What did the Buddha actually teach regarding meditation?

[robbie77]

I am wondering what the Buddha actually said about meditation... Did he teach to focus on the breath / body scan / visualisations etc. If anyone can point to verse from the scriptures and quote to show what the Buddha said that would clarify things.

Regards

Rob

[jweyek]

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

[Nicolas]

Also:
Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10)
Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60)
Gaṇakamoggallāna Sutta (MN 107): the gradual training expounded.
Vitakka­saṇṭhāna Sutta (MN 20): how to remove distracting thoughts in meditation.

[ECS]

Perhaps Buddhism is never about what Siddharta does ... what he did ... but is all about realizing your desire .......

[fivebells]

Perhaps Buddhism is never about what Siddharta does ... what he did ... but is all about realizing your desire .......

No. You are deeply confused.

[ECS]

Perhaps Buddhism ... is all about realizing your desire .......

No. You are deeply confused.

Yes that is the reason I am here ... lets debate as I am in condition of learning , regardless what you say , you are always my teacher ... so lets debate on your reason please .

[robertk]

ECS,
could you use a normal font, not the blue colored one you are using now. it is distracting to me and probably other members too.
thanks

[fivebells]

Maybe in another thread. I don't want to derail.

Also, I'm not really interested in debate for debate's sake. I responded because you said something potentially harmful.

[Cormac Brown]

Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta: The fundamentals for practice in any posture, and principles that can, if followed, lead to arahantship. Extremely simple, extremely challenging. Not to be ignored. Tradition holds that these instructions were given to Rahula when he was approximately seven years old.

Karaniya Metta Sutta

Maha-Rahulovada Sutta: Comprehensive meditation instructions to a presumably older Ven. Rahula. Many techniques, attitudes and approaches advised, before even getting down to the sixteen steps of anapanasati.

Capala Sutta: Nodding A systematic approach to attacking drowsiness, as advised by the Buddha to Ven. Moggallanna. This has come to my rescue countless times.

[Coëmgenu]

Perhaps Buddhism ... is all about realizing your desire .......

No. You are deeply confused.

To be fair, "desire" can be a more neutral word than we often see it as. ECS could have been talking about the "desire" to achieve Awakening, presenting "Buddhism" as a teaching whose chief aim is to teach the necessity and desirability to achieve Awakening (in light of things like the 4 noble truths), versus a strictly scholastic "find exactly what he said and follow" intellectual tradition. There are two sides of interpretation to everything.

[fivebells]

Thanks, Coëmgenu. I have edited my quote of ECS in my initial post so that it is clear from context that that is not what ECS meant.

I will quote posts in their entirety in future, and render the part I'm responding to in bold. It's not as readable, but it appears the extra context is necessary for some situations.

[mikenz66]

I am wondering what the Buddha actually said about meditation... Did he teach to focus on the breath / body scan / visualisations etc. If anyone can point to verse from the scriptures and quote to show what the Buddha said that would clarify things.

There are a huge number of suttas about meditation in the sense of developing calm, and developing insight.

See Chapters VIII. Mastering the Mind, and IX. Shining the Light of Wisdom of In the Buddha's Words. You can read the suttas mentioned there via links at that link.


Mike

[robbie77]

Thanks but I felt when reading the sutras that the Buddha was describing what enlightenment was and what had happened to him rather than prescribing a way to get there through a formula or technique etc.

[mikenz66]

Perhaps we're not reading the same suttas. Did you read through the ones I referenced above?

For example: https://suttacentral.net/en/mn20 gives some very explicit instructions for dealing with distracting thoughts.

The Satipatthana sutta describes contemplation of a number of aspects of body and mind https://suttacentral.net/en/mn10, and so on...

I would agree that there is not a lot of detail, more a general approach. This has given ancient and modern teachers room to develop a variety of specific techniques that suit them and their students, but is still consistent with the suttas.


Mike

[Cormac Brown]

Thanks but I felt when reading the sutras that the Buddha was describing what enlightenment was and what had happened to him rather than prescribing a way to get there through a formula or technique etc.

Have you read any of the suttas that have been recommended to you in this thread? You've been given a lot of good material that answers your question. Lots of techniques, and he definitely prescribed a way to get there.