meditation Flashcards
what word is used for mediation?
Bhavana which means cultivation or development
what does mediation mean?
cultivating or developing the mind so it is less confused and distracted
what are the aims of mediation?
- to reach a state of peace
* to reach a state of clarity and understanding of reality
why do buddhists meditate?
- for mental discipline
- for wisdom
- for sila to cultivate qualities of compassion
- to see the ultimate truth of the universe and reach enlightenment
what is Samatha meditation?
mindfulness meditation for the cultivation of ones mind and means focussing on the present moment
what is a quote in the metta sutta about meditation?
“whether standing, walking, sitting or lying, develop mindfulness”
what is an example of Samatha meditation?
breathing mediations, focusing on a candle or mandalas
what is vipassana meditation?
often translated as insight meditation and aims to develop true nature of reality.
means meditating on the dhamma
what is an example of vipassana meditation?
candle meditation, meditating on the skandas, walking meditation
what is metta bhavana?
means compassion cultivation, and is the cultivation of loving sentiments. this practise is common among Mahayana
what does metta mean?
loving kindness
what is zen?
a branch developed in Japan and translates to meditation
what is zazen meditation? (soto zen)
sitting meditation, soto zen buddhists just sit and wait ti catch glimpses of enlightenment, similar to Samatha
what is Rinzai zen?
also believe that enlightenment is sudden. Rinzai masters use their upaya to help students achieve this
what methods to Rinzai Zen use?
there meditate on koans which are paradoxical riddles to shock the mind into thinking beyond language.
they sometimes use violence
what is an example of a koan?
“what is the sound of one hand clapping”
what do new pure land buddhists believe on enlightenment?
they believe we live in a time where its impossible to reach enlightenment as humans have become to arrogant and corrupt (mappo)
what do new pure land buddhists believe on meditation?
it is not helpful as it adds to delusion that we can reach enlightenment and reinforces the sense of self make one arrogant
what does Thich Nhat Hanh say on enlightenment?
any everyday cat can become “an act of enlightenment” if it is done mindfully e.g raking leaves or washing up
what is an example of metta bhavana (cultivating loving sentiment)?
Mahayana buddhists try to develop boddichita by following 5 step meditation in which they try focusing on feeling compassion for a friend, an enemy, a stranger, and then all beings
