GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER Meditation

GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER
Meditation 

QUESTION: What is meditation?

ANSWER: 

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.' 

QUESTION: Is meditation important?

ANSWER: 

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 realize 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. Meditation helps to develop the awareness and the energy needed to transform ingrained mental habit patterns.

QUESTION: I have heard that meditation can be dangerous. Is this true?

ANSWER: 

To live we need salt. But if you were to eat a kilo of salt it would probably kill you. To function 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 would become a dangerous machine. Meditation is like this, it is essential for our mental health and well-being but if you practice in the wrong way, 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 then after you are better 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 or for long periods 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. A week later a famous meditation teacher visits their town and so they decide to incorporate some of his ideas into their practice and before long they are hopelessly confused. Jumping like a kangaroo from one teacher to another or 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 practice sensibly it is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

QUESTION: How many types of meditation are there?

ANSWER: 

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, Anapansati and Loving Kindness Meditation - Metta Bhavana.

QUESTION: If I wanted to practice Mindfulness of Breathing, how would I do it?

ANSWER: 

You would follows these 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 unlikely to be disturbed. Second, sit in a comfortable posture. A good way to sit is with your legs folded, a pillow under your buttocks, your back straight, your hands nestled in the lap and the eyes closed. Alternatively, you can sit on 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 is to patiently keep gently 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.

QUESTION: How long should I meditate for?

ANSWER: 

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. 

QUESTION: What about Loving-Kindness Meditation? How is that practiced?

ANSWER: 

Once you are familiar with Mindfulness of Breathing and are practicing it regularly you can start practicing 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.

 QUESTION: What is the benefit of doing this type of meditation?

ANSWER: 

If you do Loving-Kindness Meditation regularly and with the right attitude, you may notice 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 increases. 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.

QUESTION: How is that possible?

ANSWER: 

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 this. We project positive mental energy towards others and it may gradually transform them.

21 August 2023

GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER

 GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER

The Buddhist Scriptures 

 

QUESTION: Nearly all religions have some kind of holy writings or Bible. What is the Buddhist holy book?

ANSWER: 

The sacred book of Buddhism is called the Tipitaka. It is written in an ancient Indian language called Pali which is very close to the language that the Buddha himself spoke. The Tipitaka is a very large book. The English translation of it takes up nearly 40 volumes.

 

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QUESTION: What does the name Tipitaka mean?

ANSWER: 

It is made up of two Pali words, ti means ‘three’ and pitaka means ‘basket’. The first part of the name refers to the fact that the Buddhist scriptures consist of three sections. The first section, called the Sutta Pitaka, contains all the Buddha’s discourses as well as some by his enlightened disciples. The type of material in the Sutta Pitaka is very diverse which allows it to communicate the truths that the Buddha taught to different types of people. Many of the Buddha’s discourses are in the form of sermons while others are in the form of dialogues. Other parts like the Dhammapada present the Buddha’s teachings through the medium of poetry. The Jatakas, to take another example, consist of delightful stories in which the main characters are often animals. The second section of the Tipitaka is the Vinaya Pitaka. This contains the rules and procedures for monks and nuns, advice on monastic administration and procedure and the early history of the monastic order. The last section is called the Abhidhamma Pitaka. This is a complex and sophisticated attempt to analyze and classify all the constituents that make up the individual. Although the Abhidhamma is somewhat later than the first two sections of the Tipitaka, it contains nothing that contradicts them.

Now for the word ‘pitaka’. In ancient India construction workers used to move building materials from one place to another by means of a relay of baskets. They would put the baskets on their heads, walk some distance to the next worker, pass it to them, and he would repeat the process. Writing was known in the Buddha’s time but as a medium it was considered less reliable than the human memory. A book could rot in the monsoon damp or be eaten by white ants but a person’s memory could last as long as they lived. 

Consequently, monks and nuns committed all the Buddha's teachings to memory and passed them on to each other just as construction workers passed earth and bricks to each other in baskets. This is why the three sections of the Buddhist scriptures are called baskets. After being preserved in this manner for several hundred years the Tipitaka was finally written down in about 100 BC in Sri Lanka although it might have been written down in India before that. 

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QUESTION: If the scriptures were preserved in memory for so long they must be very unreliable. Much of the Buddha’s teachings could have been lost or changed.

