Buddhist meditation

How Buddhist Monks Meditate: Daily Practice and a 5-Minute Sit

By Cheng Xu · Updated October 31, 2026 · 5 min read

AI-assisted draft, checked against linked sources · Not clinically reviewed · Editorial standards

Buddhist monks usually meditate in daily group sessions, often early morning and evening, combined with chanting, study, work and ethical training. Many Theravada monks practice mindfulness of breathing and loving-kindness; Zen monks practice zazen, upright sitting that lets thoughts come and go. Walking meditation fills the time between sits. The five-minute recording here offers a simple version of breath meditation.

How to try a monastic-style sit

1. Sit upright on a cushion, a kneeling bench or a chair. The early instruction is to "set the body straight," without stiffness.
2. Rest your hands in your lap. Keep your eyes closed, or half-open and lowered as in Zen practice.
3. Press Play. The recording follows the first steps of the Buddha's teaching on mindfulness of breathing: knowing each breath as it is.
4. Notice whether a breath is heavy or light, long or short. Do not try to change it. When the mind wanders, return to the next breath.
5. At the end, take a moment before moving. Monastics often close a sit by sharing good wishes; you can do that silently.

The voice is AI-generated, and the transcript has the full spoken text. To sit longer in silence, use the meditation timer with an interval bell.

A day in a monastery

Schedules differ, but meditation is woven through the whole day rather than done in one long block. Abhayagiri, a Thai Forest Theravada monastery in California, publishes its daily routine:

• 5:00 am: morning chanting and meditation in the meditation hall.
• Morning: chores, breakfast, a work meeting with a short teaching, then work.
• 10:45 am: the main meal, offered to the monastics.
• 1:00 pm: open time for individual practice and solitude.
• 7:00 pm: evening chanting and meditation.

On lunar observance days the monastery drops the work period, monks walk for alms in the morning, and the evening ends with a talk and a late-night vigil. Many monasteries welcome visitors to join these sessions.

What monks practice when they sit

Mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati). In the discourse MN 118, the Buddha describes a practitioner who goes to "the root of a tree, or to an empty hut," sits down, sets the body straight and breathes mindfully: "Breathing in heavily they know: 'I'm breathing in heavily.'" The teaching continues through sixteen steps, from the body to feelings, the mind and insight.

Loving-kindness (metta). Monks recite and contemplate wishes for the welfare of all beings. The Discourse on Love (Snp 1.8) asks practitioners to "unfold a boundless heart" in every posture.

Zazen. The Soto Zen school instructs sitting upright with eyes slightly open and lowered, breathing naturally through the nose, and leaving thoughts alone: neither chasing nor fighting them. Practitioners often face a wall.

Walking meditation. Between sits, monks walk slowly back and forth on a path, attending to each step. See our walking meditation guide for instructions.

When to use it

Use this page when you want to understand meditation as monastics practice it, or when you want a short sit with a clear traditional source. It suits a morning or evening routine, like the monastery's two daily sessions. For bedtime, the Buddhist sleep meditation is a better fit. Explore more in our optional Buddhist meditation space.

Who should be careful

Sit somewhere safe, never while driving. Keep the breath natural; this practice observes breathing rather than controlling it. If breath attention makes you anxious, rest attention on sounds or the contact of your hands. Stop if you feel dizzy, short of breath or more distressed.

Monastic schedules are supported by teachers and a community. Long or intensive retreats can bring up difficult experiences, so build up gradually and seek guidance if you have a history of trauma or serious mental illness. This is a contemplative practice, not medical treatment.

Research and evidence limits

NCCIH summarizes meditation research and its limits, including uneven study quality and occasional unpleasant experiences. Most of that research tests secular programs with lay participants, not monastic training, so it says little about what years in a monastery do. None of it shows that our five-minute recording has a particular effect. The Buddhist texts describe the practice and its purpose; they are not cited as clinical evidence.

References

• Early Buddhist text: MN 118, Mindfulness of Breathing, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
• Early Buddhist text: Snp 1.8, The Discourse on Love, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
• Monastery schedule: Abhayagiri Monastery, Daily Schedule.
• Zen instruction: Sotoshu, How to do Zazen.
• Evidence and safety: NCCIH, Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety.
• Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EM, et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2014. PubMed