The Meditative Way

Readings in the Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation

Roderick Bucknell, Chris Kang

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781136804083
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Ethnic Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

Buddhist meditation, while attracting less popular attention than some other meditative disciplines, has given rise to a particularly rich literature in recent years. Despite differences in style and terminology, these modern writings on Buddhist meditation serve much the same purposes as did the manuals and commentaries of the classical masters: to explicate and interpret the Buddha's teachings on meditation, to clarify the nature and value of the various meditative techniques and attainments, and/or to offer advice on the actual practice of meditation. Meditators are increasingly inclined to compare and evaluate critically what the different contemporary meditation masters have to say, to weigh up the results of relevant scientific studies, or to consult translations of the primary texts in search of the Buddha's 'original' teachings on meditation. Writers on meditation are also increasingly adopting an appropriately critical approach, particularly as regards the reliability of textual accounts. Relatively few still commit the old error of assuming that the Pali canon is a complete and faithful record of what the Buddha said on the subject, or that the classical commentators were infallible authorities. The present collection of twenty-eight readings is designed to give meditators, researchers, and general readers ready access to representative samples of those writings, and to the principal relevant texts.

Section III

Contemporary Masters

INTRODUCTION

This section introduces the teachings of nine meditation masters of the modern era, representing a variety of traditions.

We begin with an overview of several Theravādan meditation techniques. A Spectrum of Meditative Practices (Reading 15), is a collection of extracts from the book All About Buddhism by Australian bhikkhu, Shrāvasti Dhammika. The author lived in Sri Lanka for many years before moving to Singapore in 1985, where he served until recently as spiritual adviser to several Buddhist groups. In this selection he explains mindfulness of breathing (ānāpāna-sati), the recollections (anussati), loving-kindness meditation (mettā-bhāvanā), the stages of concentration (jhāna), and the four foundations of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna).

The next item, Observing Your Mind (Reading 16), presents some key teachings of Achaan Chah, as collected by Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter in their book, A Still Forest Pool. Until his death in 1992, Achaan Chah was abbot of Wat Pa Phong, a forest monastery in northeast Thailand. He was well known for his simple, direct teachings on mindfulness and insight meditation. In the selection presented here, the Achaan (teacher) gives practical advice on how to observe and investigate the mind, how to practise walking meditation, how to develop concentration, and how to persevere with one’s practice.

The author of Insight by the Nature Method (Reading 17) is another recently deceased Thai monk, Buddhadasa. This well known meditator, scholar, and social critic spent much of his life at Suan Mok, the forest monastery he founded in southern Thailand. In this short section from his book, Handbook for Humankind, Buddhadasa advocates the development of insight based on naturally occurring concentration. He contrasts this with the formal, strictly systematized practice taught by many meditation masters. Despite his comments on formal meditation practice and deep concentration, Buddhadasa was an authority on mindfulness of breathing, and that technique continues to be taught to the many meditators who visit Suan Mok.

Insight through Mindfulness (Reading 18) is from a talk given by the prominent Burmese meditation master, Mahasi Sayadaw (U Sobhana Mahathera, died 1982). The talk was recorded as the Sayadaw was instructing a group of practitioners at the beginning of a meditation course in Yangkon in 1951. Thereafter it was played back repeatedly at successive meditation courses, as a clear and straightforward presentation of his particular meditative technique. Mahasi emphasizes continuous mental labelling of all bodily and mental sensations and movements, usually practised in an intensive retreat setting. His style of practice, often called Burmese satipaṭṭhāna, has gained wide acceptance, and is now taught in numerous meditation centres around the world.

The Meditative Mind (Reading 19) comes from Dhiravamsa’s book, The Way of Non-attachment, which is a refreshingly dynamic presentation of the practice of insight meditation. Born in Thailand in 1935, Dhiravamsa trained as a monk and soon became one of the most creative representatives of Theravāda Buddhism in the West. He founded a meditation centre at Hindhead in Surrey, England, and from 1969 spent several months each year in the United States and Canada conducting meditation workshops and retreats. He has since returned to lay life, but continues in his role of meditation master. In this item he describes the truly meditative mind – clearly aware, fresh, and deeply enquiring; and he tells how we can cultivate this state in our daily life.

