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Jhāna
In the oldest texts of Buddhism, ''dhyāna'' () or ''jhāna'' () is a component of the training of the mind (''bhavana''), commonly translated as meditation, to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions, "burn up" the defilements, and leading to a "state of perfect equanimity and awareness ('' upekkhā- sati- parisuddhi'')." ''Dhyāna'' may have been the core practice of pre-sectarian Buddhism, in combination with several related practices which together lead to perfected mindfulness and detachment. In the later commentarial tradition, which has survived in present-day Theravāda, ''dhyāna'' is equated with "concentration", a state of one-pointed absorption in which there is a diminished awareness of the surroundings. In the contemporary Theravāda-based Vipassana movement, this absorbed state of mind is regarded as unnecessary and even non-beneficial for the first stage of awakening, which has to be reached by mindfulness of the body and ''vipassan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddhist Meditation
Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are '' bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and '' jhāna/dhyāna'' (mental training resulting in a calm and luminous mind). Buddhists pursue meditation as part of the path toward liberation from defilements ('' kleshas'') and clinging and craving (''upādāna''), also called awakening, which results in the attainment of Nirvana, and includes a variety of meditation techniques, most notably ''anapanasati'' (mindfulness of breathing). Other techniques include '' asubha bhavana'' ("reflections on repulsiveness");Deleanu, Florin (1992)Mindfulness of Breathing in the Dhyāna Sūtras Transactions of the International Conference of Orientalists in Japan (TICOJ) 37, 42-57. reflection on '' pratityasamutpada'' (dependent origination); '' anussati'' (recollections, including ''anapanasati'') and '' sati'' (mindfulness), culminating in ''dhyana'' (develo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gradually spread throughout much of Asia via the Silk Road. It is the world's fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million followers (Buddhists) who comprise seven percent of the global population. The Buddha taught the Middle Way, a path of spiritual development that avoids both extreme asceticism and hedonism. It aims at liberation from clinging and craving to things which are impermanent (), incapable of satisfying ('), and without a lasting essence (), ending the cycle of death and rebirth (). A summary of this path is expressed in the Noble Eightfold Path, a training of the mind with observance of Buddhist ethics and meditation. Other widely observed practices include: monasticism; " taking refuge" in the Buddha, the , and the ; an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pre-sectarian Buddhism
Pre-sectarian Buddhism, also called early Buddhism, the earliest Buddhism, original Buddhism, and primitive Buddhism, is Buddhism as theorized to have existed before the various Early Buddhist schools developed, around 250 BCE (followed by later subsects of Buddhism). The contents and teachings of this pre-sectarian Buddhism must be deduced or re-constructed from the earliest Buddhist texts, which by themselves are already sectarian. The whole subject remains intensely debated by scholars, not all of whom believe a meaningful reconstruction is possible. "Early Buddhism" may also be used for considerably later periods. Name Various terms are being used to refer to the earliest period of Buddhism: * "Pre-sectarian Buddhism" * "Early Buddhism", * "The earliest Buddhism", * "Original Buddhism", * "The Buddhism of the Buddha himself." * Precanonical Buddhism * Primitive Buddhism Some Japanese scholars refer to the subsequent period of the early Buddhist schools as ''sectarian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sati (Buddhism)
Sati ( pi, सति; sa, स्मृति ''smṛti''), literally "memory" or "retention", commonly translated as mindfulness, is an essential part of Buddhist practice in which one maintains a lucid awareness of bodily and mental phenomena or ''dhammas'', a spiritual or psychological faculty (''indriya'') in which one 'remembers to observe'. It is the first factor of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. "Correct" or "right" mindfulness (Pali: ''sammā-sati'', Sanskrit ''samyak-smṛti'') is the seventh element of the Noble Eightfold Path. Definition The Buddhist term translated into English as "mindfulness," "to remember to observe," originates in the Pali term ''sati'' and in its Sanskrit counterpart smṛti. According to Robert Sharf, the meaning of these terms has been the topic of extensive debate and discussion. ''Smṛti'' originally meant "to remember", "to recollect", "to bear in mind", as in the Vedic tradition of remembering sacred texts. The term ''sati'' also m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. Meditation is practiced in numerous religious traditions. The earliest records of meditation (''dhyana'') are found in the Upanishads, and meditation plays a salient role in the contemplative repertoire of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. Since the 19th century, Asian meditative techniques have spread to other cultures where they have also found application in non-spiritual contexts, such as business and health. Meditation may significantly reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, and enhance peace, perception, self-concept, and well-being. Research is ongoing to better understand the effects of meditation on health (psychological, neurological, and cardiovascular) and other areas. Etymology The English ''medit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upekṣā
''Upekṣā'' (Sanskrit: उपेक्षा; Pali: ''Upekkhā'') is the Buddhist concept of equanimity. As one of the Brahma-viharas, virtues of the "Brahma realm" (Pāli: '), it is one of the wholesome (') mental factors (') cultivated on the Buddhist path to '' nirvāna'' through the practice of ''jhāna''. Pali literature Many passages in the Pali Canon and post-canonical commentary identify ''upekkha'' as an important aspect of spiritual development. It is one of the Four Sublime States (''brahmavihara''), which are purifying mental states capable of counteracting the defilements of lust, aversion and ignorance. As a ''brahmavihara'', it is also one of the forty traditionally identified subjects of Buddhist meditation ('' kammatthana''). In the Theravada list of ten pāramī (perfections), ''upekkha'' is the last-identified bodhisatta practice, and in the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (''bojjhanga''), it is the ultimate characteristic to develop. To practice ''upekkha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhavana
