As mentioned above, the word " meditation " is a poor substitute for the original term " Bhavana " which means " mental development ". The Buddhist bhavana aims at cleansing the mind of all prejudices and distractions and cultivating such qualities as concentration. awareness and mindfulness, leading finally to the attainment of perfect wisdom which sees things as they really are [ yathabhutam ].
There are two forms of meditation : development of concentration or samadhi and development of insight, Vipassana. The purpose of first form of meditation that mentioned above is to develop concentration called Samadhi. The another from of concentration, regarding as the most significance in Buddhist teaching of Trisika, is vipassana, the development of insight, which is the true Buddhist meditation.
Samadhi is the unwavering state of mind in which attention is fixed to the single object without scattering. In the state of concentration for insight, the mind is freed from five hindrance [ nivarana ], namely sensual desire [ kamachanda ], ill - will [ vyapada ], sloth and torpor [ thina - midha ], restlessness and anxiety [ uddhacca - kukkucca ] and doubt [ vicikicca ].
The elimination of hindrance set the mind in concentration and this in turn makes it possible for it to have knowledge and insight of things as they are. This is to say that concentration is a preparatory stage for the other form of meditation, called vipassana or insight. That is why is said that concentration is the cause of knowing and seeing things as they are. Hence, concentration is not the final goal of meditation. It is only a path leading to insight or vipassana into the true nature of things.
Vipassana or insight meditation is a phenomenological investigation of physical and mental phenomena. It is a reflection [ anupassana ] upon body, feelings, consciousness and other psychic factors. Vipassana bhavana method while concentration meditation or samadhi bhavana forms part of all Indian religious practices.
According to the Buddha, impermanence, suffering, and selflessness are the nature or common characteristics of component things, therefore, things have no essence or sara. By means of Vipassana meditation, one sees these three characteristics of things, thus eliminates distortion [ vipallasa ] caused by unwise attention [ ayonisomanasikara ]. This insight into the true nature of things gives rise to non - grasping and enables one to obtain emancipation, Nibbana.
In a Upanisadic literature, concentration meditation is know as Yoga, which the Upanisadic thinkers regard as a meditation method, which enables them to realize Atman. The concentration practice of Yoga consist of different degree, the highest of which is a mystic state, within which a mystic intuition of Atman takes place.
The Buddha, before his Enlightenment, studied Yoga under different teachers and attained the higher mystic state, but he was not satisfied with it because it did not give complete amancipation. In the mystic state of " Formless sphere " as mentioned in the forgoing chapter on right concentration, such as the sphere of neither - perception nor non - Perception, the Buddha found that there is only emptiness ; no Atman is found. Here is the point where the Buddha departs from the Uppanisadic thinker's claim. He considered the mystic state of Yoga only as " happy or peaceful living in this existence " and nothing more. The Buddha later discovered the method that enable him to attain the complete cessation of suffering. He called it " Vipassana " or insight meditation. It is a method unique to Buddhism.
By THE BUDDHA'S Core Teachings
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