Visualization practices have been used for centuries by Buddhists, Hindus, and others to train the mind, and modern science has provided evidence of many of their benefits. The tool of visualization can be used to achieve a variety of goals and serves different functions across Buddhist traditions. Athletes and performers have found that visualizing each step in their routines and practicing mentally can bring improvement when they return to practicing physically.
Buddhist science of the mind (abhidharma) lists six senses, the sixth being mental perception. Using the imagination to visualize dharma practices and scenarios exercises this sixth sense and can be a powerful tool for developing the mind and ultimate wakefulness. In Buddhism, visualization usually refers to the use of the imagination to generate an object of focus during meditation. The Visualization Sutras (Chinese: guan jing) or Contemplation Sutras, are a group of Mahayana meditation texts which contain fantastic visual images; most of the surviving texts are Chinese from about the sixth century CE. Imagination is simply defined as the action of forming images, concepts, or ideas that are not present to the senses. Imagination can run wild when our mind is distracted and unfocused, but when trained, it becomes a very powerful tool.
It is important to establish motivation before visualization to help ensure that the outcome will be beneficial. Although often associated with Vajrayana, where different practices include the visualization of deities and mandalas, most schools of Buddhism employ some form of visualization. Visualization has a shamatha aspect and a vipassana aspect, maintaining the visualization and the insight that the visualization brings. Visualization engages multiple senses, not just vision.

The mind has nearly limitless creative capacity and can be trained to visualize positive change. Visualization within Buddhism serves as a mental training technique, aiming to cultivate beneficial transformation rather than offering an escape from challenging circumstances.

Choose a personal goal and spend time daily visualizing successful achievement—see the specific steps, feel the emotions, and imagine the positive impact. Reflect on how the experience of using visualization impacts performance in academics, meditation, and challenging situations.

• When you close your eyes, what do you see, hear, and feel?
• How does the quality of attention change when engaging in visualization versus other forms of meditation?
• What differences do you notice between visualizing for personal goals versus for the benefit of all beings?
• How might the Buddhist understanding of mind as the "sixth sense" change your relationship to imagination and mental imagery?
• What role does intention play in determining whether visualization becomes a contemplative practice versus mere fantasy?
• When you visualize positive outcomes, how does this affect your emotional state and motivation to take action?

Compare and contrast the use of visualization in different Buddhist meditations with its use in modern contexts, and design a visualization to support a personal goal that brings benefit to self and others.