This is true meditation

Meditation and action

Goenka 10-day Vipassana Mediation Course

(The imposing Main Meditation Hall of the Dhamma Malaya Vipassana Centre, Gambang, Kuantan, Malaysia)

On  December 5, 2012, I attended the 10-day Goenka Vipassana Meditation Course at the Dhamma Malaya Vipassana Centre in Malaysia.  Vipassana meditation means "insight meditation".  It is a method whereby one develops the skill to observe sensations with an equanimous mind.  With this training, one is able to see things as they really are, and not as they perceived to be.  This will bring realities to one's life.  With persistent training, one is able to maintain a balanced life amidst the vicissitudes of daily life.

I have written a 2-part article on my experience during this 10-day Vipassana course.  To read, please CLICK HERE.  

General questions

 

Question : (Unedited)

How does your religion differ from others and similar to other religion (example, Christianity)
Do you believe in reincarnation?
Do Buddhists have a set of rules that they must follow?
Can you tell me types of meditation and if you believe in Buddhism, does every one have to do meditation?  ( do you guys pray or is meditation is like praying?)


My comment :

Hi S,

 How does your religion differ from others and similar to other religion (example, Christianity)
General similarities are around universal truths which have no boundary, such as love, unselfishness, goodwill and compassion.  The main differences are that Buddhism does not subscribe to the existence of "eternal and unchanging soul", "a place called heaven where people live in eternal peace and happiness", and "an all-powerful God".


Do you believe in reincarnation?

Reincarnation and rebirth are different concepts.  The Buddha spoke about rebirth.  This means the continuous flow of birth and death involving "consciousness" but not "an unchanging and permanent soul".  The latter is reincarnation.  Life is like a lighted candle.  The flame you see is not the exactly the same for two moments, yet the light seems to be the same.  The Buddha referred this rebirth as a phenomenon that was neither exactly the same nor totally different.

Do Buddhists have a set of rules that they must follow?
Nothing in Buddhism is a MUST.  There is no compulsion.  People are free to decide whether the Buddha's teachings are true and beneficial.  The Buddha gave complete freedom to humans to use their common sense and human intelligence to analyze his teachings.

Can you tell me types of meditation and if you believe in Buddhism, does every one have to do meditation?  ( do you guys pray or is meditation is like praying?)
We do not like to impose our belief on others.  As Buddhists, we know that only through proper meditation that we can train our mind to obey us in order to live a peaceful, wholesome and noble life.  It will take a lengthy explaination to explain Buddhist meditation; but very briefly, there are two main types, namely tranquility meditation and insight meditation.  The former is to achieve a calm and controlled mind.  The latter is to realize the true nature of existence and to attain ultimate liberation from birth and death.  However both are complementary.

As for prayer; in the Christian context, Buddhists do not "pray" because they do not subscribe to a higher power controlling them.  However, they do "communicate" with higher beings existing in different planes of existence, through radiating good thoughts to them.  These higher beings have some worldly powers over humans and can assist them in time of needs.

Training The Mind (Part 2 of 2)

Question : (Unedited)

By the way, what do you think of Vipassana meditation cause I'm thinking of participating in a ten-day course of Vipassana meditation this year. Some people say that Vipassana is difficult.
I also heard of Natural Stress Relief, what do you think about it, if you ever heard of it?
thanks

My comment:

Hi L,

First, if you have to pay a fee, then do not go. 　Buddhist meditation conducted by true Buddhists should be free. As for "Natural Stress Relief" I think it sounds very commercial! 　

As I said before, there are as many types of meditation as there are sandwiches. 　As for Buddhist meditation, there are two relevant suttas explaining meditation by the Buddha. They are briefly described below, with references where you can click for details.

The most relevant is the Anapanasati Sutta.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati_sutta)
This sutta points out the method to calm our mind by being mindful of our breathing. Another good reference is here:
(http://www.dhammasukha.org/Study/Books/Pdf/anapana-%203-2003.pdf)

With a certain level of this mindfulness and focus, the mind achieves full concentration or samadhi 　　　(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samadhi). 　At this level, the mind experiences tranquility which is Samatha. 　And the resulting experience from this state of mind is 　mental rapture or absorption which is called jhana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhana). The mind is now ready for further training to experience true insight into the true nature of things, vipassana 　　　　(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassana). 　The practice of Vipassana is based on the "Foundation of mindfulness Sutta" or Satipathana Sutta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satipatthana_Sutta).

