Meditaiton
Meditaiton
Samadhi is the ultimate purpose of meditation, so it’s critically important to understand its meaning. Samadhi is used in different cultures and religions, and its definition is also different. Let’s look at a few.
First, let’s see the definition of Samadhi in Oxford Languages, “Samadhi is a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation.” So in this definition, Samadhi is a state of intense concentration, but it’s not said to be the final state or the supreme state.
While “in Hindu yoga Samadhi is regarded as the final stage, at which union with the divine is reached (before or at death).” “In Hindu yoga, Samadhi is the highest of the eight limbs of yoga. Samadhi is the experience of spiritual enlightenment when the self, the mind, and the object of meditation merge together into one.”
In Indian philosophy and religion, Samadhi is the “highest state of mental concentration that people can achieve while still bound to the body and which unites them with the highest reality. Samadhi is a state of profound and utterly absorptive contemplation of the Absolute that is undisturbed by desire, anger, or any other ego-generated thought or emotion. It is a state of joyful calm, or even of rapture and beatitude, in which one maintains one’s full mental alertness andacuity.
In Buddhism, Samadhi is the last of the eight steps (the Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration) leading to enlightenment.
From the above definitions, you may see that Samadhi is a state of concentration or the ultimate state of concentration. In Samadhi, one’s mind is not disturbed by the environment. One’s mind is free from anger, desires, hatred or other emotions either good or bad. One’s mind is completely unshakable and still. In this stage, one’s wisdom will arise, and truth of the universe appears.
In the sutras, the Buddha mentioned many types of Samadhi. In the Flower Adornment Sutra, the Buddha proclaimed the Ten Great Samadhis and said that if one practices and is able to enter these Ten Great Samadhis, then one can be called a Buddha, a Tathagata. The ten Great Samadhis includes but are not limited to traveling to all the worlds and seeing all the Buddhas, knowing all the past Buddhas and knowing all the future Buddhas. I will not dive deep into these Great Samadhis, but instead, I would like to explain in the following way:
In Samadhi, one is free from attachment to forms;
In Samadhi, one is not reactive to the environment;
In Samadhi, one is not greedy;
In Samadhi, one is not angry;
In Samadhi, one is not ignorant;
In Samadhi, one does not kill;
In Samadhi, one does not steel;
In Samadhi, one does not sexually misconduct;
In Samadhi, one does not speak false words;
In Samadhi, one does not slander;
In Samadhi, one does not speak evil words;
In Samadhi, one does not give loose speech;
In Samadhi, one does not drink alcohol;
In Samadhi, one does not smoke;
In Samadhi, one does not gamble;
In Samadhi, one is not egoistic;
In Samadhi, one is not arrogant;
In Samadhi, one does not envy;
In Samadhi, one is not obsessed by deviant views.
Samadhi is the ultimate purpose of meditation, however, Samadhi is not gained through meditation or only through meditation. According to the Buddha’s teaching, Samadhi is obtained by upholding precepts. Meditation is one way to help increase Samadhi, but definitely is not a critical way. There are many other good ways to help one deepen Samadhi, for example reciting sutras, chanting the name of the Buddha, holding mantras, and so on. By now, you should have a good feeling of what is Samadhi, and Wish all of you gain Samadhi power and be free from all the sufferings!
By Nancy Yu
Today, to begin with, let’s look at the definition of meditation. There may be different definitions of Meditation, just like the defination of Samadhi, I will share one of them with you here and it is the following:
“Meditation refers to a family of techniques which have in common a conscious attempt to focus attention in a non-analytical way and an attempt not to dwell on discursive, ruminating thought” (Shapiro, 1982)
This definition states that Meditation has several aspects. First, it refers to a family of techniques. There are many techniques out there and more could be created. Secondly, there is a conscious attempt to focus attention. Thirdly, it attempts to focus in a non-analytical way, meaning being with the moment without judging it or thinking about it. The focal point in meditation could be breathing which is the most popular, or sensation of the body, or the sound around you, or an item around you, or a particular thing in your mind. In meditation, we are practicing concentration, and at the same time, we are retraining our mind to be non-reactive.
Without a doubt, meditation brings a multitude of benefits. First, through meditation practice, we have the time to observe each part of the body, study and manage well our emotions, release the stress caused by work, family and people around, self-reflect and reform our mind, which definitely is good for our own well-being. Secondly, we meditate not only for ourselves but for others too. We are connected to our surroundings, so the benefits of meditation extend to all the people related to us, the family members and the coworkers. Thirdly, with practice going, you might truly get into a higher state, a joyful state where you don’t feel your body but just a free consciousness. At this state, having guidance from a master is absolutely needed.
There are different kinds of meditation. There are sitting meditation, walking meditation, Anapanasati meditation which is being mindful of breathing, vipassana meditation which is observing yourself without judgement, mindfulness meditation which is paying attention to what is happening at the present moment, Transcendental Meditation or mantra meditation where you don’t concentrate or control or focus, Metta meditation or loving-kindness meditation during which you keep reciting specific words or phrases evoking a "boundless warm-hearted feeling”, and many others.
Meditation is also divided into form meditation and formless meditation. All the above types mentioned are form meditation which is done in a certain form. Formless meditation can happen any time and in any form. It exists in your walking, showing, eating, sleeping. It happens just naturally for high level cultivators, or you may say they are one with meditation. They are in Samadhi any moment and their mind is always in ease and peace and focused without being distracted.
The ultimate purpose of meditation is Samadhi, however, Samadhi cannot be reached solely by meditation. Meditation is one way, an assisting way. If the purpose of meditation is just to get a sense of peace and ease, yes, meditation absolutely will help you reach that. If the goal is higher, there are other works to be done, for example, upholding precepts.
