There are two types of
meditation in Buddhism. One is samatha meditation, the other is vipassana. The
purpose of samatha meditation is to attain higher concentration of the mind. We
call this jhana or appana.
Appana and Jhana
Jhana means the state of mind which is fixed to the object. It is translated by Pali scholars as fixedness of mind. Appana is another word for jhana. Here appana means absorption. When the mind is totally absorbed into the object, that state of mind is called appana. It has the same sense as jhana. When the mind is completely absorbed into the object, it does not go out. It cannot be distracted by anything. As long as the mind is absorbed into the object ( of concentration ) it is free from all kinds of hindrances such as sensual desire, anger, hatred and aversion, sloth and torpor, worries, restlesness, remorse and sceptical doubt.
Appana and Jhana
Jhana means the state of mind which is fixed to the object. It is translated by Pali scholars as fixedness of mind. Appana is another word for jhana. Here appana means absorption. When the mind is totally absorbed into the object, that state of mind is called appana. It has the same sense as jhana. When the mind is completely absorbed into the object, it does not go out. It cannot be distracted by anything. As long as the mind is absorbed into the object ( of concentration ) it is free from all kinds of hindrances such as sensual desire, anger, hatred and aversion, sloth and torpor, worries, restlesness, remorse and sceptical doubt.
Benefits of
Concentration
The deeply concentrated mind is free from all kinds of mental hindrances. The meditator lives peacefully and happily as long as the mind is concentrated on the object of meditatiion. That is the result of samatha meditation.
Samatha here means concentration. So it can be translated as tranquility or calm because when the mind is concentrated on a single object, it becomes tranquil, serene and calm. So samatha can be translated as calmness meditation, tranquility meditation, serenity meditation or concentration meditation.
The deeply concentrated mind is free from all kinds of mental hindrances. The meditator lives peacefully and happily as long as the mind is concentrated on the object of meditatiion. That is the result of samatha meditation.
Samatha here means concentration. So it can be translated as tranquility or calm because when the mind is concentrated on a single object, it becomes tranquil, serene and calm. So samatha can be translated as calmness meditation, tranquility meditation, serenity meditation or concentration meditation.
Samatha Meditator
cannot Destroy the Defilements
But a meditator who practices samatha and attains this state of the concentrated mind cannot realise bodily and mental processes in their true nature. Because the Samatha meditator is not able to realise the appearance and disappearance of mental and physical phenomena, he cannot destroy any of the defilements.
The purpose of samatha meditation is to attain deep concentration and live happily and peacefully. This is so as long as the mind is concentrated well on the object of meditation. But without realisation of the three characteristics of existence or three characteristics of the body/mind process, no one can destroy any of the mental defilements of lust greed, desire, craving, hatred, anger, aversion and so on.
When one is not able to destroy these mental defilements, he will not be free from all kinds of suffering. He is still on the ocean of suffering. Only when he has realised anicca, dukkha and anatta or impermanence, suffering, no soul, no self, the nature of body/mind process, will he be able to exterminate all the defilements and live happily and peacefully.
But a meditator who practices samatha and attains this state of the concentrated mind cannot realise bodily and mental processes in their true nature. Because the Samatha meditator is not able to realise the appearance and disappearance of mental and physical phenomena, he cannot destroy any of the defilements.
The purpose of samatha meditation is to attain deep concentration and live happily and peacefully. This is so as long as the mind is concentrated well on the object of meditation. But without realisation of the three characteristics of existence or three characteristics of the body/mind process, no one can destroy any of the mental defilements of lust greed, desire, craving, hatred, anger, aversion and so on.
When one is not able to destroy these mental defilements, he will not be free from all kinds of suffering. He is still on the ocean of suffering. Only when he has realised anicca, dukkha and anatta or impermanence, suffering, no soul, no self, the nature of body/mind process, will he be able to exterminate all the defilements and live happily and peacefully.
Vipassana Meditation
Preceded by Samatha
When a samatha meditator has attained deep concentration of mind, he should switch his noting mind to vipassana meditation. Any mental process or physical process will be observed with the concentration attained through samatha meditation. Such meditation is known as vipassana meditation preceded by samatha meditation.
Samatha meditation alone cannot destroy any of the defilements even though there is deep concentration. We have to practice vipassana.
