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Meditation solves all problems.
seeker242
ZenFlorida, USA Veteran
Meditation solves all problems because all problems are entirely "mind made". If you train your mind to stop making them, then viola! No, more problems! How do you train your mind to stop making them? You sit on a meditation cushion and breath in and out. All problems, posted on all internet forums, can be solved by doing this.:) The answer to the problem is to stop making it a problem. 
0
Comments
why stop Mind?
That's not what seeker242 is saying.
Pay attention.
Seeker is saying that everything is mind-wrought.
Why do people have to try to be so clever....?
:rolleyes:
Sheesh....
Alan
He did not start a charity or raise an army.
Mindfulness of dukkha and the response to grasp sankhara is also possible. As is the relaxing which facilitates stability of view.
http://www.jamaica-no-problem.com/
Keeping the Breath in Mind
and Lessons in Samadhi
by
Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo (Phra Suddhidhammaransi Gambhiramedhacariya)
translated from the Thai by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/inmind.html
"There is only one way we can properly reach the qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and that's through the practice of mental development (bhavana). When we develop the mind to be centered and still, discernment can arise. Discernment here refers not to ordinary discernment, but to the insight that comes solely from dealing directly with the mind. For example, the ability to remember past lives, to know where living beings are reborn after death, and to cleanse the heart of the fermentations (asava) of defilement: These three forms of intuition — termed ñana-cakkhu, the eye of the mind — can arise for people who train themselves in the area of the heart and mind. But if we go around searching for knowledge from sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations mixed together with concepts, it's as if we were studying with the Six Masters, and so we can't clearly see the truth — just as the Buddha, while he was studying with the Six Masters, wasn't able to gain Awakening. He then turned his attention to his own heart and mind, and went off to practice on his own, keeping track of his breath as his first step and going all the way to the ultimate goal. As long as you're still searching for knowledge from your six senses, you're studying with the Six Masters. But when you focus your attention on the breath — which exists in each of us — to the point where the mind settles down and is centered, you'll have the chance to meet with the real thing: buddha, pure knowing.
Some people believe that they don't have to practice centering the mind, that they can attain release through discernment (pañña-vimutti) by working at discernment alone. This simply isn't true. Both release through discernment and release through stillness of mind (ceto-vimutti) are based on centering the mind. They differ only in degree. Like walking: Ordinarily, a person doesn't walk on one leg alone. Whichever leg is heavier is simply a matter of personal habits and traits.
Release through discernment begins by pondering various events and aspects of the world until the mind slowly comes to rest and, once it's still, gives rise intuitively to liberating insight (vipassana-ñana): clear and true understanding in terms of the four Noble Truths (ariya sacca). In release through stillness of mind, though, there's not much pondering involved. The mind is simply forced to be quiet until it attains the stage of fixed penetration. That's where intuitive insight will arise, enabling it to see things for what they are. This is release through stillness of mind: Concentration comes first, discernment later."
A person with a wide-ranging knowledge of the texts — well-versed in their letter and meaning, capable of clearly and correctly explaining various points of doctrine — but with no inner center for the mind, is like a pilot flying about in an airplane with a clear view of the clouds and stars but no sense of where the landing strip is. He's headed for trouble. If he flies higher, he'll run out of air. All he can do is keep flying around until he runs out of fuel and comes crashing down in the savage wilds.
Some people, even though they are highly educated, are no better than savages in their behavior. This is because they've gotten carried away, up in the clouds. Some people — taken with what they feel to be the high level of their own learning, ideas, and opinions — won't practice centering the mind because they feel it beneath them. They think they deserve to go straight to release through discernment instead. Actually, they're heading straight to disaster, like the airplane pilot who has lost sight of the landing strip.
That seems true to me. Today I don't feel well but I practice with intention amidst the crushing feeling of my mind. So I would say I have not attained that inner peace but at least I have ceased disturbing my own mind by projecting problems so much or rather at least I am 'stopping' and slowing down. I feel lack of feeling and aversion to the breath. Lack of life energy.
If you cannot realise your bad habits are still there. Meditation just becomes like a escapism, temporary moment of peace.
That is, when one truly understands that there are no problems in the world, that is when meditation will be most helpful to one.
Thus I once read: the Buddha was asked why the world is impure, with all its dirt and filth, its pain and suffering.
The Buddha replied with a question: "Are the Sun and the Moon impure because the blind man cannot see them?"
"No," replied the inquiring disciple, "his inability to see the Sun and the Moon does not make the Sun and Moon impure, it is his blindness that prevents him from seeing it."
The Buddha replied: "In the same way, it is not the world that is impure, it is one's view of the world that is impure."
Really, life is beautiful, the world is great, and the world is really not there. It's not a "not there" in the sense that something is missing or that there is something to be had that we don't have.. We have everything we need in our mind and heart, and everything we understand stems from Mindheart, or Citta. (usually pronounced Chitta)
It is misleading to state that meditation is the only gateway to Citta. You live and breathe Citta every day, all day. It is, however, like an hour-glass with different sizes of sand grains. All the grains are actually the same size, but some of them look bigger and some look smaller. As they pass through the middle point on the hour-glass, we spend more time on the ones we think are "big" and try to ignore (or just totally lack the perception/registering of) the "small" grains.
