Post# 26- Practicing  Buddhist Meditation at Home- SerenityMeditation

We have already seen how Buddha Dhamma can be put into practice by a lay householder. This included   engaging in meritorious acts (Punya Kamma) and developing ethical skills (Kusala Kamma) and more importantly the need to engage in the path of practice towards final liberation. This path of practice was essentially the development of the Noble Eightfold Path for achieving the four stages of Marga Pala with the fruition of Arahanthhood as the goal.

Meditation in context of this Buddha Dhamma practice is in the specific teaching by Buddha which is related to developing the Noble Eightfold Path which was discussed at length from   Post #17 to posts up # 20. The two factors of the Noble Eightfold Path referring to ‘right concentration’ and ‘right mindfulness’, are the ones specifically related to meditation and where meditation fits into the scheme of things.

In Post #22 onward up to Post # 25 we saw how Buddhist meditation was explained by learned practitioners, along with some elaborations on Serenity Meditation and Insight Meditation extracted from the above sources. While they assisted in understanding its meaning, they were still in the domain of knowledge. They were intended mostly to motivate the busy householder to engage in a regular practice of Meditation. What we need now is to see how this knowledge can be put into practice. This Post discusses how we acquire some skills at home.

The practice and achieving some results should therefore be attempted at two levels. Acquisition of some general skills by training and practicing the fundamentals of meditation, perhaps on a daily basis at home will be the first level. You will begin to experience the benefits listed out in the        Post # 24. After that those motivated to go further can look for opportunities at Meditation Retreats to further the skills. .  

To practice meditation at home you have to know the right fundamentals and to employ the right techniques for both body and mind. What I am going to list out below for your benefit are such practices extracted from the above source material. To my understanding they should suffice as the practicable and effective methods to make a start. With that comfort level you may begin your training. You can thereafter make up your own mind as to how they suit your personality and convictions and how you can go forward .

Body Posture: All meditation teachers recommend that you have a comfortable ground sitting position to practice meditation. They say this sitting position can vary from the full lotus posture to others. The important thing is that the posture should be conducive for a long sitting session. The upper body should be erect with the head held high. Using a cushion to prop your back, hands folded with right hand on top of the left and legs crossed resting on the ground would fit this requirement. When the posture is symmetrical and upper body is erect, the weight is transferred evenly without any tension in the back muscles. The weight is also spread over a larger area of contact with the ground so that the pressure at the points of contact is relatively low. Some women tend to sit in the mermaid posture perhaps due to cultural/modesty reasons. This does not satisfy the above requirements and gives rise to discomfort quickly. If for reasons of age or ill health you cannot sit on the ground, sitting on a low chair or bench would be ok. Eyes may be kept closed to limit external stimulus. Those who tend to feel sleepy when eyes are closed may keep them slightly opened.

This should not be treated as a firm prescription for the body posture but should be treated only as a guide. You should make your own choice about the posture that is best suited for you.

Serenity Meditation (Samatha Bhavana) -Of the forty meditation objects/subjects (Kamattahanas) described in the Visuddhi Magga (the Pali Commentary) to develop concentration, the practitioner may select one meditation object (method) to suit his/her personality and disposition for the practice.  In Samatha meditation to attain Samadhi (one pointed concentrated mind) a meditator may use one such  method like observing in/out breath which is considered suitable for most personalities. Other objects of meditation that are generally suitable for most practitioners are: contemplation on the virtues of Buddha (Buddha-nu-sathi); practicing Loving Kindness (the Brackma Vihara- Metta-nu-Sathi etc.) or a similar Samatha object. The meditator may thus select one such object/method for his/her training.

The first goal in this meditation is developing concentration.  This is the wholesome action of learning to take control of the mental processes, to become master of one’s own mind. This state of Samadhi, or deep concentrated mind, is a unified mind free from discursive thoughts as we said before. Ven Henepola Gunerathane Thero in his talks to the participants of the 9 day retreat in Perth, says that this concentration will become the right concentration  when one sees it in the context of the Noble Eightfold Path where the eight factors support and complement each other. That is all eight factors needs to develop simultaneously. In particular for right concentration, right mindfulness, and right effort must be established with right view conditioning the quality of the concentration. In other words the meditator attains a mind state where greed, hatred and delusion, the roots of the defilements clouding  the penetrative ability of the mind are  suppressed. To begin this meditation targeting right concentration one may as a preliminary preparation, engage in contemplation of the eight factors of the Path as taught in the Dhamma as a platform to build on, to practice the development of serenity meditation. 

One meditation teacher illustrated the concentrated mind by the simile of the ‘flash light’. He said that if one were to attempt to see outside at night one would need a flashlight (torch). If the flashlight has its head unscrewed the light from the naked bulb would be dispersed all round and part of it falls on what you want to see. You will discern some details of the object. The rest of the light dispersed around appears to travel to a limited distance only. When you screw back the head (reflector) the dispersed light now gets concentrated into a beam and the beam now falling on the object under examination shows a lot more details and more of the real nature of the object. When moved to other parts of the surroundings, the beam and its light travel to great distances enabling you to see many more objects far away which were not discernible before although its the same bulb and same batteries. This he said is similar to a concentrated mind compared to a roving or dispersed mind. The collected and concentrated mind is like the light gathered to a beam in the above example. This mind when directed to a chosen object is able to discern more details which otherwise a dispersed mind would not see. The mind is thus able to see the true nature of the object.

