Vipassana vs Samatha or Vipassana and Samatha? Thoughts? Wikipedia: In the Theravada-tradition two types of meditation Buddhist practices are being followed, namely samatha (Pāli; Sanskrit: śamatha; calm) and vipassana (insight). Samatha is a primary meditation aimed at calming the mind, and it is also being used in other Indian traditions, notably Raja yoga. Contemporary Theravada orthodoxy regards samatha as a preparation for vipassanā, pacifying the mind and strengthening the concentration in order to allow the work of insight, which leads to liberation. In contrast, the Vipassana Movement argues that insight levels can be discerned without the need for developing samatha further due to the risks of going out of course when strong samatha is developed. For this innovation the Vipassana Movement has been criticised, especially in Sri Lanka. Though both terms appear in the Sutta Pitaka, Gombrich and Brooks argue that the distinction as two separate paths originates in the earliest -interpretations- of the Sutta Pitaka, not in the suttas themselves. According to Gombrich, the distinction between vipassanā and samatha did not originate in the suttas, but in the -interpretation- of the suttas. Various traditions disagree which techniques belong to which pole.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 03:43:05 +0000
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