Let’s study together thru the conversation of the students who really need to know about “Buddhism”

Pim     : Excuse me, Ronny.  Are you a

              Christian?

Ronny : Well, my mother is a devout

              Catholic but my father is Jewish.

              When I was young, my mother

              took me to church with her.

              Sometimes I accompanied my

              father when he went to have

              a talk with a rabbi attemple. 

              These experiences have caused

              me to get interested in

              comparative religions.

              Unfortunately, I can’t afford

              much time for studying. 

              However, reading a book on

              Buddhism made me wish to

              experience Buddhist

              meditation.

Pim     : I’ve heard that there is

              meditation practice in

              Christianity.  Is this true?

Ronny : Yes, the way they meditate

              is to say a prayer toGod. 

              Most Christians believe that

              through deep meditation

              they will receive messages

              from God.

Pim     : That’s completely different

              from Buddhist meditation.

              You said that you wished  

              to experience Buddhist

              meditation.  May I ask why?

              I mean, how you view

              Buddhist meditation?

Ronny : From the book I read, I

              understand that through

              meditation practice one will

              gain not only job and

              tranquility but also some

              spiritual powers.

Pim     : Well, first of all, I think you

              should have the right

              perspective on Buddhist

              meditation.  In Buddhism, the

              mind is the most important

              component of the entire

              human entity.  All the evil

              noble deeds committed in

              the world are actually a

              result of human thoughts.

              Thoughts are also the main

              cause of human happiness or

              unhappiness.  That is why the

              Buddha has repeatedly

              proclaimed that the mind is

              the forerunner of all actions,

              the source of all things.  It

              must therefore be trained,

              refined and perfected.  The

              method to achieve this is

              meditation practice.  In other

              words, Buddhist meditation

              aims at cleansing the

              impurities and disturbances

              of the mind so as to gain

              tranquility and wisdom.

              As soon as wisdom arises,

              craving and ignorance

              disappear.  The meditators

              who are able to make their

              craving and ignorance extinct

              will attain the ultimate

              freedom.

Ronny : Do they gain any spiritual

              powers?

Pim     : Yes, they do.  That is a by-

              product, not the goal.

Ronny : I understand that there are

              many types of mediation.

Pim     : Actually, there are only two

              levels of meditation:

              one is the development of

              mental concentration known

              in Pali as Samathabhavana,

              the other is insightmeditation

              known as Vipassanabhavana.

Ronny : What is the difference

              between these two levels of

              meditation?

Pim     : Well, Samathabhavana is

              the practice of concentrating

              the mind.  This will lead to

              tranquility. It is the foundation

              of Vipassanabhavana or insight

              meditation which leads to

              wisdom, to the realization of

              the ultimate truth and nirvana

              nirvana - the ultimate goal of

              Buddhism.

Ronny : What does “nirvana” mean?

              Does it refer to paradise?

Pim     : No, it doesn’t.  In Buddhism,

              nirvana means the extinction

              of all defilements and

              suffering.  It refers to a state

              of mind that is absolutely

              pure - free from craving,

              defilements, ignorance, and

              a state from which one will

              not be reborn in the cycle

              of existence again.  There

              are 2 types of nirvana:

              one relates to physical

              existence, the other is

              without any remainder of

              physical existence.

Ronny : It’s quite hard to understand

              Buddhist texts because of

              the many technical tersm.

Pim     : You can succeed in meditating

              without understanding any

              Buddhist texts.  What you

              have to do is just follow the

              instructions in this booklet -

              I am pleased to give it to you.

Ronny : Thank you very much.

Pim     : You are welcome.

              It is my pleasure…

Thanks & regards : AJ S. Srisopa (Cr. All Dhamma teachers)