The Practice of Meditation in Buddhism - Essay Example

The Practice of Meditation in Buddhism Religious traditions begin with the experience one person. Buddhism began with a man referred to as Buddha in about 560 BC. He decided to investigate his mind and later attained spiritual awakening. He gained the understanding of his real nature. Most people do not consider Buddha as a god to worship, but a person who came up with experiences to be practiced by anyone who wanted to meditate. Buddha came up with a conclusion that a human being is unhappy because they do not know or understand their real identity. From birth, one is taught about, what to think and how to act. Through meditation, we understand who we are thus, bringing joy, peace, and understanding. Thus, the essay gives the practice of meditation in Buddhism in a wide spectrum. In our body and life, there are several things that happen without our control. Different parts of the body function differently without any control. However, it is possible to control the state of our minds and ensure that we change them for the better. Through meditation, one can transform the state of the mind. Buddhism religion encourages clarity, concentration, calming seeing of the nature of things in the world, and encouraging emotional positivity1. By involving yourself in a certain pattern of meditation, you can transform the state of your mind. Through that you can cultivate new and more positive ways of living. Buddhism religion believes that meditation nourishes the mind and helps one to remain focused in life. Through the transformation of the mind, one can understand life in a different perspective. Meditation leads to spiritual freedom and enlightenment. It occupies a central place in Buddhism traditions. There are two main types of meditation in Buddhism religion which include samatha (tranquility) and vipassana (insight. They can be combined or used one after the other. In Japan and China, a school has been developed to teach the meditation process2. Each type of meditation has a given purpose. Tranquility (samatha) meditation is a skill that trains the mind to concentrate. The object one is concentrating in is less important, what is of value is the skill of concentration. The skill of concentration varies in relation to a given situation or individual. Samatha mediation progresses in four main stages. First stage is detachment from the external environment and a consciousness of joy. Second, making sure you concentrate without thinking about any situation. The third stage is passing away of joy, in this state sense of tranquility remains. Lastly, you bring to yourself a state of pure self-possession. The second type of meditation is insight (vipassana). The skills obtained in samatha meditation can be applied in insight meditation. However, the end goal is different. The main purpose of insight meditation is the realization of important truths in one’s life. Most of the people practice vipassana aiming at realizing the truth of impermanence3. Through vipassana, one can gain some level of understanding and through that liberation takes place. Vipassana is centered on the notion of mindfulness. Mindfulness is different from concentration but related to it. In concentration, the entire focus is on the object while mindfulness involves analyzing the program. Mindfulness brings in the aspect of observing something carefully. You do not only focus on the program but also, comprehend it. One is interesting in learning something more about the object in question. Mindfulness has three main purposes which are freeing the mind, training the mind, and knowing the mind. The meditation period gives you an opportunity to help you understand why the mind operates the way it does. That is the process of knowing the mind. One gets involved in thoughts, activities and concerns making him or her forget to determine what makes them operate the way they operate. During this period, one asks himself or herself about the emotional life and the state of the mind and body. Most people are clueless about what makes them carry out the duties the way they do or what motivates them in life. During meditation, one should not come up to the conclusion that something is bad or good. It should be a process of self-discovery. At this stage, you are not supposed to be critical about any situation about life. You just allow thoughts to flow smoothly in your mind. You can learn the state of your mind, thoughts and beliefs present and effect on the body. Through the process of meditation you can change the focus of your thoughts4. Evidently, the mind is not static. It is like a processor that processes information every moment. It can be trained and shaped in a way that a person wants it to be. That is why the Buddhists engage in it to ensure that they engage in activities that are beneficial. The Buddhists believe that when we do not do our role in shaping our mind sets the external forces will do such as media, companions and advertisements. Buddhists during the meditation period, advises the people to train their minds in acts of compassion and kindness. Through the meditation one may get mental conflict within oneself such as confusion, anger, ambition, aversion, and despair. Meditation results in mental stability. Through