So you see, the whole process is pretty complicating; and added to differing interpretations, it becomes mind boggling. 　As far as I am concerned, I practise Anapanasati which is mindfulness of breathing, and let the rest takes its course. 　It's that simple and easy!! 　To summarize: To achieve concentration is just like a person learning to drive a car; he needs full concentration to maneuver the car safely; this is samadhi. 　After a while he gains experience and can be relaxed while driving; this is samatha. 　Later, while concentrating and relaxing on his driving he can even enjoy the scenery around him and also engage in conversation; this is vipassana. 　Later he may become over-confidence and the danger comes!

As a parting comment, please remember that the above is my personal interpretation to the best of my experience and knowledge. 　There will be others who will disagree with me. 　So, please remember the Buddha's advice: use your own intelligence and common sense to decide.

Smile from justinchoo :-)

Training the mind (Part 1 0f 2)

QUESTION: (Unedited)

Hello, how are you?

I'd like to ask you about meditation.
I've noticed that there can be either internal or external meditation. Some people proclaim that it's better to keep your eyes open while meditating, others to keep them closed and focus on your inner world, to watch what appears in front of your eyes when they are closed. Which is better according to you? Which one do you practice?

Thank You!

My comment:

 Hi L,


In Buddhist meditation, the normal thing to do is to meditate with closed eyes. 　Of course the problem with this is that we quite often fall asleep. 　It is with diligent and effort that we practise through, irrespective of results. 　Of course with eyes slightly open, the problem of sleeping through is minimized. 　Certain spiritual groups practise it, and one of them is Brahmakumaris (http://www.brahmakumaris.com/).

I have personally practised Brahmakumaris method; but the object of their meditation is different.

Coming back to Buddhist meditation, the object is two fold. 　First to tame the wandering mind, then to train the mind to see the true nature of things and feelings. 　It is commonly treated as two separate types, namely tranquility meditation (Samatha), and insight meditation (Vipassana). 　My personal interpretation is that I will need tranquil mind in order to achieve insight. 　As far as I am concerned, I just meditate to stay focused or "one-pointedness" and let "nature" takes over. 　I feel that if one can project the mind to focus on one point for a long period, then one will experience insight. 　

Please remember, meditation is a very "controversial" subject. 　But I am just happy doing what I feel benefits me.

Smile from justinchoo :-)

The monkey mind.

Question:(Unedited) I am a buddhist in the Theravada tradition aswel and i have started and stopped meditation numerous time but just can't seem to keep it up. Do have any suggestions on how i can start meditation up and stay intersted with it. It would also be great if you could recomend a online book i should read from the list on buddhanet about buddhist meditation.

Thanks from b.


My comment:
Hi B,

Thank you for asking me.

If we need to be interested in order to meditate, then we got a problem. The reason for meditation (Buddhist Meditation) is not to satisfy our interest. The purpose of meditation is to tame the wandering mind and then to train it to listen to us. If we have this mission in mind, then we will make extra effort to sit and still the mind. It takes discipline and determination. That's why we can say that the very act of sitting and meditating is an achievement in itself. Ordinary people without any knowledge of meditation cannot even sit still for 5 minutes. Their minds are continuously wandering seeking sensual gratification. The moment their minds are not being gratified they feel bored. This is what we call the monkey mind.

The answer to your question is to view meditation in the right perspective and you will persevere in your effort whether you are "interested" in it or not. Treat it like cultivating good habits. Bad habits are easy to follow but difficult to bear. Good habits are difficult to follow but easy to bear.


May I strongly recommend this book by Ajahn Sumedho "Mindfulness: The Path to the Deathless" @

http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/deathless.pdf

Ajahn Sumedho is the most senior American monk from the Ajahn Chah's lineage. He is now based in England. Ajahn Chah was one of the most respected "forest" monk in Thailand.

There is this site in Western Australia where Ajahn Brahmawamso resides. He is an English monk and is a very popular speaker. He is also the disciple of Ajahn Chah. You can listen to his talk through this site:
Buddhist Society of Western Australia @
Web site: http://www.bswa.org/

Zombies don't think.

Question: (Unedited)

Dear Justinchoo,

I hope you will receive my email in the best of your health and spirits.

I am 29 years old. I started meditation for long time but I am not so much consistent. I may do for few days thn drop it and thn I can start it again after few days. The real question I wanna ask is that I like to think allot. I am always thinking or you can say imaging about my future life always. My mind is always busy like this. The good thing is that I always think positive and see good changes in life. But I want to ask you that is it a good practice to think always or imagine about future. I usually do it when alone or walking. Should I make my mind to not to think at all and must not imagine. I would like to have your guidance about it please

With best regards,

I K

My comment:
Hi I K,

Thank you for your concern. I'm in the pink of health.

