emptyuniverse

Meditation (Samadhi)

Over there are the roots of trees; over there, empty dwellings. Practice jhana, Ananda. Don't be heedless. Don't later fall into regret. This is our message to you all. (MN 152: Indriya-bhavana Sutta)

An essential injunction of meditation is to 'abide independent, not clinging to anything in the world' (MN 10: Satipatthana Sutta). We achieve this non-clinging through the practice of meditation. Meditation is what transforms our theoretical understanding of Dhamma into the experiential path of discernment (panna) wherein one thoroughly cognizes the nature of all conditioned phenomena (dhamma-thiti-nama). This thorough knowledge of conditioned phenomena (dependent origination, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self) leads to non-temporal discernment-release (panna-vimutti). This non-temporal discernment release is the direct knowing of Nibbana (Nibbana-nana).

The path of meditation begins with contemplation (anupassana). Through contemplation we develop the mental factors of mindfulness (sati) and comprehension (sampajanna). Mindfulness and comprehension then develop into calm abiding (samatha) and clear seeing (vipassana) during the practice of jhana. These two interdependent aspects of jhanic meditation then leads to clear knowing (vijja). This is stated in the Vijja-bhagiya Sutta:

These two qualities have a share in clear knowing. Which two? Tranquility (calm abiding) & insight (clear seeing).

Clear knowing then reaches fruition as discernment release (panna-vimutti) wherein one fully discerns the four noble truths as they pertain to all conditioned phenomena and Nibbana:

"What lies on the other side of ignorance?"

"Clear knowing lies on the other side of ignorance."

"What lies on the other side of clear knowing?"

"Release lies on the other side of clear knowing."

"What lies on the other side of release?"

"Unbinding lies on the other side of release."

"What lies on the other side of Unbinding?"

"You've gone too far, friend Visakha. You can't keep holding on up to the limit of questions. For the holy life gains a footing in Unbinding, culminates in Unbinding, has Unbinding as its final end." (MN 44: Cula-vedalla Sutta)

We can illustrate the progression of the path of meditation with the following diagram:

As this diagram illustrates, both mindfulness and comprehension are necessary mental factors in the development of either calm abiding or clear seeing, and both calm abiding and clear seeing are necessary for the development of jhana. Jhana is a necessary prerequisite for clear knowing and the resultant discernment release. The necessity of the mental factors of mindfulness and comprehension right from the outset of one's meditation practice can be understood by thinking of them as our two 'legs' which we need to walk the path. These two legs, with repeated exercise, then strengthen into calm abiding and clear seeing — two primary components needed for jhana. As for which component should be developed first, calm abiding or clear seeing, AN 4.170: Yuganaddha Sutta states:

There is the case where a monk has developed insight (clear seeing) preceded by tranquility (calm abiding).... Then there is the case where a monk has developed tranquility (calm abiding) preceded by insight (clear seeing).... Then there is the case where a monk has developed tranquility (calm abiding) in tandem with insight (clear seeing).

From this statement we can see that the development of meditation can begin with either calm abiding or clear seeing. We should also keep in mind that both of these need to be united in the practice of jhana for the arising of clear knowing and discernment release. Before we move on to a detailed discussion about calm abiding and clear seeing we can first take a look at four contemplative calm abiding meditations and how they can work as antidotes to the five hindrances.

Four Protective Support Meditations (Caturarakkha Bhavana)

There are many contemplative meditation themes offered in the suttas. They are all skillful means for abandoning unproductive thoughts and feelings by either replacing them with productive thoughts and attitudes, or choicelessly remaining mindful of the feeling or attitude without reacting to it, or abandoning the thought pattern altogether by attending to a non-discursive object such as the breath. In this section we will discuss the first skillful means: that of replacing unproductive thoughts and feelings with productive ones that are their opposite, and therefore work as an antidote to abandon the unwholesome state that has arisen. The four contemplations that we'll look at here are what are commonly referred to as the 'four protective meditations,' in that they are reflective meditation themes that protect the mind from hindrances. They are: recollection of the Buddha; the contemplation of universal loving-kindness; perception of foulness; and recollection of the uncertainty of the time of death. They act as antidotes to the five main hindrances of meditation as follows:

As this chart shows, each reflective contemplation is designed to instill the opposite attitude of that which is a hindrance to practice. (Mindful breathing will be discussed in detail on the next page.) The four protections use discursive reflection and/or visualization to not only abandon the hindrance, but also to calm and unify the mind (contemplating death, of course, is meant to rouse the mind from a state of sluggishness). Therefore, all are considered calm abiding meditations, and can be practiced at any time, not only when the mind is conflicted by hindering defilements. And as calm abiding meditations, once the mind is calm and unified the discursive reflection can be dropped. One can then take up the theme of mindful breathing or clear seeing or whatever seems appropriate at that time.