Watching Thoughts and Emotions (Reading 20) is a direct transcript of instructions given to a group of meditators, and of the discussion that followed. The teacher is Godwin Samararatne, a widely respected exponent of insight meditation, who divides his time between his own centre in Sri Lanka and various other centres around the world. The technique is basically mindfulness. Most vipassanā practices focus on the body and the feelings, the first and second of the traditional four bases of mindfulness. Here, however, the principal objects of the meditator’s attention are thoughts and emotions, respectively the fourth and third of the four bases of mindfulness. Thoughts and emotions are often suppressed by meditators rather than observed. The practice of watching them with moment-to-moment awareness is rightly advocated here as an advanced form of insight meditation. The meditation instructions, which cover only a couple of pages in the transcript, actually extended over about twenty minutes. The reader should understand a pause of about one minute following each paragraph.

The next item, Zen Mind (Reading 21), is from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, a collection of informal talks on Zen practice by Shunryu Suzuki. Suzuki Roshi (died 1971) was a direct spiritual descendant of the thirteenth-century master Dōgen (Reading 12). On a teaching visit to the United States in 1958 he encountered such interest in Zen that he stayed on. After becoming a permanent resident, he founded the Zen Mountain Centre, the first Zen training monastery outside Asia. In this extract Shunryu Suzuki offers guidance in zazen (seated meditation), and points out some pitfalls. Some of his kōan-like statements – for example, “When a frog becomes a frog, Zen becomes Zen” – are no doubt meant to be grasped with “Zen mind” rather than with the intellect.

The first of our two modern representatives of Tibetan tradition is Sangye Khadro (Kathleen McDonald). Some Tibetan Practices (Reading 22) is extracted from her book How to Meditate. The author received her lower ordination at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 1974 and her higher ordination at Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles in 1988. She has taught in Europe, America, Australia, and most recently in Singapore. Here she describes and explains some characteristically Tibetan techniques: analytical meditation on emptiness, visualization, meditation on compassion, and the development of inner heat. Though she does not say it explicitly here, Sangye Khadro emphasizes the need for proper guidance in meditation, and recommends that readers seek a competent teacher before attempting any of these practices.

The selections brought together as Meditation in Tantra (Reading 23) are from the book Introduction to Tantra by Tibetan lama Thubten Yeshe. Born near Lhasa in 1935, Lama Yeshe entered the great Sera monastery at the age of six and studied Buddhist philosophy and meditation for the next eighteen years. He continued his studies after fleeing to India, and by the 1970s had begun taking Western students. In 1971 he established the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, now a world-wide organization. He died in 1984. In the selections reproduced here, Lama Yeshe begins by explaining the true nature of the mind, using the metaphor of clear sky (mind) and passing clouds (thoughts). He then describes how to realize this true nature through the practice of tantric meditation.

The nine readings in this section represent a precious collection of teachings by modern masters on the practical and experiential aspects of meditation. Though far from being exhaustive, they provide an adequate overview of the variety of methods and approaches available. The aspiring meditator may draw on them when attempting to make an informed decision about which type of practice to undertake. And the practitioner who is already committed to some particular technique or style of meditation will certainly benefit from recognizing the variety of alternative practices currently available, and noting how they agree or differ in respect of goals, methods, and perspectives.

It is perhaps artificial to distinguish “contemporary masters” (Section III) from “classical masters” (Section II), because the two groups form a continuum. The continuity of the present with the past is evident in cases like that of the contemporary master Shunryu Suzuki (Reading 21) and his direct spiritual forefather, the twelfth-century master Dōgen (Reading 12). It is widely considered that the continuity extends back beyond the classical masters to the Buddha himself (Section I). However, that is less certain, particularly as regards the detailed content of the teachings. How faithfully the teachings of later masters reflect those of the Buddha is a difficult question, one that is unlikely to be answered until meditation in all its aspects is much better understood than it is at present.

