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.

 

 

 

Worship and Devotion in Buddhism - Punya, Puja and Karma

 

Devotion

·        Devotion is a key practice within Buddhism, and originated with followers showing devotion to the Buddha by renouncing their worldly lives and giving up everything to follow the dharma. Devotion means showing love and reverence for the Buddha, his teachings, and senior religious leaders in Buddhism. Later Buddhists were also encouraged to show devotion to their teachers: Newly ordained monks were expected to show trust and respect for their teacher, and if they did not, their teacher could formally dismiss them

·        Devotional worship is practised in Buddhism in a variety of different ways, but its purpose is always to help followers gain good punya (merit), punya is a special power, which helps people in their current and next life. It is like a currency, which followers can use for themselves or give to others. Mahayana Buddhists believe that Bodhisattvas have unlimited punya to share with the world which is why they will often worship them.

·        Mahayana Devotional practices include: Prostration (bowing/lying face-down) to images of Gotama Buddha, and in Mahayana Buddhism also to other Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Such images originated some centuries after the historical Buddha. Devotion towards bodhisattvas focuses on their compassion, their skill and extraordinary powers. Prostration also happens within the religious hierarchy of the sangha: by a monk to a monk ordained earlier; by a nun to a nun ordained earlier; by a nun to a monk, regardless of date of ordination; by a lay person to a monk or nun. Worship is often seen as more important within Mahayana Buddhism as there are more beings to worship – past and future Buddhas and bodhisattvas such as Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of compassion). Buddhists may worship through chanting a mantra, or through reciting the 3 refuges that they formally expressed when they became a Buddhist.

·        Theravada Buddhists also practice devotion, and may have a small shrine to the Buddha in their own home, or visit the temple to venerate an image of him by giving offerings such as flowers and incense to images of the Buddha, which gives them good punya. In the Wat Phra Dhammakaya movement, there is a regular ceremony where the Buddhas in pari-nirvana are honored with food which is sent to them through the power of meditation.

·        Pilgrimage - according to sources recognized by most scholars as early, the Buddha, shortly before his death, recommended pilgrimage to four places: his birthplace (Lumbini, now Rummindei in Nepal); the site of his enlightenment (Bodh Gaya); the site of the preaching of his first sermon (near Benares); the place of his death (Kusinara). The Wat Phra Dhammakaya movement has attempted to organise Buddhist pilgrimages to holy sites, but this has reportedly only had varied success.

·        Puja or worship helps Buddhists to gain good karma, and puja is encouraged in both Theravada and Mahayana traditions. However, it could be said that there is more of an emphasis on worship in the Mahayana tradition. This is because Mahayana Buddhists worship bodhisattvas as well as past Buddhas, the future Buddha and the current Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. Mahayana temples are therefore often larger, more ornate, and full of statues of many semi-divine beings for followers to worship. Theravada temples on the other hand will just focus on the person of Gautama as he is the only being that they worship, as he is the central role model of Theravada Buddhism.

·        Images of the Buddha can vary hugely, the Buddha is often depicted in different styles depending on what area of the world one is in – for example Chinese Buddhists depict the Buddha in art and statues in a Chinese style, whereas Nepalese Buddhists might represent the Buddha in a more south-Asian style. They can be useful as a focus for one’s worship, and to help a Buddhist overcome certain issues by giving their life over to the aims of Buddhism.

·        It can be argued that the Buddha may have rejected some acts of devotion - The Buddha repeatedly discouraged any excessive veneration paid to him personally. He knew that an excess of purely emotional devotion can obstruct or disturb the development of a balanced character, and thus may become a serious obstacle to progress on the path to enlightenment. The focus should be on the dharma and escaping Samsara, not on just worshipping the Buddha for the sake of it. The Buddha said “those who see me see the dharma”, suggesting that it is more important to focus on the teachings of Buddhism than the Buddha himself.