Buddhist Meditation

Dhamma Master Ven. Punnaji

Buddhist meditation, as taught by me, is not a mystical practice; I do not teaching people to become mystics. This technique of meditation is for people who are living a secular life as householders, who go to work, have responsibilities, and who are involved in various social relationships. What such people need is freedom from stress, and freedom from worries and anxieties of life. They need peace of mind, healthy relationships, self-confidence, success in life, and efficiency at work. This means learning to gain control over the emotions that prevent one from thinking rationally or acting intelligently. These problematic emotional disturbances come in the form of anger, lust, worries, fears, and anxieties. The form of Buddhist meditation we teach helps one free the mind of emotional disturbances and help one to think clearly and act rationally.

This technique of meditation does not involve chanting mantras, exercises in concentration, or entering trance states. It involves effort to consciously purify and tranquilize the mind. When the mind is purified, one experiences an inner happiness, a physical comfort, and a kindness and compassion that one has never experienced before. The happiness that we refer to is not a state of emotional excitement, but a tranquil state of the mind. The kindness and compassion we teach is not based on attachment, it is a state of selflessness. As we understand it, emotional excitement is not true happiness, and attachment is not true love. Happiness and kindness are attributes of the tranquil mind. Therefore the aim of this method of meditation is to cultivate a relaxed body, and a calm mind, resulting in the experience of happiness and a kindness of heart.

You may have heard of the two terms - samatha and vipassana. Samatha is the cultivation of the purity and tranquility of mind, and vipassana is the cultivation of intelligence and in-sight. Most people when they speak of samatha meditation, they think it is practicing concentration, but true samatha is not concentration. Concentration can only result in the hypnotic state that leads to hallucinations. Samatha is not the practice self-hypnosis. Properly understood, samatha means purifying and calming the mind.

The term vipassana is also commonly misunderstood because it is usually translated as "insight." The term vipassana is commonly confused with the psychological meaning of the term "insight." In psychology, insight is understood as a sudden understanding of the solution to a problem. In psychotherapy, it is understood as bringing to consciousness, the unconscious motive, of a conscious action. During Vipassana meditation, on the other hand, insight is (in+sight) the direct analytical awareness of the subjective experience at a given moment. It is the subjective awareness of one’s reaction to environmental stimulation. This reaction is analyzed into four parts: (1) the physical manifestation of the reaction as a bodily movement or tension; (2) the feeling of comfort, or discomfort, experienced is the body; (3) the emotional state experienced, in the form of anger, fear, or passion; (4) the thought experienced as a concept or interpretation of a circumstance. Vipassana, therefore, is to see the reaction as an impersonal process of activity that is dependent on the stimulation of the senses. When one observes the subjective experience of the reaction, one becomes aware of the threefold nature of the experience: the instability (anicca), the unpleasantness (dukkha), and the impersonality (anatta). It is unstable because it is dependent on the necessary conditions. It is unpleasant because it is a disturbance of the mind and body. It is impersonal because it is dependent on conditions and is not the work of a “self” or “person” inside the body.

This practice is based on the teaching of the Buddha called the "Sublime-Eight-fold Way" (ariya atthangika magga), which is the way to the cessation of all suffering. The term "ariya," which is commonly translated as "noble," we have translated as “sublime.” This is because the Buddha used the term "ariya" to refer to a higher level of consciousness beyond the normal. The aim of Buddhist meditation is to raise the human consciousness to a higher level, which is beyond the normal. It is more meaningful to translate it as "super-normal," rather than "noble," for just as the aim of modern psychotherapy is to raise an abnormal person to a normal level of living, the aim of the Buddha was to bring the normal person to a super-normal level. We call this supernormal level “sublime.” It is very important therefore to understand this distinction between "noble" and "sublime." This is why we like to call Buddhist meditation a growth technique, rather than the practice of rules or the rituals of sitting or walking meditation. Therefore, the purpose of the practice of Buddhist meditation is to grow to a higher level of emotional maturity, beyond the normal, and to experience a degree of happiness and kindness beyond the normal. Buddhist meditation is a method of gaining emotional maturity through purification of the mind.

This process of growth takes place according to the natural law called “determinism,” though it is consciously executed following a systematic technique. It does not work unconsciously or automatically, or through a supernatural power. We are not depending on any external aid, not even that of a teacher or guru. This practice is based on self-reliance. We have to do it by ourselves. This is a "do-it-yourself" technique. We do not believe that a person is born with a free will, but will-power has to be developed, based on the principle of determinism. In a sense, this method of meditation can be called the development of will power, to control one’s irrational emotions.

