be times when they cease altogether, but they also return. This state cannot be forced; it arises as a consequence of practice.

Some words commonly used to describe the state of meditation are: open, grounded, curious, focused and steady. The quality of consciousness is said to be ‘quiet’, with a sense of spaciousness—a light touch, without grasping at or pushing away anything that arises.

This steady state is sometimes likened to a lamp flame that is not blown about by the wind but remains unruffled. This is what is meant by one-pointedness.

Once some proficiency has been attained and skill built up, the next stage is sometimes called ‘insight meditation’. Here a new object of meditation may be given, such as a teaching formulation, a saying of the Buddha or one of the Zen masters. Sometimes it may be something that arises directly from the student’s own practice. This is used to develop deeper insight into the Buddha’s teachings, cultivating wisdom and compassion for all beings.