{"id":6717,"date":"2016-02-20T17:30:49","date_gmt":"2016-02-20T09:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dharmafarer.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=6717"},"modified":"2024-06-30T16:51:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-30T08:51:32","slug":"buddhist-meditation-guidebooks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.themindingcentre.org\/dharmafarer\/resources\/buddhist-meditation-guidebooks","title":{"rendered":"Buddhist Meditation Guidebooks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Meditation 1: A Safety Guide, by Piya Tan<\/em> (2013, 2024 2nd rev ed)<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

ISBN 978-981-94-0278-6 (physical);\u00a0ISBN 978-981-94-0277-9 (digital),\u00a0size A4, 264 pp.<\/span>
A recommended handbook for meditators and seekers.<\/span><\/p>\n

PRICE:<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Softcopy<\/strong> $15.00.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hardcopy:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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PREFACE to the first edition<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This is not a beginner\u2019s guide, of which there are many. But there are many kinds of begin\u00adners, too. As long as you have an interest in practical meditation, or even its theory to begin with before taking it up or to research in it, this is a great place to start, as this book is based on the meditation teachings and methods of early Buddhism.<\/p>\n

Buddhist meditation (and meditation in general) is today very popular and diverse in nature. Although most Buddhists know meditation as a personal spiritual practice, there are also com\u00admerc\u00adial\u00adized forms of meditation, which generally present it as being beneficial in a worldly way, and with their own costs.<\/p>\n

Even within Buddhist circles themselves, well-intentioned teachers often teach different forms of medita\u00adtion, or different versions of the same meditation. An understanding of the sutta teachings on meditation helps in our understanding of the reasons for such variance and see the heart of the teach\u00adings. In fact, when we are experienced in meditation and understand Dharma teachings on morality and the mind, we would find that any meditation worth its name has its uses and benefits.<\/p>\n

This series of sutta-based translations and teachings aims to provide us, often in some detail, a better understanding of meditation teachings and practices. This is not a basic practice manual, but a handbook for those who already have some practical experience of meditation, or intend to take up meditation so that their practice is safe and beneficial.<\/p>\n

This is the first of the \u201cBuddhist Meditation\u201d (BM) series dealing with early Buddhist medi\u00adta\u00adtion. This volume covers the basic nature of meditation and dhyana, and some broad issues and controversies regarding meditation, comprising the following articles from the Sutta Discovery series:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Bhavana <\/em>(SD 15.1)<\/li>\n
  2. Samadhi Bhavana Sutta (A 4.41) (SD 24.1)<\/li>\n
  3. Viveka,nissita <\/em>(<\/span>SD 20.4)<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Samadhi (SD 33.1a)<\/li>\n
  5. Nimitta <\/em>(<\/span>SD 19.7)<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Nimitta Sutta (A 3.100b) (SD 19.12)<\/li>\n
  7. Dhyana (SD 8.4)<\/li>\n
  8. The layman and dhyana (SD 8.5)<\/li>\n
  9. The Buddha discovered dhyana (SD 33.1b)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A careful study of these teachings would enhance our meditation, which in turn would further deepen our insight into the Buddha\u2019s teachings. In this way, both meditation and wisdom are harmonious\u00adly cultivated, so that we would reach the presence of nirvana. (Dh 372)<\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For explanation of the conventions used in this book, see under Epilegomena in the Dharma\u00adfarer website.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

    Piya Tan<\/p>\n

    2013<\/p>\n

    [1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.themindingcentre.org\/dharmafarer\/sutta-discovery\/guides<\/a><\/p>\n

    Introduction to Meditation Guidebook 1<\/span><\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

    Why meditate? Who should not meditate? Downside of meditation.<\/span><\/p>\n

    INTRODUCTION 1:\u00a0Why meditate? SD 15.1 (14)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Living the moment<\/u><\/p>\n

    The best and direct way to know Buddhism is to meditate, or more correctly, to cultivate mind\u00adfulness<\/u> to the point of mental calm and clarity. Meditation is also a pow\u00aderful tool for introspection, for look\u00ading into our own mind.<\/p>\n