There is nothing mysterious about will power. It is a natural human potential that has to be actualized through practice. Biologically speaking, the human being is a higher animal who has a more evolved brain, especially the fore-brain (the cerebrum). The difference, between the human being and all the other animals, is that all other animals are passively reacting emotionally to the environment. The human being alone has the capacity to delay the emotional reaction, to get sufficient time to think and reason out, and decide which response to make in a given situation, and respond rationally, instead of reacting emotionally. It is this power to choose, and respond rationally, that is called will power. Do we really have this ability to make a choice and to act rationally? Unfortunately, this ability to choose and act rationally is not a capacity that we are born with, or is fully developed in the normal human being. This is why we make so many stupid mistakes in life, about which we repent later. Often we want to do something in the right way, but we find ourselves doing just the opposite. This is because our will-power has not been fully developed. It has to be developed consciously through a proper technique. Buddhist meditation, when properly practiced, is the way to develop our will-power.

This is what one learns from our lessons at the center and during our retreats. It is learning how to act rationally instead of emotionally. One will be provided with the tools to work on oneself. Working on oneself is ones own job, not the teacher's. The teacher's job is only to give the tools and the instructions. Our hope is that you will be able to work on yourself and grow, evolve, and transform. The degree of transformation, and quality of life experienced is the measure of progress. What we look for is growth and transformation, not mere insight. This is why we do not call this method of meditation, "insight meditation". We also do not expect visions or hallucinations of any kind. If what you gain from a retreat is only more will-power, and peace of mind, then you have gained a degree of success.

It is very important to understand that this technique of meditation is a method of transforming oneself from a self-centered personality into a selfless one, by following the Supernormal Eight-fold Way. There are eight steps to be followed. They are as follows:

Harmonious Perspective
Harmonious goal visualization
Harmonious speech
Harmonious action
Harmonious lifestyle
Harmonious practice
Harmonious attentiveness
Harmonious equilibrium

The first step is to acquire the harmonious perspective. The harmonious perspective is the perspective that brings about harmony internally and externally. This is a perspective, not mere a right view or a right understanding. This is a different way of looking at life, yourself, the world, and your relationship to the world. It is seeing things in a different way, which does not create conflict internally or externally.

The first thing we must do is to understand that all unhappiness that we experience in life is not due to our unfavorable circumstances, but due to the way we react to circumstances. This means that our unhappiness, its cause, and its cure and the way to its cure are within us. In other words, we must stop worrying about our circumstances and start worrying, if we must, about our attitude to circumstances.

To put it in another way, we must stop reacting to circumstances and start responding to circumstances. A reaction is emotional, while a response is rational. The difference between an animal and a human being is that animals react emotionally to circumstances, while human beings respond rationally to circumstances. Yet the normal human being does not always respond rationally, they often react emotionally like animals. This means that the normal human being, being a kind of animal, carry the animal nature until fully evolved to the human level. In other words, the normal human being is not fully evolved. This is why we have to meditate and learn through meditation to evolve, or grow up. This growth is a conscious psychological process rather than an unconscious biological process. The normal human being when fully grown or evolved becomes a supernormal human being who is not an “ego” or “self” any more, but a “sublime” individual who is “selfless.”

In order to evolve consciously this way, we have to learn about the mind. Our mind has two parts: one is emotional and the other is rational. The Buddha called this emotional part citta, and the rational part mano. The emotional part (citta) is blind to reality, and the rational part or intellect (mano) is aware of reality. The blind emotions come in conflict with reality, while the intellect tries to adjust to reality. The reality that the intellect is aware of is that every event or circumstance is dependent on necessary conditions. Even if one of the necessary conditions is absent, the event cannot occur. What is dependent on conditions is unstable. What is unstable is insecure, unpleasant and undesirable. What is unpleasant is not as I want. What is not as I want is not under my power. What is not under my power is not mine. What is not mine cannot be me or myself. This is the nature of reality: it is unstable, unpleasant, and impersonal.