In Buddhism, Samadhi comes not from meditation, but from upholding the precepts. In addition, diving into the Buddha’s teaching is also necessary. We will not get into this part for now, but only focus on meditation.
Though we will talk about how to meditate, but everyone can meditate naturally just like everyone can learn to walk because meditation or samadhi is our original nature. Just sit and begin the first step. Your meditation or your practice will guide you. You may learn about different kinds of meditation techniques at the beginning, but you will find your way of meditation. You may use mix of the techniques or whichever suitable for you at the time of meditating. 10 mins a day, then 15 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins, the important thing is to persevere, which is the key to get benefits out of it.
For those of you who are interested, do you plan to meditate this year, or have you started your journey already? Wish all of you a free and peaceful life.
By Nancy Yu
Today, let’s start to meditate. Even though meditation can be done in a formless way, I personally still prefer sitting meditation especially for beginners. Our body reflects our mind. Sitting meditation shows our dedication and sincerity toward meditation. How much we put into meditation indicates how much we could get out of it.
Meditation could be done anytime anywhere. If you could find a quiet private place at home, it would be a bless. If you could get support from your family members, it would be another bless. If not, then, don’t give up. Things don’t always go your way. You can meditate in the car, in a park if the weather allows, or even at work if you are lucky. If you want to do it, you can find a way to do it. It’s all up to you, your determination.
Our family members are those who are closely related to us. Being closely related does not always mean in a good way, and it could also be in an adverse way. It just means that we have closer relationship. They could support what we are doing or interfere with what we are doing.
Prepare a meditation mat and cushion, or a pillow or sofa cushion. Find a quiet place, bring out your original intention why you want to meditate and your determination. Set the time that you want to sit. Sit on a cushion to lift the hips, straighten the back. To do that, you may want to bend back a little bit since we tent to lean forward in our daily life. Tuck the jaw to create more length in the back of the neck. Cross the legs or sit in half lotus or full lotus position if you can. Gently close the eyes or have them half opened and look at the ground about 1 and half meters away. Hands on thighs or laps with palms open or in a certain gesture. Here I will introduce you three hand mutras or hand gestures though the gesture at this time is not important.
First is the Dhyana mudra which helps you get into deeper concentration and brings you tranquility and inner peace.
Face both hands upward. Rest the left hand over the right hand. Then gently touch the left thumb and the right thumb.
The second gesture of Gyan. It’s said that this gesture improves concentration and sharpen the memory. Rest the hands on the knees and gently touch the index fingertips to the tip of the thumbs.
The third gesture of Shuni. It’s said that this gesture help improve intuition, alertness and sensory powers. To do this, relax the hands on the knees and gently touch the middle finger tips to the thumb tips.
Different gestures mean differently ways of energy flew. Use the one that you feel comfort. Or simply open your palms and relax them on your thighs or knees.
If sitting on the ground is a problem for you due to health issue, you may also sit in a chair. If crossing the legs is a problem for you, take a posture that is comfortable to you. How you sit at this point is not important.
Now sit comfortably in the posture that is stable and effortless. Start with sense the the sound in the surrounding. You may hear sounds that you are not aware of before, sound from the water pipes, sound from the walls, the wind, the bell. Now, I will introduce you techniques of meditation. The first is called body scan.
Sense the body. You may scan the body from the top to the bottom or from the bottom to the top. Part by part. The top of the head, the forehead, the eyebrows, the eyes, the cheeks, the nose, the face, the ears, the jaw, the neck, the shoulders, the upper arms, the elbows, the lower arms, the hands, the fingers, the upper back, the chest, the middle of the back, the belly, the lower back, the pelvis, the thighs, the knees, the calves, the ankles, the feet and the toes. Or scan the body backward. The foot toes, the feet, the ankles, the calves, the knees, the thighs, the pelvis, the lower back, the belly, the middle of the back, the chest, the upper back, the fingers, the hands, the low arms, the elbows, the upper arms, the shoulders, the neck, the jaw, the ears, the face, the nose, the cheeks, the eyes, the eyebrows, the forehead, and the head. This is called body scan. You can also scan one side then the other. When scanning, you may notice that each part of the body has different sensitivity. But no matter what, you don’t dwell on any park, just keep scanning.
The second technique is mindfulness of your breathing. This is also called Anapanasati meditation in which all you do is to concentrate you awareness on breathing, especially on the triangle part, the top of your upper lip and into your nostrils. Notice your breathing. Just notice, just following without controlling. If the breathing is long, then notice it’s a long breathing. If it is short, then notice it’s a short breathing. If it is a weak breathing, then notice it is week. If it is a strong breathing, then notice it is strong.
The third technique is just to simply stay aware of what is happening at the present. Be conscious of what is rising in the body and observe how it rises and how it disappears. The sensations in our body arise and disappear all the time, some minor and some stronger. Just notice these sensation, and watch without interfering. This is just like what is happening in our life. Good things and bad things appear and disappear. We watch but we don’t follow them .
The fourth technique is holding a certain mantra or a phrase or some words or chanting the name of the Buddha or reciting a certain sutra. While doing this, you basically ignored anything rising or disappearing inside and outside of the body. You concentrate on the words you speak. You speak and you listen. This is the forth technique.
The fifth technique is that you do nothing when you sit. Simply relax. Relax both the body and the mind. Let your body does its work and let your brain rests.
So today, we introduced how to start to meditate, how to sit and five techniques you can adopt. There are many ways to meditate and the techniques out there could be endless. You may create your own way. Keep exploring and use the one that you are comfortable with. What suits you is the best one for you!
By Nancy Yu