Reading 15

A Spectrum of Meditative Practices

Dhammika Bhikkhu

1. Mindfulness of Breathing

The most basic Buddhist meditation is mindfulness of breathing (ānāpāna-sati). This simple but effective technique induces relaxation, develops mental discipline, and leads to concentration. Describing its advantages, the Buddha says:

This intent concentration on in-and-out breathing, if cultivated and developed, is something peaceful and excellent, something perfect in itself, and a pleasant way of living also. Not only that, it dispels evil, unskilled thoughts that have arisen and makes them vanish in a moment. It is just as when, in the last month of the hot season, the dust and dirt fly up and suddenly a great rain lays it and makes it settle in a moment.⁴⁵

Sitting in a comfortable position and closing the eyes, attention is focused on the in-and-out movement of the breath. Counting the breaths from one to thirty will help prevent the attention from straying. Another thing that will help is trying to keep the body still. But when the attention does stray – either to external distractions like noises, or to internal distractions like thoughts, daydreams, memories, or bodily irritations or discomfort – we should patiently and gently return to counting. It is this continual bringing the attention back that will guarantee success.

How long should we meditate for? To start with, we should practise mindfulness of breathing for fifteen minutes at least once a day, extending the time by five minutes each week until we reach forty-five minutes. Then we should meditate for forty-five minutes each day until we get to the stage where even though the attention may stray, we are able to notice its wanderings quickly and return it to the breath with a minimum of effort.

Because we have probably never before attempted to discipline the mind, and because its habit patterns are probably well established, we are bound to encounter difficulties and obstacles, at least in the beginning. The most obvious of these will be thoughts that stubbornly pull our attention away from the breath. The Buddha suggests five ways of dealing with such thoughts: displacement, consideration of their disadvantages, paradoxical intention, non-interference, and suppression.⁴⁶

At times, apparently unusual things can happen during meditation that might distract us by giving rise to anxiety or curiosity. While being straight, the body might feel as if it is leaning to one side, the hands or some other part of the body might feel as if they have disappeared, there might be unusual sensations on the body, or a brilliant light might appear in the mind. These and other phenomena that may happen to us are only tricks the mind conjures up in order to distract us; all of them are harmless, and all of them will simply disappear if they are ignored. Another thing that sometimes happens, particularly if our meditation is going well, and which can give rise to anxiety, is that the breath becomes so shallow that it can no longer be perceived. When we realize that the breath seems to have stopped, we might be startled. However, we only need to remind ourselves that the breath has not stopped and indeed cannot stop, and that it has only become soft and shallow because the body, being very relaxed, needs only a little oxygen. Another common problem meditators have is numbness or discomfort in the legs. As the discomfort is usually only mild and will soon disappear as our legs become used to being bent, it is best to simply ignore the discomfort. However, if the discomfort continues or intensifies into pain, it might be good to experiment with a different posture. What must be understood, though, is that any posture will be uncomfortable for a while, and if we keep on moving or adjusting our legs for every little irritation, the discomfort will certainly continue. When it becomes easier to keep attention on the breath, counting can be dropped and one can focus attention on the movement of the breath.

2. The Recollections

Once we are practising mindfulness of breathing regularly and have got to the stage where our attention is more and more fixed on the breath, we are ready to add the practice of the recollections (anussati) to our meditation. There are several recollection meditations taught by the Buddha, the most important being recollections on Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, on virtue, generosity, and spiritual friends, on death, and on peace. Recollection is practised by directing our thoughts towards a particular subject and then carefully pondering upon it. The Buddha says: “Whatever one ponders on and thinks about often, the mind gets a leaning in that way.”⁴⁷ And this is certainly true. Any type of thought that is prominent in our mind will have an influence upon our personality and behaviour. To consciously and intentionally think positive thoughts will, in time, encourage such thoughts to arise quite naturally, and from that will spring deeds associated with such thoughts.