It is natural to think. And you are very fortunate to have positive thoughts. That's the way to be. How can we be not thinking while awake? We will be zombies then! The Buddha's advice was to think wisely and mindfully. Buddhist meditation is to train the mind to do just that. We can vary the intensity of thinking. To be more spiritual I would say we need to regulate our thinking pattern. To live in the present moment, meaning, to be alert and mindful here and now; no stray thoughts. For example, recitation of "Buddho", to be aware of the present moment.

However, as lay persons we cannot just think in this pattern all the time. We have to plan our lives, do our jobs, and take care of our families. Strike a balance. Practise your meditation and improve your mindfulness, while at the same time think positive .

Perfection in meditation?

Question: (Unedited)

Hi, how does one fight the need to be perfect in meditation?

My comment:
Hi,

Thank you for asking me.

In the first place, what is perfection in meditation? If there is no answer to it, then there is no problem. There is nothing to fight for, as there is NO need to be perfect.

The skill in meditation is to relax and observe; not to fight for anything or to be perfect in any thing. The object of meditation is to tame the wandering mind so that we can train it to "listen" to us, instead of we taking orders from it. We want to be masters of our minds, and not their slaves.

With a tamed and trained mind, a person can conduct his life with wisdom and will experience inner peace and happiness, without any foolish desires and hindrances.

The way it is.

(Picture from CK Hon)

Question:(Unedited)

Hi again!

You know sometimes i try to meditate, sometimes for a half an hour, sometimes one hour. However, i don't know why, probably i do something wrong, it doesn't calm me down, doesn't bring me any relief. How should i do it? I usually sit on the floor or on the bed with my legs bent, upright posture. Could you give me any directions how to improve my practise? Thanks!


My comment:

Hi L,

Welcome back.

We must always remember that when we meditate, we are actually undergoing a life-time training process. In any training programme, it is expected to have mistakes. It is in this manner that we can learn to improve ourselves. If we are experts, we don't need to train anymore. Whatever we do will be perfect and our so-called training will be just another perfect performance.

As you know, our mind is very difficult to tame. We can just do our best. Of course, the more time we put into our training the more we can improve, and at a faster rate. However there will always be those off-form periods
where things don't seem to follow through. It is natural that we face this "problem".

The Buddha listed 5 mental hindrances that disturb us when we meditate. They are sensual desires, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness, and doubts. These mental impurities always disturb us, especially when we meditate. In any circumstance, once our mind is not stilled and concentrated, we will become the servant of the mind, and this mind will lead us from one "adventure" to the next, without our mindfulness. The trick is to note these moments of wondering, once we come to realize their presence; and to "bring back" our wondering mind to the reference point of concentration, be it rising and falling of the abdomen, or the in-breath and out-breath at the tip of the nose, or whatever point of concentration that we choose. Actually most of the time when we meditate, our main concern is to note these wondering moments, and there are many. When we become skilful in this noting, we will find that we can maintain a certain level of concentration and calm for longer periods and with more consistency.

So don't worry too much about your "problem". It is not a problem, after all. It is just "the way it is", and if you can realize this fact, you have understood the Dhamma..."The way it is".

Smile from justinchoo:-)

Enlightenment, Bodhisatta, Meditation.

(FreeStockPhotos.com)
(Picture above not related to this post)
(Just for viewing pleasure)

Question:(unedited)

I'm fifteen, and have a more than slightly curious mind. I'll try to make my questions as breif as possible, so here we go.

1) We both know that Buddha realized the Truth of how the world can save itself from ignorance. Yet, he realized how we can do it, yet he may not have actually done it himself. He acheived Enlightenment, yet in a different way than we are supposed to do now. He did all the right stuff, became a great man and the like, yet did not acheive Enlightenment in the way he told us to, mainly by the Eightfold path. I guess I find it hard to articulate through writting it, so I'll try to be as blunt as possible, please forgive my ignorance: How did the Buddha acheive Enlightenment different than we did? It must be hard to understand, please try to understand that I only seek to end my own curiosity.

2) How does one become a Boddhisatva? I'm not even sure on spelling, but I do know that they help mankind a lot. I find myself at great peace when I help others, so much so that I want to dedicate my self to helping others. I'm not sure if that's selfish of me, since I may only be doing it because I like the feeling, but I find that people learn from my actions. Preaching the Dhamma through my actions, I guess is the only way to put it. I know that's what any Buddhist should do, yet I want to dedicate myself to it.

