Actually the word meditation, we translated from the original Pali term Bhāvanā” which mean development, it refers to mental development. In Buddhism, in order to practice meditation, we always focus on the development of mindfulness which is taught by the Buddha in Satipatthāna Sutta. However, In Sāmaňňaphala Sutta we also found very interest about the development of mindfulness that the Buddha explained by different level, from the lower level up to higher level.
In this paper of my academic work, I will do the research, analyze and compare the Buddha’s teaching on the three different levels of mindfulness which the Buddha explained in Sāmaňňaphala Sutta, to the King Ajātasattu of Magadha about the different level of the advantage of being a Samana from lower level up to higher level that very important to study in case of meditation practice. I will find out the important point in this Sutta which the Buddha explained about these three levels of mindfulness related to meditation practice, how the Buddha teaches about meditation according to this Sutta.
Meditation practice based on Sāmaňňaphala Sutta
Sāmaňňaphala Sutta is a very important Sutta, which give the explanation on the advantage of the life of Samana. The Buddha gave in detail on the fruit of life of being a recluse from the lower level of advantage up to higher level, he explain how a householder hearing the dharma taught by the Buddha, leaves the home life and becomes a Samana, and gained the advantage of being a recluse.
It will be long to mention all the advantage which the Buddha taught in the Sutta, but here, for easy to understand about the level of advantage that the Buddha taught in the Sutta, I will take a quote from the book of U KO LAY, guide to Tipitaka, which explained briefly about this Sutta
The Buddha provided further elucidation on other advantages, higher and better, of being a Samana by elaborating on how a householder, hearing the dharma taught by a Buddha, leaves the home life and becomes a Samana out of pure faith, how he becomes established in three categories of Sila, minor, middle and major, how he gains control over his sense faculties so that no depraved states of mind as covetousness and dissatisfaction would overpower him, how he becomes endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension and remains contented, how by dissociating himself from five hindrances, he achieves the four Jhana, how he becomes equipped with eight kind of higher knowledge, namely, Insight knowledge, the Power of creation by mind, the Psychic Powers, the divine power of Hearing knowledge of the Minds of others, knowledge of Past ex-stances, divine power of insight, knowledge of extinction of moral intoxicants[1].
LAY, 2003, P. 27
So from these articles in the Sutta, we can see many point of the Buddha’s teaching that gave the explanation on meditation practice that we can select for analytical studies with the case of meditation. I would like to start now with the points the Buddha explain how Bhikkhu gains control over his sense faculties, called in Pali, Indriya Samvara, which is quite relate to mindfulness. In the Sutta the Buddha said:
Whenever a Bhikkhu sees a visible object with the eye, he does not take in its appearance (such as male or female), nor its characteristics (such as movement or behavior). He sets himself to the task of guarding his faculty of sight, keeps watch on it, and gains control over it.
Myanmar Pitaka Association, 2003, P. 103
From this point, we must understand how Bhikkhu sets himself to the task of guarding his faculties. When he sees a visible object, he keeps watch on it, gains control over it by abstaining in taking its appearance like male or female or doesn’t take its characteristics like movement or behavior.
Here, we must understand that Bhikkhu guard his faculties with Sati ( mindfulness ), not to take in appearance or characteristic but the Sati ( mindfulness ) that the Buddha said here same to sati in Jhana or same to sati in the second form of meditation (Vipassana meditation ) or not. This point very interested that I would like to compare and study about three kinds of Sati that the Buddha said in three different level of practice that have taught in this Sutta. I will conclude and state it at the end of this paper.
Mindfulness and Awareness
(Satisampajaňňa)
After talking about mindfulness in guarding sense faculties (Indriya Samvara) level, the Buddha talked about mindfulness and awareness in Satisampajaňňa level. In this point we also find very important teaching on meditation practice. Thus the Buddha said:
Meditation practice based on Sāmaňňaphala Sutta
Sāmaňňaphala Sutta is a very important Sutta, which give the explanation on the advantage of the life of Samana. The Buddha gave in detail on the fruit of life of being a recluse from the lower level of advantage up to higher level, he explain how a householder hearing the dharma taught by the Buddha, leaves the home life and becomes a Samana, and gained the advantage of being a recluse.
