Final answer:
In Buddhism, meditation includes three aspects: Samatha (concentration), Vipassana (insight), and Metta (loving-kindness). These practices are central to developing a clear mind, understanding reality, and cultivating kindness and compassion towards all.
Step-by-step explanation:
Within the Buddhist practice of meditation, what we commonly refer to as meditation in English encompasses three distinct aspects: Samatha, Vipassana, and Metta. Samatha focuses on calming the mind and developing concentration, Vipassana aims at cultivating insight and understanding the true nature of reality, and Metta is concerned with the development of unconditional love and kindness towards all beings.
Buddhists follow the teachings of Buddha, striving for morality and enlightenment through wisdom, ethical conduct, and meditation methods such as these. Meditation plays a key role in many Buddhist traditions, like Zen and Theravada, where it is seen as an essential pathway to awakening and achieving the goal of nirvana, a state free from suffering.