The Meditative Way: Readings in the Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation

by Kang; Chris

• ISBN13: 9780700706778
• ISBN10: 0700706771
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-12-16
• Publisher: RoutledgeCurzon

Summary

Buddhist meditation, while attracting less popular attention than some other meditative disciplines, has given rise to a particularly rich literature in recent years. Despite differences in style and terminology, these modern writings on Buddhist meditation serve much the same purposes as did the manuals and commentaries of the classical masters: to explicate and interpret the Buddha's teachings on meditation, to clarify the nature and value of the various meditative techniques and attainments, and/or to offer advice on the actual practice of meditation. Meditators are increasingly inclined to compare and evaluate critically what the different contemporary meditation masters have to say, to weigh up the results of relevant scientific studies, or to consult translations of the primary texts in search of the Buddha's 'original' teachings on meditation. Writers on meditation are also increasingly adopting an appropriately critical approach, particularly as regards the reliability of textual accounts. Relatively few still commit the old error of assuming that the Pali canon is a complete and faithful record of what the Buddha said on the subject, or that the classical commentators were infallible authorities. The present collection of twenty-eight readings is designed to give meditators, researchers, and general readers ready access to representative samples of those writings, and to the principal relevant texts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Sources and Permissions	viii
General Introduction	1	(6)
Section I Pali Sources
Introduction	7	(4)
The Middle Way, Dhamma-cakka-ppavattana Sutta	11	(1)
The Eightfold Path Explained, Sacca-vibhanga Sutta	12	(2)
The Subduing of Thoughts, Vitakka-santhada Sutta	14	(3)
The Sublime States, Udumbarika-sihanada Sutta	17	(2)
The Foundations of Mindfulness, Satipatthana Sutta	19	(7)
Mindfulness of Breathing, Anapana-sati Sutta	26	(3)
The Jhanas, Sallekha Sutta	29	(1)
The Meditator's Progress, Samanna-phala Sutta	30	(13)
Section II Classical Masters
Introduction	41	(2)
Concentration on the Earth Disk, Buddhaghosa	43	(7)
Self-Protection through Mindfulness, Santideva	50	(5)
Calm and Insight, Zhiyi	55	(9)
Seated Meditation, Dogen	64	(2)
Some Zen Koans, Mumon	66	(3)
Fastening the Mind, Tsongkhapa	69	(16)
Section III Contemporary Masters
Introduction	81	(4)
A Spectrum of Meditative Practices, Dhammika Bhikkhu	85	(12)
Observing Your Mind, Achaan Chah	97	(9)
Insight by the Nature Method, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu	106	(7)
Insight through Mindfulness, Mahasi Sayadaw	113	(10)
The Meditative Mind, Dhiravamsa	123	(13)
Watching Thoughts and Emotions, Godwin Samararatne	136	(10)
Zen Mind, Shunryu Suzuki	146	(13)
Some Tibetan Practices, Kathleen McDonald	159	(16)
Meditation in Tantra, Lama Yeshe	175	(22)
Section IV Personal Accounts
Introduction	195	(2)
Experiences in Meditation, Chris Kang	197	(11)
From a Meditator's Diary, Jane Hamilton-Merritt	208	(11)
A Student's Response to Meditation, Donald K. Swearer	219	(9)
Initial Meditative Experiences, Roger Walsh	228	(16)
Experiments in Insight Meditation, Rod Bucknell	244	(21)
Abbreviations	265	(1)
Notes	266	(4)
Index	270