Buddhist meditation is a way of exploring our inner experience and responding creatively to what we find. It can bring many important benefits: less anxiety, greater awareness, better concentration, and a more sensitive understanding of oneself and others. Meditation has recently become influential in the West as an effective method for dealing with the pressures and difficulties of living. It has been practised for 2500 years as a central aspect of the Buddhist tradition, although the course does not assume Buddhist or any other beliefs. The course is practice-based, but allowing some time for discussion: it focuses on setting up a regular meditation practice and introduces two basic methods, based on awareness of the breath and on the cultivation of kindness. It also includes developing mindfulness in everyday life and walking meditation.