Is Slowing Down Natural? and the Benefits of Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation

Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā meditation involves a very deep and thorough investigation of dhammas or natural phenomena in order to uncover their true nature of impermanence, suffering, and non-self. To aid this investigation one very helpful attitude to have is what the Buddha called appamāda. This word appamāda has been variously translated as vigilance, diligence, heedfulness, earnestness, and even mindfulness. In truth this single quality of appamāda denotes all these qualities and others as well. One who possesses appamāda is a person who carries out the practise of the Dhamma respectfully, carefully, diligently, vigilantly, meticulously, earnestly, and, as with all wholesome practises, with mindfulness and proper-attention (yoniso manasikāra).

And so we find that in the practise of Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā meditation, meditators who possess this quality of appamāda are those who very respectfully, carefully, diligently, vigilantly, meticulously, earnestly, and with proper-attention, apply mindfulness and clarity of mind to the investigation of the dhammas moment after moment, continuously, and relentlessly. And in the Vipassanā meditation technique as taught by the late Ven. Mahāsi Sayādaw of Burma, in order to step up this quality of appamāda during the time of intensive meditation retreat, meditators are even encouraged to slow down all their physical movements so that they may be able to observe and investigate the dhammas or phenomena involved in the movements more carefully and meticulously.

However, this very sound instruction of the late Ven. Mahāsi Sayādaw has sometimes been met with criticism from some quarters, the criticism being that such deliberate slowing down of physical activities is not natural because this is not the way we normally go about our usual daily life outside of a meditation retreat.

Metta and the Transformative Power of Meditation

Mettā or loving-kindness is a positive mental state that appears as the genuine wish for the welfare of other beings. At its best its scope is universal, it's kind thoughts reach out to all beings, and is unbounded by any consideration of race, gender, religion, country, or any other artificial categories, including even the category that discriminate between human and non-human, which self-serving men have come up with to discriminate against their fellow beings.

Mettā as taught by the Buddha is expressed through mental thoughts as well as verbal and physical actions. It involves not only passive expression of friendliness to other beings but also active work of kindness, within one own means, to alleviate the suffering of one's fellow beings. In the case of the latter mettā works hand in hand with another positive mental quality, karuṇā or compassion, which is a close aide of mettā. Compassion is the movement (or quivering) in the mind at the sight of others' suffering. It is that which moves the heart to take action to alleviate that suffering.

But when it comes to the practice of mettā, Theravāda Buddhists have sometimes been criticized for being armchair (or meditation seat) practitioners.

Be Yourself

Just be yourself – Don't we often get this advice from others? It is perhaps one of the most popular self-help catchphrases of all times. And it is not a bad idea actually. It is better than betraying ourselves by changing ourselves into somebody we are not, and probably not comfortable with, just to please others, to win their approval, admiration, or favor, or simply to fit in. We should all have more self-respect than that.

But while being oneself is all good and nice we certainly need to exercise some discretion as to which part of ourselves we want to be. There are some who take the idea of being oneself as a license to set loose all their defilements. “Aren't they (i.e. the defilements) part of me?” they might justify. It does not take much to figure out that this isn't exactly what being oneself really means. It is in fact an abuse of a very wonderful idea, and moreover, for Buddhist, it is not in accordance with the principles of the Dhamma.

Dhamma Work and Politics

Politics, and by that we mean that social affair that takes place when people in an organization vie for authority and control even to the extent of employing crafty machination and maneuvering to achieve their aims, exists everywhere in our human society. It exists at the office (the infamous office politics), in social clubs, association, and cliques, in schools (among students and educators alike), even at home. Wherever there is a group of humans present, right there is a possibility for dirty politics to surface. Politics finds its way even into spiritual organizations like temples, monasteries, ashrams, churches, mosques, etc. As uninspiring as this may sound, we all know too well that it happens.

Yes, not even the sacred sanctity of our spiritual institutions, Buddhist ones not exempted, is spared from this poison of politics. While it may be true that all Buddhist organizations (we hope) started off with the noblest of intention, many soon find themselves, to a larger or lesser extent, embroiled in some kind of politics.

Right Concentration

In the suttas, whenever the Noble Eightfold Path is analyzed, right concentration is usually defined as the four jhānas. For example in Vibhaṅga Sutta in Magga Saṃyutta (Saṃyutta-Nikāya, Maggasaṃyutta, Sutta 8):

“And what, bhikkhus, is right concentration? Here, bhikkhus, (1) completely secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which has initial-application, and sustained-application, with joy and bliss that are born of seclusion; (2) With the subsiding of initial-application and sustained-application, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna which has inner clarity and unification of mind, which is without initial-application and sustained-application, which has joy and bliss born of concentration; (3) With the fading away as well of joy he dwells equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending, and he experiences bliss with the body; he enters and dwells in the third jhāna of which the Noble Ones declare ‘He is equanimous, mindful, one who dwells in bliss;’ (4) With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of happiness and unhappiness, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna which is without pain and pleasure, a [state of] purity of mindfulness due to equanimity. This, bhikkhus, is called right concentration.”

From this and similar passages (e.g. Dīgha-Nikāya Sutta 22, Majjhima-Nikāya Sutta 141, Vibhaṅga Saccavibhaṅga) it seems that right concentration of the Noble Eightfold Path must necessarily consists of the four jhānas. But is this always the case? Can right concentration be some concentration other than these samatha jhānas?

Is Satipatthana the Only Way?

There is a difference in opinion among teachers, scholars, and translators of Buddhist texts on whether Satipaṭṭhāna is the only way for the realization of Nibbāna. This difference revolves around the interpretation of the word ekāyana used by the Buddha in the Suttas to describe Satipaṭṭhāna. In the opening passage of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta for example the Buddha said:

“Bhikkhus, this path is the ekāyana for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and grief, for reaching the Noble Path, for the realization of Nibbāna, namely, the four Satipaṭṭhāna.”

~ Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta 10

Ekāyana has mostly been rendered as “the only way” (or something along that line) by traditional, orthodox teachers. According to them then, Satipaṭṭhāna is the only way for the realization of Nibbāna. There has, however, been some argument over whether ekāyana should be rendered as “the only way”. Some prefer to translate it literally as “The one way” while there are some who are of the opinion that it should be interpreted as “The direct way”. So is Satipaṭṭhāna the only way for realizing Nibbāna or is it not?

Satipatthana - Directing Towards Insight

In the last post we discussed about the basics of the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna meditation. To recap sati or mindfulness is not a superficial kind of awareness but is a deep and thorough awareness that arises out of firm and continuous perception of the object, an awareness that confronts the object squarely, keeps a close watch over it, not allowing it to go out of sight, that descends and plunges into the object and spreads over it, and that guards the mind from any intrusion by the mental defilements.

Satipaṭṭhāna means the practice for the firm establishment of mindfulness. In the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna one can contemplate the body, feeling, consciousness, or dhammas as object. The work of contemplation is driven by ardent intense energetic effort to arouse mindfulness and direct it precisely and continuously onto the object of contemplation. Through continuous and precise application of mindfulness on the object concentration develops which in turn leads to clear comprehension of the nature of the object contemplated. But as we mentioned at the end of the previous post this is still not the complete description of the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna yet. It is enough, though, for one to begin the practice and even to bring it all the way to completion. But there is more to be said about the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna.