Meditation

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 [...]

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.

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 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 [...]