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Basic Instructions … Very Briefly

First of all we should know the difference between Samatha and Vipassana Meditation. Unless we are able to understand the difference between these two types of meditation, no one can practise any type of meditation very well because they get confused. So in Buddhism there are 2 types of meditation; one is Samatha Meditation and the other is Vipassana Meditation.

Samatha here means concentration or the mental states that make the mind calm. When the mind is concentrated on a single object it is called concentration of mind. So to obtain a higher degree of concentration, Samatha is practised. The purpose of Samatha Meditation is to attain the higher degree of concentration which is called Jhana or Appana. This Jhana is called Zhan in Burmese, Chan in Chinese and Zen in Japanese. Zen here means concentration but some of the Buddhist scholars translated Zen into meditation. Here Jhana is deep concentration or higher degree of concentration. When you practise Samatha Meditation you can attain the higher degree of concentration of concentration which is known as Jhana. To attain deep concentration of mind you have to contemplate or you have to concentrate your mind on a single object of meditation such as respiration, devices of Kasina, Asubha and so on.

Most Buddhists practise the meditation on respiration. Respiration meditation is known as Anapanasati in Pali. When you start this Samatha Meditation taking respiration as the object of meditation then you have to focus your mind on the in-breathing and out-breathing. The mind should be focused on the nostril. When you breathe in, the air touches at the nostril; then you observe it making a mental note, 'in' or 'breathe in'. When the air goes out or when you breathe out, the air touches the nostril, then you observe it making a mental note, 'out'. In this way 'in, out, in, out', focusing the mind at the nostril.

Then the mind doesn't stay with the in-breathing and out-breathing. It goes out and wanders and thinks about something else, about your family, about your friends, about your school or university, about your education and so on. When the mind goes out and thinks about something else you bring the mind back to the object of meditation, that is at the nostril. Bring the mind back and focus it at the nostril and note 'in, out, in, out'. But though you focus the mind at the nostril it doesn't stay there for a long time. In the beginning of the practice it very often goes out and wanders. Then you bring it back to the nostril and focus it there, making mental note, 'in, out, in, out'. In this way gradually you come to concentrate your mind on in-breathing and out-breathing to a certain extent. Then you proceed with your practice.

Then after, say a week or ten days the mind gradually becomes more and more concentrated on the in-breathing and become better and deeper. When you spend about say, 2 or 3 months on your meditation, you mind may be deeply concentrated on in-breathing and out-breathing at the nostril to a larger extent. The mind may stay with the breath for about 10 or 15 minutes. In this way you have to strive for your best to have deeper concentration of mind at the nostril on in-breathing and out-breathing. Then finally your mind is totally absorbed into the object, that is in-breathing and out-breathing.

Then you haven't any hindrances in your mind. It means while your mind is well and deeply concentrated on in-breathing and out-breathing at the nostril, it has no disturbances, no irritation. It doesn't get annoyed. Those mental states such as sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse and sceptical doubts are called hindrances. These hindrances are not in a concentrated mind because the mind is deeply concentrated on the object of meditation, that is in-breathing and out-breathing. So none of these hindrances could come to the mind because the mind is deeply concentrated on the object. It means the deep concentration of mind removes those mental defilements. Mental hindrances do not come into the concentrated mind. So as long as the mind is deeply concentrated on in-breathing and out-breathing, you don't have any of these mental hindrances in your mind.

Then the mind becomes calm, quiet, tranquil and serene. You enjoy peacefulness as long as the mind is deeply concentrated on in-breathing and out-breathing. It is called Jhana or absorption. The mind is well fixed on the object of meditation that is in-breathing and out-breathing. But though your mind is absolutely concentrated on the object of meditation, it doesn't realize any mental states or physical process in their true nature. Samatha Meditation is concentration meditation, not realization meditation.

Another type of meditation is Vipassana Meditation. Vipassana here means realization of the three characteristics of existence or mental and physical phenomena. What are the three characteristics? They are Impermanence, Suffering and Impersonal or no soul, no self Nature of phenomena. Therefore you have to observe any mental states or physical processes which are arising at that moment as it really occurs so that you realize these three characteristics of those mental states or physical process.

These three characteristics, Impermanence (Anicca), Suffering (Dukkha), Impersonal Nature (Anatta) of phenomena must be thoroughly realized by a meditator so that he can destroy all mental hindrances or defilements such as greed, lust, craving, attachment, desire, ill will, ignorance, conceit, jealousy and so on. If a meditator has realized Impermanence, Suffering and Impersonal Nature of these mental and physical phenomena which constitute a so-called person, a being, an 'I' or a 'you" then he doesn't take any of the mental states or physical processes to be a person, a being, an 'I' or a 'you'. Then he has removed the concept of personality, individuality, self or soul which is the seed of all mental defilements and mental hindrances. When the concept of a person or a being has been destroyed, there won't arise any mental defilements or hindrances such as greed, hatred…etc., then you feel happy and peaceful. You can live in peace and happiness. That is Vipassana Meditation.

