Hi everyone!
I've read about so many different types of meditation (bhavana? What IS the Pāḷi word for "meditation"?) within the Theravada tradition. For the most part, the only kind of meditation I practice systematically so far is ānāpānasati, mostly because it seems like the simplest. What I really want is to cultivate whatever the most fundamental meditation technique is first, before even trying for things like jhānas. Does this constitute a distinct kind of meditation separate from vipassanā and samādhi, or is it just a technique that can be used in both?
I'm sorry if this comes off as irritatingly basic...if any of you have the spare time, I would appreciate your guidance so much!
Añjali,
Vakkali
A solid foundation
Re: A solid foundation
anapanasati is good.
Its an incredibly profound technique.
There are essentially two streams of meditative practice.
Samatha and vipassana
Samatha meditation will lead to the development of samadhi to the jhanas.
Vipassana meditation will cultivate insight into the nature of mind and matter.
Within the tradition I practice, one begins with the samatha variant of anapanasati. One stays with it for a short period - long enough to develop some concentration before moving on to a form of vipassana (vedananupassana) meditation. One stays with vipassana until is well established in the practice before returning to samatha meditation to develop the jhanas, and then back again to vipassana to develop path and fruition stages of insight.
If you are happy and comfortable practicing anapanasati - then why not continue with it?
kind regards,
Ben
Its an incredibly profound technique.
There are essentially two streams of meditative practice.
Samatha and vipassana
Samatha meditation will lead to the development of samadhi to the jhanas.
Vipassana meditation will cultivate insight into the nature of mind and matter.
Within the tradition I practice, one begins with the samatha variant of anapanasati. One stays with it for a short period - long enough to develop some concentration before moving on to a form of vipassana (vedananupassana) meditation. One stays with vipassana until is well established in the practice before returning to samatha meditation to develop the jhanas, and then back again to vipassana to develop path and fruition stages of insight.
If you are happy and comfortable practicing anapanasati - then why not continue with it?
kind regards,
Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global Relief • UNHCR
e: [email protected]..
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global Relief • UNHCR
e: [email protected]..
Re: A solid foundation
Ben!
Your response had exactly the kind of information I was hoping for! Thank you so much, and thank you for being so attentive to my posts here and elsewhere! I really appreciate your generosity.
Añjali,
Vakkali
Your response had exactly the kind of information I was hoping for! Thank you so much, and thank you for being so attentive to my posts here and elsewhere! I really appreciate your generosity.
Añjali,
Vakkali
Re: A solid foundation
You are welcome, Vakkali.
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global Relief • UNHCR
e: [email protected]..
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global Relief • UNHCR
e: [email protected]..
Re: A solid foundation
I think metta and breath meditation make up for a good foundation. I noticed that if you just practice breath without metta the practice can get cold.
Re: A solid foundation
http://www.ajahnchah.org/book/Peace_Beyond1.phpWe sit in meditation to establish peacefulness and cultivate mental energy. We don't do it in order to play around at anything special. Insight meditation is sitting in samādhi itself. At some places they say, ''Now we are going to sit in samādhi, after that we'll do insight meditation.'' Don't divide them like this! Tranquillity is the base which gives rise to wisdom; wisdom is the fruit of tranquillity. To say that now we are going to do calm meditation, later we'll do insight - you can't do that! You can only divide them in speech. Just like a knife, the blade is on one side, the back of the blade on the other. You can't divide them. If you pick up one side you get both sides. Tranquillity gives rise to wisdom like this.
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.
- BB
- BB