3) How does someone think when meditating? I know how I'm supposed to meditate, yet I fail to understand how answers come from nothingness. With my mind focused and cleared, I fail to see what to focus on, since it has just been cleared. I guess the real question is how can I find answers that lead to Enlightenment when I don't know the question?

I guess that's it. Sorry if I haven't been clear on a question, I find it hard to put the right words down when I type, so my meaning is somewhat lost in translation ,I guess. Answer at you leisure, just please answer soon.
Your partner in crime
D..........


My comment:

Hi D......,

Thank you for asking me.

At your age, you have read alot about Buddhism. Keep it up. I know it is very difficult to put questions in words, especially when one is not very clear on the subject. You have done very well. I shall try my best to share whatever knowledge I have with you.

1) The Buddha's realization of the truth was not the same as our understanding of the truth. We come to "understand" through the Buddha's teachings. To "realize" is very different from just "understand". That's why we still cannot gain enlightenment although we can fully understand the Buddha's teachings.
The Buddha discovered the truth not within a lifetime. It took the Buddha such a long time that we refer this time period as 4 Mahakappas and 100,000 aeons. In simple term, the period is unimaginably and incomprehensibly long. During that long period he had gone through the process of perfecting his life through innumerable rebirths. What we know of the historical Buddha was his last rebirth before he attained full enlightenment. Even during his last birth, he had to go through 6 excruciating years in his search and practice before he found the answer, by his own effort. We are different because we have not developed our mind to such extreme and powerful level. We need someone to teach us the method. The Buddha is called the fully enlightened one, the Samma Sambuddha. He was omniscient; understanding all that needs to be understood.

2)"Bodhisatva" is Sanskrit. "Bodhisatta" is in Pali. In Mahayana interpretation, a Boddhisatva is a person who has attained enlightenment but chooses to still exist in this "world" to help others realize the truth. In Theravada interpretation, a Boddhisatta is an enlightened being destined to Buddhahood, a future Buddha. The historical Buddha before his enlightenment, was addressed as a Bodhisatta.

Helping others is a very noble act. I do not consider helping others as selfish.

3)Buddhist meditation is to calm the mind. An uncontrolled mind is like a fluttering fish out of water. In order to "control" this mind we have to constantly focus on one object. By focusing as such, the mind is relaxed but alert. When one has achieved this state of mind, one can proceed further to train the mind to note or contemplate on the true nature of things. In this way, we gain "insight" into the realities of this world and this life.

Ajahn Chah : Mindful Way (You Tube)

The late Ven Ajahn Chah taught very practical Dhamma.

Most Buddhists would have heard of the Venerable. His most successful Dhamma life was with the Western (Caucasian) group. His most senior Western disciple is Ajahn Sumedho who came into contact with the Venerable while Ajahn Sumedho was a young American serving under the US Peace Corp mission in Borneo. Ajahn Sumedho is now in England. For more info please click HERE:

Another very popular disciple monk is an Englishman now residing in Australia. He is Ajahn Brahmawamso, more popularly known as Ajahn Brahm. For more info please click HERE:

For more info about Ven. Ajahn Chah, please click HERE:

Mind your mind

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carowallis1/303633288/

Question:(unedited)
hello Justin. I do not really have a question for you this time around (sorry), but I wanted to share a quick story with you. i learned a good lesson in mindfulness yesterday at work:
I was sitting at the ambulance station at night (my partner was sleeping) and I was reading the "Dhammapada". I stopped to rest my eyes and started thinking how good I was feeling at that moment. How I was living a good life, free from a lot of ego-desires, how I was lucky to be healthy, and how I was actually understanding and applying the words of the Dhammapada. I sat there lost in my thoughts of how good things were and then took a sip of my tea without paying attention...I spilled hot tea all over my white work shirt. Lets just say I was suddenly "in the moment" for sure!

My comment:
Nice of you to come back and share experiences. The more we share the more we learn.

Your experience points out 2 characteristics of mindfulness. One is that it is possible to maintain mindfulness through constant practice. The other is that it is very difficult to sustain mindfulness continuously. At any moment our mindfulness is lost, which is most common. The lesson to learn is that we are still very imperfect. So strive on.

Please keep in touch. I would be very disappointed if you don't come back, ever!

