Ealing Yoga

MEDITATION = AWARENESS

I like this fairly short but very clear account of meditation. it’s from at little booklet called MEDITATION = AWARENESS’ by the Most Venerable Dr. M Vajiragnana from the London Buddhist Vihara which is in Chiswick, West London.

 

INTRODUCTION

The teaching of the Buddha contains the solution to all problems in life. It involves self-discipline and self-understanding. Meditation has always been the direct way to perceive for oneself both the problems and their solutions. The practice brings relaxation, mental stability and calmness in daily life. We could even say it polishes our life.

The purpose of this little book is to introduce the reader to the field of meditation. The practice of which is not, as I have explained within the book, withdrawal from the world but a necessary preparation. Nor is meditation concerned only with the philosophical considerations of sages and monks. In every activity, in every mode of life, in every occupation, for all people at all times, the practice of meditation can lead us to an appreciation of our individual place in life and of life’s intrinsic value. Because we become aware more of ourselves as an individual than as a social / political animal, we gain the confidence and clarity of vision to use our powers wisely and for the good of all.

The Buddha encouraged his followers to ‘Meditate now so that you will not be lethargic and remorseful when the opportunity has passed and age or sickness overtakes you’. A great master of meditation once said, ‘Living a meditative life is the same as living an ordinary everyday life….do not waste time.’

With those words I close this introduction and I leave you to read on.

MEDITATION IS AWARENESS

The word ‘meditation’ means many different things to many different people. The fact that it is used in so many religious and philosophical traditions does not mean that it is always used in the same sense. Some people approach this subject with all sorts of preconceived ideas about what sort of experiences they should expect.

Practising meditation is not a ritual or a ceremony to be performed. It is in no sense a ‘mystical’ state. Meditation is a straightforward practice designed to cultivate awareness of the present moment.

The intrinsic value of meditation is that, by making us more aware of ourselves, it can lead us to an appreciation of our individual place in life. We are able to face the vicissitudes of life quietly, calmly and wisely. In Buddhism there is one word which describes this precisely, it is Wisdom or Panna. Panna is not the same thing as intelligence – It is not accumulated ability. Wisdom is a pure understanding in the present, reality in the here and now. Wisdom sees the truth as the truth and the false as the false. It is wisdom that enables us to love all beings and has the power to alleviate suffering.

Meditation also helps us to live as neurosis-free beings, free from fear and worry. In the modern world, this alone is enough justification for the regular practice of meditation, but it also brings the further benefits of a greater understanding of life, leading to purity of action, speech and thought, and a deep serenity born out of seeing the world as it really is, not as we wish it to be.

MENTAL CULTURE

The Buddha said there are two kinds of disease. What are those two? Physical disease and mental disease. There are people who enjoy freedom from physical disease for a year or two, even for a hundred years or more. But rare in this world are those who enjoy freedom from mental disease, even for one moment, except those who are free from mental defilements.’

He referred many times to the benefits and blessings of meditation, teaching its physical and mental benefits as well as its spiritual value. When the Buddha spoke on the subject he used the word Bhāvanā. The word meditation is in fact not a good translation of the Pali word Bhāvanā, which means ‘mental culture or development’. This means culture in the fullest sense of the term. It aims at cleansing the mind of impurities and disturbances such as lustful desires, hatred, anger, jealousy, pride, arrogance, ill-will, indolence, sceptical doubts, worries and restlessness, whilst cultivating such qualities as love, compassion, kindness, concentration, awareness, determination, energy, discernment, confidence, joy and tranquillity. The more we can fill our minds with positive qualities, the less room there will be for negative feelings to manifest themselves.