It will be long to mention all the advantage which the Buddha taught in the Sutta, but here, for easy to understand about the level of advantage that the Buddha taught in the Sutta, I will take a quote from the book of U KO LAY, guide to Tipitaka, which explained briefly about this Sutta
The Buddha provided further elucidation on other advantages, higher and better, of being a Samana by elaborating on how a householder, hearing the dharma taught by a Buddha, leaves the home life and becomes a Samana out of pure faith, how he becomes established in three categories of Sila, minor, middle and major, how he gains control over his sense faculties so that no depraved states of mind as covetousness and dissatisfaction would overpower him, how he becomes endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension and remains contented, how by dissociating himself from five hindrances, he achieves the four Jhana, how he becomes equipped with eight kind of higher knowledge, namely, Insight knowledge, the Power of creation by mind, the Psychic Powers, the divine power of Hearing knowledge of the Minds of others, knowledge of Past ex-stances, divine power of insight, knowledge of extinction of moral intoxicants[1].
LAY, 2003, P. 27
So from these articles in the Sutta, we can see many point of the Buddha’s teaching that gave the explanation on meditation practice that we can select for analytical studies with the case of meditation. I would like to start now with the points the Buddha explain how Bhikkhu gains control over his sense faculties, called in Pali, Indriya Samvara, which is quite relate to mindfulness. In the Sutta the Buddha said:
Whenever a Bhikkhu sees a visible object with the eye, he does not take in its appearance (such as male or female), nor its characteristics (such as movement or behavior). He sets himself to the task of guarding his faculty of sight, keeps watch on it, and gains control over it.
Myanmar Pitaka Association, 2003, P. 103
From this point, we must understand how Bhikkhu sets himself to the task of guarding his faculties. When he sees a visible object, he keeps watch on it, gains control over it by abstaining in taking its appearance like male or female or doesn’t take its characteristics like movement or behavior.
Here, we must understand that Bhikkhu guard his faculties with Sati ( mindfulness ), not to take in appearance or characteristic but the Sati ( mindfulness ) that the Buddha said here same to sati in Jhana or same to sati in the second form of meditation (Vipassana meditation ) or not. This point very interested that I would like to compare and study about three kinds of Sati that the Buddha said in three different level of practice that have taught in this Sutta. I will conclude and state it at the end of this paper.
Mindfulness and Awareness
(Satisampajaňňa)
After talking about mindfulness in guarding sense faculties (Indriya Samvara) level, the Buddha talked about mindfulness and awareness in Satisampajaňňa level. In this point we also find very important teaching on meditation practice. Thus the Buddha said:
A bhikkhus keeps himself completely aware, in moving forward or back, keeps himself completely aware, in looking forward or sideway; keeps himself completely aware, in walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking, speaking and observing silence, thus, a Bhikkhu endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension.
Myanmar Pitaka Association, 2003, P. 104
This is the next step of practice that included in the higher advantage of being a recluse. After guarding and controlling his faculties, Bhikkhu have aware of his movement, when going forward or returning, when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting etc. he have completely aware of his movement with mindfulness. Then he content with a set of robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Wherever he goes, he takes only his barest necessities along,just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden. He seeks out and abandons the five hindrances, quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities; he enters and remains in the first Jhāna.
Jhāna
In this step the Buddha talked about the four Jhanas as the higher advantage of a Samana, thus he said in the Sutta:
Being detached from sensual pleasures and demeritorious factors that Bhikkhu achieves and remains in the first Jhana which is accompanied by Vitakka, Vicara, Piti and Sukha, born of detachment from the hindrances.
Myanmar Pitaka Association, 2003, P. 107
So very important point that we can see in this Sutta is: the Buddha talked about the development of mindfulness from the beginning until attain Jhana. And not only this step, the Buddha talked furthered more about Insight knowledge and the mind-made Body and so on. But here, what I am interested from the studies of this Sutta, I can found three different levels of mindfulness that I observe from this Sutta, which the Buddha talked in the development of mindfulness step by step. The three levels of mindfulness are;
1. Mindfulness in sila level: which the Buddha talked in the guarding the sense faculties (Indriya Samvara) level, for those people who have no Jhana.
