What is the purpose of meditation?
Have nothing on our mind? Think of something specific? Find a pleasant feeling to hold on to? Be blank and see what comes next?
We can’t help but feel utterly lost in all these questions at the very start of our meditation practice. If we’re to make progress and gain better understanding, we need to turn directly to the source — the Buddha himself, who said:
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it,
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.
These words from “The Dhammapada” identify the mind as the focal point of the Buddha’s teaching. They emphasize the mind’s crucial role in how we perceive and react to the reality around us.
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The enduring text tells us that salvation can only be found by turning inward, into the recesses of our minds. Only through a change within will there be a change without. And mindfulness meditation facilitates that change. So writes the renowned monk Nyanaponika Thera in his book “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: The Buddha’s Way of Mindfulness.” According to the master, Buddhist meditation teaches us three things:
to know the mind, — that is so near to us, and yet is so unknown;
to shape the mind, — that is so unwieldy and obstinate, and yet may turn so pliant;
to free the mind, — that is in bondage all over, and yet may win freedom here and now.
The Buddha’s urged us to “be mindful,” a message that pervades Satipatthana Sutta, also known as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. As such, mindfulness is incorporated in the Buddhist mind-doctrine in the following ways:
Mindfulness, then, is
the unfailing master key for knowing the mind, and is thus the starting point;
the perfect tool for shaping the mind, and is thus the focal point;
the lofty manifestation of the achieved freedom of the mind, and is thus the culminating point.
Therefore the ‘Foundations of Mindfulness’ … have rightly been declared by the Buddha as the “Only Way.”
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“The Heart of Buddhist Meditation” remains one of the best introductions to the key Buddhist practice and a must-read for new practitioners. Complement with our articles on how to practice body scan meditation, how to practice breathing meditation, and how to practice lovingkindness meditation.
I’m a freelance writer and mindfulness advocate behind this blog. I started my meditation practice in 2014, and in 2017 I launched this website to share what I learn with others. Here are the three things you can do here:
1. Schedule a free consult if you want to learn Buddhist meditation.
2. Download free mindfulness resources for stress relief
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