When we practise the pūjā, we do the recollection on the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha at the same time. The recollection on the Buddha can also be done by reading devotional literature that evokes thoughts similar to those expressed in the Kamalañjali:

You were kind to the cruel, fair to the unjust, good to the evil, benevolent to the harmful, and you acted in ways no one has ever done before. O Victor, Compassionate One, Just, Abode of Virtues, Righteous One, who lives solely for the welfare of others, truly it is in you that my heart finds delight.

Although you lived in the turmoils of existence, you always maintained your noble conduct, and by remaining equanimous in the midst of excitement, you fulfilled the perfections; so whenever I remember you day or night, in dreams, at any time, O Victor, O Wise One, it is in this that my heart finds delight.

You gave things difficult to give, did what was hard to do and forgave those who did great wrong, O Matchless Treasure-house of Compassion; and when, O Sage, I reflect on your spotless virtues, whether by day, night, or at any time, it is then that my heart finds great delight.

Truly did you practise the most difficult form of moral conduct and tame those who were obstinate; likewise, with a merciful heart did you extend kindness even to the most hard-hearted; therefore, O Sage, whenever I reflect on your spotless virtues, whether by day, night, or at any time, my heart finds delight.⁴⁸

Until we can do it independently, it might be useful to quietly and slowly read the recollections below to help guide our thoughts.⁴⁹

The Recollection on Generosity

Have I this day begrudged sharing the great abundance I enjoy? Engrossed in what is mine, without a thought for others, have I enjoyed what is mine alone? Without meanness or greed, have I delighted in giving? I here and now before the Buddha resolve always to be one who gives and shares.

I will give, but never what is harmful, even when asked.

I will give, not just to those I like, but to strangers and even to the hostile.

I will give, being mindful of the needs of others, not waiting to be asked.

I will give humbly, without desire for recognition.

I will give and I will also let others give to me.

I will give, not letting second thoughts taint my generosity.

I will give, knowing that generosity helps develop renunciation.

May my generosity transform the mean and pacify the hostile.

May my generosity befriend the newcomer and comfort the unhappy.

May my generosity dissolve all greed and clinging and help in the freeing of the heart.

Concerning the next recollection, the Buddha says: “You should recollect spiritual friends like this: ‘It is indeed a gain for me. Indeed, it is good for me that I have beautiful friends, compassionate, desiring my welfare, and who encourage and teach me.’”⁵⁰ The recollection on spiritual friends encourages us to think about our relationships with others and what we can do in order to become more friendly and loving.

The Recollection on Friendship

Have I this day failed to act as a close friend to those who I have met? Have I, through body, speech, or mind, been hostile, indifferent, or rude to any other being? Have I sought to take advantage of others, not looking upon them as if they were grandparents, parents, brothers, or sisters? I here and now before the Buddha resolve to be as our Lord himself, a true friend to all the world.

As a friend, I will help the troubled, counsel the misguided, and comfort the lonely.

As a friend, I will never misuse another’s confidence in me to mislead or to deceive.

As a friend, I will abandon neither evil-doer nor fool, for if I do who shall be their guide?

As a friend, I will ignore ingratitude and mistrust and continue to offer my friendship.

As a friend delighting always in concord, I will speak of others’ good deeds and be silent about their faults.

As a friend, I will long remember good done to me and soon forget the bad.

May my friendliness win me the friendship of others.

May my friendliness protect me from hostility, anger, and aggression.

May my friendliness grow into love and compassion and help in the freeing of the heart.

The recollection on death, which consists in thinking of our own mortality, can be most useful in encouraging us to live properly and not fear death when it does approach ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Sources and Permissions
• General Introduction
• Section I Pali Sources
• Section II Classical Masters
• Section III Contemporary Masters
• Section IV Personal Accounts
• Abbreviations
• Notes
• Index