The Complete Buddhist Meditation : Vipassana Bhavana When meditation is serenity centred, that is not the complete Buddhist meditation. Likewise, When meditation is concentration-centred , this is also not a complete l Buddhist meditation. Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong to practise either serenity meditation (samatha bhavana) or concentration meditation (Samadhi bhavana ) or both serenity-concentration meditation (samatha-samadhi bhavana) for worldly benefits such as good health, mental well, stress reduction, peace of mind and even longevity. Serenity and concentration meditation is a cornerstone or preparation for mindfulness meditation (satipatthana). The mindnfulness is the necessary passport to actualize insight meditation( vipassana bhavana). Insight meditation is complete meditation as its goal is self -actualization of wisdom is to know the true nature of the human mind. SELF-UNERSTANDING OF THE TRUE NATURE OF THE HUMAN MIND IS THE GOAL OF EVERY WORLD RELIGION. BUDDHISM IS NO EXCEPTION. Vipassana meditation informs us that the true nature of the human mind is two-fold. There are two operating aspects of the human mind. There are the false mind and the True Mind. The false mind is the ordinary consciousness of self (atta). The True Mind is the intuitive awareness of Non-self. The self constitutes the ‘movement’ of the mind which is manifest. The Non-self or Self constitutes the ‘Rest’ of the mind which is unmanifest. The movement is the conditioned world of samsara; the Rest or Stillness constitutes the unconditioned world of nibbana. Sakyamuni Buddha declares in the Nibbana Sutta (Ud.8.3) that the movement of the mind (samsaric dimension of the conditioned impure mind) is defined as the born, the become, the made and the fabricated (the created world). The conditioned phenomena are the relative or conventional truth (sammuti sacca; samvriti satya) of the multiplicity of the empirical world. The manifest multiplicity are the created visible world. On the other hand, the Rest or Stillness of the mind (nibbana dimension of the pure mind) is the unseen world of the Unborn, the Unbecome, the Unmade , the Unfabricated (the uncreated world) . The unconditioned noumenon is the ultimate or absolute truth (paramatha sacca; paramartha satya) of the unmanifest Unity of the empirical world. The conditioned world is the created movement of the mind. The unconditioned world is the uncreated Rest or Stillness of the mind. They are innately inseparable. The world of samsara is the empirical world of multiplicity. This manifest world corresponds with conditioned movement of the dualistic mind . The world of nibbana is the inner world of Rest or Stillness (Pure Land; Sukhavati). The unmanifest nibbana corresponds with the Rest of the non-dualistic mind. In Buddhist meditation, the movement and Rest co-exist and co-substantiate with one another to produce the human world of thoughts and emotions. When the thoughts and emotions (movement) are not governed by the Rest or Stillness (latent peace of nibbana) , human behaviour creates human suffering. On the other hand, if the movement and Rest are not separated through realized wisdom of insight , a wise person ceases to suffer and experience sustainable happiness. The ultimate purpose of Buddhist meditation to rediscover and recognize the inherent bipolar co-operation of the movement and Rest in the human mind. Buddhist meditation does not redeem Rest and annihilates movement. Buddhist meditation redeems the primordial Rest of nibbana to appease the movement of mind . The movement of the inner mind is manifested as the external activities of the body, speech and mind in all our daily activities. Meditation is not just sitting or walking meditation, Mature meditation is the entire mental culture of redeeming the Rest Mind of clean mirror-like clarity that reflects on images without being defiled the images (movement of the mind). Mental creation going along with a pure mind is true Buddhist meditation. For instance facebook is form of mental creation. Using the facebook to transmit the Dharma is movement. An authentic meditating Buddhist utilizes the wisdom of Rest to move and create. Wisdom is Rest (spiritual insight) ; great compassion is movement (secular activity). The straight path to understand the ‘movement-Rest relationship’ or the ‘samsara-Nibbana relationship’ is to master the ultimate Truth of the relationship between impermanent self (atta) and the permanent Non-self (Anatta). The mastery is resulted from meditational insight into the Buddhist foundamental doctrine of Tilakkhana (Three-fold Characteristic of the human mind) expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha himself . Unity of impermanence and permanence resulting in sustaining happiness is the liberative wisdom of discerning Tilakkkana. Tilakkahna is none other than the middle way of dependent Co-arising (paticcasamuppada; pratityasamutpada). Dependent co-arising is middle way of the unity of polar opposites (unity of the relative and the absolute). Unity of Polar Opposites is the ultimate Reality declared by all tathagatas, prophets, sages, and saints of all religions and traditions. The world is innately hopeful. It is really not hopeless afterall.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 02:20:45 +0000
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