The meaning of the word Bhavana (meditation) is the development. It is the development of mind and wisdom. Generally, a normal person’s mind gets obstructed by defilements called Pancha Niiwarana from the truth unendingly. A mind which is blocked in this way is an undeveloped one. It is not strong. Also, it cannot realize the truths of the world. This kind of mind is not concentrated or open to the truth. Therefore, a mind is first strengthened by meditation making it to be focused and strong, so it becomes suitable to develop the wisdom. Afterword, it will navigate the ascetic towards Nibbana until he realizes it.

An undeveloped mind is like the dispersed light. No one can perform meritorious deeds to himself or to another with that kind of mind. However, a mind that is well developed by meditation is like a focused beam of intense light. It helps creating a person who can help himself and others following the true path identified by Gautama Buddha. Meditation will also help us to face the day to day obstacles with a focused mind and to relive ourselves from them. Proper mediation also helps us to keep our minds concentrated to the target of realizing the truth of life (the Four Noble Truths). A considerable advantage of practicing meditation in this period of time is the maintaining of a good health even in a society full of different kinds of diseases. With the Buddhist meditation known as ‘Loving-Kindness Meditation’ (Maitrie Bhavana), there are a number of benefits one can get out of it. By practicing it, one will get a goodnight sleep without any nightmares, become pleasant for humans, be prevented from any harms by demons, get the protection from deities, have a life without any harms from fire, poison, or weapons, get the ability to concentrate the mind quickly when meditating, get a beautiful face, get a good death without losing the mind, get a birth in a world of higher-level beings called ‘Babhalowa’ if the Nibbana was not realized in this life. Moreover, meditation will help to boost up the power of recollection since it suppresses the five defilments described above. Thus, meditation will help students to achieve their goals in education. Meditation will also wake up the powers of higher states of a concentrated mind and help performing ‘Irdhi Pratiharya’ (extraordinary actions done by supernatural powers) such as walk in the sky, walk on water, becoming invisible, swim in earth like in water and so on. You will achieve more unimaginable capabilities because of the well trained mind with meditation.

There was a significant number of sages practicing different types of meditations by the time Buddha was born in India. He also experimented on those meditations in finding the ultimate truth, but he could not find it in their meditations. This was when he started to follow the great Noble Eight-fold Path or the ‘Majjhima Patipada’ (the Middle Path) which he realized without any teachers. By following the middle path, our teacher fully realized the suffering that everyone including himself has to face, eradicated the cause that creates suffering, witnessed the end to the suffering, and completed the path to Nibbana. Therefore, there is no one else who sees and knows the ways of developing and destroying a one’s mind better than the Supreme Buddha. Thus, one can attain the Nibbana by practicing untainted Dhamma in the exact way as the Buddha taught us. However, the dangerous results that you denoted here can be occurred if you practice meditations that different people made without any consent to the Buddha’s teachings. On the other hand, one who is practicing the path to Nibbana as prescribed by Buddha in his teachings will experience the inner peace from meditation and not the unpleasant and bitter consequences one may have to face otherwise. We are determined to give you the true teachings of the Buddha in its pure form in this website.

Basically, there are two types of meditations in Buddhism. That is, Samatha and Vidarshana meditations. Samatha meditation means the uplift of the concentration of a mind by suppressing the five defilements. Vidarshana meditation means the observation of the truth of the life by exploring it with a concentrated mind according to what Buddha taught. Some people think only either Vidarshana or Samatha meditation is enough to attain Nibbana, but the Exalted One taught us that both these meditations are necessary to achieve that goal. However, there can be differences how a person initiate the path to Nibbana with respect to these two types of meditations. A person can initiate the Middle Path just from either Samatha or Vidarshana, or from both. Though, we need to clarify that everyone needs to complete both Samatha and Vidarshana in realizing Nibbana at some point.

Samatha meditation means the uplift of the concentration of a mind by suppressing the five defilements. Vidarshana meditation means the observation of the truth of the life by exploring it with a concentrated mind according to what Buddha taught.

Some people think only either Vidarshana or Samatha meditation is enough to attain Nibbana, but the Exalted One taught us that both these meditations are necessary to achieve that goal. However, there can be differences how a person initiate the path to Nibbana with respect to these two types of meditations. A person can initiate the Middle Path just from either Samatha or Vidarshana, or from both. Though, we need to clarify that everyone needs to complete both Samatha and Vidarshana in realizing Nibbana at some point.

Aanapanasati is the meditation of mindfulness about the inhale and exhale. The name Aanapanasati, itself also reflects the meaning since ‘Aana’, ‘Pana’, and ‘Sati’ reflects the meanings of inhale, exhale, and consciousness, respectively. Therefore, we shall only focus on the breath when we do Aanapanasati meditation. It is like a gate keeper watching the people who come in and go out of the gate. Here, one shall not breathe intensionally and forcefully. You just need to focus on the air that inhale and exhale (breath). When it is an inhale, you shall think of as ‘Inhale’ while when it is an exhale you shall think as ‘Exhale’. You will see that your mind is being started to get concentrated at this point. You can explore Dhamma discourses such as Mahasatipatthana Sutta, Aananda Sutta, and Aanapanasati Sutta to develop your Aanapanasati meditation. Buddhavision is trying to translate these discourses into English at present.