Vipassana is translated into insight. The insight knowledge that penetrates into the true nature of mental and physical phenomena is called Vipassana nana. Vipasanna ro Insight Meditation is practised to realize bodily and mental phenomena in their true nature or the three characteristics of mental and physical phenomena as they really are. To realize the true nature of bodily and mental phenomena you need some degree of concentration. To obtain some degree of concentration, you have to be mindful of whatever arises in your body and mind as it really occurs. Because you want to realize the true nature of bodily and mental phenomena as they really are you have to be mindful of any mental state or physical process as it really occurs. You should not think about the mental state or physical process. You should not analyse it. You should not criticize it.

In Vipassana Meditation there is no room for analysing, thinking about, criticizing, intellectual reasoning, logical thinking and preconception. What you should do is to just pay bare attention to what is happening to your body and mind as it really occurs. You mustn't have any reaction regarding the object. You mustn't get involved into the object, either mental state or physical process. You mustn't judge whether the object is good or bad. What you should do is just be aware of it as it really occurs. Just observe it as it is. Just be mindful of it as it really occurs, without getting involved in it, without reaction, without judgement. Watch it as it is. Watch any mental state or physical process as it really occurs, that's all. Be mindful of it as it really occurs. Then when your mindfulness becomes gradually constant, continuous and powerful, your mind would be concentrated to a certain extent you begin to realize the true nature of the mental state or physical process which is observed as it is. So this meditation is known as Mindfulness Meditation or Insight Meditation or Vipassana Meditation.

In this Mindfulness Meditation the most important thing is to be aware of whatever arises in your mind as it is. While you are meditating you may think about your family, your work or your friend. The mind goes out, wanders, thinks about something else. Sometimes you have a great deal of imagination or sometimes you plan for your future and so on. Then you must be mindful of these mental states, thoughts, thinking, planning or imagination by making mental note, 'thinking, thinking' or 'imagining, imagining'. When you see any image in your mind, note it as 'seeing, seeing', without analysing it, without thinking about it, without criticizing it. So in this Vipassana Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, non-reacting awareness or non-judging mindfulness is the most important factor to be successful in this meditation. You mustn't react.

You mustn't have any reaction when you see any object; when you hear any sound or voice; when you smell any odour or scent; when you taste any food; when you touch any tangible thing; when you think about anything you mustn't have any reaction from these objects. Not to have reaction you have to observe either the consciousness of seeing, the consciousness of tasting, the consciousness of touching or the mind which is thinking about something by making mental note 'seeing','hearing', 'smelling', 'tasting', 'touching' or 'thinking' as the case may be. When you are able to observe or to note any of these 6 consciousness, then you don't have any reaction from it.

(For example) Because of powerful mindfulness of the consciousness of seeing, the consciousness of seeing couldn't see the object very well, so it is unable to judge whether the object is good or bad. When the consciousness of seeing couldn't judge the object as good or bad then you don't feel good or bad about the object. Then you don't have any reaction from it. If you do not observe, if you are not mindful of the consciousness of seeing when you see something then the consciousness of seeing sees the object for a very long time whereby it can judge whether the object is good or bad. When the consciousness of seeing judges the object to be good, you feel a pleasant sensation about the object. When the consciousness of seeing judges the object to be bad you feel an unpleasant sensation about the object. You like it, you love it, you want to get it. You have a desire for this object because it is good, you feel. That desire is sort of reaction from the object which is not observed or noted. That desire is the cause of suffering, the cause of Dukkha. The cause of Dukkha, desire, arises because you are not able to observe the visible object, so you have a reaction. The reaction arises in the form of desire or love.

So not to have any reaction from the object, you have to be aware of it. You have to observe it. You have to note it, making mental note, 'seeing, seeing' (or 'hearing' or 'smelling' or 'tasting' or 'touching' or 'thinking' as the case may be). When you are able to observe any object, either mental states or physical processes then you don't have any reaction from it. Then you feel calm, quiet and tranquil. That is why we call Mindfulness Meditation as non-reacting awareness, non-judging mindfulness. So to practise Insight Meditation or Mindfulness Meditation what you need is just to be mindful of, just to be aware of what is happening to your body and mind as it really occurs, that's all. You mustn't use your preconception when you practise this meditation. If you allow the preconception to come into your mind when you are meditating then you can't rightly understand the true nature of mental and physical phenomena which is observed. So the principle of Vipassana Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation is to be mindful of whatever arises in your body and mind as it really occurs; to be aware of any mental states or physical processes in its true nature; to observe any activity of mind or body as it really occurs.