There's one more thing that's worth keeping in mind regarding the use of these four protections as antidotes to the hindrances. The simple truth is that when we need them most as antidotes is when we feel the least motivated to even want to consider them, because when we need them most is when the mind is already being adversely conditioned by the hindrance that we need to abandon. When we're feeling angry, for example, usually the last thing we want to do is contemplate loving-kindness. When we're feeling doubtful about the path, or completely uninspired to continue practicing, we don't feel much like reflecting on the attributes of the Buddha. When we're feeling lazy or sluggish we don't want to consider the fact that we could drop dead in the very next moment. When we're filled with lust we don't want to contemplate a corpse rotting on the open ground.

But if we can resolve to break through the momentum of resistance created by the hindrance in question, and actually try these reflective practices when a hindrance is arising, or when it has already arisen, we will see, much to our amazement, that they really do work. It is possible to abandon even the strongest conflicting emotions of lust, hatred, and delusion. And if we can discover for ourselves that they really are effective, then we will be more likely to use them the next time a strong negative emotion arises. But it's a good idea to first get familiar with each when there are no apparent conflicting emotions present, so we can have them at the ready when they are needed most.

Recollection Of The Buddha (Buddhanussati)

This reflective contemplation helps us key in on our appreciation of the Dhamma teachings and expand our attitude of faith in the Buddha as a profound teacher. As we've already discussed, the times when this attitude of faith needs to be engendered most is often the very times when we feel the least inclined to do so — when we're feeling doubtful, either about the efficacy of the teachings and path itself, or about our own ability to put them into practice. So it's recommended that we practice this reflection daily, either by itself, or in conjunction with the other two refuge reflections — reflection on the Dhamma and Noble Sangha.

As for recollecting the attributes of the Buddha, we can simply repeat the following quotation from AN 11.12: Mahanama Sutta, silently, over and over, pervading the mind and heart with faith. If it's helpful we can sit in front of an image or statue of the Buddha, or even visualize him in front of us as we repeat the following:

He, Blessed One, is indeed the pure one, the perfectly enlightened one, he is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the accomplished one, the knower of the worlds, he trains perfectly those who wish to be trained, he is the teacher of gods and humans, he is awake and holy.

As for how this recollection not only instills faith, but protects the mind from all negative emotions, and orientates the mind toward the goal, and even leads to mental unification (jhana), the Buddha says:

At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting the Tathagata, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on the Tathagata. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows calm. One whose body is calmed experiences ease. In one at ease, the mind becomes concentrated. (AN 11.12: Mahanama Sutta)

Contemplating Universal Loving-kindness (Metta Bhavana)

An empty world (sunna-loka) is a world of flowing interdependent relationships. The reality of dependent arising means that as far as the conditioned universe is concerned there is nothing but relationship — and no relationship is static or exclusive. The result of this interdependence is that every action undertaken, every word spoken, and every thought conceived, has a ripple effect upon the totality. We are each shaping our world as the formless, creative energy of this empty universe.

The Buddha gave many teachings on how we can recognize and creatively work with this interdependent situation so as to bring about wholesome, productive, and organically unifying relationships by developing productive mental attitudes. He expressed the unitive attitudes that accomplish this work as universal loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Meditating on these productive attitudes gives rise to the 'limitless release of heart and mind.'

To meditate on these four themes, which the Buddha also called 'divine abidings,' we can begin by calming the mind with mindful breathing for a few minutes. Next, we take one of the four (in this case, loving-kindness) as the focus of our contemplation. First we wish that our own heart and mind may become saturated with universal kindness. We then extend this attitude toward a person whom we are close to, also wishing that their heart-mind can experience the same loving-kindness. Next, we extend this wish outward to casual acquaintances, and from there, people we find difficult, thinking of specific individuals as we go. Finally, we include everyone — all living beings in every direction. Then we simply experience the vastness of universal loving-kindness, and rest nonconceptually, with a mind released. The Buddha describes this as follows:

Here, monks, a disciple dwells pervading one direction with his heart filled with loving-kindness, likewise the second, the third, and the fourth direction; so above, below and around; he dwells pervading the entire world everywhere and equally with his heart filled with loving-kindness, abundant, grown great, measureless, free from enmity and free from distress. (DN 13: Tevijja Sutta)

The same process can be used to contemplate any one of the four immeasurable attitudes (the others being compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity).

Perception of Foulness (Asubha-sanna) & Cemetery Contemplation (Sivathika)

The perception of foulness involves visually bringing to mind various parts of the body as an antidote to sensual desire. AN 10.60: Girimananda Sutta gives the instructions along with the list of body parts as follows:

And what is the perception of unattractiveness? There is the case where a monk ponders this very body — from the soles of the feet on up, from the crown of the head on down, surrounded by skin, filled with all sorts of unclean things: 'There is in this body: hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, muscle, tendons, bones, bone marrow, spleen, heart, liver, membranes, kidneys, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces, gall, phlegm, lymph, blood, sweat, fat, tears, oil, saliva, mucus, oil in the joints, urine.' Thus he remains focused on unattractiveness with regard to this very body. This is called the perception of unattractiveness.

This is a very effective remedy for sensual desire if we have the necessary motivation to actually practice it when we need it most — when sensual desire arises.

