GOOD QUESTION
GOOD ANSWER
Ven. S.
Dhammika
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[06]
Meditation
What is meditation?
Meditation is a conscious
effort to change how the mind works. The Pali word for meditation is
'bhavana' which means 'to make grow' or 'to develop'.
Is meditation important?
Yes, it is. No matter how
much we may wish to be good, if we cannot change the desires that make us
act the way we do, change will be difficult. For example, a person may
realise that he is impatient with his wife and he may promise himself,
"From now on I am not going to be so impatient" But an hour
later he may be shouting at his wife simply because, not being aware of
himself, impatience has arisen without him knowing it. Meditation helps to
develop the awareness and the energy needed to transform ingrained mental
habit patterns.
I have heard that
meditation can be dangerous. Is this true?
To live, we need salt. But
if you were to eat a kilogram of salt ;it would kill you. To live in the
modern world you need a car but if you don’t follow the traffic rules or
if you drive while you are drunk, a car becomes a dangerous machine.
Meditation is like this, it is essential for our mental health and
well-being but if you practise in stupid ways it could cause problems.
Some people have problems like depression, irrational fears or
schizophrenia, they think meditation is an instant cure for their problem.
They start meditating and sometimes their problem gets worse. If you have
such a problem, you should seek professional help and after you are better
then take up meditation. Other people over reach themselves, they take up
meditation. and instead of going gradually, step by step, they meditate
with too much energy for too long and soon they are exhausted. But perhaps
most problems in meditation are caused by 'kangaroo meditation'. Some
people go to one teacher and do his meditation technique for a while, then
they read something in a book and decide to try that technique, then a
week later a famous meditation teacher visits town and so they decide to
incorporate some of his ideas into their practise and before long they are
hopelessly confused. Jumping like a kangaroo from one meditation technique
to another is a mistake. But if you don’t have any severe mental
problems and you take up meditation and practise sensibly it is one of the
best things you can do for yourself.
How many types of
meditation are there?
The Buddha taught many
different types of meditation, each designed to overcome a particular
problem or to develop a particular psychological state. But the two most
common and useful types of meditation are Mindfulness of Breathing
(anapana sati) and Loving-kindness Meditation (metta bhavana).
How do you practise
Mindfulness of Breathing?
You would follow this easy
steps: the four Ps: place, posture, practice and problems. First, find a
suitable place, perhaps a room that is not too noisy and where you are not
likely to be disturbed. Second, sit in a comfortable posture. A good
posture is to sit with your legs folded, a pillow under your buttocks,
your back straight, the hands nestled in the lap and the eyes closed.
Alternatively, you can sit in a chair as long as you keep your back
straight.
Next comes the actual
practice itself. As you sit quietly with your eyes closed you focus your
attention on the in and out movement of the breath. This can be done by
counting the breaths or watching the rise and fall of the abdomen. When
this is done, certain problems and difficulties will arise. You might
experience irritating itches on the body or discomfort in the knees. If
this happens, try to keep the body relaxed without moving and keep
focusing on the breath. You will probably have many intruding thoughts
coming into your mind and distracting your attention from the breath. The
only way you can deal with this problem is to patiently keep returning
your attention to the breath. If you keep doing this, eventually thoughts
will weaken, your concentration will become stronger and you will have
moments of deep mental calm and inner peace.
How long should I meditate
for?
It is good to do
meditation for 15 minutes every day for a week and then extend the time by
5 minutes each week until you are meditating for 45 minutes. After a few
weeks of regular daily meditation you will start to notice that your
concentration gets better, there are less thoughts, and you have moments
of real peace and stillness.
What about Loving Kindness
Meditation? How is that practised?
Once you are familiar with
Mindfulness of Breathing and are practising it regularly you can start
practising Loving Kindness Meditation. It should be done two or three
times each week after you have done Mindfulness of Breathing. First, you
turn your attention to yourself and say to yourself words like "May I
be well and happy. May I be peaceful and calm. May I be protected from
dangers. May my mind be free from hatred. May my heart be filled with
love. May I be well and happy." Then one by one you think of a loved
person, a neutral person, that is , someone you neither like nor dislike,
and finally a disliked person, wishing each of them well as you do so.
What is the benefit of
doing this type of meditation?
If you do Loving Kindness
Meditation regularly and with the right attitude, you will find very
positive changes taking place within yourself. You will find that you are
able to be more accepting and forgiving towards yourself. You will find
that the feelings you have towards your loved ones will increase. You will
find yourself making friends with people you used to be indifferent and
uncaring towards, and you will find the ill-will or resentment you have
towards some people will lessen and eventually be dissolved. Sometimes if
you know of someone who is sick, unhappy or encountering difficulties you
can include them in your meditation and very often you will find their
situation improving.
How is that possible?
The mind, when properly
developed, is a very powerful instrument. If we can learn to focus our
mental energy and project it towards others, it can have an effect upon
them. You may have had an experience like this. Perhaps you are in a
crowded room and you get this feeling that someone is watching you. You
turn around and, sure enough, someone is staring at you. What has happened
is that you have picked up that other person’s mental energy. Loving
Kindness Meditation is like that. We project positive mental energy
towards and it gradually transforms them.
Do I need a teacher to
teach me meditation?
A teacher is not
absolutely necessary but personal guidance from someone who is familiar
with mediation is certainly helpful. Unfortunately, some monks and laymen
set themselves up as meditation teachers when they simply don’t know
what they are doing. Try to pick a teacher who has a good reputation, a
balanced personality and one who adheres closely to the Buddha’s
teachings.
I have heard that
meditation is widely used today by psychiatrists and psychologists. Is
this true?
Yes, it is. Meditation is
now accepted as having a highly therapeutic effect upon the mind and is
used by many professional mental health workers to help induce relaxation,
overcome phobias and bring about self-awareness. The Buddha’s insights
into the human mind are helping people as much today as they did in
ancient times.
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Update : 01-03-2002
