A Brief Introduction to Buddhist Meditation
Bhavana or Meditation means the cultivation and development of mind. As a religion that aims to realize the ultimate truth (Nibbana), meditation plays an essential role in Buddhism. One main purpose of practicing meditation is to eliminate negative mental states and defilements that delude the mind from its purity. At the same time, meditation is practiced to cultivate positive mental states that help to purify the mind and nurture the arising of insights. These insights will ultimately result in the realization of Nibanna.
Meditation brings in concentration and joy to the mind. It trains the mind on how to develop mindfulness and clear comprehension of the natural occurrences of phenomena. In other words, Buddhist meditation trains its practitioners to realize the three universal characteristics of existence, i.e. impermanence, suffering and non-self, in every moment. With this realization, and when the mind gets purified along the way, understandings will arise.
Meditation method refers to the tools to cultivate mindfulness and concentration. They can be classified into two groupings, Samatha Bhavana (Tranquility Meditation) and Vipassana Bhavana (Insight Meditation).
Samatha Bhavana refers to methods that focus on cultivating high levels of concentration (one-pointedness of mind) and calmness (pleasant state of mind) by making successive efforts in focusing one's mind on a meditation object. The purpose of Samatha Bhavana is to cultivate concentration. As one progresses through various levels of concentration, different stages of joy and calmness will arise. And this will temporarily eradicate the three cankers of mind, i.e. greed, hatred and delusion.
In Vipassana Bhavana, practitioners focus their minds on ever-changing objects of reality. Their minds investigate the natural phenomena of the mind and body processes in every present moment. One main difference between Vipassana and Samatha bhavana is their meditation objects. The object of meditation for Vipassana is reality while the object for Samatha are Concepts.
In the practice of Vipassana Bhavana, the arising and dissolving nature of the entire mind and body processes are used as the object of meditation. Practitioners who are mindful of the mental and physical processes of these objects will develop clear comprehension of their true nature. By constant mindful observation, insights will emerge as a result.
Concentration is also an essential element in Vipassana practice. The only difference between the concentration of Samatha and that of Vipassana is that the former is applied on a fixed meditation object while the latter on ever-changing objects. In Vipassana, practitioners concentrate on observing four main objects, i.e. body, feelings, consciousness and mental object. With the increment in concentration level, their minds will become sharper and more balanced. They could observe and experience the changing nature of mind and body in every moment clearly. They will then realize the reality of mind and body and thus, understand that they too are formed by the same elements that follow the natural karmic law of arising and dissolving. Practitioners will soon realize the non-existence of a 'self' or soul. With these understandings, higher levels of insights become apparent. With the arising of insight of clear knowing, the mind becomes equanimous. When the mind is absolutely balanced, at peace, pure, energetic and mindful, the practitioner will experience the cessation of all these ever-changing processes and realize the state of Nibbana, the cessation of all suffering.
Source : http://www.buddhastation.org
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