ANSWER: 

The preservation of the scriptures was a joint effort by the community of monks and nuns. 

They would meet together at regular intervals and chant parts or all of the Tipitaka. This made it virtually impossible for anything to be added or changed. Think of it like this. If a group of a hundred people know a song by heart and while they are all singing it one gets a verse wrong or tries to insert a new verse, what will happen? The sheer number of those who know the song correctly will prevent the odd one from making any changes. It is also important to remember that in those days there were no televisions, newspapers or advertising to distract and clutter the mind which, together with the fact that monks and nuns meditated, meant that they had extremely good memories. Even today, long after books have come into use, there are still monks who can recite the whole Tipitaka by heart. The monk Mengong Sayadaw of Burma is able to do this and he is mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as having the world’s best memory.

 

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QUESTION: You mentioned Pali. What is that?

ANSWER: 

Pali is the name of the language that the oldest Buddhist scriptures are written in. No one is sure what language the Buddha spoke, but it is traditionally believed to have been Pali. If he did not speak this language, he probably spoke something very close to it. In fact, because he traveled and taught very widely, it is likely that the Buddha spoke several of the languages that were currant in northern India at that time. 

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QUESTION: How important are the scriptures to Buddhists?

ANSWER: 

Buddhists do not consider the Tipitaka to be a divine, infallible revelation from a god, every word of which they must believe. Rather, it is a record of the teaching of a great man that offers explanations, advice, guidance and encouragement, and which should read thoughtfully and respectfully. Our aim should be to understand what the Tipitaka teaches, not just believe it, and thus what the Buddha says should always be checked against our experience. You might say that the informed Buddhist’s attitude towards the scriptures is similar to a scientist’s attitude towards research papers in a scientific journal. One scientist conducts an experiment and then publishes his or her findings and conclusions in a journal. Other scientists will read the paper and treat it with respect but they will not consider it valid and authoritative until they have conducted the same experiment and got the same results. 

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QUESTION: Before you mentioned the Dhammapada. What is that?

ANSWER: 

The Dhammapada is one of the smallest works in the first sections of the Tipitaka. The name could be translated as ‘The Way of Truth’ or ‘Verses of Truth’. It consists of 423 verses, some pithy, some profound, some containing appealing similes, others of considerable beauty, all spoken by the Buddha. 

Consequently the Dhammapada is the most popular piece of Buddha literature. It has been translated into most major languages and is recognized as one of the masterpieces of world religious literature. 

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QUESTION: Someone told me that you should never put a copy of the scriptures on the floor or under your arm, but that it should be placed in a high place. Is this true?

ANSWER: 

Until recently in Buddhist countries as in medieval Europe, books were rare and valuable objects. 

Therefore, the scriptures were always treated with great respect and the customs you have just mentioned are examples of this. However, while customs and traditional practices are alright, most people today would agree that the best way to respect the Buddhist scriptures would be to practice the teachings they contain.

 

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QUESTION: I find it difficult to read the Buddhist scriptures. They seem long, repetitious and boring.

ANSWER: 

When we open a religious scripture we expect to read words of exaltations, joy or praise that will uplift and inspire us. Consequently, someone reading the Buddhist scriptures is likely to be a bit disappointed. 

While some of the Buddha’s discourses contain considerable charm and beauty, most resemble philosophical thesis with definitions of terms, carefully reasoned arguments, detailed advice on conduct or meditation, and precisely stated truths. They are meant to appeal more to the intellect than to the emotions. 

When we stop comparing the Buddhist scriptures with those of other religions we will see that they have their own kind of beauty – the beauty of clarity, of depth and of wisdom.

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QUESTION: I read that the Buddhist scriptures were originally written on the leaves of palm trees. Why was this done?

ANSWER: 

At the time the scriptures were written, paper had not been invented in India or Sri Lanka. Ordinary documents like letters, contracts, accounts and deeds were written either on animal skins, thin metal sheets or palm leaves. Buddhists didn’t like to use animal skins and writing the scriptures on metal sheets would have been both expensive and cumbersome and so palm leaves were used. After the leaves were specially prepared, they were bound together with string and put between two wooden covers making them convenient and durable, just like a modern book. When Buddhism came to China the scriptures were written on silk or paper. 

