Some people view Buddhist meditation as a time to relax and unwind to relieve the stresses of everyday life. Others perceive meditation as a spiritual practice in its own right, as in the case of Buddhists.
For what purpose do Buddhists meditate?
Buddhist Meditation from a general point of view
Meditation is neither synonymous with performance nor perfection. It consists of seeking the truth as Siddhartha Guatama did before entering his Buddha state, that is to say before reaching enlightenment. This is a psychological activity designed to help a person discover their nature. In a word, meditation is an act that is done in full awareness and lucidity. Through this practice, the meditator can learn more about his or her purpose, which is more authentic within oneself. In other words, his ego disappears to give way to an understanding and an apprehension of reality and life.
In addition, the discovery of the essence of life is also done through meditation. This includes joy of life, love and energy. To achieve the goal set before meditating, it is imperative to think about “liberation”. Indeed, we are looking for the truths that concern us but we are not looking for perfection as indicated above.
Historical dates of meditation
Generally speaking, the art of meditation dates back approximately 4000 years. But if we look at history, written evidence indicates that this approach dates back to 500 years BC Moreover, during a session of excavations carried out by archaeologists in Indian caves, they discovered frescoes of people in meditation positions. But in the contemporary world, the genesis of meditation depends above all on each religion. As in the case of Hinduism, meditation was taken from the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali in the 2nd century BC.
According to the Buddhist movement, meditation began in India around 25 centuries BCE. The history of this practice converges with that of Siddharta Guatama known as the Historical Buddha. When he decided to leave his father's palace where he lived with his family, his parents, his wife and his child, he entered a monastery and became a monk. Then he began to wonder about samsara, the hellish cycle of birth and death. This quest for liberation leads him to meditate for around forty days during which he achieves awakening. It is thanks to this illumination that he was able to help beings to free themselves from suffering. We can then say that meditation is at the origin of the Buddhist doctrine.
Buddhist meditation, therapy and spiritual approach
On the one hand, meditation is used as a therapy to treat patients suffering from stress or psychological disorders. The goal of this psychoanalysis is to help the suffering person regain their normal state of mind and to purify them mentally and physically. This session is practiced by a real master, who travels to several health establishments such as clinics and hospitals to take care of patients and treat them according to their case. This is done with the apprehension and approval of the attending physician. According to scientists, experimentation with this practice has revealed that it is a remedy that contributes to the patient's state of health, physical or mental. Meditation also helps heal the after-effects of trauma and injuries.
On the other hand, the ultimate goal of meditation is to awaken and purify the mind. During a session, the meditator is in search of wisdom and liberation in order to achieve happiness and to better communicate with those around him, to work on his dark side and to optimize his well-being. It is then a sure way to know and understand yourself, your environment and life in general. From this point of view, meditation is an art because it has the power to change a person's outlook and transform their life from a physical, psychological and mental point of view. Through this practice, she regains confidence in herself and obtains the answers to her questions, in particular the truth.
The most common types of meditation
Meditation is a practice accessible to everyone and does not depend on age, health or intellectual level. But, to do meditation well, self-study is not a better idea. It is imperative to be taught by a teacher called a spiritual guide. His role is to guide, advise, instruct and correct his apprentice.
We can distinguish three types of meditation:
- Active meditation: This is the easiest form of meditation to practice. You can do it while dancing or even walking. The ideal time to do this is at the end of the day;
- Mindfulness meditation: this is its most common and best-known form. This is the meditation done by the historical Buddha when he was searching for truth and liberation from samsara. The practice consists of getting in touch with oneself through the subconscious;
- Transcendental meditation: this form of meditation consists of reciting a mantra for around twenty minutes to free oneself from negative thoughts.
Buddhist meditation, why do we do it?
Also called Vipassana meditation, Buddhist meditation is different from ordinary meditations, such as meditation in which the meditator focuses his mind on objects such as the candle flame and the photo, and on recitations and songs. It is the oldest form of meditationand a process in which the mind rests.
During the session, the meditator uses his concentration to better connect with his mind, his consciousness and his body. This technique is based on the Satipatthana Sutta. The ultimate goal of Buddhist meditation is to have a complete transformation in life and above all to free oneself from self-control, that is to say from one's own desires, bad habits, negative thoughts and others.