2. Mindfulness in Samadhi level: for those ascetics who attained Jhana but they did not practice Vipassana meditation (those ascetics who attained Jhana before the Buddha got enlightenment like Alāra ascetic and Udaka ascetic who attained Jhana which the Buddha used to studied from them before getting enlightenment.
3. Mindfulness in Vipassana level: for Bhikkhu who attained Jhana and also practice Vipassana meditation (Bhikkhu in the Buddha’s time and after).
The reason why I divided mindfulness into three levels is:
Firstly, mindfulness the Buddha explained in Indriya Samvara, I considered to be mindfulness in Sila level because, I have look in Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa, he explained four kinds of Parisuddhi Sila:
1. Padimokkhasamvara Sila: purify by confidence 2. Indriyasamvara Sila: purify by mindfulness 3. Ajivaparisuddhi Sila: purify by effort 4. Paccayasannissita Sila: purify by wisdom.
Visuddhimagga 1/19 Sangaha 55
Here, Buddhaghosa explained on Indriyasamvara Sila, which can be purified by mindfulness. In this case it same to what the Buddha taught about indriyasamvara in the Sutta which Bhikkhu must purify by mindfulness. So with this point, we can consider and put that mindfulness into Sila level.
Secondly, mindfulness in Jhanas of those who never practice Vipassana meditation like people who attained Jhana before the Buddha’s time, I considered and put into Samadhi level. The reason which we can observe is:
Those people who attained Jhana before the Buddha’s time, we can say, those people have Samadhi and they also have mindfulness, but that mindfulness cannot lead them to Nibbana, that why that mindfulness is not Vipassana, is not same to mindfulness in Satipatthāna Sutta. But however it is Samadhi that why we can put it into Samadhi level.
Thirdly, mindfulness which the Buddha explained in Satisampajanna, included mindfulness of those who attained Jhana and also practice Vipassana meditation or those who practice only Vipassana meditation (Bhikkhu in the Buddha’s time and after) I put into Vipassana level.
It is exactly that Vipassana meditation lead to realize Nibbana. In Satipatthāna Sutta, the Buddha taught “the practice of Satipatthāna is the only way to realization of Nibbana, to the ending of suffering”. Mindfulness in Satisampajanna is quite the same to mindfulness in Satipatthāna Sutta. So I put it into Vipassana level.
Conclusion
After the studies in this Sutta, we can understand how the Buddha explain about the practice in the middle way in Buddhism, the Buddha gave the level of practicing from lower to higher level especially about the step of developing mindfulness from the beginning until attain the highest fruit in Buddhism. So it is very important and useful to study the meaning of meditation practice according to this Sutta that will lead us to the right method of practicing the middle way In Buddhism in order to attain the ultimate truth and realize Nibbāna as the cessation of suffering that is the highest aim of Buddhism.
References
Bhikkhu P.A. Payutto. Vision of the Dhamma, A Collection of Buddhist Writings in English. Wat Nyanavesakavan, Tambon Bang Krathuek, Amphoe Sam Phran, Nakhon Pathom 73210 Thailand, 2007.
WALPOLA RAHULA. What the Buddha taught. 1996
Venerable K Sri Dhammananda. Daily Buddhist devotions. Taiwan. R. O. C. The corporate body of the Buddha educational foundation 2009
Venerable K Sri Dhammananda. The Buddhist way. Taiwan. R. O. C. The corporate body of the Buddha educational foundation 2009
DR. B. R. AMBEDKAR. The Buddha and his Dhamma. Taiwan. R. O. C. The corporate body of the Buddha educational foundation 2008
Ven. Yogavacara Rahula. The way to peace and happiness. Taiwan. R. O. C. The corporate body of the Buddha educational foundation 2008
Venerable Sayadaw U ACINNA. Light of wisdom. Taiwan. R. O. C. The corporate body of the Buddha educational foundation 2008
Myanmar Pitaka Association, Ten Suttas from Digha Nikaya, Yangon, Myanmar 2003
LAY, U KO, Guide to Tipitaka, Yangon, Myanmar 2003
[1] U KO LAY. Guide to TIPITAKA. BURMA PITAKA ASSOCIATION Yangon, Myanmar 2003 P. 27
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