About 500 years later the need to produce many copies of the scriptures led to the invention of printing. The world’s oldest printed book is a Chinese translation of one of the Buddha’s discourses published in 828 CE.

GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER

 GOOD QUESTION GOOD ANSWER

Wisdom and Compassion 

 

QUESTION: I often hear Buddhists talk about wisdom and compassion. What do these two terms mean?

ANSWER: 

Some religions believe that compassion or love (the two are very similar) is the most important spiritual quality but they fail to give any attention to wisdom. The result is that you can end up being a good-hearted fool, a very kind person but with little or no understanding. Other systems of thought, like science, believe that wisdom can best be developed when all emotions, including compassion, are kept out of the way. The outcome of this is that science has tended to become preoccupied with results and has forgotten that science is to serve humans, not to control and dominate them. How, otherwise, could scientists have lent their skills to develop the nuclear bomb, germ warfare and the like? Buddhism teaches that to be a truly balanced and complete individual, you must develop both wisdom and compassion. 

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QUESTION: So what, according to Buddhism, is wisdom?

ANSWER: 

The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality all phenomena are incomplete, impermanent, and not self. This understanding is totally freeing and leads to the great security and happiness which is called Nirvana. 

However, the Buddha did not speak too much about this level of wisdom. It is not wisdom if we simply believe what we are told. True wisdom is to directly see and understand for ourselves. At this level then, wisdom is to keep an open mind rather than being closed-minded; listening to other points of view rather than being bigoted; to carefully examine facts that contradict our beliefs, rather than burying our heads in the sand; to be objective rather than prejudiced; and to take time about forming opinions and beliefs rather than just accepting the first or most emotional thing that is offered to us. To always be ready to change our beliefs when facts that contradict them are presented to us, that is wisdom. A person who does this is certainly wise and is certain eventually to arrive at true understanding. 

The path of just believing what you are told is easy. The Buddhist path requires courage, patience, flexibility and intelligence.

 

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QUESTION: I think few people could do this. So what is the point of Buddhism if only a few can practice it?

ANSWER: 

It is true that not everyone is ready for the truths of Buddhism yet. But if someone were not able to understand the teachings of the Buddha at present then they may be mature enough in the next life. 

However, there are many who, with just the right words or encouragement, are able to increase their understanding. And it is for this reason that Buddhists gently and quietly strive to share the insights of Buddhism with others. The Buddha taught us out of compassion and we should teach others out of compassion too.

 

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QUESTION: Is there any role for faith in Buddhism?

ANSWER: 

According to some religions a person is saved by faith. That is, they accept the truth of certain theological ideas, this pleases the supreme being, it creates a relationship with this being and he responds by saving the person. In Buddhism faith (saddha) is understood differently. 

Let’s say I’m ill, I mention this to a friend and he recommends me to his doctor. I don’t know whether this doctor is any good but I trust (or if you like, have faith and confidence) in my friend’s judgment. I make an appointment, go to the doctor’s clinic and while in the waiting room examine the certificates on the wall. I see that this doctor did his medical degree in the local university and then went on to higher studies in London. It is possible that these certificates are fake but I take it on trust that they are genuine. I have confidence that the Ministry of Health and the Medical Association make sure that only properly qualified doctors practice. Finally I get to see the doctor. I find her knowledgeable, pleasant and caring and the medicine she prescribes soon gets me back to normal. Previously I had no idea whether this doctor was any good, now my experience gives me confidence in her. Consequently, I consult her the next two times I’m ill and I find her to be just as good. Now I no longer have faith that she is a good doctor, I know she is. But I would never have arrived at this knowledge had I not first had at least some faith; faith in my friends advice, in the genuiness of the certificates and in the regulations of the medical authorities. 

This is how Buddhism sees faith, as an openness to a possibility, as a willingness to give something a try. 

Some faith in the Buddha’s teachings will encourage you to practice them and persist until results come. In time you won’t need faith, it will be replaced by knowledge. 

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QUESTION: What, according to Buddhism, is compassion?

ANSWER: 

Just as wisdom covers the intellectual or comprehending side of our nature, compassion covers the emotional or feeling side. Like wisdom, compassion is a uniquely human quality. 

Compassion is made up of two Latin words, com meaning ‘together’ and passio meaning ‘suffering.’ And this is what compassion is. When we see someone in distress and we feel their pain as if it were our own, and strive to eliminate or lessen their pain, then that is compassion. 