Watch life arise and fade away, with the in-and-out breaths. Attachment to a permanent "peaceful" state is the same thing as trying to do only in-breaths. Your lungs quickly run out of capacity, and everything that was used to the in-and-out rhythm must re-adjust. Trying to eliminate all attachment at once is like trying to do only out-breaths.
By concentrating on your breathing (not controlling it, just "watching" it) one comes to understand "meditative concentration." The actual breathing is really not that important, it's the understanding of the role of Awareness. Don't be the observer, be the observation. Then let it slide away into the past and do it again. There are some "anchors" that you can hold onto in this sea of everchanging stuffness, and they're usually called Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, but we need not dwell on formalities.
In short:
. Anchoring to Buddha (seeking refuge in the Buddha) is contemplating Buddha's experience. Watch everything change and cling to no part of this changing fluid -- watch even Citta change for long enough and you begin to understand Great Things (which are no "things" at all)
. Anchoring to the Dharma/Dhamma (seeking refuge in the teachings of Buddha) is reading a little bit of some of the stuff that the Buddha said and seeing where it fits into life (it fits differently for everyone =D). Find a four-line gatha (short, profound "poems" that communicate a very deep truth) and contemplate it for a while. Read some of the shorter Sutras and enjoy the story -- relate it to your own experience and to the experiences of "others" Every little bit helps. Don't give up =D
. Anchoring to the Sanga/Sangha (seeking refuge in the community of Buddhists and other Truth-seekers)
Sangha usually refers to the Monastic community, from the Buddhist point-of-view, but the Sangha is really just the name of all the people that wanted to hang out with Buddha and learn as much as possible. Really, when one "anchors" =temporarily dwells for support= on the Sangha, one is really just asking to become a receptive disciple. Every life moment you experience shapes who you are and what you think/do. Every life moment is an opportunity to learn something new, to better yourself and the world. Don't think you need to go to a monastery to find True Wisdom. True Wisdom is within you. A dog barks and you understand more about life than you did before -- do not discredit wisdom simply because of the source, it doesn't matter where you get it from, but you really have to ask yourself if it makes sense (and when it doesn't, investigate =D)
Meditation is a powerful gateway into Awakening Mind or Bodhi-Citta. It is the receptive state of mind that makes the understanding of arising/cessation possible. It comes from a profound understanding of the impermanence and helpfulness of the environment -- From Stupidity, Wisdom is born; From Samsara (cyclic existence) arises Nirvana/Nibbana. Wisdom is Stupidity, Stupidity is Wisdom -- it is how it is applied. Nirvana is Samsara, Samsara is Nirvana.
Does meditation solve all problems? Meditation solves exactly one problem. It is up to the individual to develop the understanding that by solving the one, all other problems cease to be. "The great masters just show the way, walking the path is up to you"
If you would like something wonderful to think and meditate on, please read why the Lotus flower is one of the 8 Auspicious symbols of Buddhism
http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/symbols/lotus.htm
-----Pasted below for your reading convenience:
The lotus (Sanskrit and Tibetan padma) is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols and one of the most poignant representations of Buddhist teaching.
The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment.
Though there are other water plants that bloom above the water, it is only the lotus which, owing to the strength of its stem, regularly rises eight to twelve inches above the surface.
According to the Lalitavistara, "the spirit of the best of men is spotless, like the lotus in the muddy water which does not adhere to it."
According to another scholar, "in esoteric Buddhism, the heart of the beings is like an unopened lotus: when the virtues of the Buddha develop therein, the lotus blossoms; that is why the Buddha sits on a lotus bloom."
The lotus is one of Buddhism's best recognized motifs and appears in all kinds of Buddhist art across all Buddhist cultures. Scrolling lotuses often embellish Buddhist textiles, ceramics and architecture.
Every important Buddhist deity is associated in some manner with the lotus, either being seated upon a lotus in full bloom or holding one in their hands. In some images of standing Buddhas, each foot rests on a separate lotus.
The lotus does not grow in Tibet and so Tibetan art has only stylized versions of it, yet it appears frequently with Tibetan deities and among the Eight Auspicious Symbols.
The color of the lotus has an important bearing on the symbology associated with it:
-White Lotus (Skt. pundarika; Tib. pad ma dkar po): This represents the state of spiritual perfection and total mental purity (bodhi). It is associated with the White Tara and proclaims her perfect nature, a quality which is reinforced by the color of her body.
-Pink Lotus (Skt. padma; Tib. pad ma dmar po): This the supreme lotus, generally reserved for the highest deity. Thus naturally it is associated with the Great Buddha himself.
-Red Lotus (Skt. kamala; Tib: pad ma chu skyes): This signifies the original nature and purity of the heart (hrdya). It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion and all other qualities of the heart. It is the flower of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
-Blue Lotus (Skt. utpala; Tib. ut pa la): This is a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, and signifies the wisdom of knowledge. Not surprisingly, it is the preferred flower of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom.