Buddhism Meditation: Bringing Up And Clearing Up

QUESTION 118: IN DAILY LIFE, IF WE HAVE TO WORK, ORGANIZE, OR CALCULATE, HOW SHOULD WE PRACTICE?ANSWER: In daily life, we are often preoccupied with tasks, moving our hands and feet, walking back and forth, making it difficult to follow the breath as we do during sitting meditation. Therefore, while walking, standing, lying down, sitting, or working, we should be mindful of the entire body and rem...

QUESTION 117: CAN A PERSON WHO IS EXTREMELY POOR OR EXTREMELY WEALTHY PRACTICE MEDITATION?ANSWER: Extreme poverty means rarely having enough to eat, being tormented by hunger hour by hour, and not knowing where the next meal will come from. The anxiety of finding food to stave off hunger creates a strain on the brain, leaving no mental space for contemplating the freedom and ease of meditation. Hu...

QUESTION 116: BECAUSE WORK IS TOO BUSY, I CAN'T SIT IN MEDITATION CALMLY OR FOCUS MY MIND. SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL RETIREMENT TO PRACTICE MEDITATION?ANSWER: At the beginning of meditation practice, no one can immediately calm their mind, except for those with great spiritual potential. Whether practicing correctly or incorrectly, the initial stages yield no immediate results, and the mind remains...

QUESTION 115: WHY DO SOME PEOPLE EXPERIENCE SEXUAL AROUSAL AFTER PRACTICING MEDITATION FOR A WHILE?ANSWER: Sexual arousal has been observed in some practitioners during intense meditation retreats. The cause lies in excessive focus on the upper part of the head. Although the sensation of arousal arises in the genital area, the mechanism that controls sexual feelings is located in the brain. When a...

QUESTION 114: IT IS SAID THAT MANY PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE MEDITATION DEVELOP BRAIN, PHYSICAL, OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ILLNESSES. WHY IS THAT?ANSWER: There are four reasons why meditation can lead to illness:1. Insufficient Merit and Ambition:2. Failing to focus on creating merit and helping others, practitioners lack sufficient merit but aspire to achieve high results prematurely, leading to ambition.3. Con...

QUESTION 113: IF KARMA BLOCKS PROGRESS DESPITE PERSISTENT PRACTICE, WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?ANSWER: When practice does not yield progress, it often means struggling with drowsiness, battling discursive thoughts, and enduring years of physical pain, fatigue, and inner turmoil that can feel like a dead end. So, when faced with stagnant practice, what should one do? First, honestly face the truth and acc...

QUESTION 112: WHY DO SOME PEOPLE PUT IN THEIR BEST EFFORT, PRACTICE WITH SINCERITY, HAVE A TEACHER WHO INSTRUCTS THEM IN THE RIGHT METHOD, YET MAKE NO PROGRESS?ANSWER: We are in the dense forest of ignorance with no clear path out. Many are lost in this forest, distracted by blooming flowers, singing birds, flowing streams, or the company of woodcutters and mountain maidens, unaware that there is...

QUESTION 111: DO THE FOUR JHANAS, THE FOUR SAINTHOOD, AND THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS ALL LEAD TO COMPLETE ENLIGHTENMENT?ANSWER: Yes, that is correct. There are three meditative paths that lead to complete enlightenment:- The Four Jhanas - Through breath-focused meditation, the mind progressively deepens from the First Jhana to the Fourth Jhana, ultimately culminating in the realization of...

QUESTION 110: THE BUDDHA'S SUTTAS MENTION THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS. COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS FURTHER?ANSWER: Alongside the Four Jhanas (four levels of meditative absorption) and the Four Stages of Sainthood, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthana) are a unique method of classifying the progressive results of practice, guiding a practitioner from the initial stage to...

QUESTION 109: HOW CAN ONE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN A PERSON WHO ATTAINS MEDITATIVE ABSORPTION (JHÂNA) AND ALSO ATTAINS SAINTHOOD, AND A PERSON WHO ATTAINS MEDITATIVE ABSORPTION WITHOUT REALIZING SAINTHOOD?ANSWER: Both share the commonality of having achieved meditative absorption, yet they follow two distinct paths:One who attains jhana but not sainthood focuses on supernatural powers and personal mast...

QUESTION 108: WHAT ABOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE END OF MENTAL DEFILEMENTS (ÁSAVAKKHAYA-ÑÁNA)?ANSWER: The Knowledge of the Exhaustion of Defilements refers to the realization attained by an extraordinary Saints in Buddhism. This supernatural power grants one absolute mastery of moral discipline, ensuring that no lapse or even the slightest error, as small as a speck of dust, ever occurs. A Saint who...

QUESTION 107: WHAT IS THE DIVINE EYE (DIBBACAKKHU)?ANSWER: The Divine Eye is the ability to observe the cycle of life, death and rebirth of countless beings, clearly perceiving the workings of karma and its consequences. The Buddha likened this ability to a person standing on a high tower at a crossroads, able to see people entering and leaving houses, walking along the streets, or sitting in the...

QUESTION 106: WHAT IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF PAST LIVES (Pubbenivãsãnussati^ãna)?ANSWER: The Knowledge of Past Lives, is a supernatural insight that enables one to recall past existences, beginning with the most recent life and extending back to the very origins of birth and death. At this level of supernatural power, Enlightened Beings can answer the profound question: “Why do sentient beings continue...

