Meditative insight - please don't misunderstand

[Guest guest]

Dear members,

 

I think that my use of the term "meditative insight" is probably being

misunderstood. From statements such as "You beleive in your experience

- probably through deep meditation" that I find in many of your

responses, it appears you beleive that knowledge or wisdom is a

product of meditation.

 

Perhaps, you consider, meditative insight as a sort of action - caused

by meditation. This is wrong. The term meditative insight is only a

English translation of 'bhavanamaya panna'. It does not mean that one

is involved in some sort of meditative activity. The Buddha taught

meditative techniques to help a person cleanse his mind and remove

desire from the root. But at the same time, he taught a method of

constant awareness of all phenomena (sensations - vedana, thoughts -

vicara, mental formations - sankhara, consciousness - vinnana)

throughout. It is important for the person to use the faculty of being

free from craving or aversion, which he develops over time, to know

the truth as it is. Not as it appears or has been taught or has been

beleived.

 

The Buddha taught methods of meditation, called jhanas (states of

withdrawal), where the mind is withdrawn from the senses. But this is

an action and jhana (Sanskrit: dhyana) cannot directly lead to

enlightenment. The Buddha went beyond the eight jhanas, and taught a

method of insight (means of knowledge) called Vipassana/Satipatthana.

This is not an action, since the backbone of insight is to give up the

sense of doership.

 

Insight does not develop very easily. It takes time. As the jhanas are

being slowly mastered (through anapana sati, or samatha etc.), the

technique of insight is also developed simultaneously. This helps, the

student to realize the truth through insight. He gains wisdom, further

understands the futility of desire, sorrow, jealousy, anger etc., this

furthers his concentration. Right concentration further improves

insight.

 

It is to be noted that insight is not an injunction of concentration,

although initially it might seem like that, to a new learner. Insight

exists on its own, since no other means of action causes insight.

Insight itself is knowledge of the moment. We cannot say 'Knowledge

happens or is caused'.

 

The contemplative is always insightful through his contemplation (or

meditative insight or through his insight). He does not do something

to become insightful, he is insightful through his insight. It is

difficult to explain this, but one has to learn it to understand it.

One may question, "Why do we need to learn it?" to which we answer

"Learning is only a word that seems like a positive action, but it is

actually only removal of the impediments to understanding, knowledge,

wisdom, and not a positive gain of something." It is just like in

learning to swim, a person does not learn anything new, but only

discovers that he already knew how to swim, and is just conquering his

fear/ignorance of water.

 

Being always situated in wisdom, and knowledge, the contemplative

becomes a thitapanno (thita = Sanskrit: sthita, panna = Sanskrit

prajna) or a Sthitaprajna. He becomes wise, always situated in wisdom.

 

Till a person attains nirvana, he improves his faculty of awareness

and desireless (or egoless) objectivity or equanimity. With these he

contemplates the world around, walking, talking, reading, eating,

dancing, etc. When he finally dissolves all defilements, when his mind

is free from desire, his mind does not waver and he knows the truth as

it is through wisdom. It is for this reason that Buddhism states:

 

'Sabbe sankhara anicca iti, YADA PANNAYA PASSATI .....'

 

The important part is 'Yada pannaya passati' - "when he sees through

wisdom". Wisdom is not an external thing, it exists within already.

Otherwise, there will have to be a reservoir of wisdom from which we

will have to borrow. Buddhism teaches that all wisdom is already

within, it only needs realization. How do we accept this on faith? We

don't. We see if we have really become wiser, if we have slowly lost

our anger, attachments, emotions etc. This is the real indication of

progress, since the aim of nirvana is cessation of sorrow.

 

As one progresses in the Arya Dhamma, one improves his hold on wisdom.

The aim is to live a wise life, a good life, a better life, free from

passions, desires, emotions, sorrow etc. This is the meaning of

"meditative insight". It is not an injunction of meditative postures

or activities.

 

-Bhikku Yogi

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Very lucid elaboration. My salutations!

 

bhikkuyogi <bhikkuyogi wrote:Dear members,

 

I think that my use of the term "meditative insight" is probably being

misunderstood. From statements such as "You beleive in your experience