To understand the role meditation plays in the life of a Buddhist To explain the differing views on meditation within Buddhism Meditate For most Buddhist meditation is the most important part of worship They usually sit on the floor often with crossed legs and try to empty their mind of all ID: 434444
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Slide1
Meditations.
To understand the role meditation plays in the life of a Buddhist.
To explain the differing views on meditation within Buddhism.Slide2
Meditate
For most Buddhist meditation is the most important part of worship. They usually sit on the floor, often with crossed legs and try to empty their mind of all thoughts. This means that they can focus on what is really important. The point of meditation is to rise above any worries they may have. By meditating Buddhists believe that they will become better people and reach enlightenment. Slide3Slide4
How does it help?(Think about the four noble truths)
Dukkha
: suffering,
unsatisfactoriness
, discontent and stress.
The cause of
dukkha
:
the cause of this dissatisfaction is craving
(
tanha
)
for sensuality, for states of becoming, and states of no becoming.
The cessation of
dukkha
:
the relinquishment of that craving.Slide5
Mantra.
In the context of the Vedas, the term
mantra
refers to the entire portion which contains the texts.
A
commonly repeated word or
phrase composed of a few syllables or word so they are easily repeated.Slide6
Not everyone agrees with meditation.
Pure land
B
uddhist. Read and summarise what they disagree with. Slide7
Samatha
The word '
samatha
' has a range of meanings but is commonly thought of as concentration. It is an essential ingredient for training the mind toward liberation. We all have some ability to concentrate and some people have a natural aptitude but there is usually always a need to strengthen this factor.
The mind is pretty speedy and huge amounts of data zip about over the course of time. If we are to be capable of deciding what is worth taking up and what data is just rubbish then
we need to be able to examine
the stuff, look at it. Some stuff, like junk mail, you know straight away it is rubbish. Bin it! In the search for truth we need to develop sharp eyes, a sharp mind; this is the ability to concentrate.Slide8
Vipassana.
Vipassana
is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mindSlide9
Zazen.
zazen
is the study of the self and does not require you to
conider
Dukkha.We
tend to see body, breath, and mind separately, but in
zazen
they come together as one reality. The first thing to pay attention to is the position of the body in
zazen
. The body has a way of communicating outwardly to the world and inwardly to oneself. How you position your body has a lot to do with what happens with your mind and your breath. Throughout the years of the evolution of Buddhism, the most effective positioning of the body for the practice of
zazen
has been the pyramid structure of the seated Buddha.Slide10
A note on meditation.
“David of the Song Dynasty went to meditate with Chan Master John at Golden Mountain Temple. After David had experienced a total relaxation of body and mind, he asked Chan Master John, "Chan Master, what do you think of my sitting posture?"
"Very magnificent. Like a Buddha!"
David was very delighted to hear that. Chan Master john then asked him, "Scholar, what do you think of my sitting posture then?"
David, never giving up any chance to tease and jeer at Chan Master John, immediately replied, "Like a pile of
bullsh
**." Chan Master John was very delighted to hear the answer and did not utter another word. Slide11
David thought he had beaten Chan Master John because the Chan Master was wordless while being compared to a pile of
bullsh
**. He was so proud of himself that he told everyone he met, "Today I won."
This news soon reached David’s sister
Gemma
. She asked him, "Brother, how was it that you beat Chan Master today?" David repeated the whole story vividly to his sister.
Gemma
, talented and smart as she was, told David straight to his face, "Brother, you actually lost. It is because Chan Master's mind is actually that of a Buddha that he could see you as a Buddha. As your mind is like a pile of
bullsh
**, you, of course, saw him as a pile of
bullsh
**." David, realizing his Chan practice was far inferior to Chan Master John's, was speechless.Slide12
Meditation today?
Could you fit meditation into your life now?
Do you think that meditation can help free you from suffering?
Would you rather escape from your problems or face them?