So the technique is not difficult. It is very easy and simple but much effective if you perseveringly practise this meditation. You have to be patient before you have attained any higher stage of Insight knowledge or enlightenment. Perseverance, patience and strenuous efforts are the greatest qualities of a meditator to be successful in his meditation.

Here when we know that the principle of Mindfulness Meditation or Vipassana Meditation is to observe any mental states or physical processes as it really occurs then we know from this fact that in Vipassana Meditation we can have many varieties of objects of meditation; not just a single object of meditation like in Samatha Meditation. So here what we should know about the difference between Samatha and Vipassana Meditation is that Samatha Meditation has only a single object of meditation such as respiration and Vipassana Meditation has many different objects of meditation because all mental states and all physical processes are the objects of meditation. Any mental state or physical process which is predominantly arising at that moment is the object of meditation. You have to observe that mental state or physical process which is predominantly arising at that moment, making mental notes.

So to make it easy you have to start with the noting of the rising movement and falling movement of the abdomen. Contemplation of the rising and falling movements of the abdomen is not respiration meditation. It is called contemplation of material elements because we have to be aware of the 4 material elements, namely the Earth element, Water element, Fire element and Wind or Air element. We are mainly concerned with these 4 material elements at the beginning of the practice. To observe the rising and falling movements of the abdomen is called contemplation of material elements, Dhatu Manasikara in Pali. It is not respiration meditation though the rising and falling movements of the abdomen is connected to in-breathing and out-breathing. It is not in- and out-breathing. It is just abdominal movement. The air or wind in the abdomen rises or falls, moves forward or backward, sometimes the air moves upward or downward. This upward movement and downward movement are observed; this outward and inward movements of the abdomen are observed, making mental note 'rising, falling, rising, falling'.

So this is not respiration meditation, not breathing meditation. It is called Dhatu Manasikara. It is one of the chapters in the Discourse of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness expounded by the Buddha. Because it is not respiration meditation, you must not cling to the abdominal movements as the only object of meditation because in Vipassana Meditation the abdominal movement is a kind of physical process, one of the many objects of meditation, not the single object of meditation. When you feel the rising movement or forward movement of the abdomen, you observe it, making a mental note 'rising'. When the abdomen falls or moves backward, you should note 'falling'. In this way whenever the abdomen moves forward, observe it, making a mental note 'rising'. When it moves backward, observe it, being mindful of it and making a mental note 'falling'. 'Rising, falling, rising, falling'.

But while you are contemplating on the rise and fall of the abdominal movement, the mind may go out, wanders. In the beginning of the practice you are not aware of it. But later you come to realize that the mind is going out, the mind is wandering, the mind is thinking about something. As soon as you realize that the mind is wandering, you must follow the mind which is wandering and observe it, note it, as it really occurs, making mental note, 'thinking, thinking', 'wandering, wandering'. After the wandering mind has stopped, the thinking mind has stopped, then return to the primary object, that is rising and falling movements of the abdomen, note as usual 'rising, falling'. When your mind goes out again you follow the mind and observe it 'going out, going out' or 'wanders, wanders' and when it has stopped, you return to the primary object and note as usual.

When you have sat for, say 20 or 30 minutes, you may feel pain in some part of your body. You may feel pain on the leg, you may feel pain on the ankle, you may feel pain in the back. That painful sensation is more distinct than the movement of the abdomen, then you should note the painful sensation because it is predominantly arising at that moment, making a mental note, 'pain, pain, pain', observing it attentively, energetically and intently. 'Pain, pain, pain' you observe it. The pain may become more severe. You must be patient with it and being mindful of it as it is, making a mental note, 'pain, pain'. When the painful sensation becomes unbearable, then you should get up and practise walking meditation. To practise walking meditation is better than to change the position. So to relieve the pain you must not change the position. You get up and practise walking meditation.

In the walking meditation you should observe the movement of the foot. When you make a left step, you should focus your mind on the movement of the left foot. When you make a right step you should focus your mind on the movement of the right foot, making a mental note 'right, left, right, left'. Movement of the foot is Vayodhatu, wind or air element which must be thoroughly realized as it is.

