Meditation and mindfulness: Samatha and Vipassana meditation

 

Meditation

·        Meditation is part of the Eightfold Path and is seen as a central practice within Buddhism. It is important as the Buddha attained enlightenment through meditation. All Buddhists must learn to perfect meditation to be able to escape Samsara. Meditating helps Buddhists to try and conquer their craving (tanha) in order to reduce their Dukkha. This is seen as a huge task, which is why monks renounce their lives and spend years practising meditation techniques. Meditating helps Buddhists to cut through their negative emotions and understand the true state of the mind. It helps Buddhists become free of distractions which is what is needed to be able to gain enlightenment. The Buddha said “it is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles”, showing the importance of clearing the mind in Buddhism

·        Samatha meditation means “calm abiding” and focuses on mindfulness through clearing the mind. This is achieved through calming practises such as observing one’s breath or walking meditation. It allows people to let go of negative thoughts and helps prepare people to realise the true nature of things.

·        Vipassana mediation means “insight meditation” and focuses on meditating on a particular teaching or concept of Buddhism to help one understand it better. It allows a person to develop insight into the very nature of things.Leads to increased wisdom. Is necessary to understand the ultimate truth of nirvana. Draws on human intelligence, observation and analysis to give a deeper level of understanding. E.g. Someone will meditate on a topic to understand it better, such as the Four Noble Truths. The teachings need to become personal and Buddhists need to experience them, so Vipassana meditation is also a key part of a Buddhist’s journey on the eightfold path.

·        In the 21^st Century, mindfulness therapy has its roots in Samatha Meditation but is now used by many people to help them overcome negative thoughts and feelings. It involves becoming aware of one’s environment as well as one’s thoughts and feelings, and dealing with feelings without judging oneself. It is designed to reduce stress. An example of 21^st Century Mindfulness is therapy (e.g. ‘Mindfulness Colouring Books’). People may also be prescribed therapy which is based in mindfulness practices – either Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy/Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Jon Kabat-Zinn and the hourglass model of therapy: Recently, Jon Kabat-Zinn has written a book combining scientific CB methods with Buddhist spiritual mindfulness method. This is known as an “hourglass model”: using knowledge that has been present in Buddhism for millennia to help scientists perform better therapy. It could be argued that this is a form of Upaya Kusala – teaching people Buddhist doctrine in a skilful way to help them understand it.It also relates to the 4NTs as it helps people to overcome suffering by utilising scientific methods of therapy.

·        There are some criticisms of using Samatha meditation as a form of therapy, and some of these criticisms come from Buddhists themselves. For example it misses out many key  Buddhist ideas such as non-attachment, and reducing stress without teaching the rest of the Eightfold path could actually lead people to become more attached to the world and thus experience more dukkha. People feel that it is wrong to divorce a Buddhist practice from its true intention and meaning, feeling that this may “commodify” an important aspect of Buddhist practice for people to use for their own personal gain. Samatha meditation is part of the dharma so may Buddhists reject its use as a therapy. Some others however may argue that Upaya Kusala may mean that the Buddha intended people to be introduced to Buddhism through Samatha-based therapies, and that this will allow them to start working towards the true goal of Buddhism in this lifetime and the next.