Our emotions are not permanent entities. They come and go, dependent on conditions. An emotion has two parts: a mental picture and a physical disturbance. The same disturbance can occur with different mental pictures. These emotions come in two basic forms: seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. This means, what they ultimately seek is permanent pleasure. This is unrealistic and impossible, because pleasure is impermanent and pain cannot be avoided altogether. Emotions are also possessive and self-centered. We do not really possess anything in the world because all relationships are impermanent. Our self-centeredness is futile because we can never really preserve a permanent self or identity, because we change constantly, both physically and mentally and we cannot avoid death. This pursuit of eternal pleasure and eternal life is based on blind emotions and not on clear thinking. It is important to understand that our emotions come in conflict with reality because they are blind, and it is unwise to be carried away by them. It is wiser to be dominated by reason than by emotion.

Let us consider a person who is attracted to money or wealth; he may think that becoming wealthy is the greatest thing in the world, and then begin to earn wealth. When he makes a loss he becomes terribly unhappy. Another might think that social position is greater than wealth, and he might sacrifice wealth to gain social position. When he loses his position he comes to great discomfort as a result. Still, another person might believe that popularity is better than riches or even social position. The latter might sacrifice wealth and high social position to become popular and to secure a good name. Such a person might be blamed and lose the good name some way or other, and as a result suffer much pain of mind. Another person might think, "What is the use of popularity?" "What is the use of social recognition?" "What is the use of wealth?" "What I need is sensual pleasure.” And then, keep on going after sensual pleasure, thinking that it is the greatest thing! Such a person too will be thoroughly disappointed when he/she ceases to get the pleasures he/she craves for.

Different people have a different sense of values. They have different ideas of what is good or great or superior. And according to each person's sense of values, each person will feel inferior, superior or equal. If a person thinks that wealth is superior, then the moment this person meets a wealthier person, he/she begins to feel inferior. If a person thinks that high social position is superior, he/she will feel inferior in the presence of any person who is greater in social position. Likewise, if a person thinks that popularity is the greatest thing; that person begins to feel inferior upon meeting a person who is more popular than himself or herself. If a person thinks that enjoying sensual pleasure is the greatest thing, then that person will feel inferior in the presence of some one who is enjoying more sensual pleasures. This is how people feel inferior or superior. This worldly sense of values was shown by the Buddha to be not only unhealthy but it also brings unhappiness, disappointment, frustration, sorrow, pain, anxieties, and worry.

The Buddha pointed out that happiness is to be sought not outside in wealth, status, popularity or sensual pleasures; but rather, inside in peace of mind. This happiness within is inner peace, calm or tranquility of mind. If one can understand that inner peace is the greatest thing in the world, then, when one meets a calm person what one feels is not inferiority, but appreciation and inspiration. When we are really convinced that calmness is the greatest thing, we do not need tranquilizers. Tranquilizers are needed only when we are not convinced that calmness is the greatest thing, because then our goal is not calmness. It is the goal, based on our sense of values that determines our calmness.

It is our sense of values therefore that makes us calm or not calm. You have heard the word "Nirvana" or "Nibbana" which is regarded as the ultimate goal of the Buddhist. Some think that Nirvana is some kind of Heaven but that is not what Nirvana is. Nirvana simply means the Imperturbable Serenity of mind. (nir is the negative prefix like the English "non," and vana means shaking). "Nirvana" is the mind that is not shaken by anything, even death. It is a tranquility of mind which can never be disturbed. If we understand and believe that Nirvana is the greatest thing in the world, then we become Buddhists as a result. On the other hand, if we do not think that Nirvana is the greatest thing, then we will not be trying to achieve Nirvana, and therefore we are not real Buddhists, even if we call ourselves Buddhists. Therefore one becomes a Buddhist or not, by the sense of values, not by birth or baptism.

When our perspective changes, our sense of values change; when our sense of values change, our goal in life changes; when our goal in life changes, our thoughts, speech, and actions change, by falling in line with this goal. Then we don't have to push ourselves to meditate. Meditation will automatically take place because meditation is the means to the goal we are trying to reach. Our life will automatically move towards the goal we have chosen. We do not have to make any special effort, or make any resolution to meditate. We do not need any will-power to meditate. We do not have to force ourselves to meditate. We do not need to say, "I don't have any time,” or “I have to make time." We will automatically have time to meditate, because that is what we want to do. If we really want to do something, we will always have the time. We do not have time only when we are not really interested in doing it. This means, when we have the right understanding, or harmonious perspective, we will begin to meditate automatically. Then meditation is not something we do. It is our way of life.

Good luck. Enjoy. Be happy. Evolve. Be transformed.

Seek the imperturbable serenity.