Authentic or Original Buddhist meditation (also called Theravada meditation or insight meditation) consists of Samatha(Pàli: Samatha, Thiền chỉ) and Vipasyana(Pàli: Vipassana, Thiền quán).
It is based on the Satipatthana Sutta. Because this sutta introduces the method to practice meditation in a general way, details about how to practice vary a lot, depending on the master’s experiences and spiritual achievement. Hence, there is no single Vipassana method. However, all Vipassana methods have been based on the same Satipatthana Sutta. This sutta introduces four areas (methods) to practice insight meditation:
1.The body: the breath; the body movements, such as walking, standing, lying, sitting; the impurities of the body; the physical parts of the body; the decomposing carcass.
2.Feelings (sensations): good/happy feelings, bad/unhappy feelings, and neither-good-nor-bad feelings.
3.The mind: observing all the processes and activities of the mind, such as greed, anger, ignorance, torpor, and restlessness.
4.The dharma: the five hindrances/obstacles to concentration (greed, hatred, sleepiness/torpor, worries, and doubts); the five components of the body makeup (form, feeling, thought, action, and consciousness); the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, touch, and perception); and the six external factors (sight, sound, smell, , taste, feeling, and phenomenon); the seven elements that lead to enlightenment (right thought, …, effort, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity); the four noble truths (suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and the way that leads to the end of suffering).
There are many topics for insight meditation. Depending on the individual practitioner’s capacity and spiritual development, the master may assign a specific topic to focus on, and gain insight about. During the Buddha’s times, as mentioned in the Śūraṃgama-samādhi-sūtra (Lăng-nghiêm kinh), the Buddha asked his disciples to tell him about their respective meditation experiences. All the 25 disciples who were great bodhisattvas and arahats reported the different methods which they used to attain enlightenment.
According to U Ba Khin’s Vipassana method, after the practitioner has been practicing Anapanasati (focusing on the breath) well and up to a certain high level, s/he may focus her/his concentration on the body by observing its feelings, and its impermanence (anicca). With this practice about the impermanence of the body, a process of purifying the mind from all illusory thoughts starts, which may bring about some trembling, electricity-shock experiences. The practice of the eightfold noble path follows this concentration on impermanence. These eight elements of mind training are: right view, right thinking, right word, right karma, right job, right effort, right thought and right concentration.
Samatha means to put an end to restlessness and to stop chasing after illusory thoughts or transient objects. It (Thiền chỉ)is a state of focusing the mind on only one subject, and ignoring other distracting factors. For example, you stop thinking about other things in order to focus on your breathing in and out. Another example is your mind is concentrating on chanting Amida Buddha (Phật A Di Đà). You may also tame your mind by realizing a thought as soon as it is arising, and you stop it right away and continue to focus on your breath. Every day the mind is usually driven away by many thoughts while the body is doing something. Mind and body are not together. The "I" is often being driven away by past actions or future plans. The "I" therefore does not actually live the present moment unless there is an awareness that the "I" is breathing in and breathing out--just the awareness, but no judgment or comment whatsoever.
There are three methods to practice Samatha (Thiền chỉ):
1. Tie the monkey mind to one point, either on top of the nose or on the navel, or on the breathing in and out, the foot steps, or the names of Buddhas.
2. Master the mind by never letting it roam around with any arising illusory thought.
3. Never allow the mind to be attached to any conditioned/transient factors, for these factors are unstable and unreal.
The result of Samatha is focusing the mind on one object (usually breathing), cleansing the mind from the five impurities (năm triền cái), and producing joy and happiness, which lead to the first two realms of Thiền (Thiền Sắc giới and Vô sắc giới). Concentration will gradually develop. The practitioner needs to be aware that even when reaching the climax of Samatha, namely, the fourth stage(Phi tưởng phi phi tưởng xứ), s/he is yet to attain complete wisdom and enlightenment. Ignorance and greed or desire are still dormant, and may arise any time, preventing the practitioner to get completely liberated.
The Buddha, having mastered the four stages with Samatha practice, knew that he needed to eradicate the roots of all desires in order to find the ultimate truth of impermanence, suffering, and emptiness, and to attain enlightenment. Therefore, he continued to practice Vipasyana (Pàli: Vipassana).
