Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

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Akashad
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Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

Post by Akashad »

Hi all,

Do you know why we have to practice the Four Protective Meditation?

1.Metta bhavana.
2.Repulsiveness.
3.Contemplation of the Buddha.
4.Contemplation of death.

What happens when we advance in the practice? Is there something destabilizing that happens (in terms of not-self) and we need these practices to support us?

Does anyone know or have resources on why the four protective meditation should be developed before progressing to deep insight?


Thank you :namaste:
santa100
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Re: Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

Post by santa100 »

To see the reason why, it's important to see clearly the purpose of those meditations. These meditations are there primarily to protect you from....yourself, not only to ward off evil spirits and stuff: Metta bhavana to counter anger, Repulsiveness to counter lust, the Buddha against ignorance, and Death against clinging. As long as those defiled mind states are still present, it's impossible to cultivate any deep insight.
thepea
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Re: Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

Post by thepea »

Santa pretty much nailed it, just add that They are very deep practices and the way they are practiced will most likely change as you develop along the path.
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Akashad
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Re: Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

Post by Akashad »

Thank you Santa100 and thepea,I think these meditation ward off unhelpful states of minds too. :namaste: :buddha1:
sentinel
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Re: Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

Post by sentinel »

santa100 wrote: Sun May 13, 2018 2:41 pm To see the reason why, it's important to see clearly the purpose of those meditations. These meditations are there primarily to protect you from....yourself, not only to ward off evil spirits and stuff: Metta bhavana to counter anger, Repulsiveness to counter lust, the Buddha against ignorance, and Death against clinging. As long as those defiled mind states are still present, it's impossible to cultivate any deep insight.
Actually , the buddhanusati or contemplation of Buddha is to give rise and strengthen our faith to the Buddha Dhamma Sangha and to eradicate doubt and negative emotions such as worry , sadness , hurts and distress .
You always gain by giving
User1249x
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Re: Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

Post by User1249x »

they are also used for entering jhana and condition right perception, it is a theme for the mind and a meditation object which when developed and pursued culminates in the ultimate goal. If one frequently trains them even briefly it will make a huge impact on ones attitude to everything.
paul
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Re: Why Practice The Four Protective Meditation?

Post by paul »

In developing the stages of insight, the four protective meditations are necessary to keep the mind balanced, for example in developing dispassion a general aversion towards people could easily arise, so developing the brahma vihara attitudes is needed to offset that.
There are very often times when the mind needs to be either gladdened (inspired) or steadied from agitation and these four protective meditations provide that function, for example recollection of the Buddha for inspiration (SN 11:3), also the recollection of death causes a sense of urgency to arise in the practice (AN 6:19). Meditation on the unattractiveness of the body is a practice for steadying the mind.
As well as the four protective meditations, there is also a broader scheme of ‘subsidiary meditations’ based on the instructions in SN 47:10:
“As he remains thus focused on mental qualities in & of themselves, a fever based on mental qualities arises within his body, or there is sluggishness in his awareness, or his mind becomes scattered externally. He should then direct his mind to any inspiring theme.”

These fall into four groups:

-the five themes that MN 62 lists as preparatory exercises for breath meditation

-the six recollections (SN 11:3)

-the nine perceptions of insight (AN 10:60)
These perceptions are used primarily for steadying the mind.

-the various exercises surrounding mindfulness of death (AN 6:20).
“These are obviously aimed at steadying the mind by chastening it, and at releasing it from laziness and heedlessness, from attachment to the body, and from the petty concerns of daily life. However, they can also be used to gladden the mind by inspiring a sense of appreciation for every opportunity to practice, and for whatever progress you have already made.”—-“Right Mindfulness”, Thanissaro.

Being aware of the state of mind and employing subsidiary meditation themes to correct it is a work of the third foundation of mindfulness.
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