| Buddhist Meditation |
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Samatha and Vipassana Buddhism is unique among the major religions in the emphasis is gives to meditation. For most Buddhist schools, meditation is essential practice for the realization of Nibbana. Living a good life alone is not enough. Doing good deeds will lead to happy states either in this life or in future lives but will not bring, of themselves, enlightenment. The Buddhist scriptures are very helpful in the kind of detail they give to meditation practice. The techniques required are clearly explained, and have the Buddha's own meditation experience to give them authenticity. Although some conceptual understanding of meditation is important, more important is the actual practice itself. In Buddhism, the experiential dimension, the 'let's suck it and see' approach is a distinctive feature. What is interesting is that in Buddhism two quite distinct methods of meditation are explained. Samatha The first is samatha which literally means 'tranquility' or 'calm'. The initial stages of samatha meditation are to do with concentrating the mind, one-pointedness. Traditionally, there are forty subjects to choose from. These include, amongst others, the ten kasinas (for example, discs of various color, light such as a candle flame, water), and various kinds of bodily decay (for example, a festering corpse!). One of the more widely practiced techniques is mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati), where both mind and body are calmed by concentrating on the breath. Of course, samatha meditation is not just about concentration. When the mind is totally focused and the five hindrances (ill-will, sensual desire, anxiety, sloth and doubt) have been eradicated - if only temporarily - from the mind, the meditator gains access to 'absorptions' known as jhanas. These are states of great happiness and rapture but fall short of nibbana. Samatha meditation therefore doesn't take one all the way to enlightenment. Vipassana Vipassana or 'insight' meditation offers quite a different approach. The emphasis here is on seeing things as they really are, unclouded by attraction or aversion. The basic practice is to note everything you are doing as you are doing it. When you are walking, know that you are walking. When you are drying the dishes, note that you are drying the dishes. Be aware of the sensation in one's foot as it touches the ground, and the different sensations as it rises again. In a sense, this is the first stage of vipassana meditation: bare awareness. Alongside this bare attention is the insight into the three marks of existence that underlie all phenomena: suffering (dukkha); not-self (anatta) and impermanence (anicca). As in samatha, breathing meditation is often practiced but with the idea of developing awareness of the breath as it enters the nostrils rather than on necessarily calming the mental and physical processes. Unlike samatha, vipassana is a meditation method that can take one all the way to Nibbana. Combining the Two Different teachers will emphasize different approaches. It is quite usual, however, for both practices to be combined. Often a beginning will start off with samatha meditation, moving on to vipassana when some mastery over concentration has been achieved. Sometimes, which one chooses to practice depends on one's lifestyle. It may be difficult for someone who leads a very hectic lifestyle because of job and family commitments to find the quiet necessary for successful samatha practice. In such cases vipassana might be a better option.
METTA GUIDED MEDITATION ON LOVING KINDNESS (METTA) Consider this quietly, on your own; or get a friend to read it out slowly to you. STOP FOR A FEW MOMENTS. Sit quietly, with a straight back, and gently close your eyes. Feeling the Rhythm of the breath as it enters and leaves the body, allow yourself to let go of past and future, and come to the present moment; being with exactly what is - now. Bring your attention to the feeling of the body, accepting it just the way it is - with kindness. Allow yourself to accept all the sensations and feelings of the body completely. Breathe in deeply, with a sense of trust and well being: breathe out, letting go of tension, allowing any tightness to dissolve. Then, focus on the normal breathing; just the feeling of breathing in, breathing out. Imagine yourself surrounded by light - perhaps a golden coloured light if you like gold. Being with the sensation of the body breathing in, breathing out, draw the light intro the body as you breathe - maybe through the nostrils, the heart or the head. Imagine light saturating the body, through eveey pore. Think to yourself: 'May this being be well,' and turn the calming effect of the meditation towards this being: 'May this being be calm,' Suffuse your whole body with this calm and kindly attention. Then, let your awareness explore the body: moving around the head and face, gradually down the neck, the back and the chest, spreading right down the fingertips; then down the legs, to each toe; drawing on the good energy of the breath, expanding and embracing the heart. Focusing more on the out-breath, let go of the memories, the grudges, the grievances; let it all go. Begin again with each breath. Picture yourself in your mind's eye as you are now. Next, picture your parents, let them into your mind. Make peace with their image: 'May you be well,' bathing them with soft light, with gratitude. Observe thoughts arising. Memories of yourself as a child, perhaps something painful or something you have never made peace with. Let it be in the mind, in the light. Then bring up an image of your daily situation, at home or wherever, with the people it involves. People you like or dislike, feel conflict with, love, fear, worry, guilt; at this moment, allow yourself to be kind. Think of someone you know who is having a difficult time; send these feelings of kindness towards them. Breathe in light, breathe out wishing them well. Gradually open up more and more, from the people you see every day to nobody special; and even those for whom you have hardly a memory. Recognise them as human beings with ambitions, hopes, problems, anxiety, joy - just like you! Give them some life in your perceptions. And, even more remote, acknowledge all the people you can conceive in this world. This may be a faint feeling, but open up the heart to allow them into consciousness, to be felt. See what the mind does, how it acts indignantly about some people - such as political figures. Let go of that indignation for this moment. Allow a sense of peace to envelop all beings: the liked, the disliked, familiar and unfamiliar. And then imagine the planet Earth as seen from space. Extend this sense of peace to the planet we live on, embracing it with all your heart, surrounding it with light.
Turning your attention to that sense of peace and light, allow it to expand outwards, without limit, letting the sense of 'me' and 'the world' dissolve into the stillness of the present. Then turn your attention back in towards itself; upon the feeling of knowing 'the screen of the mind', the place where images arise. Let it be quite empty or full, choiceless, being illuminated by the soft light from the heart, light from the breath; warm, gentle; beginning, letting go, patient kindness. Gently come back to the rhythm of the breath, and when you are ready, slowly open your eyes.
Vipassana What is vipassana? In the Pali language of the early Buddhist texts, vipassana means insight. It is often used to describe one of the two main categories of Buddhist meditation (the other being samatha or tranquillity). The term may correctly be applied to any Buddhist meditation technique that aims for a complete understanding of the Three Characteristics - dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence) and anatta (not-Self). What is Theravada Buddhism? The southern form of Buddhism now found mainly in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. It is the oldest living tradition and its core teachings are based on the word of the Buddha as found in the earliest texts.
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