Most teachers advocate keeping attention on the breath as the meditation object, quoting the Ana-pana Sutta and advising the meditator to keep attention on the touch sensation of the breath, as it flows in and out at the tip of the nose or on the skin of the upper lip. This way the practitioner is able to gradually have a one pointed and collected mind focused on the breath. During this exercise however the mind will stray to many thoughts, sounds etc. which is quite normal. This should not disturb the meditator. This is a habitual trait cultivated from the past. When this happens the practitioner has to quickly recognize that the mind is straying and bring it back to the breath. That is initial application (Vittakka), which is applying the mind to the subject or bringing the mind again and again to the subject.  Ven Henepola Gunerathne calls this initial thought.

To attain Initial Concentration by breathing meditation, a meditator will focus attention on the breath as it is first felt entering at the tip of the nose (or upper lip), ie starts inflow, then notes how inflow continues and then how it ceases and how outflow starts, stays and ceases. This is called sustained application of mind (Vi-chara) on the object.  Henepola Gunerathne Thero calls this sustained thought. That is keeping the mind anchored or keeping the mind examining the object. Some meditation teachers advocate noting the expansion and contraction of either the chest or belly as an alternative, because some beginners are unable to discern the subtle sensation of the breath as it impinges on the nose.  

Meditation teachers differ on the technique of how to keep the mind focused on the breath. Some teachers advise you to resort to an exercise of counting to gain concentration. In this technique you start by making a determination that I will using/employing initial application (Vittakka) and sustained application of mind (Vi-chara), stay focused on the breath as it arises, stays and ceases up to five breaths, counting from the starting breath up to five breaths as each breath comes in and out. After that, starting again you make a determination that I will stay focused up to six breaths from a beginning breath. Thereafter in turn up to seven breaths, eight breaths and so on up to say ten breaths progressively. The breathing being thus noted should not be forced or deliberate. It should be natural and at its own rhythm. Once the initial concentration is thus established, the meditator can drop the counting and keep the attention only on the touch sensation of the breath to maintain samadhi. The meditator will thus stay on initial concentration  up to a determined duration,  say up to two minutes then coming out and then up to three minutes and coming out and so on similarly up to a chosen duration.

The meditator who continues to note the breath as above will find that the touch sensation of breath that was experienced up to then will gradually cease. Ven Dhamajeewa says that  at the beginning the breath is coarse but with time, if the meditator is able to keep the breath in focus, it will become indistinct and subtle. The experience at this stage upon reaching this Samadhi is described by meditation teachers as a state of tranquility of mind and body (chitta kaya pas-saddiya).   A mind in this state of Samadhi is said to release its participation in mind and body sensations. In reality as the mind has released experiencing body sensations what is now experienced are chitta passadiya - the release from experiencing consciousness and kaya passadiya (chitta kaya) the release from other mind related experiences as feelings, perceptions and thoughts (sankaras). Continuing on, it is said that the meditator will once again start to discern the in and out breath. Ven Henepola Gunarathne says that this happens when the mind recalls the memory impression of the breath that was there before reaching the state of tranquility of mind and body referred to above. This he says is called Pattibha Nimmitha, a memory object of breath meditation, similar to its counterpart in Kasinna Bhavana. It is said that this is a mind that is fully collected and its powers fully mobilized to be used for seeing the true nature of things. This is Upachara Samadhi or Access Concentration. As the mind has released experiencing body sensations and the release from other mind related experiences as feelings, perceptions,  thoughts (sankaras) and consciousness, the experiences of the mind are only those of high tranquility and burden free state. This mind then experiences only the meditation related initial application (Vittakka), sustained application of mind (Vi-chara), a one pointed and collected mind focused on the breath ekaggatha, happiness and rapture (pithi and sukka) and no other. These mental attributes are named as Jhana Anngas ( Jhana factors) and act to suppress the five hindrances, see Post # 24,  for realizing Nibbana that are embedded in our minds. Bhikku Bodhi describes this as a mind that is now in a suburb or neighbourhood of Jhana (Arpana Samadhi).

The practitioner is advised to be very careful when this experience unfolds. It’s a common mistake to label a state of slumber, dullness or drowsiness during serenity meditation, as having attained access concentration. On the contrary, access concentration is a state where the mind is very alert and sharp, free from involvement in mind and body sensations with the five hindrances suppressed, and capable of discerning true nature of things.

Moving ahead in meditation the practitioner attains the next higher level, Arpana Samadhi - the first material jhana or a high state of concentrated and absorbed mind. After that practicing progressively the practitioner achieves still higher Jhanas, and experiences the super natural abilities described in Post # 24. This is  right concentration that is referred to in the practice of developing the Noble Eight Fold Path.

A meditation teacher also describes the state of Jhanas as a means of seeing the true nature of this experience as a method of attaining enlitenment quoting the Satara Sathipattana Sutta (Four Foundations of Mindfulness). He says that this state of jhana is arising due to causes and conditions and only a fabrication of the mind and not real and therefore if the causes and conditions are not there Jhanas do not arise. By contemplating on this basis meditator uses the vehicle of impermanence (one of the many ports), as a means to attain Nibbana. I will leave this comment only for you to note that there are other points of view and for you to make up your own mind whether you would wish to investigate them any further.

I will not take this discussion of developing serenity meditation any further. My knowledge and practice is limited to explain any further training exercises. For our purpose I believe achieving initial concentration or access concentration would be sufficient as a state of mind to move on to insight meditation.

Please see a similar account of the initial training to develop insight meditation skills at home in Posts # 27 and # 28.  With this training you are now on a steady course on meditation practice at home level experiencing the worldly benefits and ready to move on to higher achievements.