Vipasyana (Pàli: Vipassana) means with wisdom the practitioner contemplates on the nature of all things and phenomena. This means observing what is going on with the body, the feelings/sensations, and the consciousness/mind, and the dharma (the four realms), and finding out what they actually are.
There are many ways to practice Vipasyana: the four realms, compassion, the five aggregates. The Prajnaparamita Sutra mentions this very clearly. Practicing Vipasyana helps the practitioner go beyond the conventional way of seeing things and phenomena, in order to see things with wisdom: everything is impermanent, full of suffering, empty, and having no self. When the practitioner sees these truths, s/he knows that s/he has been liberated from all fetters of desires, and a sense of joy and happiness arises from this state of liberation. The practitioner knows that s/he has ended the cycle of Samsara, has reached Nirvana, and won't have to be driven to this world if s/he does not want to.
There are two methods of Vipasyana:
1. Observing Opposites in Vipasyana (Đối trị quán):
Examples: observing impurities of bodies to eradicate desires; observing compassion in order to eradicate anger; observing nondiscrimination in order to eradicate attachment to the self; observing breathing to stop restlessness.
2. Observing the True Nature in Vipasyana (Chánh quán):
Observing all phenomena are dependent-originated, and their nature is empty. Emptiness is their true nature. Thanks to seeing emptiness, the practitioner develops inner tranquility (no-thought).
Vipasyana has various topics to contemplate on. It directs the mind to focus on continuous changes of the mind and the body, and noticing all of what is happening, but letting them go and never getting attached to them. Thus, the subject and the object are one. There is no boundary between the observer and the observed. No more discrimination. No more dualistic thinking.
The Relationship between Samatha and Vipasyana:
In Samatha the practitioner selects one of the six senses to focus on. S/he also selects a topic, and contemplate on the topic until the mind can transform the five aggregates (greed, anger, arrogance, and doubt) into the five virtues (focusing in calmness, concentration, joy, happiness, and no thought). Gradually the mind is dwelling on the topic, and attains one stage of meditation to another, until complete concentration has accomplished. The five aggregates are obstacles to Samatha practice, but they are not obstacles to Vipasyana, which actually use these as one of its four main topics to contemplate on.
In Vipasyana the practitioner does not necessarily select any topic or subject to focus on, but may observe the six senses and corresponding external objects that are actually interacting here and now. The topic of Vipasyana is the Four Realms.
Thus there are differences between Samatha and Vipasyana, the former being the foundation for the latter. They are like the two wings of a bird, and should be practiced together.
In Buddhist teachings, meditation is the only way that leads to purity, and helps one overcome sufferings, in order to attain the Ultimate Truth, and Nirvana. It is the Four Realms of Mindfulness (Satipatthana-sutta). Samatha means cessation; Vipasyana means profound contemplation. Both help the practitioner see the true nature of reality, and liberate her/him from all worries and sufferings. Both nurture compassion and wisdom, and bring joy and happiness to every being. Meditation which by nature means letting go all thoughts in order to develop concentration and wisdom, can be practiced in everyday activity, not necessarily in sitting position.
What to let go during meditation?
1. all desires and worldly thoughts;
2. any thought that distracts the mind, or that arises in the mind, including good thoughts;
3. joy and any feeling or perception of happiness;
Finally, there is no thought, no form, no subject -object distinction, no suffering nor Nirvana, only Oneness.
Sources and References:
On Theravada (Original/Authentic) Meditation and Mahayana (Developed) Meditation(Bàn về Thiền Nguyên Thủy và Thiền Phát Triển)
11/11/2009 07:54:00 Prof. Minh Chi
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phap-mon/thien-dinh/nt-dt/3358-Ban-ve-Thien-Nguyen-Thuy-va-Thien-Phat-Trien.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_buddhism#Scripture
Samatha, and Vipasyana (Thiền chỉ, thiền quán)
24/10/2006 20:17 Ban Hoằng pháp GHPGVN
http://www.phattuvietnam.net/nghiencuu/46/1112.html
Jack Kornfield . Living Buddhist Masters.
U Ba Khin . The Essentials of Buddha Dharma in Meditative Practice.
John E. Coleman. The Quiet Mind.
William Hart. Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S. N. Goenka.