Sometimes, when we find it difficult to concentrate the mind by means of vipassana meditation, we have to use samatha for some time so that we can concentrate our mind well on the object of meditation.
Having attained deep concentration of the mind, we return to vipassana and observe whatever arises in body and mind as it really occurs.
The purpose of vipassana meditation is to attain nibbana or liberation through realisation of the mind/body process and their true nature. That is why we have to practice vipassana meditation.
Vipassana may be preceded by samatha meditation or we can practice pure vipassana meditation. If we have enough time, say a year or more, we can start with samatha meditation to attain higher concentration of the mind. After that we should practice vipassana based on that powerfuly concentrated mind.
But now we have only ten days. Ten days is a very short time for a meditator to be successful, to achieve his goal. So we cannot practice samatha meditation first. We have to go straight to vipassana meditation.
The Four Protections - A Preparatory Practice
When we practice vipassana meditation or samatha meditation, the “ Visuddhimagga “, a meditation manual written by the ven. Buddhagosa mahathera, mentions the four protections as a peparatory stage to meditation. These are :
Recollection of the nine chief attributes of the Buddha ( buddhanosti in Pali )
Development of loving kindness ( metta bhavana )
Reflection upon the loathsome nature of our body
Recollection of death
When a samatha meditator has attained deep concentration of mind, he should switch his noting mind to vipassana meditation. Any mental process or physical process will be observed with the concentration attained through samatha meditation. Such meditation is known as vipassana meditation preceded by samatha meditation.
Samatha meditation alone cannot destroy any of the defilements even though there is deep concentration. We have to practice vipassana.
Sometimes, when we find it difficult to concentrate the mind by means of vipassana meditation, we have to use samatha for some time so that we can concentrate our mind well on the object of meditation.
Having attained deep concentration of the mind, we return to vipassana and observe whatever arises in body and mind as it really occurs.
The purpose of vipassana meditation is to attain nibbana or liberation through realisation of the mind/body process and their true nature. That is why we have to practice vipassana meditation.
Vipassana may be preceded by samatha meditation or we can practice pure vipassana meditation. If we have enough time, say a year or more, we can start with samatha meditation to attain higher concentration of the mind. After that we should practice vipassana based on that powerfuly concentrated mind.
But now we have only ten days. Ten days is a very short time for a meditator to be successful, to achieve his goal. So we cannot practice samatha meditation first. We have to go straight to vipassana meditation.
The Four Protections - A Preparatory Practice
When we practice vipassana meditation or samatha meditation, the “ Visuddhimagga “, a meditation manual written by the ven. Buddhagosa mahathera, mentions the four protections as a peparatory stage to meditation. These are :
Recollection of the nine chief attributes of the Buddha ( buddhanosti in Pali )
Development of loving kindness ( metta bhavana )
Reflection upon the loathsome nature of our body
Recollection of death
(1) The Nine
Attributes of Buddha
The nine attributes of the Buddha are :
araham: enlightened, free from all defilements
samasambuddho: perfectly self enlightened
vijjacarana sampano: perfect in knowledge and conduct
sugato: one who speaks well, is enlightened
lokavidu: knower of all realms
anuttaropurisadhamasarathi: tamer of men
sata devamanusanam: teacher of gods and men
buddho: the Enlightened One
bhagava: worthy of exaltation
You need not recollect all nine of them but use one of these nine as the object of protection meditation. For instance, when you use the attribute araham as the object of meditation, you have to reflect upon the meaning of the word araham. It means the buddha who has destroyed all mental defilements and is worthy of honour.
to be continued.
The nine attributes of the Buddha are :
araham: enlightened, free from all defilements
samasambuddho: perfectly self enlightened
vijjacarana sampano: perfect in knowledge and conduct
sugato: one who speaks well, is enlightened
lokavidu: knower of all realms
anuttaropurisadhamasarathi: tamer of men
sata devamanusanam: teacher of gods and men
buddho: the Enlightened One
bhagava: worthy of exaltation
You need not recollect all nine of them but use one of these nine as the object of protection meditation. For instance, when you use the attribute araham as the object of meditation, you have to reflect upon the meaning of the word araham. It means the buddha who has destroyed all mental defilements and is worthy of honour.
to be continued.
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