2552 BE JOURNAL OF CALGARY BUDDHIST CENTRE - V O L : 3 2008 CE RKW BUDDHIST MEDITATION AND MENTAL HEALTH ’EHIPASSIKO’ - Vol: 3 Buddhist Meditation & Mental Health Page 2 Buddhist Meditation technique could be grouped into two main categories: (1) Concentrative Meditation (Samatha Bhāvanā) and 2552 BE JOURNAL OF CALGARY BUDDHIST CENTRE - VOL: 3 2008 CE (2) Insight or Mindfulness Meditation he aim of Buddhist Meditation, is to end (Vipassanā Bhāvanā). suffering, or liberation from the forces that regenerate the cycle of repeated birth Concentrative Meditation, basically in the and death: deliverance from the causes Ânāpānasathi Bhāvanā focuses attention on that effect re-birth. Abstract word used for this the Breath, with the view to Stilling the Mind which is generally compared to a Monkey that unconditioned positioning is “Nibbāna”. cannot be still even for a split of a second. Meditation has been practised in many differ- This primary technique of mindfulness in ent forms, and by many different cultures for Breath is practised to avert Mental Hindrances. thousands of years. Buddhist and Hindu texts Strategies for overcoming them in Loving- themselves are testimony to the existence of Kindness Meditation (Mettā Bhāvanā); the Meditation practice much long before the advent Value of the Precepts practiced in daily life; the of the Buddha. Today, it is taught and practised Spiritual faculties; Spreading of Compassion the world over, and is rapidly gaining popularity, (Karunā Bhāvanā); the Four Noble Truths; particularly in Western countries. Experiencing Joy (Muditā Bhāvanā); the No- ble Eightfold Path and Equanimity (Upekkhā With the introduction of Eastern religions or Bhāvanā) are among those formally pre- philosophies (ie: Buddhism, Hinduism, Yôga scribed. etc.) to the Western hemisphere not-so-long- Vipassanā or Mindfullness Meditation is ago, meditation practice is being progressively practised on extensive concentration- on Imper- exploited for pursuits of worldly benefits, regard- manence (Anicca); on unsatisfactoriness in less of the aims for which this ancient system of Life and Death or Suffering (Dukkha); on No- mental training was founded. Sadly, its modern Self concept or Choiceless Awareness trend, diversity and complexity tantamount to (Anatta); and developing a sustainable prac- deviation from the teaching of the Buddha. tice. Different meditation ’gurus’ teach different Although this travesty downplays the impor- approaches to meditation. However, it is im- tance of Buddhism, scientific research and lit- portant to remember, Mindfulness (Vipassanā) erature keeps growing, increasingly deploying may be effective, only if the jumpy-mind is Meditation in mundane pursuits. Physicians stilled, enabling any concentration (Samatha). are found integrating Meditation Practices into Health Programmes: thus, classifying the bene- `Ehipassiko’ wishes that wisdom will fits of meditation into three categories, such as prevail with the reader and benefit by Buddhist physiological, psychological and spiritual, Meditation, which in turn results in conditioning the fertility of mind essential for Mental Health! and venture to call it “Mind-Body Medicine” ‘EHIPASSIKO’ BUDDHIST CENTRE Most people who practise meditation do so 5107, Whitestone Rd., N.E. to reduce Stress, Anxiety, Anger and other Calgary Alberta T1Y 1T4 (Canada) negative emotions. Modern physicians pre- Tel: & Fax: 1(403)280-9729 scribe meditation as part of therapy or treatment <[email protected]> to various medical conditions of their clientele. Website: www.slbscalgary.org Homage to the Exalted One, Accomplished & Fully Enlightened…! Page 3 ’EHIPASSIKO’ - Vol: 3 Inside at a glance Contents Page # Editor’s Note 2 Inside at a glance 3 Mindfulness: Pathway to a Peaceful Mind 4 - 6 Sahassa Vagga (Dhammapada) 6 Bhante W. Somananda The Meditative Mind 7 - 11 (Deputy Incumbent) Bhante D. Upananda Mindfulness: Key to Getting Rid of Stress 12 - 17 (Ehipassiko Incumbent) Cross the Channel 17 Perfect Personality thro Meditation 18 - 21 A Modern Approach to Meditation 22 - 23 Some Thoughts on Buddhism & Science 24 - 26 The World in Turmoil 26 Dr. Ananda Guruge Neurobiology of the Mind 27 - 30 Some Benefits of Meditation 30 Most Ven. Dr. K. Shri Why Meditation is Good for Mental Health 31 - 33 Dhammananda Vipassanā in Buddhist Meditation 34 - 38 Vipassanā ...for Social Wellbeing 39 - 41 “As a Lotus am I…!” Buddha said 41 Meditation ... A Simple Way to Begin 42 - 44 Nucleus of Mettāh Bhāvanā 44 Dr. Chandre Dharmawardana ‘Ehipassiko’ Katzina Pinkama 45 Train Your Mind: Who Creates Problems? 