Buddhism Scriptures - Essay Example

Buddhism Scriptures A close examination of Buddhist scriptures 103-116, 134-144, 146-162 presents a great opportunity toreflect on the benefits of meditation and the discussion of King Milinda and Nagasena. There are different techniques used in these scriptures to capture readers’ attention. While reading the scriptures, anecdote is one of the persuasive techniques used. The scripture presents a brief story of the discussion between King Milinda and Nagasena. The two individuals discuss an ordinary problem about personal identity.

In their discussion, Nagasena uses similes to describe how identity changes over time. For instance, he compares the flame and lamp whereby he points out that although the latter remains the same the former changes from moment to moment. At this point, Nagasena compares the flame with consciousness and the lamp with the body. The discussion between the King and Nagasena contains interesting arguments and facts about the concept of personal identity through time. Now that we have discussed the techniques used in the mentioned scriptures, the following section will discuss the benefits of meditation as underlined in the text.

For Buddhists, the concept of meditation improves the mental states such as concentration, happiness, and calmness that in turn boost the forces of intimacy and effort, mindfulness, self-awareness, pondering, and hearing (Stewart, Blocker, and Petrik 33). The mentioned Buddhist scriptures suggest that, mediation is a key experience in human beings in that it improves their state of mind and inner experience of feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. It is important to note that, the practice of meditation regards one to employ certain techniques that boost this state.

Some of the techniques used include breathing that may take place when sitting. The breathing should take place without any distraction. According to Buddhism, the body, mind, and breath are crucial things to consider when meditating. One should pay attention to the body position in that it dictates the success of the meditation. The position of the body determines what happens to the mind and breath. The most effective body position for meditation is the stable and the symmetrical sitting position.

This position is recommended because it stretches the body and keeps it upright. Efficiency and stability also make the sitting position to work well in meditation. For instance, the sitting positioning is important since it stabilizes all the weight and keeps the spine straight. Zen meditation is a very important aspect of human beings in that it helps the mind to be at rest. It helps the whole body to be still and completely awake. Scattered energy and mental activity keep human beings separated from themselves and their environment.

It hinders human beings to reason sensibly because of the scattered mind. However, in the process of Zen meditation, the surface activity of the mind begins to develop and come to a point of rest. The more complete the mind is at rest, the more effectively and deeply the body relaxes. This is a very fundamental and natural aspect of human beings in that it keeps them alive and completely awake. In Zen meditation, human beings learn to uncover their mind and learn who they truly are. In other words, it is an important aspect of unveiling true identity.

Typically, the discussion of King Milinda and Nagasena creates a strong platform to understand about the nature of identity and self (Stewart, Blocker, and Petrik 33). In brief, the nature of self and identity is one of the king’s questions. The following section summarizes the conversation and underline lessons learnt by the king in his discussion with Nagasena. In their discussion with the king, Nagasena rejects the notion that the person that exists is the ultimate sense that will continue to exist in the future.

Overall, the monk Nagasena believed an adult and infant is the same person in that they present psychophysical elements relates to past elements. Nagasena refutes the king’s claim that an infant and adult are two distinct persons. In this case, Nagasena has succeeded in convincing the king that the belief of self should be rejected. However, the king wonders the consequences that would occur for rejecting the concept of self and personal identity. Despite their differences in the interpretation of self and personal identity, there are various lessons learnt by the king.

The king learns that infant and adult are the same people if only the elements constituting the infant are the same with that of the adult. Still, the King understands that what constitutes him is not something he can point to or name rather, what he is continues to impact what he becomes in the future. Works Cited Stewart, David, Blocker Gene, and Petrik, James. Fundamentals of Philosophy. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.