All the best in human beings, all the Buddha-like qualities like sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern and caring - all these things are manifestations of compassion. 

You will notice also that in the compassionate person, care and love towards others has its origins in care and love for them self. We can best understand others when we really understand ourselves. We will know what's best for others when we know what's best for ourselves. We can feel for others when we feel for ourselves. So in Buddhism, one's spiritual development blossoms quite naturally into concern for the welfare of others. The Buddha's life illustrates this principle very well. He spent six years struggling for his own welfare after which he was able to be of benefit to the whole of humankind.

 

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QUESTION: So you are saying that we are best able to help others after we have helped ourselves. Isn't that a bit selfish?

ANSWER: 

We usually see altruism, concern for others before oneself, as being the opposite of selfishness, concern for oneself before others. Buddhism does not see it as either one or the other but rather as a blending of the two. Genuine self-concern will gradually mature into concern for others as one sees that others are really the same as oneself. This is genuine compassion. Compassion is the most beautiful jewel in the crown of the Buddha's teachings.

 

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QUESTION: You said before that compassion and love are similar. How do they differ?

ANSWER: 

Perhaps it might be better to say that they are related. In English the word 'love' can be used to describe a wide variety of feelings. We can love our spouse, our parents, our children, our best friend and our neighbor. Clearly, all these types of feelings have certain differences but they have enough elements in common that allows us to use one word, 'love,' for all of them. What are these common elements? When we love someone we seek closeness with them, we find them interesting, we are concerned for their welfare, habits or traits they might have that others find irritating don't bother us, we do not have to make a conscious effort to be considerate towards them, it comes naturally to us. Love is a word for connectedness, kindness, concern and consideration towards another. Usually we feel like this towards those directly related to us. The Buddha said we should try to feel like this towards everyone. He said:

'Just as a mother would protect her one and only child even at the risk of her own life, even so, one should cultivate immeasurable love towards all beings in the world.' Sn.149

In Buddhism this 'immeasurable love' is called metta. 

When we encounter someone suffering or distressed, the concern element of love becomes dominant and manifests itself as compassion. Thus compassion is the loving mind's way of relating to those who are suffering. 

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QUESTION: I think that when you are kind and gentle people will walk all over you.

ANSWER: 

That is quite possible. But this can happen even if you are selfish and aggressive, because there will always be people who are even nastier than you are. There are no guarantees. 

However, while it is true that some people may take advantage of your goodness, most people will appreciate you and treat you with respect. You will always have more friends and helpers than exploiters. 

Also, why should you allow yourself to become like the very people you do not like? 

An ancient Buddhist text gives this advice; 

'As a mongoose approaches a snake to seize it only after having supplied his own body with a medicine, so to, the meditator, the earnest student of meditation, on approaching the world abounding as it is with anger and malice, plagued with quarrels, strife and contention and hatred, must anoint his mind with the medicine of love.' Milindapanha 394

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Profound distinctions between Intelligence and Wisdom

Worth reading on ...

1. Intelligence leads to arguments.

    Wisdom leads to settlements.

2. Intelligence is power of will.

    Wisdom is power OVER  will.

3. Intelligence is heat, it burns.

    Wisdom is warmth, it comforts.

4. Intelligence is pursuit of knowledge, it tires the seeker.

    Wisdom is pursuit of truth, it inspires the seeker.

5. Intelligence is holding on.

    Wisdom is letting go.

6. Intelligence leads you.

    Wisdom guides you.

7. An intelligent man thinks he knows everything.

    A wise man knows that there is still something to learn.

8. An intelligent man always tries to prove his point.

    A wise man knows there really is no point.

9. An intelligent man freely gives unsolicited advice.

    A wise man keeps his counsel until all options are considered.

10. An intelligent man understands what is being said.

      A wise man understands what is left unsaid.

11. An intelligent man speaks when he has to say something.

      A wise man speaks when he has something to say.

12. An intelligent man sees  everything as relative.

      A wise man sees everything as related.

13. An intelligent man tries to control the mass flow.

      A wise man navigates the mass flow.

14. An intelligent man preaches.

      A wise man reaches.

Intelligence is good

but achieves best results with wisdom.