46 - 48 Bhante B. Saranapala Meditation Behind Bars 49 A Buddhist Approach to Mental Health 50 - 52 Evil, De-meritorious Thoughts 53 - 55 ”Ehipassiko’ ...Some Cimments 56 “ Thank you for sharing your Noble thoughts for this edition !” = Editor Dr. Daya Hewapathirana 2552 Vesak Poya Day ~:~ May 19, 2008 Bhikkhu T.Seelananda Dr Anne Mahoney Dr. H.B.Jayasinghe Srima Warusawithana R.K.Wijayaratnae Sister Ayya Khema “ Sabba Dānam Dhamma Dāna m Ji nāt i” ’EHIPASSIKO’ - Vol: 3 Page 4 - By Dr. Ananda W.P. Guruge Dr.Ananda Guruge others doing unto you. Subjectively we know If I were to summarize in one what we like and appreciate when done to us. phrase all that I have learned of the Buddha We all like a good smile, a kind word or a polite and his teachings from three or four years of gesture. The Buddha actually applied this stan- age when I went to Sunday School, through dard to our love for our own lives. He empha- the variety of educational systems that I have sized that life is dear to all and everyone fears had the opportunity of going through in my violence and death. country and over fifty years of serious formal The second criterion was: “Tam ca Buddhist Studies that I have been engaged in, kammam katam sādhu yam katvā nānutappati.” it will be this: “The mind is That action is well done if after the forerunner of every- doing it one does not repent. thing.” It is not by accident We are blessed with some that the editors of Dhamma- kind of inner mechanism that pada, the Venerable Ara- determines sooner or later hants, who at the time of the whether what we did agrees Buddha, compiling the Bud- with our conscience or not. dha's own Teachings and "That is a wonderfully good classifying, indexing and ab- action, that is correct action, if stracting them, under the after doing it you do not re- guidance of the great scholar pent." That is our cruise con- Venerable Sariputta, chose trol. The working of human two verses with this as the conscience has been further opening line to commence elaborated by the Buddha, this most invaluable anthol- who identifies hiri –shame and ogy. The mind was what the Buddha was ottappa – moral fear as “factors which govern most concerned about and leading people to the world --LôkapālakaDhammā.” peace of mind was his primary objective. One significant experience we all have Everything starts in the mind, the good in life is conducting post mortems on things we and the bad. Buddha realized, although he have done or said. We meet a friend on the didn't use the words I am now going to use, street and did not wave with adequate enthusi- namely, that every human being is pro- asm. Then we worry till we next meet our friend grammed for survival and for self preservation whether our casualness had damaged our and hence equipped with a cruise control. To friendship. Starting with such little things, hun- determine what is good or bad, Buddha used dreds of things happen in our daily life by which two very important criteria. our inner peace gets disturbed. We are either The first was “Attānam upamam ashamed of what we have done or said or we katvā”: making yourself the standard for com- experience a sense of fear that our actions had parison. That is the universal Golden Rule: Do been unskilled. One does not have to do hei- unto others what you would like others to do nous crimes to be repentant. Whatever we do unto you and avoid things that you don't like our conscience will critically re-examine and Homage to the Exalted One, Accomplished & Fully Enlightened…! ’EHIPASSIKO’ - Vol: 3 Page 5 MINDFULNESS (Contd…..…) avoid situations that lead to repentance. *May all beings be well and happy. The most significant of such teachings are those on mindfulness. Being mindful is to be I recall how my father explained to me conscious of everything one does and says that a moment of meditation on loving kind- from a very simple thing as how one reacts to ness was superior as a meritorious deed as people one meets, and how one chooses the giving alms to a hundred Buddhas. Later I words by which a given situation is addressed, found the text in the Ninth Book of Anguttara to the way one would criticize a person, where Nikaya and was impressed with the Buddha’s criticism is necessary. Mindfulness makes one sagacity. Merit apart, how such compassionate careful, tactful, and certainly compassionate. thoughts help one to face life with serenity has That is "Mindfulness in action." been my experience of a lifetime. It has en- abled me to handle extremely hard situations It has been my experience that the with the greatest degree of peace of mind. practice of mindfulness helps me to maintain peace of mind in spite of the stresses and ten- We have much to learn from the Bud- sions of life in the USA. In my daily work, I travel dha’s example as from his precept. For exam- 35 miles in the morning and 35 miles in the af- ple, I have been in situations where very angry ternoon, driving at an average speed of 75 citizens would say very nasty things. Instead of miles in the freeways of California.