Post # 22-Meditation  as  advocated in Buddhist  Practice- Part 1

 Are you visiting  this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could check out the archives and read the 1^st Post to know about this Blog, and thereafter read the posts in sequence for the best benefit.

In Post 15 we discussed Kusala Kamma which are the skills one employs to destroy or overcome tendencies for unwholesome or unethical acts. Skills associated with Kusala Kamma are developed by the basic practices of Dana (benevolence and giving up), Seela (practices in moral discipline) and Bhawana (meditative practices). 

Meditative practice is a very extensive subject and to do justice to it in a blog Post is very difficult. However to make our discussion more complete let us take up some salient points on Bhawana (Meditation) now.

Meditation is one of the most discussed and referred to subjects in Buddhist practice. Discourses, talks, discussions and written text are numerous on this subject. Therefore any student wishing to learn this subject would not have a dearth of material to study from. Attempting to read this enormous collection would be quite a task although very rewarding. What I found was that most of this resource material espoused much the same thing except for the emphasis they place on different aspects of meditative practice and bringing out some different author bias. Further, studying as many of the available material itself over and over on this subject will not be commensurate with the effort made. Therefore I found that learning the basics from a few discourses and texts (sourced from reliable authors) was sufficient to prepare this outline on Meditation practice.

In this Post you will find my effort at extracting some essential points and facts from this source material to get some understanding of the subject. These extracts will show the beginner what Meditation in Buddhist practice really means and have the confidence that these descriptions are authentic and comes from the most learned and experienced Meditation Teachers and Practitioners. However these extracts by themselves will not be sufficient and the keen learner in order to gain the full benefit must necessarily seek out more elaborate explanations on this very important subject from the base material referred to above.

As there are many expounders of Meditation worthy of mention in this regard, I will list out only some of them in this Post due to the space restriction per Post in the Blog.  I will continue the reference to some more meditation teachers in the next one as well to make it as complete as possible.

i.  Ven. Katukurunde Nanananda Thero - meditation teacher/monk asks the question –“What is meditation?”; and gives an answer as –“It is an exercise to train the mind. The objective is spiritual development”  Next he asks –“Why Meditate?”; and answers –“With meditation one develops mindfulness, concentration and clear comprehension. Mind trained and developed on these lines is capable of acquiring wisdom to realize the true nature of phenomena and experience, the four noble truths, and realize Nibbana”.

Then he explains the benefits of Meditation grouped into two as- Worldly benefits and World Transcending benefits. He also explains how Buddhism addresses the two major types of meditation practices. In Pali, the original language of Theravada literature, they are called 'Vipassana' and 'Samatha'. 

ii. Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, meditation teacher based in US in his book on ‘Mindfulness in Plain English’ says that- “the distinction between Vipassana Meditation and other styles of meditation is crucial and needs to be fully understood. 'Samatha' can be translated as 'concentration' or 'tranquility'. It is a state in which the mind is brought to rest, focused only on one item and not allowed to wander. When this is done, a deep calm pervades body and mind, a state of tranquility which must be experienced to be understood. Most systems of meditation emphasize the Samatha component. The meditator focuses his mind upon some items, such as an object, breath etc., and excludes all other thoughts and perceptions from his consciousness. The result is a state of rapture which lasts until the meditator ends the session of sitting. It is beautiful, delightful, meaningful and alluring, but only temporary.

'Vipassana' can be translated as 'insight'. A clear awareness of exactly what is happening as it happens. The Vipassana meditator uses his concentration as a tool by which his awareness can chip away at the wall of illusion which cuts him off from the living light of reality. It is a gradual process of ever-increasing awareness of the inner workings of reality itself. It takes years, but one day the meditator chisels through that wall and tumbles into the presence of light. The transformation is complete. It's called liberation, and it is permanent. Liberation is the goal of all Buddhist systems of practice. But the routes to attainment of the end are quite diverse”. 