When you are able to observe the movement of the right foot and the movement of the left foot very well, then you can observe two parts of a step: the lifting part and the dropping part. When you lift the foot, observe the lifting movement, making a mental note 'lifting'. When you drop the foot you observe it as dropping, making a mental note 'dropping'. When you feel the lifting movement of the other foot then make a mental note 'lifting'. When you drop the foot down then you should observe the movement of dropping, making a mental note 'dropping'. In this way 'lifting, dropping, lifting, dropping'.

When you are able to note 'lifting, dropping' very well, then you should increase one more object to note: lifting movement, pushing movement and dropping movement. After you have lifted your foot then you push it forward and drop it down; you have made one step. So one step must be observed in three parts: lifting part, pushing part and dropping part. In this way 'lifting, pushing, dropping'. Then the other foot, 'lifting, pushing, dropping'. You mustn't look around here and there while you are practising walking meditation. Your eyes should be half closed looking at a place about 6 feet ahead of you, not nearer than that. Then the mind should be focused on each movement of the foot, 'lifting, pushing, dropping; lifting, pushing, dropping'. Slowly. If you walk quickly and fast, you are not able to be aware of each movement of the foot, so you have to slow down.

When you have reached the other end of the walk, then you should turn. When you are about to turn, you have wanting or intention to turn the body. Then you should note 'wanting, wanting' or 'intending, intending', after which you note the turning movement of the body, slowly, 'turning, turning'. You may observe the movement of your foot too when you turn your body. The foot also turns one after the other . You can observe the movement of the foot too, making a mental note 'turning, turning'. When your face is in the direction where you came from, then you stand still and observe the standing posture, 'standing, standing' for about 10 times. Then you walk back to the other end of the walking meditation making a mental note 'lifting, pushing, dropping'.

In this way you should practise walking meditation for at least 1 hour. But for beginners it may be somewhat difficult to walk for 1 hour. So he should walk for about 30 minutes making a mental note, 'lifting, pushing, dopping'. When you have reached this end of the walk you do the same. First of all stand still, and note 'standing', observing the erect posture of standing, the upright posture of the body. Then you note 'intending, intending' after which you turn your body, 'turning, turning' slowly, not quickly. In this way you should walk back and forth, up and down along the same line. Then you can concentrate your mind on the movement of the foot to a certain extent gradually, that is concentration, Samadhi in Pali. This Samadhi can be obtained by means of continuous mindfulness, powerful mindfulness. Walking meditation and sitting meditation should be practised alternately. Nonetheless every sitting meditation should be preceded by walking meditation.

After you walked, you are about to walk to the place where you are to sit. The mindfulness and concentration you have attained in walking meditation should not be interrupted, should not be disrupted when you walk to the place where you are to sit for meditation. So after walking you have to be mindful of the movement of the foot , 'lifting, pushing, dropping; lifting, pushing, dropping' when you walk to the place where you are to sit so that your concentration is not disrupted. You have to be mindful of the movement of the foot until you have reached the place where you are to sit, and stand there and note, 'standing, standing'. The upright posture of the body must be focused. Then you are about to sit down for your meditation. Then you intend to sit down. That intention must be noted and observed, making a mental note 'intending, intending'. Then you sit down to your seat slowly. The whole sitting down movement must be observed, making a mental note 'sitting down, sitting down'. When the body touches the seat or the mat note 'touching, touching'. When you arrange your legs and hands, all the movement must be observed as it is.

Then you sit in a crossed legged position or in any position you fell comfortable. Your spine must be kept straight, erect but not to be stretched out; but it must be kept straight. Your neck and head should be straight. Then close your eyes and focus your mind on the rising and falling movements of the abdomen because it is our primary object. So focus the mind there. When the abdomen rises observe the rising movement and note 'rising'. When it falls note 'falling'. Observing rising movement, making mental note 'rising', observing falling movement, making mental note 'falling'. In this way 'rising, falling' rising' falling'.

Sitting meditation and walkng meditation must be alternate. If you change from sitting to walking meditation, then when you get up from the seat you have to be aware of all the movements of your hands, legs and body as they occur. When you go to the place where you are to walk you have to aware of the movement of the left foot and the right foot, making mental note 'left, right, left, right'. When you reach the place where you are to walk, then you stand still, observing standing posture, making a mental note 'standing, standing'. In this way you have to be mindful of whatever arises in your body and mind as it really is. This is Mindfulness Meditation, Insight Meditation. Its purpose is to realize all mental states and physical processes as they really occur. So may all of you rightly understand the technique of this Mindfulness Meditation, Insight Meditation or Vipassana Meditation and strive your best to achieve your goal.

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