The Dhamma taught by Supreme Buddha needs to be realized according to the wisdom the disciple has. There were disciples who could realize the Noble Dhamma just after listening to one sentence of Buddha’s teachings in the past. There were also some other disciples who attained the Nibbana after practicing Dhamma and meditating for a long time. However, the most fortunate one said in Maha Satara Satipatthana Sutta (the Great Satipatthana Suttta) as follows: If someone practices these four types of meditations (Satara Satipatthana) prominently, then that person will become an Arahant within at least seven days or a year to the most. If that person could not attain the Nibbana within these seven years, then he will definitely accomplish the third state of the fruition, the Anagami state.

We all like if no one hates us, feel jealous about us, or harm us. We also like to be treated with compassion. Similarly, everyone else feel the same way. No one likes to be hated, felt jealous about, or harmed. The loving-kindness meditation is the best medicine for people with such hopes. With this meditation, one first creates a mind with free of hatred, jealousy, and destruction. Then, he spreads his mind’s serenity towards others hoping its formation in the hearts of everyone else of the entire world. For this to be worked properly, we need to follow the exact way the Buddha taught us to do it. Thus, the meditator needs to think about him first and about all the beings that live in his home, the village, the city, the state, the country, the world, and in all other worlds and hope that all these beings to be free of hatred, anger, jealousy, sorrow and pain, and become well and happy. Practicing this meditation daily will bring a thriving pleasure to one’s mind and everyone around him… You will able to get more details about the loving-kindness meditation from this website in the future.

It is mentioned in Mettanisansa Sutta in Anguttara Nikaya that the loving-kindness meditation has eleven auspicious outcomes. They are, having a good sleep, waking up well, dreaming no nightmares, becoming pleasant for humans, prevention of harms by demons, protection of deities, life without any harms from fire, poison, or weapons, attainment of mind concentration quickly when meditating, a beautiful face, a good death without losing the mind, a birth in a world of higher-level beings called ‘Babhalowa’ if the Nibbana was not realized in this life.

Supreme Buddha asked us to consider his teachings, the Dhamma, as the teacher of us after his passing away. Therefore, if there is a teacher for your meditation practices, then he should also teach you what Buddha taught us. That means, you can meditate according to Dhamma by your own after learning it properly. Dhamma is the best teacher for you. In fact, all the books and sermons that are going to be provided via this website will include Buddha’s pure teachings. You can use them and learn Dhamma perfectly.

Even though most of the illnesses seem to be formed from the body, some of them occurred with respect to the mind. All these mind related illnesses can be suppressed by correctly practicing meditation. Also, one can attain Nibbana, which is the cure for all bodily illnesses, by meditating according to Dhamma so that the path to Nibbana would be developed. Even though medicine helps cure the illnesses temporarily, they can regenerate after sometime. However, the disciple who realized Nibbana will free from all illnesses, aging, death, and also from the long journey of birth and death (the Sansara) because Nibbana stops the rebirth. If this is the case, why do you still late to practice meditation and try hard to attain Nibbana?

Time of the day does not important in developing your mind. It can be at night or at noon. Therefore, start to meditate right now without wasting time on thinking about best times for meditation. Meditate according to Buddha’s discourses. You can witness the bliss of Dhamma and attain Nibbana if you have a great faith on Buddha, a determined effort on practicing Dhamma, and a well preserved virtue.

The most Fortunate One taught us that the one who sees Dhamma definitely sees him, and the one who sees him actually sees Dhamma (Yo Dhamman passati, so man passati. Yo man passati, so man passati.). Thus, we will identify who exactly the Buddha was when we realize his teachings. Dhamma can be realized accurately and fully by practicing meditation. Therefore, we will be able to understand who the Supreme Buddha was from meditation. This does not mean that the Buddha’s figure will show up when we meditate, but the recognition of Buddha with respect to his great qualities via Dhamma could be done. In fact, the meditation known as Buddhanussati (meditation with respect Buddha’s great qualities) is very helpful to recognize Buddha accordingly. In fact, any of the meditations described in Buddha’s teachings can be used to recognize him by his qualities.

You need to first learn Dhamma in order for you to learn meditation. For this purpose, you can join one of the Mahamevnawa Bhavana Monasteries close to where you live. You can also connect with us regularly to do it. We will help you to learn and practice meditation successfully…

Our teacher, the wisest of all, realized this Dhamma without any teachers. It is something that could only be done by a Supreme Buddha. Buddha is our teacher. We are his disciples. Therefore, we must practice the path to Nibbana by following his teachings. This is why it is necessary to learn Dhamma to practice meditation correctly. Please do not think it as a trouble. These sermons of our teacher are pleasant and tasty as honey. You will realize it and start to taste it when you read Buddha’s teachings.

Visit us in this website, and you will be able to read proper books for your need to learn meditation.