    There are, however, two common problems<\/u> here: first, there is the beginner\u2019s prob\u00adlem, that is, diffi\u00adculties in sitting and finding focus. Secondly, even at the early stages of effective medita\u00adtion, we may not see a very flattering picture of our mental self. If this is the case, then it is likely that we have not ap\u00adproach\u00ad\u00aded meditation with the right motivation or atti\u00adtude. Summarized here are some points and point\u00aders to help our meditation journey go more smoothly and fruitfully.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

    1 Do not collect meditation<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Meditation is like medicine: they are meant to be applied or taken, not col\u00adlect\u00aded, nor observed like a spectator sport. What physical exercise is to the body, meditation is to the mind: we have to do<\/em> it, not merely read or talk about it. We may meet many good meditation teachers or read much about them, but without our practising what is taught, we are like a spoon that carries the soup but not tasting it.[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

    Or worse, we are simply making an ego trip, pinning another shiny badge on our proud coat, behav\u00ading as if we have actually mastered the practice. Meditation methods are like signboards: follow them if we need to, disregard them if they do not apply, but there is no need to hold anything against them. Medi\u00adta\u00adtion is not about \u201cwhich\u201d meditation\u2014\u201cinsight,\u201d or forest, or Zen, or what\u00adever\u2014it is about learn\u00ading<\/u> from the past, being<\/u> the present, and letting<\/u> the future be where it is.<\/p>\n

    2 Do not run away from life<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Attention itself is very conditioned. We may only be watching what we like, rather than what is bene\u00adficial. If we do not like lovingkindness meditation, it means that we need it even more. Get some calm energy from a method we like, and bit by bit build up our lov\u00ading\u00ad\u00adkind\u00adness. Maybe, our medita\u00adtion has been bogged down by passivity and depend\u00adence so that the practice be\u00adcomes self-punishing be\u00adcause of some guilt or some bad feeling about ourselves. If we do not forgive ourself, no one can<\/u>.<\/p>\n

    Then, there is the fear of intimacy and social involvement: we meditate perhaps because we do not wish to meet people, not to get into awkward situations. Sometimes, we may use the practice to immu\u00adnize ourselves from feeling (from fear of being hurt again). Good meditation makes us more mindful of our\u00adselves, like a doctor who is aware of his own body. Medi\u00adta\u00adtion should help us feel more connected to others and the environment<\/u>. All this greatly helps us exude a radiant and healing ambience. At least, it keeps us cool in a crisis.<\/p>\n

    3 We are as we feel<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Meditation can be a great way of servicing our quirks and neuroses. The practice, for example, could be a form of narcissistic wish: \u201cThrough meditation I\u2019m going to be\u00adcome self-suffi\u00adcient and invincible; I\u2019m not going to get hurt any more; I\u2019m going to be perfect.\u201d Diffi\u00adculties we have faced can weigh heavily upon us; or they can act as ballast for us to sail smoothly through life<\/u>: from suffering arises faith.[3]<\/sup><\/a> Smile at our pain: we are not the first to suffer it, nor certainly the last. Pain means we have feelings, and that things can be better if we work at them. A rose is not a rose without its thorns. Pain is our mirror: clean it well and we can see ourselves better in it. We can\u2019t really change our behaviour until we change our feelings.<\/p>\n

    Live the meditation. Try smiling and greeting others first and do so spontaneously. Smile to cheer up. Start with a soft smile, then slowly broaden it so that our eyes show chicken-feet. Smile with the mouth and<\/em> eyes<\/u>. We must become what we do: even a forced smile (but with sincerity) is better than a sulk or glare. See how the Buddha smiles (as depicted in the Buddha images and pictures).[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

    4 Don\u2019t try to do<\/em> something, just sit<\/u>!<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In meditation, the path itself is the goal. In medita\u00adtion, there is no aim, no goal, no destination: if you have one, you are not meditating. When great things hap\u00adpen dur\u00ading medi\u00adta\u00adtion, don\u2019t stop there: it is a sign of even greater<\/em> things to come. Simply noting or label\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00adling such experi\u00adences can help strengthen clear recognition and understanding. \u201cLabelling<\/strong> introduc\u00ades a heal\u00adthy degree of inner detachment, since the act of apostrophizing one\u2019s moods and emot\u00adions dimin\u00adish\u00ades one\u2019s identifica\u00adtion with them\u201d (Anala\u00adyo).[5]<\/sup><\/a> When we are more comfortable, let go of even the noting. Let it come, let it go<\/u>: it reduces, even dispels, anxiety and fear.<\/p>\n

