The significance of Buddhist meditation mindful well-being

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Date

2015

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Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya

Abstract

Meditation is the essence of Buddhism which is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness. Meditation is part of the path toward Enlightenment and Nirvana. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are bhavana and jhāna / dhyāna. The term meditation refers to a broad variety of practices that includes techniques designed to promote relaxation, build internal energy or life force and develop compassion, love, patience, generosity and forgiveness. Buddhist meditation aims to develop of well-beings mindfulness, supramundane power etc. The word meditation gives different meanings in different contexts. There are many kinds of meditation. The two most common and useful types of meditation in Buddhism are Mindfulness of breathing(Anapanasati) and Loving kindness (mettabhavana). In contrast, the two most important two bhavana are buddhismsamata and vipassanabhavana. If done sensibly and correctly, both methods can be life changing. It can improve many aspects of our life especialsy physical and mental elements. Meditation is often used to clear the mind and ease many health concerns, such as high blood pressure, depression and anxiety. Meditation may involve generating an emotional state for the purpose of analyzing that state; such as anger, hatred, etc. It helps cultivate a particular mental response to various phenomena, such as compassion. The term "meditation" can refer to the state itself which can be contextualized as part of the noble eightfold path. This takes into consideration Right mindfulness, Right concentration and Right view. The English word meditation is derived from the Latin ‘meditation’, from a verb ‘mediatory’ meaning "to think, contemplate, devise etc.” In the Old Testament hāgâ means to sigh also, to meditate. Apart from its historical usage, the term meditation was introduced as a translation for Eastern spiritual practices, referred to as dhyāna in Buddhism and in Hinduism which comes from the Sanskrit root dhyai, meaning to contemplate or meditate.

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Keywords

meditation, mindfulness, dhyāna, spiritual practices

Citation

Piyumali, K. 2015. The significance of Buddhist meditation mindful well-being. Proceedings of the First Undergraduate Research Symposium (HUG 2015), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya. Sri Lanka.

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