What Can Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation Help Mankind? Buddhist mindfulness meditation can help mankind reduce or overcome mundane problems as well as supramundane problems . Smoking, drinking (liquors), drug addiction, stress , strain, depression, anxiety, ill health, mental disorder , worry, sadness and so forth lead to human sentient suffering. Buddhist mindfulness meditation can reduce the pains of suffering as well as putting a complete end to human suffering . This is what Sakyamuni Buddha promised mankind when he invited both devas and mankind to learn the Dhamma (Truth) , “ Come and see for yourself (the effectiveness of my teaching).” This is what Sakyamuni Buddha promised mankind on the effectiveness of Buddhism for self-understanding and self-healing. Sakyamuni Buddha exaltedly uttered, “Ehi passiko!” to invite mankind to try his liberative tablet of mindfulness meditation. In this world of 21st century, we witness that an increasing number of western educational counsellors, psychologists , psychiatrists, general practioners, mind scientists , neuroscientists and educators have become mindfulness meditation experts in order to upgrade and enhance their respective professionalism . It is awesome to discover that many these mindfulness experts have mastered Buddhist mindfulness meditation in theory and practice more adeptly and skillfully than the ordinary meditating and non-meditating monks or nuns or lay Buddhists. Congratulations. The Western modern civilization worships science profusely because of its pragmatic approach of logical positivism. Logical positivism is scientific philosophy which emphasizes discovery of Truth, experimentation and verification of Truth. Sakyamuni Buddha is a secular as well as a spiritual logical positivist of ‘ehi passiko’ who encourages faith with actual practice of experimentation and verification. Buddhist scripture of Kalama Sutta reveals the scientific and democratic spirit of spiritual logical positivism of Sakyamuni Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha admonishes mankind not to rely on the head mind of reasoning, intellect, discrimination, duality and judgment alone to understand the world. If one perceives the world with a head mind alone , the mind will be deluded by the illusive world of the multiplicity. Deluded perception of the world is the cause of human suffering. Sakyamuni Buddha instructed mankind on mindfulness meditation of the four foundations of mindfulness (chattaro satipatthana) of body, feelings , thoughts and mind-objects so that human ego would not be aroused through non-clinging or detachment due to false view of the multiplicity. It is in this way the head mind is transmutated into the Heart Mind. As mindfulness meditation progresses and matures eventually, it will naturally evolve into insight meditation of understanding the true nature of the mind and the true nature of the world. Self-understanding leads to mental correction of self-healing through self-redemption. The self-redemption is resurrection of the original nature of True Self or True Mind of mankind. When the True Self or True Mind is resurrected, the insightfully wise person is redeemed, rejuvenated, regenerated and sanctified with right view, right thought and hence right conduct. Right view, right though and right conduct constitute human perfection of wisdom. With the redemption of the Dharma eye of perfection of wisdom, a problematic human can quit or reduce all bad or unwholesome habits such as smoking, drinking, drug addiction, fear, anxiety, stress , strain, depression, tension and so forth. The outcomes include improved physical and mental health, physical wellness, longevity , peace and happiness amid the adversities of life challenges. It is important to understand accurately mindfulness meditation is not the complete denial of thoughts and feelings from one’s mind. The wholesome and unwholesome appear and disappear from the meditative mind of mindfulness continually especially in our busy daily life. All thoughts and feelings are allowed to pass though the mind. The perfect application of mindfulness meditation is neither to welcome nor to reject the thoughts. The mindful mind should just observe the thoughts and feelings , both pleasant and unpleasant equanimously. Equanimity is non-reactive but proactive and non-judgmental awareness of all thoughts and feelings without attachment and aversion. Every ego-driven craving is attachment; every ego-driven anger or hatred is aversion. Human thoughts and feelings are not entertained when it is self-centred. Nevertheless, all wholesome thought and feelings which are other-centred are permissible in mindfulness meditation and encouraged in daily life activities. Mindfulness meditation must be practised both formally (sitting, standing, walking and lying meditation) and informally in all activities of daily living utilizing the body, speech and mind. Mindfulness meditation is focusing one’s attention mindfully and equanimously on the ‘present moment’ of the Eternal Now right here and right now. In the Mahasatipattthana Sutta (DN) and Satipatthana Sutta (MN), Sakyamuni declares , “ Mindfulness is the only way to Nibbana.” If mindfulness meditation is practised correctly, this declaration of Sakyamuni Buddha has bestowed with the best gift of life. The best of gift of human life is the gift of Truth (Dhammadana). Every world faith trains to be mindful that ego is an illusion and only the Lord of Truth (with many different names) is to be remembered . Do not be attached to the name of the Lord too. Otherwise , the turning of wheel of Truth is reversed ignorantly .
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:19:50 +0000
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