iii. Bhikku Bodhi the scholar monk from US says that- “Insight knowledge is developed by understanding the nature of experience as it unfolds from moment to moment in the present. The experience in its compounded form of materiality and mentality and their impermanence, un-satisfactory nature and the nature of non self, has to be fully understood. The meditation practice for this is the ‘sathara sathipattana bhawanawa’ (the four foundations of mindfulness).  They are mindfulness of body, of feelings, of states of mind and of dhammas (mind objects/phenomena)”.

iv. Ven. Uda Eriyagama Dhammajiwa  Maha Thero- meditation teacher/monk in his addresses at the meditation retreats at  Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya says – “Meditation is not simply a sitting practice, but  encompasses a broader spectrum of Samatha and Vipassana meditation.  In Samatha meditation to attain Samadhi (one pointed-ness) a meditator will use a simple method like noting in/out breath. During this process everyone has to wage a battle with the hindrances (Nivaranas) and try to identify the breath as distinct from hindrances. At the beginning the breath is coarse but with time if the yogi (meditator) is able to keep the breath in focus, he will find it becoming indistinct and subtle. The mind from being coarse at the beginning becomes refined and this refined mind is able to note the subtle and almost indiscernible breath.

When a yogi is able to stay with the breath longer than before and note the finer characteristics of the breath, this yogi will gradually be mastering the technique (Insight) of using a sharpened Sati (mindfulness) to keep noting the breath while being in the midst of sounds, thoughts and pain.  This technique is alive and sharply differs from Samatha. Whilst a Samatha practitioner will stop at the initial stage where the hindrances are suppressed, Vippassana meditation allows the yogi the freedom to adjust and improvise as and when new experiences are faced.

Buddha has taught that Suttamaya Nana (theoretical knowledge) by coming directly into contact with Buddha’s teachings through listening and reading the suttas, and  Cintamaya Nana (deductive or inferential knowledge)   and Bhavanamaya Nana (meditative knowledge) are all essential for realization of Nibbana”.

v. Ven. Ajahn Brahm (Brahmavamso) from Australia in his book on ‘The Basic Method of Meditation’  says that- “Meditation is the way to achieve letting go. In meditation one lets go of the complex world outside in order to reach the serene world inside….The goal of this meditation is the beautiful silence, stillness and clarity of mind”.

Ajahn Brahm in his book on Jhana (an Absorbed Mind) further says that ....”Jhana designates meditation proper where the meditator's mind is stilled from all thoughts secluded from all five sense activity and is radiant with other worldly bliss. In ‘Pasadika Sutta’ (DN  29,25) the Buddha  has said that- one who indulges in the pleasures of Jhana may expect only one of four consequences; Stream winning; Once returning; Non returning or Full enlightenment”. 

vi. The most venerable Na-uyane’ Ariya Dhamma Thero says in his book on Meditation – “When one calms the discursive mind and suppresses the five hindrances it is Serenity Meditation and when a mind destroys concepts and remains in reality and sees the impermanence of the name and form and the aggregates and treads the path to Nibbana, it is Vippassna Meditation”

vii. Ven. Nyanaponika Thera in his book on ‘The Heart of Buddhist Meditation’ says that – “this book is issued in the deep conviction that the systematic cultivation of Right Mindfulness, as taught by the Buddha in his discourse on Sathipattana, still provides the most simple and direct, the most thorough and effective, method for training and developing the mind for its daily tasks and problems as well as for its highest aim; mind’s own unshakable deliverance from greed hatred and delusion.

viii. Ven Ajahn Sumedho of UK Amarawathi  fame in his book on ‘ Don’t Take Your Life Personally’ says  “Compose your mind, look inwards and become aware of here and now-the body, the breath, mental state, the mood you are in- without trying to control or judge or do anything, just allow everything to be what it is”  ….the word meditation covers many mental experiences, but the goal of Buddhist Meditation is to see things as they really are; it is a state of awakened attention. And this is a very simple thing”

Please see the next post for references to Meditation made by Joseph Goldstein co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society; Ven.Mahasi Sayadaw the meditation teacher/monk from Myanmar; Ven. Ajahn Chah the Thai monk of the ‘forest monk’ tradition and S N Goenka Jee the Vipssana teacher from India