This book is a comprehensive and practical guide to Buddhist meditation, providing a complete introduction for beginners, as well as detailed advice for experienced meditators seeking to deepen their practice. Kamalashila explores the primary aims of Buddhist meditation: enhanced awareness, true happiness, and liberating insight into the nature of reality. This third edition includes new sections on the importance of the imagination, on Just Sitting, and on reflection on the Buddha.
The two types of meditation that form the core of Buddhist spiritual practice are: tranquillity (samatha) meditation aims at stilling the mind, while insight (vipasyana) meditation produces clear vision or insight into the nature of all phenomena. With masterful scholarship, Rinpoche explains this unified system of meditation—what to do, what to avoid, and the stages of deepening meditation—so the practitioner can gauge progress. His teaching is a commentary on the eighth chapter of the Treasury of Knowledge by Jamgon Kongtrul.
This is the eBook of the BPE edition of Tranquillity & Insight. The pragmatic nature of the Buddha's teaching makes it perennially relevant to all times, and perhaps especially useful for coping with the difficulties of the present age. Leaving aside metaphysical and theological considerations, the Buddha's teaching focuses on what each person can do here and now to overcome the roots of suffering. The heart of this teaching is meditation, which aims at two goals: the calming down of the restless mind and the arousing of insight into the true nature of existence. The present widely acclaimed book explains the methods of Buddhist meditation in a concise yet complete account according to the oldest Buddhist tradition, that based on the Pali Canon. The aim of the book is essentially practical. While providing all the information necessary to proper understanding, the stress is on the need for practice and personal commitment. This work will both instruct the beginner and inspire the experienced meditator. "An excellent reference book ... Will appeal to beginners and non-beginners alike, and will meet the need for a more readable publication in this complex field of spiritual activity." -Buddhist Studies Review
The practice of Vipassana or insight meditation was described by the Buddha as the “direct way” for the overcoming of all sorrow and grief and for realizing Nibbana, the state of perfect liberation from suffering. The essence of this practice consists in the four foundations of mindfulness: mindful contemplation of the body, feelings, states of mind, and mind objects.
"a truly practical guide to read, enjoy and use."--Yoga and Health Covers all you need to know to establish a meditation practice, with helpful advice and greater detail for those wishing to deepen their experience. A very valuable resource.
Achaan Chah spent many years walking and meditating in the forest monastery of Wat Ba Pong, engaging in the uncomplicated and disciplined Buddhist practice called dhudanga. A Still Forest Pool reflects the quiet, intensive, and joyous practice of the forest monks of Thailand. Achaan Chah’s humble words, compiled by two Westerners who are former ordained monks, awaken the spirit of inquiry, wonderment, understanding, and deep inner peace. Attachment, according to Achaan Chah, causes all suffering. Understanding the impermanent, insecure, and selfless nature of life is the message he offers for human happiness and realization. To vividly grasp the meaning of attachment leads us to a new place of practice – the path of balance, the Middle Path.
From the Buddhist meditator and scholar, Bhikkhu Anālayo, this is a thorough-going guide to the early Buddhist teachings on Satipatthana, the foundations of mindfulness, following on from his two best-selling books, Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization and Perspectives on Satipatthana. With mindfulness being so widely taught, there is a need for a clear-sighted and experience-based guide. Analayo provides it.
The Mind Illuminated is a comprehensive, accessible and - above all - effective book on meditation, providing a nuts-and-bolts stage-based system that helps all levels of meditators establish and deepen their practice. Providing step-by-step guidance for every stage of the meditation path, this uniquely comprehensive guide for a Western audience combines the wisdom from the teachings of the Buddha with the latest research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Clear and friendly, this in-depth practice manual builds on the nine-stage model of meditation originally articulated by the ancient Indian sage Asanga, crystallizing the entire meditative journey into 10 clearly-defined stages. The book also introduces a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, and uses illustrations and charts to help the reader work through each stage. This manual is an essential read for the beginner to the seasoned veteran of meditation.
In this booklet are the beginning instructions for Mett� or Loving-kindness Meditation, as part of the 'Practice of the Brahmaviharas.' Bhante Vimalaramsi calls this Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation or TWIM for short. This is the practice described in earliest Buddhist teachings that the Buddha gave the monks to attain Nibbana. The way Bhante teaches this meditation practice yields very fast results. The warm, happy feeling of Loving-kindness, and the 6Rs practice system Bhante has discovered based on right-effort, gives you deep and profound states of meditation in only a matter of weeks or even days, when practiced consistently. Did you know Loving-kindness will take you deeper faster than doing Breath Meditation? Did you know that Metta DOES take you to Nibbana? This booklet gives the preliminary instructions for the practice of Metta and how to handle hindrances. This practice can also be brought into your daily life and helps with all your life/work situations and the many relationships you have. Mindfulness is re-defined here and practicing in this way yields the attainment of what Bhante calls the Tranquil Aware Jhanas. They are related to concentration Jhanas but are not the same. Through this practice, you can experience these deep states within days or weeks, not years or decades. Even just doing sitting practice at home. Bhante has students he has never met or taken a retreat who have gone all the way to awakening by using this system at home. Everything is here, and in detail, with many tips and examples, to get the meditator on his way to experiencing awakening in this very life. For more than 40 years Bhante Vimalaramsi researched and practiced many methods without finding any real satisfaction. He went back to the earliest Buddhist teachings, using the Majjhima Nikaya and found what he was seeking. He found the step that had been left out! Find out what that is (hint- to 'tranquilize'). Bhante Vimalaramsi's method of "The 6Rs", is the key to the step he found, which is the "Relax" step. In the suttas, it is called "Tranquilize." Once you learn this practice you can continue by going to Bhante's website and doing online retreats from home or visiting his center one of the retreats around the world he conducts. Bhante Vimalaramsi has been a monk since 1986 and practiced with many of the major Buddhist teachers in Asia. He now teaches all over the world and is the abbot of the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center near St. Louis, Mo, USA. He is also the US representative to the World Buddhist Summit.