QUESTION 105: WHAT IS MAGICAL POWER (Iddhi-vidhã)?ANSWER: Magical Power is the ability to move and transform at will. An Arhant possesses the capability to manifest one body into many, or many into one, appear and disappear at will, pass through walls as if they were empty space, walk on water without sinking as if on solid ground, and sit in full lotus posture while levitating in the air like a b...

QUESTION 104: WHAT IS MIND-READING (CETOPARIYA-ÑANA)?ANSWER: The Mind-Reading ability of an Arahant is the capacity to delve into the minds of sentient beings and clearly discern all their thoughts, emotions, and intentions within the Dharma realms. From the human realm to the animal realm, the realm of hungry ghosts, hell, and even the celestial realms, No sentient being can conceal anything from...

QUESTION 103: WHAT IS DIVINE EAR (DIBBASOTA)?ANSWER: The Divine Ear is the ability to hear and comprehend all sounds in the world, including the voices of sentient beings across different realms, unhindered by language, species, or spatial distance. In the Fruits of the Contemplative Life Sutta, the Buddha described one who attains the Divine Ear as follows: "With a mind that is calm, purifie...

QUESTION 102: WHAT ARE THE TRANSCENDENT THREE SUPER WISDOM AND SIX SUPERNATURAL POWERS OF AN ARAHANT?ANSWER: The Fourth Jhana is the foundation for the Three Super Wisdom and the Six Magical Powers. These supernatural powers were repeatedly explained by the Buddha throughout His life of teaching and are recorded in many suttas, such as the Great Discourse Sakaludayi (the Mahãsakuludãyi Sutta), the...

QUESTION 101: WHAT ARE THE SEVEN FACTORS OF ENLIGHTENMENT (SATTA BOJJHANGA) THAT CHARACTERIZE A FULLY AWAKENED ARAHANT?ANSWER: The Seven Factors of Enlightenment (Satta Bojjhãnga) are the seven qualities of the mind in a fully awakened Arahant, including:Investigation of Dhamma (Dhammavicaya): The ability to see clearly the right and wrong of all things, without any confusion. In an instant, an Ar...

QUESTION 100: WHAT ARE THE TRANSCENDENT CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ARAHANT, THE FOURTH SAINTHOOD?ANSWER: The Fourth and Highest Stage of Arahantship (Arahanta) is the final and supreme attainment of sainthood, is Arahanta, representing complete liberation and perfect enlightenment. An Arahant has eradicated the five higher instincts—subtle defilements that “bind” an Anãgãmĩ (Non-Returner) and prevent t...

QUESTION 99: WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ANÂGÂMĨ, THE THIRD SAINTHOOD?ANSWER: The attainment of the Third Sainthood, Anãgãmĩ (Non-Returner), signifies the complete eradication of the two remaining strong instincts of Greed (rãga) and Hatred (dosa). In a world filled with craving and resentment, an Anãgãmĩ shines like a beacon of light amidst the darkness of suffering. Not even the slightest...

QUESTION 98: WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SAKADÂGÂMĨ, THE SECOND SAINTHOOD?ANSWER: The attainment of the Second Sainthood, Sakadãgãmĩ (Once- Returner), is marked by the complete eradication of the three instincts — Selfishness, Stubbornness, and Doubt —and the further weakening of Greed (rãga) and Hatred (dosa).At this stage, the roots of desire and aversion remain, but they are extremely sub...

QUESTION 97: PLEASE EXPLAIN IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE FIRST SAINTHOOD OF SOTÂPANNA?ANSWER: The First Sainthood of Sotãpanna is the initial stage of sainthood, achieved upon the eradication of three instincts:1. Selfishness - The attachment to the notion of an individual self, or ego-based thinking.2. Stubbornness - The rigid clinging to external forms or rituals, mistakenly believing them to be the...

QUESTION 96: PLEASE EXPLAIN THE FOUR SAINTHOOD IN BUDDHISM?ANSWER: In addition to the distinctive standard of the Four Levels of Meditation, the Buddha provided a clear and detailed classification of the Sainthood, which consist of four stages of liberation, progressing from lower to higher: the First Sainthood of Sotãpanna (Stream-Enterer) , the Second Sainthood of Sakadãgãmi (Once-Returner) , th...

QUESTION 95: WHEN MEDITATION YIELDS SOME RESULTS, IT IS EASY TO FALL INTO CONCEIT AND THEN REGRESS. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?ANSWER: As meditation progresses, consciousness transforms, and we feel like a new person—purer, more intelligent, with countless wondrous experiences unfolding in the mind. However, these very experiences become a "bait" for conceit to arise. Even before others recognize...

QUESTION 94: HOW SHOULD WE PERCEIVE THE SPECIAL ABILITIES THAT ARISE IN MEDITATION?ANSWER: When meditation practice yields results, and the mind becomes35 Three Super Wisdom (tevijja): refers to three types of higher knowledge1. the ability to remember one's former lives (pũrvanivãsãnusmrti)2. knowledge of the future rebirth destinies (cyutyupapattifîâna)3. knowledge of "extinction of con...