    Meditation instills good posture: when you look your relaxed best, it helps boost your self-confid\u00adence. Meditation is a journey to self-awakening: it\u2019s all right to move slowly, only don\u2019t stop<\/u>. It\u2019s not how long we sit: it\u2019s how happily<\/em> we sit. No hen hurries her hatching.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    5 Non-judgement day is here<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    As beginners, noting and labelling thoughts and sensations help to keep us objectively focused so that negative ones do not intrude. But do not let the mind die. That would be like a butterfly collector who sticks a pin through its heart and a neat label underneath. The Buddha speaks of the mind \u201cchanging while it stands.\u201d He is not a butterfly catcher and collector, but an observ\u00ader of nature. He wants us to watch the butterfly\u2019s flight and flitter, to see how it lives in its nat\u00adur\u00adal environ\u00adment, to follow it quietly until it settles down to rest still in its nature<\/u>. For our mind, this he calls samadhi. Our eyes blind us: close the eyes and truly see.[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

    6 Close our eyes, see more<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Sometimes we could be driven by the fear of reasoning and think\u00ading. Con\u00adversely, we might find feeling painful. Either way, we may look inward for a convenient way of escaping from the real world. A proper balance of reasoning and feeling is vital for healthy living: a bird needs two wings to fly. When we really look within, we will see that the mind often goes on autopilot on a course set by the \u201cold mind\u201d or \u201cthe doer,\u201d that is, habit\u00adual tendencies or \u201chabitual mind\u201d built up from long time past but still control\u00adling us.<\/p>\n

    We are deluded, for example, to assume that we are read\u00ading this of our own free will. In an import\u00ad\u00adant sense, we have no choice but to do so! Yes, we wanted<\/u> to read this: that\u2019s the point! The will, then, is not the action of being, but is the end-result of a process<\/u>.[7]<\/sup><\/a> This \u201cwill\u201d is what keeps us growing old<\/em>, but never growing up<\/em>. Meditation helps us see into this will so that we truly see not what \u201cwe\u201d really are,<\/em> but what really is<\/u><\/strong>. We are then not pushed by the past nor pulled by the future: we are live now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    7 Meditation as progressive renunciation<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When we seriously make an effort to meditate, we are effectively getting into the state of a renun\u00adciant. The very first thing we do in meditation is to find a conducive place and sit as comfortably as we can so that we can forget about our body after a while. This is a bodily renunciation<\/u>.<\/p>\n

    After sitting for some time, we might begin to feel some discomfort. Again here, we should simply ignore it if possible. Otherwise, try to observe with an open mind, \u201cWhat is this pain?\u201d We would notice that it is a process of rising and falling of feeling. If we do not let our negative mind to return and colour the pain, then this is a feeling renunciation<\/u>.<\/p>\n

    Once we are physically comfortable, we go on to work with our thoughts as they arise. The usual way is to simply ignore them and keep our focus on the meditation object (say, the breath or lovingkind\u00adness). If thoughts do arise, it is best to simply let them come and let them go. Never follow them. If we can do this comfortably over time, then this a mental renunciation<\/u>.<\/p>\n

    Another kind of renunciation is that directed to blissful feeling or an experience of some men\u00adtal bright\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00adness, often known as \u201cthe sign\u201d (nimitta<\/em>). This sort of feeling or experience, if it is truly blissful, should be silently enjoyed for as long as we like. When we feel some sense of familiarity with it, then it is time to let it go gently, so that a higher state would arise. This is a higher renunciation<\/u>.<\/p>\n

    Finally, when we are fully free of bodily sensations, thoughts and feelings, we might go on to attain deep concentration, even dhyana. Then, whether we are monastic or lay, we have truly \u201crenounced the world.\u201d This is true renunciation<\/u>.[8]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

    8 Meditation brings you emotional independence<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0If we patiently bear the initial pains when starting meditation, the fruits will come in due course. Good meditation begins by a total acceptance of our\u00adselves just as we are. Then we leave the past where it should be, and we do not cross the bridge of the future until we reach it. We need to renounce the past, and reject any desire to jump into the future.<\/p>\n

