Meditation

• Awareness and awakeness an individual has
• To train the mind so it is less distracted
• To improve concentration and midfulness.
• Supplies tools for direction in life 
• Can only understand meditation through personal exprerience 
• Break through the cloud of elusion, develop awareness of what is real
• in different schools they use different meditation tecniques:
  • Visulisation, gongs, images of the Buddha or even statues.
• through chanting Buddhists feel they can interact with others in a more positive way.
• The mind is purified as it gets rid of all the pollution of the mind that you obtain through your own lifetime. 

Because through meditaion a Buddhist can become more awake, this is due to mental development state in order to open uo access to the jhanas. 

• Being aware of all situations and a practice of calming the mind and its formstions. 
• commonly through mindfulness of breathing, you have to focus the mind on something simple. 

Mindfulness and the 5 skanda's

• 4 types of midfulness are; mindful of the body, feeling, mind and mental stages.
• 5 skanda's: body, sensations, perceptions, consciousness and impulses. 
• The 5 skanda's change the perspective of meditation and give a deeper understanding as to why people do it and what it helps.

4 Jhana's and the importance of calm

• The 4 levels of Jhana where the mind is increasingly attached. 
• 1st level is a state of detachment, with a higher degree of clarity and concentration.
• 2nd level is reached when one leanrs to quieten the endless chatter of the mind.
• 3rd is more spiritual 
• 4th stage is passing beyond joy to a state of clear consciousnees like Nirvana. 
• eventually becoming deta hed from the normal train of thought in the external world.

'Samatha meditation usuallt starts with cultivation of mindfulness'

Denise Cush

• Four Brahma Viharas:
  • Metta- loving kindness (emotions are developed through meditation)
  • Karuna- compassion
  • Mudita- sympathetic joy
  • Upekkha- equanimity
• Metta- 5 stage:
  • 1. self- love for yourself must be important to allow you to begin to love others, accept yourself before you accept others. 
    • 'May i be happy and free from suffering.' 
    • 'We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.' Dhali Lhama
  • 2. The people close to us, whom we love and respect.
    • 'May my loved ones be happy and free from suffering'
  • 3. Neutral beings, treat them like your loved ones.
    
  • 4. Love on your enemies and be free from conflict.
    • 'May my enemies be happy and free from suffering'
  • 5. Love people in the world that you have never met before.
    • 'May all beings be happy and free from suffering.' 

• Insight the idea of doing things in the moment, meditaion allows for the demolishment of craving, and engage the consciousness.
• The ability to see things clearly and to get to the 'heart' of things.
• The main insight they have is into the natural law of life, known as the 3 Lakshana's.
• Awareness of the disharmony in their life and the futility of attachments to reduce suffering. 
• realisation that nothing in life is permanent teaching the value and appreciation in life because nothing lasts forever. 

'Impermanence teaches us to respect and value every moment.' Thich Nhat Hanh

• Ability to reach Nirvana by demoloshing craving, remove craving by aboloshing the terms 'me' and 'mine' as the idea of self is an illusion. 
• During Vipassana meditaion the practitioner observes the arising and passing away of physical, experiential and mental phenomena. 

'Meditation gives clear understanding about body and brain interface wuth consciousness.' Ray

• Vipassana teaches the following of the 8 fold path: right action, morality section, treating others with respect so suffering and pain can be isolated resting the mind and producing clear insight of life, this is the basis of Vipassana. 

'Vipassana meditation is a more intellectual process and invoves analytical thinking.' Cush

• Overall Vipassana is significant because it purifies the mind via the liberation of suffering by rooting out the deep causes through meditation.

• The concentration on the breathing, Vipassana overall involves the mind and intellect where as samatha is more of a practical was of meditating including mindfulness and the 5 skanda's and the 4 Jhana's, Vipassana looks at the thouyghts on the mind rather than the practicality of the body.

• Zen Buddhism teaches that too much focus on teachings and Scriptures can confuse the mind, instead of directing it towards enlightenment. This comes from the idea that our thoughts and mind are "unenlightened" and are not going to aid us in the goal of attaining nirvana, fruitfullness of words. 
• In zazen meditation isnt focused arounf the three Lakshana's but around sitting and meditates through that simple practice. For example one thing to think of: is breathing, or something physical.
• Zazen is about living in the moment, other practical methods of meditation can be ideas like chopping wood or the relationship between the pen and the paper. 

'to study the way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things. To be a enlightened by all things is to remove the barriers between oneself and others' Dogen Zenji

• When engaged in Zazen meditation you experience enlightenment, the longer the meditation the longer Enlightenment lasts. It's important to appreciate things within the hear now, there is no logical meaning behind this.

• The importance of Zazen meditation
  • It clears the mind of unlightened thoughts as the mind doesn't help us perceive the truth.
  • You don't just have to do a certain sitting meditation you can find meditation in everyday tasks.
• Zen is described as 'Direct pointing to reality.'
  • Zen monks and nuns are shown to live simple lives these simple activities are classed as meditation.
  • Importance of seeing Nirvana and Samsara as the hear and now.
  • If one focuses too much their attention on the teachings and scriptures this can end up confusing mind.
  • Instead of thinking about the world and the 3 Lakshanas and the evil we just focus on the one thing and that is meditation. 

• When gaining the skills from 8 the eightfold path this stops craving, delusion and greed.
• Mahayana schools:
  • Pure land Buddhism devotes themselves to the Buddha Amida, who threw Grace and Merit will lead them to the Pure Land after death from there it's easier to attain enlightenment. Rely on Amida they don't focus on the three poisons, three Lakshanas, of eightfold Path.