Hence, one reason we practise meditation is to train the mind to develop its pleasant qualities and reduce its unpleasant states. There is, however, a more important, more fundamental aim. This is to reach the Truth – wisdom or penetrative knowledge, which Buddhists call Enlightenment. Ordinarily our minds are clouded by defilements, so we’re unable to see things in their proper nature; it’s like looking through a veil or a piece of tinted glass. We do not see reality, but we see things as we would like them to be. For example, because we like to perceive our bodies as objects of beauty, we spend much time and effort to decorate them with fine clothes, cosmetics and perfume. All of these embellishments prevent us from seeing the real nature of the body, which in its true state is not so attractive. Buddhist meditation enables us to see things as they really are, shorn of our preconceived ideas, our projections, our likes and dislikes. It leads eventually to the attainment of the highest wisdom.

This does not mean that we have to give up conventional activities – we still have to live in society and we can still carry out our customary actions, such as caring for our bodies, but we’re no longer attached to them and we see them for what they are.

Some people think that meditation is only for those people who have problems which need to be sorted out. This is however a serious misconception, as it ignores the very positive contribution which meditation can make to the way in which we live our lives. It is a way to bring about peaceful living with a mind that is relaxed and able to understand things that are happening both within us and outside us. The practice of meditation helps prevent us from becoming upset when difficulties arise and it develops beneficial qualities such as courage, energy and vision.

One element of the Buddhist path is called right effort. It has four parts. First, we should strive to prevent the arising of unwholesome mental states which have not yet arisen. Secondly, we should strive to eliminate unwholesome mental states which have already arisen. Thirdly, we should strive to arouse wholesome mental states which have not yet arisen. And fourthly, we should strive to develop those wholesome mental states which have already arisen. By practising right effort in order to clear our minds of negative mental states, we can cope with whatever situations we have to face, be worry free and enjoy life as it comes.

Happiness and unhappiness lie within our own minds. They’re not dependent on our external circumstances but on how we react to these circumstances. Two people may have the same experience but one will react by feeling happy and the other by feeling unhappy. Meditation helps us to cultivate the happy responses and reduce the unhappy ones. It gives us the courage to withstand life’s inevitable difficulties without disturbing our peace of mind.

In addition to its mental benefits, the practice of meditation also improves physical health by inducing relaxation and sound sleep. It can also help alleviate other physical problems such as heart disease, duodenal and gastric ulcers and many more conditions related to stress which are increasing rapidly in the developed countries of the world.

At the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Herbert Benson found that meditators develop what he calls the ‘relaxation response’ to difficult or dangerous situations. This is a much healthier response than the very common ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction. He also observed that during meditation the heart rate decreases on average by three beats a minute and that the rate of breathing also decreases. The blood pressure of those who have high blood pressure is reduced during meditation. Dr. Benson found that all the traditional methods of meditation evoke this response. He also found that four basic elements are needed. They are a quiet environment, an object for the attention to dwell on, a comfortable posture and above all a non-discriminatory attitude towards meditation. This is exactly what the Buddha taught 2,500 years ago.

The requirements for meditation are time, patience and confidence – the time to practise without interruption at a convenient and conducive time of day, the patience to be aware that the results of meditation may not be experienced or even noticed for some time and confidence in its efficacy. What is not demanded is any strict religious observance, rites or rituals. Nor is it demanded that a middle-aged person all but break his legs assuming a sitting position he may not have used before all these things are foreign to the spirit of Buddhism.

You can read about meditation in many books and you can hear about it from well-respected teachers but you will not know meditation until you try it first-hand. You cannot know the taste of a mango until you eat one yourself. Taste is a personal matter which cannot be fully described by one individual to another. There’s no substitute for direct personal experience. So it is with meditation. Meditation is something that must be experienced. No matter how many learned books you may read about the subject, it is practice which counts.

For Buddhists meditation is a central part of their lives. In the Satipatthana Sutta, the most important of the Buddha’s discourses on the subject, meditation is said to be a direct way for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of suffering and grief, for reaching the right path and for the attainment of Nibbana. (In Sanskrit the word used is Nirvana) Meditation as it is expounded in the original Pali texts is based primarily upon the experience of the Buddha himself and the methods adopted by him in the attainment of enlightenment.