3 types of meditation practice per the Suttas!!

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
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Stefos
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3 types of meditation practice per the Suttas!!

Post by Stefos »

Hi everyone,

The suttas mention Shamatha, Vipassana and a "Naked Awareness" meditation as well.

My interest lies in the Naked Awareness meditation or Bare Attention meditation.

The author of the Introduction to the Majjhima Nikaya by Wisdom publications said that the latter meditation
was taught by the Buddha.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Thank you, :anjali:
Stefos
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confusedlayman
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Re: 3 types of meditation practice per the Suttas!!

Post by confusedlayman »

If u dont form volation formations, is it naked awareness?
I may be slow learner but im at least learning...
SarathW
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Re: 3 types of meditation practice per the Suttas!!

Post by SarathW »

Stefos wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:08 am Hi everyone,

The suttas mention Shamatha, Vipassana and a "Naked Awareness" meditation as well.

My interest lies in the Naked Awareness meditation or Bare Attention meditation.

The author of the Introduction to the Majjhima Nikaya by Wisdom publications said that the latter meditation
was taught by the Buddha.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Thank you, :anjali:
Stefos
There are two major aspects of meditation namely Samma Samadhi (right concentration) and Mitya Samadhi (wrong concentration.)
Samantha and Vipassana are the right concentrations.
Perhaps the naked awareness is a type of wrong concentration.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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DooDoot
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Re: 3 types of meditation practice per the Suttas!!

Post by DooDoot »

Stefos wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:08 am The suttas mention Samatha, Vipassana and a "Naked Awareness" meditation as well.

My interest lies in the Naked Awareness meditation or Bare Attention meditation.

The author of the Introduction to the Majjhima Nikaya by Wisdom publications said that the latter meditation
was taught by the Buddha.
Hello Stefos. Samatha and Vipassana are results of practising Bare Attention. MN 149 says:
When he develops this Noble Eightfold Path, the four foundations of mindfulness also come to fulfilment in him by development... these two things—serenity and insight—occur in him yoked evenly together.

https://suttacentral.net/mn149/en/bodhi
Bare Attentions means have a mind free from thoughts & ordinary emotions. If the mind has thoughts in it then it is not "Bare". MN 10 says:
Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world.He abides contemplating feelings as feelings, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating mind as mind, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world.

Mindfulness... is simply established in him to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and mindfulness. And he
abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.

Kind regards :)
There is always an official executioner. If you try to take his place, It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood. If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.

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sunnat
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Post by sunnat »

Some differentiate between concentration and tranquility. I think bare may be concentration. Some burmese teachers do concentration. Some thai do tranquility. Both have value.
Mr. Seek
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Re: 3 types of meditation practice per the Suttas!!

Post by Mr. Seek »

Yeah, what do you want to know?

Naked awareness is just a term. I'm guessing you're talking about non-directiveness, where one meditates without focusing on an object, without doing anything in particular or forcing things to happen. Remember how Gotama said don't cling, don't crave, etc.? Yeah, that. Just don't. Relax and just poof, enjoy yourself. You know what's samsara, nirvana, good or bad, pain and pleasure, meditation and non-meditation, form, physical and mental, etc.? Yeah, that's just dualistic concepts bro, sheer imagination, the fruits of objectification, the veil of perception cloaking reality. Let all that go and rest.

Snp 4.11 on quarrels and disputes, Snp 5.11 on Jatukannin, Snp 5.13 on Udaya. Three good suttas that I can recommend in this regard, all of them containing vivid, practical descriptions of how to meditate and live in this way. There are many more such out there.

You're not likely to find a whole lot of information and support from Theravada users because most of them are practicing other methods, such as concentration on an object, or contemplation of objects, etc. And as you yourself found out, in orthodox Theravada there are +40 different types of meditative practice. This awareness thing isn't popular with them; it is however the main practice of some Mahayana schools, e.g. Chan (Zen) sects such as Soto and their Shikantaza or Silent Illumination; Tibetan schools and their Dzogchen, Mahamudra--they all have their subtle differences, but in the end are all of non-directive nature. The Prajnaparamita sutras talk of this, and so do the Madhyamikas. The Pali canon too contains a lot on it.
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