BHAVANA

 
            Nowadays, many people around the world are interested in meditation and mediation
becomes a well-known practice. A lot of meditation center appears all over the world. As
different people have different view, they practice meditation according to their different
intentions. Some people want to reduce stress, some for peaceful merely, some for liberation
from suffering and to attain path, fruition and Nibbana. In my opinion, most of people are
interested in Buddhism because of meditation. Buddhism is famous for meditaion and The Lord
Buddha teaches the technique of meditation and it is true that those who follow the teaching can
cultivate peacefulness in life and ends all the suffering.
            In the Buddhist scriptures, The Buddha teaches two kinds of meditation: Samatha
meditation and vipassanā meditation. The word meditation is described as Bhavana in Pali. But it
is more suitable to be translated as mental developed or cultivation of mind than meditation.
Samatha steadies, composes, unifies and concentrates the mind. Vipassanā means insight into
the three marks of existence.
            The Buddha has prescribed 40 objects for Samatha meditation. They are 10 kasina, 10
loathsome, 10 recollections, 4 sublime abodes, 4 immaterial spheres, perception of disgust of
food and defining four elements. In Samatha meditation, it is divided into three stages according
to the degree of concentration: the preparatory stage, the neighborhood stage and the absorption
stage. At the preparatory stage, concentration is initial and still undeveloped and all the stages of
concentration start from this initial stage. When a meditator apprehend the meditation object by
mind door as if it were seen by the eye, his concentration become concentrated and reach the
neighborhood stage.
            During the process of samatha meditation, a meditator may face mental factors that
hinder progress in meditation. These factors are identified as obstacles to the jhanas and
vipassanā. They are sensory desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, doubt. They
are overcome by access concentration at the neighborhood. Then, his mind stays with the object
for a long time. In this way he concentrates on the object again and again. Finally, his mind is
absolutely concentrated on the object of meditation. And such a state of mind is called jhana or
apana absorption stage of mind. Jhana means to burns up the mental defilements preventing the
developments of insight knowledge and to contemplate of the object firmly.
            Jhana has four or five stages, in accordance with the teaching of the Buddha. The second
stage of jhana concentration is better than the first. So is the third and fourth. As long as the mind
is deeply concentrated on the object it's free from all mental impurities such as greed, desire, lust,
anger, ignorance etc. temporarily. His mind feels happy, peaceful, clam and tranquil. Tranquility,
serenity and calmness are the result of samatha meditation. If a meditator is skilled in entering
any stage of jhana easily, he can proceed with his meditation in order to attain psychical or
supernormal powers. Supernormal powers can be obtained based on the four jhanas.
            However, samatha can oppress the defilements and give higher stages of concentration. It
cannot leads to the nivarna and uprooted all the defilements in permanent. To attain the nivarna
and free from all the suffering, the Buddha shows the vipassanā meditation. There are two ways
to attain the nivarna: The first is practice samatha first, and then change to vipassanā. The second
is without approaching samatha and only follow directly vipassanā. This is so called two
vehicles. We can follow according to our wish. Both of two practice lead to nivarna. It is like
going to the Shwedagon pagoda. We can access from the south stairs, or from the Northern,
Eastern or Western stairs to reach it. The final goal is same.
            When you practice the vipassanā, you can understand what matter, mind as they really
are and its interrelation. For example, we have ears. There is sound in our surrounding. Due to
the meeting of the two, ear-consciousness arises. At that moment, the vipassanāmeditator well
understands about the natural of nãma and rūpa "it is not soul or being, it is just mind and
matter."  Such a seeing is called analytical knowledge of mind and matter. Then, as long as you
keep the practice, you will understand more in detail. Ear-consciousness does not appear before
the meeting of ear and sound, ear-consciousness can arise only when they meet. Ear and sound
are causes of ear-consciousness and ear-consciousness is their effect as if playing a harp. There is
no sound in the harp. Sound only happen when the strings is touched by fingers. This knowledge
is called knowledge of caulity. Such two knowledge are foundation of vipassanā.
 
            After that, you examine it as permanent or impermanent, as suffering or happiness, as
controllable or uncontrollable repeatedly and gradually understand there is nothing to be satisfied
in the conditioned things as they are rising and falling all the time. Then, you want to be free
from it. At last, you just only see it in equanimity and no longer want to observe the conditioned
things, looking out for Nibbana. Then, you will find the ends of all sankhara, liberate from all the
suffering and become noble person, stream-winner, eradicating two defilements: wrong views
and doubt. Stream-winner does not reborn more than seven lives.
            If you continue the vipassanā meditation with earnest aspiration, you will develop new
stages of insight knowledge and attain the three higher paths and fruits: once-returner in sense-
sphere, non-returner in sense-sphere and arahant, the highest person of noble ones. As a result,
all the defilements contained within the mind are uprooted and destroyed in the last stage and
your mind becomes fully pure and cleansed, liberated from all the suffering of birth, aging and
death.
            In conclusion: the two techniques, samatha and vipassanā meditation, are essential
practice in the Buddha's teaching. Samatha oppress the mental hindrances temporality, make the
mind clam and tranquil. Vipassanā uproot all the mental defilements at all, realize the
phenomenal of mind and matter and attain Nivarna. Whatever you are, prince or worker and
wherever you are, in the home, forest or monastery, you can contemplate it. As far as you
practice, you can get the benefit in this life. The dharma taught by the Buddha can be seen by
oneself and has immediate effect. There is no delay. But you may attain as far as your
perfections. It is only important to follow them systematically and rightly. Therefore, while the
teaching of the Buddha is shining, you should try hard to follow these two techniques with
understand and confidence.
 
Ashin Dhammapiya
18/DCUM/018