It simply remains as it is without doing anything. In the third type of meditation, sometimes referred to as the Pathless Path, awareness does not assume the form of the mind, and the attention is neither focused outwards on an object, nor does it subside inwards towards its source. The Third Type of Meditation – The Pathless Path This is sometimes referred to as self-enquiry. The tracing back of the mind towards its essence of pure awareness is sometimes initiated by questions such as, ‘Who am I really?’, ‘What is it that cannot be removed from me?’, ‘What element of my experience remains continuously present throughout the three states of waking, dreaming and sleeping?’ and so on. In the Direct Path, we investigate the nature of this self, this experiencer – ‘I’. Whatever it is that is aware of our current experience is the same one that was aware of breakfast this morning, or the walk we took yesterday afternoon, or the summer holiday we had last year, or whatever we were experiencing ten years ago or when we were ten-year-old children. The objects of our attention are numerous the subject of attention is single.

There is a sinking or relaxing of the attention into the source of awareness from which it arises. This involves not the extroversion of attention towards an object but an introversion of attention towards the self. On the contrary, the mind turns around and seeks its own source or origin. In the second type of meditation, sometimes referred to as the Direct Path, awareness, in the form of the mind, is not focused on any particular object. The Second Type of Meditation – The Direct Path The Progressive Path characterises many, if not most, forms of meditation, in which the origin, the pathway and the goal are different. In this way, we think of the spiritual path as something we reach for or move towards, progressing along the way. The Progressive Path is a refinement of this process, replacing the normal objects of our attention – thoughts, feelings, substances, activities, relationships and so on – with more refined objects – the breath, a mantra, a flame, an image of God, a teacher and so on. In fact, this is simply a refinement of what everybody is naturally doing most of the time – directing their attention towards an objective experience with the hopes of deriving happiness from it. The mind directs or focuses its attention on an object. This separate self or ego that we seem to be is given some activity to do. In this approach, we start with the feeling of ourself as an individual – a temporary, finite self. In the first type of meditation, sometimes referred to as the Progressive Path, awareness, in the form of the mind, directs itself towards an object, such as a mantra or the breath.

The First Type of Meditation – The Progressive Path On the Progressive Path we look outwards on the Direct Path we look inwards on the Pathless Path we remain in that placeless place between the outside and the inside. In the third – the Pathless Path – awareness is undirected.

In the second – the Direct Path – awareness is directed towards the subject. In the first – the Progressive Path – awareness is directed towards an object. There are three types of meditation, each corresponding to three spiritual paths: the Progressive Path, the Direct Path and the Pathless Path. My hope is that this introduction to meditation will guide you to the lasting peace and happiness that is the nature of your being. In this overview, I explore three types of meditation that are the basic pathways that the religious and spiritual traditions have provided those who seek fulfilment and want to understand the truth of who they are. As stress builds in response to ever-increasing demands and distractions, more than ever people are turning to meditation to find the inner peace and happiness for which we all long. It’s no secret that a growing number of people are suffering from anxiety and depression.

Pathless is the way