that we can foster the growth of virtues such as discernment, courage, and generosity5. After training one’s mind, one can free the mind. Through the meditation period, one is advised to let go of the clinging. Through the process, one is made to understand that clinging reduces one’s peace and freedom. The ultimate goal of meditation is freeing the heart so that there will be no barriers, constrictions or shackles to our heart’s freedom. The process of freeing the heart, which is meditation requires knowledge and training6. The process enables you to know yourself and make it easy for one to train the mind. The mind is a central place all the activities of the body take place through the brain. Thus, through undergoing the process, you will be in a position to appreciate yourself. The first step in insight meditation is gaining the skill of mindfulness. The most common ways that one can develop mindfulness include mindfulness of the daily activities, sitting mindfulness and walking mindfulness. As per the Theravada tradition, walking in mindfulness is frequently practiced. In mindfulness practice, one looks for a place so as to take a quiet walk7. During the walking period, one takes the time to relax and focuses on myriad movements, which are associated with walking. According to most of the Buddhists who practice the act, it is easy for an individual to lose himself or herself in the activity. Through the process, one can learn the fundamental truth of his/ her life. Sitting meditation is similar to walking, but focuses on the breath. During the sitting meditation, one focuses on the movement of the abdomen as it moves in and out. One can apply the skill of mindfulness in all the skills in daily activities such as washing dishes and eating. Thus, one can participate in all the activities in life fully. The third type of meditation is loving-kindness meditation (MettaBhavana). Through loving-kindness meditation one can develop the virtue. It is viewed as complementary or supplementary of other forms of meditation in the Buddhism religion. The main purpose of the meditation is to develop a mental habit of altruistic love for others and self. The mettabhavana meditation has three main stages which are specific pervasion, directional pervasion, and non-specific pervasion8. In the first stage of mettabhavana, one focuses on sending love and kindness to specific people. The person starts by himself/herself, then to an admired person, beloved person, an enemy, and then a neutral person who does not evoke any feelings9. The stage involves mantra, visualization, and reflection. In the visualization stage, the person imagines the person looking happy and joyfully. In the reflection stage the acts and qualities of kindness that they have. Lastly, the person can repeat loudly or silently a simple mantra such as ‘loving-kindness’. The second stage, which is directional pervasion the practitioner systematically distributes the feelings of loving and kindness in all the direction that is north, east, south, and west. It is done by bringing to mind some friends and like-minded communities in various parts of the world. Here, the person only has good thoughts about all the people in the world and is willing to spread love and kindness to all the people around. The last stage is non-specific pervasion that mainly focuses on radiating feelings of unconditional love to everybody in everyday life situations. The nonspecific pervasion stage is easy to achieve when all other stages are achieved. It is a neutral stage after accomplishing all the other stages in the meditation process. Meditation develops a certain level of insight where one gains liberating wisdom. Meditation period enables you to understand yourself and all the aspects of your body. Apart from the full well-being of the body, Buddhists practice it as a religion. It acts as a form of spiritual freedom. When one practices Buddhism, some of the hardships of life are eliminated10. You come to a reality of who you are and position in the society and you can understand your inner being more. Human beings understand themselves more and know the inner secrets of their heart. Through meditation, they will be able to learn who they are and fight some of the challenges that come their way after identifying their position. In conclusion, meditation is the best way to ensure that the mind is at peace. There are some of the benefits accrued to meditation. They include pain management; blood pressure enhances the immune system, relaxation, and stress management. Concentration and mindfulness are important in the field of meditation. It is the first stage to enlightenment of the member of the community of who they are. Bibliography Gregory, Peter N. 2006. Traditions of meditation in Chinese Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Vetter, Tilmann. 2008. The ideas and meditative practices of early Buddhism. Leiden: E.J. Brill. Welch, Holmes. 2003. The practice of Chinese Buddhism, 1900-1950. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Zahler, Leah, Tsoṅ-kha-pa Blo-bzaṅ-grags-pa, and Dkon-mchogʼJigs-med-dbaṅ-po. 2009. Study and practice of meditation Tibetan interpretations of the concentrations and formless absorptions. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. Read More