Smile from justinchoo :-)

Getting rid of hurt

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wenflickr/276595491/

Question:(unedited)
hello Justin I am back again. Recently a friend of mine did some things that hurt me very much. I won't go into details but lets just say that she did some very deceitful and manipulative things to hurt me. Now I have used my buddhist wisdom to understand that she is foolish for trying to gain happiness by hurting others, and I do not want revenge, I simply explained to her how I feel, wished her well and told her we will not be friends any longer. The problem is that my meditation practice is now suffering. During meditation my mind aches with hurt, I am not angry and I have tried a "loving-kindness" type of meditation but still my mind races with hurt. What can I do during my practice to help this? I know deep down inside that this situation will pass, but right now it hurts. Thank you Justin for your advice and I hope you are happy and healthy.


My comment:
Yes, you are back again...9th time!

Remember I told you about the straight jacket simile? The more you struggle, the tighter its grip. You must not dwell in the thought. You have to just "NOTE" the thought, period. When it comes again just note and do not pass any comment for or against. Do not hold court and do not be the righteous judge. Otherwise, you will fall into the trap set up by your egoistic mind trying to justify this and condemning that. By the time you realize that you are wondering, you would have come full circle!

Waiting for your good news of teaching your mind a lesson!

Remember you cannot turn back the clock, or manipulate time. But you can take control of the point in time, by just "noting" without judgment. After awhile it will become "nothing". But it will come again, then you "note" again. It is a big "battle". This is Dhamma.

Smile from justinchoo :-) Waiting for your tenth visit!

Walking The Mistress!

(Walking the Mistress!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danagraves/54026470/

Question: (unedited)
Hello justin, I hope you are happy and healthy. I have another question for you: I have read a lot about "natural mind" or finding the "natural state" of my mind during meditation. Does this natural state mean letting my thoughts (good and bad) flow through me without holding on during meditation? Or does this natural state mean a feeling of "no thought" where the mind is simply pointed at the here and now? Thanks again for helping me along the way, may you be happy and healthy always.

My comment:
Hi! Nice to hear from you again. You are talking about the subject of meditation; Buddhist meditation for that matter. It is important to emphasize "BUDDHIST MEDITATION". I don't know whether to regard it as "tradition" or "trend" to always separate Buddhist meditation into Vipassana (Insight) and Samatha (Tranquility). To me, Buddhist meditation IS simply Buddhist meditation. There is always this debate between these 2 types of meditation. I regard this futile exercise as a sheer waste of time.

Meditation is simply to know the mind, to tame the mind, and ultimately, to cultivate the mind. The first step is to understand this mind; that it wanders continuously. Knowing that, we train this mind to stay "quiet", until it is tamed. With a trained mind, we can now start to "teach" this mind to do the "tricks" that we want it to do. An untrained person is with a mind that is not trained. The mind becomes the master, and the person becomes the slave. He will succumb to the whims and fancies of his mind. And he is in trouble; just like most people (including me).

With a trained mind, a person is the master of the mind, and the mind is the "slave" or "servant" of the person. The person has full control over his mind. He will direct his mind to do what he wants and not what the mind wants. He becomes a skilful person with wisdom. He will live in peace and happiness.

As an analogy, an untrained dog-owner taking his untrained dog for a walk, is actually allowing the dog to take him for a walk. The dog will drag and pull him, and the owner simply follows the leash! This is hillarious! This is like the mind taking us for a walk.

The owner has to know that it is the wrong method. He has to learn the technique to train the dog. Once the dog is trained to obey instructions, the owner can then teach the dogs other tricks. Coming back to your questions. First we must tame our mind. The method is to focus on an object so that whenever the mind wanders, it is pulled back to that object of concentration. This is to confirm your second question. This is Samatha or Tranquility.

The next step is to teach your mind to perform "tricks" that you want it to do. This corresponds to your first question. Our mind always wanders, because we allow it the freedom to create havoc in our lives. The method to train this mind is to know its nature. Whenever a thought comes, simply NOTE THE THOUGHT. Whatever comes simply note...PERIOD. When we become skilful in this exercise, we will notice that whenever and whatever the mind thinks or feels, we just note and finish with it. No more stray thoughts, no more problems. This is the gist of what the Buddha explained in the "four foundations of mindfulness". This is Vipassana or Insight.

We understand the nature of the mind, and we know how to direct it to our advantage. Both tranquility and insight must come together if one is to experience calm and acquire wisdom. With only tranquility, these is no wisdom. Without tranquility, there is no way one can gain insight. So as far as I understand, Buddhist meditation must have both.

Happy meditating. See you again.

Smile from justinchoo :-)