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difference between meditation and buddhist meditation

upekkaupekka Veteran
edited November 2013 in Meditation
do you know any difference?
if so
what is it?
could you define the two

Comments

  • almost anything can be called meditation
    these days.

    Buddhist meditation is very specific.
    It is described in the suttas.
    The most common is anapanasati.
    ie. noting your in and out breath.
  • The only difference in practice is that Buddhist meditation is done by Buddhists. That means the cultural and doctrinal (dharma) is based on a specialised or particular source.
    Personally I feel that Buddhists have the best tool set.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation

    Some meditations are more contemplation or concentration - calming procedures. At its deepest level there is no difference but the potential to get to the deepest levels is more readily available to Buddhists. :wave:
    howanataman
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    Non Buddhist meditation does not necessarily involve cultivation of skillful or "right" qualities. Whereas Buddhist meditation always involves cultivation of skillful or right qualities.
    anatamanDennis1

  • IMO : "Regular" meditation is a tool mostly to help the physical body; by lowering stress, blood pressure, regulating breathing, feeding the body with more oxygen, nurturing it- while requiring almost no action...
    "Buddhist" meditation is a tool more geared to unlocking/unblocking the mind; allowing focus, or free thought, (depending on your meditation goals), and recognizing how our own mind and emotional patterns work to enhance our happiness - or our suffering...
  • There is diversity even among Buddhists, so there isn't even a single 'buddhist meditation'..
    EvenThirdStraight_Manlobster
  • Meditation that does not clarify or eliminate the view of Self is either 1) a shamatha [calm abiding] meditation which is common to both Buddhist or non-Buddhist systems, or, 2) a non-Buddhist meditation (such as those Hindus meditating on an ultimate Self or Brahman).

    Meditation that clarifies the meaning in direct experience of impermanence, suffering, no-self, dependent origination are Buddhist meditations.

    upekkaDennis1
  • Buddhist meditations leads to cessation of self identification.
    "Now, this is the path of practice leading to the cessation of self-identification. One assumes about the eye that 'This is not me, this is not my self, this is not what I am.' One assumes about forms... One assumes about consciousness at the eye... One assumes about contact at the eye... One assumes about feeling... One assumes about craving that 'This is not me, this is not my self, this is not what I am.'

    "One assumes about the ear...

    "One assumes about the nose...

    "One assumes about the tongue...

    "One assumes about the body...

    "One assumes about the intellect that 'This is not me, this is not my self, this is not what I am.' One assumes about ideas... One assumes about consciousness at the intellect... One assumes about contact at the intellect... One assumes about feeling... One assumes about craving that 'This is not me, this is not my self, this is not what I am.'

    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.148.than.html
    upekkaDennis1
  • upekka said:

    do you know any difference?
    if so
    what is it?
    could you define the two

    Even in Buddhism, there are many different meditation, the main ones probably are concentration meditation to develop concentration, metta meditation to develop loving kindness and vipassana meditation to develop insight. There should be many more and I have read that Buddha prescribed different type of meditation to different people. The main aim of meditation however is to achieve nirvana and not all these meditation allows that. Some just prepare you towards that path.
  • OK... old joke:

    Q: What's the difference between a Buddhist and a non-Buddhist?

    A: The non-Buddhist thinks there's a difference.

    Haaa! You hit the nail on the head. Wait.... What head?
    All jokes aside that was great. LOL
  • I was going to create a thread, but I knew there had to be one already. ;)

    I cannot sit in any sort of cross-legged position, cushions or not (lumbar surgery and the attendant sciatica). I can, of course, sit in a chair. I can sit seiza for short periods, only because I haven't worked on it. It doesn't bother my back or leg. OK, that said...

    In the little Pure Land sadhana I found, it has a place for "sitting meditation". I really don't know what I would be meditating on, and for how long. I would think (though I might be wrong) it might be something like a round of japa of namo amitabha buddha (or om namo abitabhaya buddhaya, or a variant) while contemplating Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta, the Pure Land, my bodhicitta, reflection and contemplation on who I am, etc., or japa of om mani padme hum. My "meditation" has always been haphazard and consisted of letting thoughts come and go, letting my mind work something out, and just contemplation and reflection. Is this what we're talking about?
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    A Buddhist practice illuminates the 4 seals.
    If your practice doesn't, it's something else..
  • yildunyildun Explorer
    some times I sit and meditate
    other times I just sit
    lobsterEvenThirdelon
  • Hi,
    buddhist Meditation is very specific to other kinds of meditation. To meditate the right
    buddhist way you have to do the Eightfold Path. Nothing more, nothing less.
    Do read the Dighanikayo and you will find all instructions.

    sakko
  • BhikkhuJayasaraBhikkhuJayasara Bhikkhu Veteran
    The dhamma practice laid down by the buddha is multifaceted. Sila, samadhi, dana, metta, mindfulness and concentration are the tool that allow us to see reality for what it is.. And it is this insight itself(Panna) that the actual change flows from.
  • Perhaps we might find some contrasts:

    Some Sufi groups meditation starts with awareness on what many would describe as the 'heart chakra'. This is a technique I was taught, along with zhikr - mantrayana. Such awareness has to be monitored as focus on the heart can have physical consequences. Other Sufis engage in or watch singing and dancing. There even used to be a practice of 'gazing on the unbearded', contemplating the abstract concept of 'Allahs Beauty' by contemplating pretty young boys . . . makes some Tantra seem quite tame . . .
    Perhaps the most relevant is mindfulness in gainful action. This would be similar to the practice of experienced Buddhist meditators.

