UMass Amherst Libraries guide to contemplative resources
Excellent listing of campus, community, and online resources, as well as books and films that are available through our library system.
How to Meditate
This website provides some core insights on meditation from a Buddhist perspective. It focuses on Breathing and Loving Kindness meditations (which are very helpful to anyone, regardless of your spiritual orientation). There are also some short videos on meditation and its benefits. As it says on the website: "Anyone can benefit from the meditations given here, Buddhist or not. We hope that you find this website useful and that you learn to enjoy the inner peace that comes from meditation."
Guided Meditations and Teachings (Dr. Mark Hart)
This website offers several guided meditations and teachings (in the form of free audio downloads) offered by Dr. Mark Hart, the Buddhist adviser at Amherst College. Dr. Hart led a guided meditation at our New Student Orientation in September 2011, which subsequently gave rise to our weekly meditation group. Although Buddhist in nature, these meditations will be helpful to anyone who is trying to learn to meditate, or to go deeper in an existing meditation practice.
Guided Meditations (Mindfulnes Awareness Research Center, UCLA)
This website has several short guided meditations, ranging in length from 3-12 minutes, which can be downloaded to iTunes or played directly from the web page.
More Guided Meditations (Center for Contemplative Mind in Society)
This site offers guided meditations from some of the leaders of the mindfulness movement... Arthur Zajonc, president, The Mind & Life Institute; Mirabai Bush, founding director of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society; and Diana Winston, director of UCLA's Mindfulness Center.