Two Types of Meditation: Stabilizing and Analytical

Tibetan Buddhism speaks of two different types of meditation. One is Stabilizing and could be characterized by a type of "mindless" repetition of a word or phrase (mantra/japa) or by simply doing an action over and over like yantra (the continual gazing at an object, ie: a picture or statue of a deity, the symbol for OM, a flame, etc.). The other type of meditation is Analytical. In this form, the practitioner doesn't simply repeat a word over and over or look at a picture repeatedly. The meditator would try to understand everything they know or everything that can be known about the object of their attention. As an example of the difference between a stabilizing and an analytical meditation, let's use the word peace. You could repeat peace, peace, peace, ad infinitum and eventually go deeper and deeper into a state of quietude that could be described as Peace. This is very nice but perhaps might not be fulfilling relative to an increase in understanding about peace. This is where analytical meditation might bring a benefit. The meditator who is trained in analytical methodology might also start by repeating the word peace, but once firmly concentrated on it would then proceed to analyzing everything they knew about peace. They might think about the things that bring them peace like swimming, or eating, or maybe holding a baby. They may also think about the things that make them lose their peace like their boss, or unfulfilled desires, or driving in heavy traffic. In theory, eventually, if they kept at it, they would connect everything in the universe, because everything is in some way connected with peace (Einstein's' theory of relativity - all things are relative to everything else). But what actually happens is that the object of your meditation starts to present itself to you and you can sit back in your minds-eye and simply witness your Higher Mind reveal every aspect of peace to you. Your inner Witness, who is your Real Self, is always receiving, knowing, and at one with everything and once we remove the false concept that we are different (a body, a mind, an emotion, even a separate soul) from it, we will know and be at one with everything. Our consciousness awakens to its real natural of infinite, eternal Peace, Love, Knowledge, and Bliss, and we live happily ever after. This is the state known as Contemplation. So, to summarize, you start by Concentrating, then Meditate by the analytical method, and then this segues into Contemplation. It is then when all the ???'s turn into !!!.The Tibetans Buddhists consider analytical meditation techniques to be superior to the stabilizing. For you, now, it may be possible that this may bring about the result you seek.