    Some western occultists adopt the 'Egyptian Pose' which involves sitting in a chair like a Pharaoh. Ritual enactment is also used as a form of altering consciousness. I have used both of these as well as major arcana contemplation.

    Christian meditation may be centred around mantrayana, for example the 'Jesus Prayer' or other rosary based repetitions. I still occasionally do the 'Stations of the Cross' which is similar to Mandala based contemplation/meditation. Maybe the closest to most peoples idea of meditation is the Quaker form of quietude . . .
    http://www.hermitary.com/solitude/quaker_silence.html

    The yoke system of Hinduism (yoga) has a great variety of techniques, some of which are familiar to Buddhists, Japa yoga = mantrayana for example.

    In Judiasm, contemplation of the letter of the Law (Torah) involves a focus and concentration on the Old Testament and its levels of meaning that would send an unprepared Rabbi to the Cross . . .

    All of these practices change people, when they are ready. Are they so very different in form? Perhaps. All eventually lead to an emptying of form.

    :wave:
  • I think essentially what may set Buddhist meditation apart is that it is a means to renounce suffering and free ourselves from Samsara. The are many methods from many traditions and schools, but I think for a Buddhist, this should be the main objective.
    anataman
  • Hello,
    i´m so disappointed, that people that say they studied Buddhism didn`t write or didn`t
    know about the right buddhist meditation. Surely there are lots of meditations but there is only one, the meditation Gotamo Buddho gave us to apply it: The Eightfold Path.Nothing less nothing more. All the the states of mind, during the Eightfold Path is
    written down in the 8 Jhanas. So you can control your succes on the path.

    sacco
  • MaryAnneMaryAnne Veteran
    edited December 2013
    anando said:

    Hello,
    i´m so disappointed, that people that say they studied Buddhism didn`t write or didn`t
    know about the right buddhist meditation. Surely there are lots of meditations but there is only one, the meditation Gotamo Buddho gave us to apply it: The Eightfold Path.Nothing less nothing more. All the the states of mind, during the Eightfold Path is
    written down in the 8 Jhanas. So you can control your succes on the path.

    sacco



    :coffee:
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited December 2013
    There is diversity even among Buddhists, so there isn't even a single 'buddhist meditation'..

    Oops I repeated myself haha
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    Jeffrey said:

    There is diversity even among Buddhists, so there isn't even a single 'buddhist meditation'..

    Yes, it's a bit annoying... :p
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    edited December 2013
    How many different ways are there to swim across a river?

    Two men need to cross a wide river. One dives in and starts swimming in circles while he practices and perfects his technique, with his swimming coach yelling from the shore. Finally he is deemed skilled enough and sets out, his strong arm and leg technique cutting through the current. He eventually reaches the other shore.

    The other man jumps in and starts paddling the best he can. It's slow and sometimes the current sweeps him back to where he started, but he gets stronger with practice and begins to make progress while the other man is still swimming in circles. He eventually reaches the other shore.

    One way to swim, Buddhist or not. Move your arms and legs so that your head stays above the water. On the other hand, there are as many ways to swim as there are arms and legs in the world.

    The question we should be asking is, how did we get on the wrong side of the river in the first place?

    I now return you to your regularly scheduled day.


  • anando said:

    Hello,

    . Surely there are lots of meditations but there is only one, the meditation Gotamo Buddho gave us to apply it: The Eightfold Path. Nothing less nothing more.

    True


    All the the states of mind, during the Eightfold Path is
    written down in the 8 Jhanas.
    one can get Jhnas upto 8th Jhana by practicing Tranquility Meditation (samatha) without Right View

    to get the Right View one has to practice Insight Meditation (vipassana)

    once one get the Right View only one can continue practicing Noble Eightfold Path which leads to Nibbana

    Jeffrey
  • I was going to create a thread, but I knew there had to be one already. ;)

    Hi Jain: You might check out Zazen or sitting meditation. Working things out is not really the process. There is a lot of stuff on this In 1965 I found Allan Watts very beneficial-He's probably still got stuff on it. Vipassana meditation is watching the in and out of breath. Really just learning to control the mental faculty of attention-very nice. I've done a lot and it helps bridge between automatic and conscious activities.
    The Tibetan schools or lineages (4 main ones) have a great many meditative processes.
    I am Tibetan-Nyingma tradition so I find virtue there.

    I recommend reading a few basic texts. I've mentioned a few. A good basic book is the
    Avatamsaka Sutra circa 100BC. From there you will have a better view of choices.
    The Avatamsaka is Mahayana so Theravedans might look elsewhere. Good fortune

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