Buddhist meditation information

Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are bhāvanā ("mental development")^{[note 1]} and jhāna/dhyāna (mental training resulting in a calm and luminous mind).^{[note 2]}

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,^{[note 3]} and includes a variety of meditation techniques, most notably anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing). Other techniques include asubha bhavana ("reflections on repulsiveness");^[1] reflection on pratityasamutpada (dependent origination); anussati (recollections, including anapanasati) and sati (mindfulness), culminating in dhyana (developing an alert and luminous mind);^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] and the Brahma-viharas (loving-kindness and compassion). These techniques aim to develop equanimity and sati (mindfulness); samadhi (unification of mind) c.q. samatha (tranquility) and vipassanā (insight); and are also said to lead to abhijñā (supramundane powers). These meditation techniques are preceded by and combined with practices which aid this development, such as moral restraint and right effort to develop wholesome states of mind.

While these techniques are used across Buddhist schools, there is also significant diversity. A basic classification of meditation techniques is samatha (calming the mind) and vipassana (gaining insight). In the Theravada tradition, emphasizing vipassana, these are seen as opposing techniques,^{[note 4]} while Mahayana Buddhism stresses the interplay between samatha and vipassana.^[6] In both traditions, breath meditation is a central practice. Chinese and Japanese Buddhism also preserved a wide range of meditation techniques, which go back to early Buddhism, and were transmitted via Sarvastivada Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, deity yoga includes visualisations, which precede the realization of sunyata ("emptiness").^{[note 5]}

Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

^ Deleanu, Florin (1992); Mindfulness of Breathing in the Dhyāna Sūtras. Transactions of the International Conference of Orientalists in Japan (TICOJ) 37, 42-57.
^ Vetter 1988.
^ Bronkhorst (1993).
^ Anālayo, Early Buddhist Meditation Studies, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Barre, Massachusetts USA 2017, p 109
^ Arbel 2016.
^ Sujato, A history of mindfulness.

[Deleanu-4] Deleanu, Florin (1992); Mindfulness of Breathing in the Dhyāna Sūtras. Transactions of the International Conference of Orientalists in Japan (TICOJ) 37, 42-57.

[FOOTNOTEVetter1988-5] Vetter 1988.

[FOOTNOTEBronkhorst1993-6] Bronkhorst (1993).

[Anālayo_2017,_p_109-7] Anālayo, Early Buddhist Meditation Studies, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Barre, Massachusetts USA 2017, p 109

[FOOTNOTEArbel2016-8] Arbel 2016.

[10] Sujato, A history of mindfulness.

Buddhist meditation information

and 24 Related for: Buddhist meditation information

Buddhist meditation

Meditation

Theravada

Buddhism

Zazen

Anapanasati

Mindfulness

Zen

Vipassana movement

Tibetan Buddhism

Walking meditation

Christian meditation

Dhyana in Buddhism

Samadhi

Buddhist texts

Tara Brach

Jewish Buddhist

Buddhism and Hinduism

Buddhism in Myanmar

Buddhism and science

Noble Eightfold Path

Buddhist devotion

Buddhist paths to liberation

Visuddhimagga

Buddhism
Part of a series on

Glossary Index Outline
History Timeline The Buddha Pre-sectarian Buddhism Councils Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Decline in the Indian subcontinent Later Buddhists Buddhist modernism
Dharma Concepts Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Dharma wheel Five Aggregates Impermanence Suffering Not-self Dependent Origination Middle Way Emptiness Morality Karma Rebirth Saṃsāra Cosmology
Buddhist texts Buddhavacana Early Texts Tripiṭaka Mahayana Sutras Pāli Canon Sanskrit literature Tibetan canon Chinese canon Post-canon
Practices Three Jewels Buddhist Paths to liberation Five precepts Perfections Meditation Philosophical reasoning Devotional practices Merit making Recollections Mindfulness Wisdom Sublime abidings Aids to Enlightenment Monasticism Lay life Buddhist chant Pilgrimage Vegetarianism
Nirvāṇa Awakening Four Stages Arhat Pratyekabuddha Bodhisattva Buddha
Traditions Theravāda Pāli Mahāyāna Hinayana Chinese Vajrayāna Tibetan Navayana Newar
Buddhism by country Bhutan Brazil Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Mongolia Myanmar Russia Singapore US Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam
Religion portal
v t e

Mindfulness
Part of a series on

Buddhism Buddhist meditation Sati Anussati Sampajañña Satipatthana Anapanasati Mental noting Appamāda Vipassanā Zen
Psychology Mindfulness-based stress reduction Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Mindfulness-based pain management Acceptance and commitment therapy Dialectical behavior therapy Mode deactivation therapy Morita therapy Hakomi therapy Mindfulness (journal)
Other Buddhism and psychology Mindful Yoga
Similar concepts Wakefulness Attention Alertness Prudence Conscientiousness Contemplation Epoché Awareness Observation Choiceless awareness Isolation tank
Category
v t e