A practical guide to meditating in the Buddhist tradition, without the religious component.

Matthew Bentley has been a Buddhist practitioner and occasional teacher for the past 24 years, and has studied Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana practices.

In an effort to spread the scientifically-established benefits of Buddhist meditation to those uncomfortable with religious practice, 10 foundational techniques are presented with explanations and guidance. These include:

* Breath awareness

* Body awareness

* Calming/smiling

* Sound awareness

* Mind object awareness

* Friend/Enemy/Stranger

* Compassion/loving-kindness

* Awareness of and compassion for the emotions

* Compassion for the body

* Giving-and-receiving/Tong-len

This gives the listener a beginners foundation in concentration, mindfulness and compassion practices, as well as presenting methods to center and influence the mind.

At 1.5 hours total, the talks are pithy and straightforward, with little time spent on long explanations of individual principles. The focus is on practical instruction, and application.