Cemetery contemplation is also included in the meditations on foulness. With the cemetery contemplation we can abandon the strongest sensual desire of lust, as well as craving for any other sensory objects. Contemplating a corpse rotting in front of you may at first seem to be a strange or antiquated theme of meditation, possibly suitable for monks and nuns in the forests of Asia two thousand years ago, but hardly necessary or even appropriate for the modern, well educated urban householder. But if we consider for a moment just how much suffering is created in our modern urban cities by us 'sophisticated, well educated householders' engaging in promiscuous sexual activities, we may come to see that instinctual human behavior hasn't changed over the past two millennia, and realize that this corpse contemplation is part of the Buddha's timeless wisdom. What's more, even if we aren't personally driven to act upon our lustful urges, we probably still have them, and this meditation can be seen as a form of 'reality therapy' (as are all Dhamma teachings). It allows us to see the body as it really is — part of the natural environment. And if we've been educated to believe that lustful thoughts are natural, or even healthy, we can keep in mind that the Buddha considered sensual craving (tanha) of any kind to be one of the two main causes of suffering.

As for the contemplation itself, just attempting to visualize what is being described here usually isn't very effective if we have never actually seen a rotting, festering corpse before (it's just not a common experience for most of us). So in order to make this practice as real as possible there are pictures that we can use to support our contemplation. I have to warn you though, that these pictures are the real thing — they are very graphic and may not be suitable for everybody. If you wish to see them, you can find them here. This practice is more of a visualization practice than a discursive contemplation. We simply visualize the corpse in the various stages of decay as described, with the recognition that this very body of ours is of the same nature:

Furthermore, as if he were to see a corpse cast away in a charnel ground — one day, two days, three days dead — bloated, livid, & festering, he applies it to this very body, 'This body, too: Such is its nature, such is its future, such its unavoidable fate'....

Or again, as if he were to see a corpse cast away in a charnel ground, picked at by crows, vultures, & hawks, by dogs, hyenas, & various other creatures... a skeleton smeared with flesh & blood, connected with tendons... a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood, connected with tendons... a skeleton without flesh or blood, connected with tendons... bones detached from their tendons, scattered in all directions — here a hand bone, there a foot bone, here a shin bone, there a thigh bone, here a hip bone, there a back bone, here a rib, there a chest bone, here a shoulder bone, there a neck bone, here a jaw bone, there a tooth, here a skull... the bones whitened, somewhat like the color of shells... piled up, more than a year old... decomposed into a powder: He applies it to this very body, 'This body, too: Such is its nature, such is its future, such its unavoidable fate.' (MN 10: Satipatthana Sutta)

Recollection of Death (Maranasati)

Finally we come to the fourth protective support contemplation, where we reflect on the very real fact that our own death could come at any time. We could have a fatal heart attack or a brain aneurysm at any moment, even if we consider ourselves to be healthy. Such things happen even to healthy people. The factors that cause death are many and death is unpredictable, while the factors that support life are unstable, and could disappear without any warning. This isn't just mere conjecture, this is a fact. If we could go and ask anyone who died suddenly if they thought that they would die that day, they would say of course not. For most of us the thought of death rarely ever crosses our minds. But we know that we will die. This is a guaranteed certainty. What we don't know is when.

The Buddha recognized the value of contemplating our own death, as a way to motivate ourselves when we feel complacent, lazy, bored, or sluggish. As practitioners we should try to endeavor to keep our mind united with the Dhamma at all times, and this can be a very helpful support in this regard. We can also reflect on people we know who have died, as well as deceased public figures that we respect. Even the Buddha died, and his final words were a reminder to the sangha to remember that all fabrications are impermanent, and that they should therefore practice diligently. The quotation below presents the gist of this contemplation, and can be added to with what we know to be other possible causes of sudden death: car accidents, heart attacks, brain aneurysms, etc.. The passage runs as follows:

There is the case where a monk, as day departs and night returns, reflects: "Many are the [possible] causes of my death. A snake might bite me, a scorpion might sting me, a centipede might bite me. That would be how my death would come about. That would be an obstruction for me. Stumbling, I might fall; my food, digested, might trouble me; my bile might be provoked, my phlegm... piercing wind forces [in the body] might be provoked. That would be how my death would come about. That would be an obstruction for me." Then the monk should investigate: "Are there any evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by me that would be an obstruction for me were I to die in the night?" If, on reflecting, he realizes that there are evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by him that would be an obstruction for him were he to die in the night, then he should put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, undivided mindfulness, & alertness for the abandoning of those very same evil, unskillful qualities. Just as when a person whose turban or head was on fire would put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, undivided mindfulness, & alertness to put out the fire on his turban or head, in the same way the monk should put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, undivided mindfulness, & alertness for the abandoning of those very same evil, unskillful qualities. But if, on reflecting, he realizes that there are no evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by him that would be an obstruction for him were he to die in the night, then for that very reason he should dwell in joy & rapture, training himself day & night in skillful qualities. (AN 6.20: Maranassati Sutta)

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