''Bhāvanā'' (Pali;Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 503, entry for "Bhāvanā," retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Chicago" a Sanskrit: भावना, also ''bhāvanā''Monier-Williams (1899), p. 755, see "Bhāvana" and "Bhāvanā", retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Cologne" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanpdf/mw0755-bhAvodaya.pdf .) literally means "development" or "cultivating" or "producing" in the sense of "calling into existence".Nyanatiloka (1980), p. 67. It is an important concept in Buddhist practice (''Patipatti''). The word ''bhavana'' normally appears in conjunction with another word forming a compound phrase such as ''citta-bhavana'' (the development or cultivation of the heart/mind) or ''metta-bhavana'' (the development/cultivation of lovingkindness). When used on its own, ''bhavana'' signifies contemplation and 'spiritual cultivation' generally. Etymology ''Bhavana'' derives from the word ''Bhava'' meaning ''becoming'' or the su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed Theravādins, have preserved their version of Gautama Buddha's teaching or '' Buddha Dhamma'' in the Pāli Canon for over two millennia. The Pāli Canon is the most complete Buddhist canon surviving in a classical Indian language, Pāli, which serves as the school's sacred language and ''lingua franca''.Crosby, Kate (2013), ''Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Diversity, and Identity'', p. 2. In contrast to ''Mahāyāna'' and ''Vajrayāna'', Theravāda tends to be conservative in matters of doctrine ('' pariyatti'') and monastic discipline (''vinaya''). One element of this conservatism is the fact that Theravāda rejects the authenticity of the Mahayana sutras (which appeared c. 1st century BCE onwards). Modern Theravā ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four Stages Of Awakening
The four stages of awakening in Early Buddhism and Theravada are four progressive stages culminating in full awakening (''Bodhi'') as an Arahant (SN 22.122). These four stages are Sotāpanna, Sakadāgāmi, Anāgāmi, and Arahant. The oldest Buddhist texts portray the Buddha as referring to people who are at one of these four stages as noble people (''ariya-puggala'') and the community of such persons as the noble sangha (''ariya-sangha''). The teaching of the four stages of awakening is a central element of the early Buddhist schools, including the Theravada school of Buddhism, which still survives. Origins In the Sutta Pitaka several types of Buddhist practitioners are described, according to their level of attainment. The standard is four, but there are also longer descriptions with more types. The four are the Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Non-returner and the Arahant. In the Visuddhimagga the five stages are the culmination of the seven purifications. The descriptions ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sutra
''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a condensed manual or text. Sutras are a genre of ancient and medieval Indian texts found in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, sutras are a distinct type of literary composition, a compilation of short aphoristic statements.Gavin Flood (1996), ''An Introduction to Hinduism'', Cambridge University Press, , pages 54–55 Each sutra is any short rule, like a theorem distilled into few words or syllables, around which teachings of ritual, philosophy, grammar, or any field of knowledge can be woven. The oldest sutras of Hinduism are found in the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of the Vedas. Every school of Hindu philosophy, Vedic guides for rites of passag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vipassana Movement
The Vipassanā movement, also called (in the United States) the Insight Meditation Movement and American vipassana movement, refers to a branch of modern Burmese Theravāda Buddhism that promotes "bare insight" (''sukha-vipassana'') to attain stream entry and preserve the Buddhist teachings, which gained widespread popularity since the 1950s, and to its western derivatives which have been popularised since the 1970s, giving rise to the more dhyana-oriented mindfulness movement. The Burmese vipassana movement has its roots in the 19th century, when Theravada Buddhism came to be influenced by western modernism, and some monks tried to restore the Buddhist practice of meditation. Based on the commentaries, Ledi Sayadaw popularized ''vipassana meditation'' for lay people, teaching ''samatha'' and stressing the practice of ''satipatthana'' to acquire ''vipassana'' (insight) into the three marks of existence as the main means to attain the beginning of awakening and become a str ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anapanasati
Ānāpānasati (Pali; Sanskrit ''ānāpānasmṛti''), meaning "mindfulness of breathing" ("sati" means mindfulness; "ānāpāna" refers to inhalation and exhalation), paying attention to the breath. It is the quintessential form of Buddhist meditation, attributed to Gautama Buddha, and described in several sutras, most notably the '' Ānāpānasati Sutra'' (MN 118). Derivations of anāpānasati are common to Tibetan, Zen, Tiantai and Theravada Buddhism as well as Western-based mindfulness programs. Contemplation of bodily phenomena The '' Ānāpānasati Sutra'' prescribes mindfulness of inhalation and exhalation as element of mindfulness of the body, and recommends the practice of mindfullness of breathing as a means of cultivating the seven factors of awakening, which is an alternative formulation or description of the proces of dhyana: sati (mindfulness), dhamma vicaya (analysis), viriya (persistence), pīti (rapture), passaddhi (serenity), samadhi (unification of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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