Recollecting Practices
Traditional Mindfulness
The basic practice of following one’s breath was first taught by Siddartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. While the definition of “mindfulness” has drifted over the centuries and has now transformed into a different practice in the West, the traditional practice remains the core practice of meditation for many contemplatives around the world.
Koans
Koans are stories told by Zen Buddhists to illustrate the metaphysical principles of non-duality and emptiness - to provoke “the Great Doubt” in practitioners. Counter to common belief, Zen koans are neither meaningless nor nonsensical, though they are often paradoxical and humorous. In the Rinzai school of Zen, it is common for a teacher to give a student a koan to concentrate on during seated meditation.
Here is a short list of high-quality koans.
Dhikr
Dhikr is an Arabic word that means “remembrance.” In its classical form it is focused on the repetition of prayer in a style reminiscent of Indian mantra, but differs in its contemporary Sufi form, which focuses on the genuine act of remembrance itself.
Here is a short guided dhikr meditation led by the Sufi practitioner Ihsan Alexander.