    Gently keep bringing the mind back to the meditation-object; constantly ex\u00adtend the horizon of our lov\u00ading\u00adkind\u00adness. We are laying the foundations of emotional strength. As our inner happiness grows, we need less worldliness, less religion\u2014and we no more need a parent-figure or a guru-figure or any kind of pow\u00ader-figure. Our locus of control stays within us: we become emotionally self-reliant, without any need for the approval of others or any measuring ourselves against others. We have realized our true self.[9]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \u2014\u00a0\u00a0 \u2014\u00a0\u00a0 \u2014<\/p>\n

    [1]<\/a> A good reading here is Jack Engler\u2019s \u201cThe unconscious motivations for meditation practice\u201d (1997). Parts of this sect\u00adion draws freely from Engler\u2019s insightful paper.<\/p>\n

    [2]<\/a> Dh 64.<\/p>\n

    [3]<\/a> Upanisa S<\/strong> (S 12.23,15\/2:31), SD 6.12.<\/p>\n

    [4]<\/a> See CA 287 = The All-embracing Net of Views<\/em> (tr Bodhi), 1978: 268.<\/p>\n

    [5]<\/a> Analayo, Satipattahana: The direct path to realization,<\/em> 2003: 113-117.<\/p>\n

    [6]<\/a> See Sujato, The mystique of the Abhidharma<\/em>, p7.\u00a0 https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/santipada\/themistiqueoftheabhidhamma<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    [7]<\/a> See Brahmavamso, The Jhanas,<\/em> 2003:37. See also Sankhara<\/em><\/strong>, SD 17.6 esp (8.4). On the doer<\/u>, see SD 17.6 (8.4).<\/p>\n

    [8]<\/a> For a fuller reflection, see \u201cTruly renouncing\u201d (R226, Reflection 120208): see http:\/\/www.themindingcentre.org\/dharmafarer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/72-Truly-renouncing-120208.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

    [9]<\/a> See SD 17.8c: (8.4) Downside of meditation (the danger of cults); (8.5) Who should not meditate.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    INTRODUCTION 2:\u00a0Who should not<\/em> meditate?\u00a0SD 17.8c (8.5)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    1<\/u><\/strong> \u00a0Meditation is generally safe for most people, but there are re\u00adport\u00aded cases and studi\u00ades noting some adverse effects.[1]<\/sup><\/a> From one-third to one-half of participants of long silent medi\u00adta\u00adtion retreats (two weeks to three months) in the West reported increased tension, anxiety, confu\u00adsion, and depress\u00adion.[2]<\/sup><\/a> In an article well publicized on the Internet, Jack Kornfield<\/strong> confesses that in vipassan?<\/em> practice,\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n

    At least half the students who came to three-month retreats couldn\u2019t do the simple \u201cbare atten\u00adtion\u201d practices because they were holding a great deal of unresolved grief, fear, wounded\u00adness, and unfinished business from the past. I also had an opportunity to observe the most successful group of meditators\u2014including experienced students of Zen and Tibe\u00adtan Buddhism \u2014who had developed strong samadhi and deep insight into imperma\u00adnence and selflessness. Even after many intensive retreats, most of the meditators continued to experience great difficulties and significant areas of attachment and unconsciousness in their lives, including fear, difficulty with work, relat\u00adion\u00ad\u00adships wounds, and closed hearts.\u00a0 (Kornfield 2003)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    2<\/u><\/strong> \u00a0On the other hand, most of these very same participants also reported very positive effects from their meditation practice. The vulnerable margin of participants usually includes those who are under some kind of medica\u00adtion, or have a psychiatric history or some kind of undisclosed personal disorder. There have been a few reports that intensive meditation could cause or worsen symptoms in people who have certain psychiatric problems, but this question has not been fully researched.<\/p>\n

    Such studies do suggest, however, that meditation may not<\/u> be recommended for people with psych\u00ado\u00ad\u00adtic disorders, severe depression, and other severe personality disorders, unless they are also receiving psychological or medical treatment, and closely monitored so that they can receive support whenever needed. Individuals who are aware of an underlying psychiatric disorder who wish to take up meditation should speak with a mental health professional or experienced instructor before doing so.[3]\u00a0<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

    3<\/u><\/strong> \u00a0Obviously, for some people, the \u201cvipassana\u201d method does not always work, or does not always work by itself. Meditation for beginners<\/strong> is likely to succeed when the following minimum conditions<\/u> are present:<\/p>\n