It is like cutting off weeds at the ground
level; their roots remain, and if one
ceases being mindful they will grow
back with surprising speed.c) Insight: It is only with the development of
insight into Reality that one finally uproots
the causes of one's suffering or
dissatisfaction forever. So, with a mind
refined, powerfully focused and purified
one turns to the contemplation of Reality
itself using the Buddha's teaching about the
nature of Reality.
Usually when people try to answer
questions such as 'Who am 'l?' they cannot
get very far, because their thinking is
scattered and unconcentrated. At best they
come up with purely intellectual answers.
But the mind of the meditator who has
reached the stage of developing insight is
really concentrated like a powerful
searchlight penetrating into darkness. His
emotional state is completely positive so he
is prepared to welcome Truth whatever it
may be.The development of insight is an
overpowering experience which transforms
a person's whole being. At first insight
comes in flashes. But as the meditator
continues practising, these flashes of insight
become more prolonged until finally the
mind of the meditator dwells permanently
in the radiant state of illumination, marked
by the complete flowering of the qualities
of Wisdom and Compassion, which is called
Enlightenment, the goal of the spiritual life.3.Meditation Methods
Meditation is a systematic development and
culture of positive states of mind. So, when you
take up meditation, you begin by learning a
specific technique. Within the Buddhist
tradition there are many different meditation
practices. All are designed to produce specific
effects such as the eradication of a particular
negative emo-tion and the cultivation of its
opposite. Some are recommended for people of
particular personalitytypes.As it is not possible to cover this topic
exhaustively in this lesson and it is not our
purpose to do so, only three meditation
methods-Mindfulness of Breathing, Vipassana
meditation, and Metta Bhavana-will be briefly
mentioned.The Mindfulness of Breathing is the most
fundamental of all Buddhist meditations. It is a
concentration exercise and is traditionally the
antidote to restlessness, anxiety and worry. The
main effect of this practice is integration to
harmonize and collect all the different energies,
and to focus them. In learning to concentrate
we learn to conserve energy, not to dissipate it,
andto practicewithout being side-tracked by
other preoccupations. This method can also
lead to insight into the true nature of things.Closely tied to this meditation method is a
technique developed by the Burmese school of
meditation. This technique of Vipassana (insight)
meditation is based on the most important text
on meditation taught by the Buddha called the
Satipatthana or Mahasatipatthana Sutta. This
discourse teaches the Four Foundations of
Mindfulness, which is the mindfulness of body,
feelings, mental states and mental objects.17