7/28/2019 01 Meditation in Early Buddhism Print

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1. Meditation Practice in Early Buddhism

Reading:

Bhikkhu Bodhi (1995). IntroductionThe Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A NewTranslation of the Majjhima Nikaya.Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. (p.38-43)

Bhikkhu Bodhi (2012). Introdoction.The numerical discourses of the Buddha : a translation ofthe Aguttara Nikya.Wisdom. Pp. 47-49.

The Buddha

Before enlightened, the Buddha had practiced meditation (samatha) with the two teachers:rda Klma and Udraka Rmaputra (MN 26.15-16).

Later the Buddha entered the fourdhyna(jhna), obtained thetevijj(threefoldknowledge,Numerical Discourses3:58-59): knowing the past lives, thesasra, andkarma.

Finally, he discovered the four noble truths (dukkha, prattyasamutpda, nirvna, the path).Also, meditation brings attainment of the six kinds of superior knowledge later known astheabhis(Numerical Discourses3:1012, 5:23, 6:2). Five of these involve psychic powers,while the sixth is the world-transcending knowledge of the destruction of thesavas.

Early Buddhism

In Early Buddhism, there is no such a classification assamathaandvipassanmeditation.But, there are two aspects mentioned in many Early Buddhist discourses ascetovimutti(liberation of mind) andpavimutti(liberation of wisdom). In fact, the former refers to

samathaand the letter tovipassan. With concentration of the mind, we can oppress defilements or calming them down;This is calledcetovimutti.

We cannot uproot defilements without knowledge or understanding. Throughwisdom we can completely destroy them. This is calledpavimutti.

These two aspects (cetovimutti and pavimutti) of the Early Buddhism have developed inthe Abhidhamma assamathaandvipassanmeditations. (Prof. Sumanapala Galmangodalecture on Theravada Abhidhamma).

In Early Buddhism, there are threefold training (tisikkh) given by the Buddha:sla(morality),samdhi(concentration), andpa(wisdom). They are the three main stagesof spiritual development recommended in Early Buddhism. But, the bhidhammikas areconcerned with wisdom. It does not pay attention to morality.

We can say that morality (sla) is concerned more in theVinaya-piaka; concentration(samdhi) is concerned more in theSutta-piaka; and wisdom (pa) in theAbhidhamma.Even though we have onlysamathaandvipassanhere, we have to understand that withoutmorality we can come to the second stage because morality is the basis of meditation.

In Early Buddhism,samathaandvipassanare involved together. For example, in the

Satipahna (establishment of mindfulness) sutta, meditation explained as:

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7/28/2019 01 Meditation in Early Buddhism Print

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Suttas in AN describe many meditation subjects.

Mindfulness of breathing (10:60 10), the six devotional recollections (6:10,6:25), loving-kindness (8:1,11:15) along with all four immeasurables or divine abodes(3:65,8:63),

mindfulness of death (6:1920,8:7374). Walking meditation is praised for bringing five benefits (5:29).

Of particular interest is the emphasis AN places on the perceptions (sa), meditationsubjects that initially involve a fair amount of reflection rather than bare mindfulobservation. AN7:49, for instance, mentions seven perceptions, which are said toculminate in the deathless, to have the deathless as their consummation. The seven are1.the perception of unattractiveness desire for sexual intercourse2.the perception of death attachment to life3.the perception of the repulsiveness of food craving for tastes4.the perception of non-delight in the entire world,5.the perception of impermanence,

6.the perception of suffering in the impermanent, and7.the perception of non-self in what is suffering.

Each of these perceptions is then connected to a specific distorted perception or inclinationthat it counteracts.

The popular Girimnanda Sutta describes ten perceptions, which the Buddha instructsnanda to recite in order to restore the health of the bhikkhu Girimnanda, who wasafflicted with a grave illness (10:60).

Some of the meditation subjects mentioned in AN pertain, in traditional Theravdaexegesis, to the development of serenity, others to the development of insight.

What is interesting in AN, however, is that while serenity and insight are treated as distinctdomains of meditation with their own points of emphasis and fruits, a hard and fast line isnot drawn between meditation subjects as pertaining to the one or the other.

It is quite conceivable that in the Buddhas own view of meditation, serenity and insightrepresent not two separate categories of meditation objects but two complementarysubjective orientations that can be developed on the basis of the same set of meditationobjects. (Bhikkhu Bodhi 2012, Pp. 47-49)

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