In short: Buddho meditation means silently repeating "Bud-" on the in-breath and "-dho" on the out-breath. It is the classic first practice of the forest meditation tradition of Southeast Asia. Its root is the Buddha's teaching on recollecting the Buddha: "When a noble disciple recollects the Realized One their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. At that time their mind is quite unswerving, based on the Realized One." (AN 6.10).
What the Buddha said about recollecting the Buddha
"When a noble disciple recollects the Realized One their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. At that time their mind is quite unswerving, based on the Realized One." "A noble disciple whose mind is unswerving finds inspiration in the meaning and the teaching, and finds joy connected with the teaching."
AN 6.10 · The full recollection is the Itipiso chant · All six recollections: six recollections.
"Buddho" means awake. As a meditation word it does two things at once: it recalls the qualities of the Buddha, and it points to the knowing, awake quality of your own mind.
Read the full guide
A 10-minute Buddho practice
- Settle (1 minute). Sit comfortably. Let the breath be natural.
- Join word and breath (6 minutes). Breathing in: "Bud-". Breathing out: "-dho". Soft, silent, unhurried.
- When you wander, notice it and come back to "Bud-dho". No scolding.
- If the word fades (2 minutes), let it. Rest in the quiet awareness that remains.
- Close (1 minute) with a wish: "May all beings be awake and at peace."
When Buddho helps most
- A busy, wordy mind: the word gives thoughts something simple to hold.
- Walking: "Bud-" with one step, "-dho" with the next. (Walking meditation)
- Falling asleep: a few minutes of Buddho in bed. (Sleep meditation)
Try it
Other ways in: counting breaths, noting, or a 3-minute guided session in Practice.
Questions people ask
What does 'Buddho' mean?
Buddho means 'awake' or 'the awakened one'. Repeating it recollects the qualities of the Buddha and, at the same time, the awareness in your own mind.
How do you practice Buddho meditation?
Silently say 'Bud-' as you breathe in and '-dho' as you breathe out. When the mind settles, the word may fade on its own; then simply rest in awareness.