Real Meditation (Ven. Acharn Maha Bua)

All types of Kammatthana - dhamma are for controlling the "outgoing exuberance" of the heart. The heart which is not controlled by a Kammathana is liable to the arising of outgoing exuberance throughout life. This is so from infancy to old age, it is so with the rich and the poor, with the clever and the stupid, with those in high and low position in life, with the blind, deaf, paralysed, maimed, deformed, and so on endlessly.

In Buddhism such people are considered to be still at the age of a heart with outgoing exuberance. Their hearts have no greatness, they find no contentment, they are ill fated as regards happiness of heart, and when they die they lose in all ways like a tree which may have many branches, flowers, and fruit, but if its main root is damaged it will die and lose its greatness and everything else. But unlike the body of a human being who has died, the trunk or branches of the tree may still be useful for some other purpose.

The baneful effect of the outgoing exuberance of a heart which does not have Dhamma as its guardian, is that it never finds true happiness, and even if happiness does arise due to the outgoing exuberance of the heart searching for it and finding it, it will be happiness of the type in which one is (like an actor) playing a part, which increases the outgoing exuberance, making the heart go increasingly in the wrong direction, and not the type of happiness which is truly satisfying.

SAMADHI - which means calm or stability of heart, The heart on the other hand, does not want to take the medicine, and the MEDICINE is the KAMMATIHANA.

"Outgoing exuberance" of the heart has been the enemy of all beings for countless ages, and a person who wants to subdue the outgoing exuberance of his own heart will need to compel his heart to take the MEDICINE which is the KAMMATTHANA.

Taking the medicine means training ones heart in Dhamma and not allowing it to go its own way, for the heart always likes to have outgoing exuberance as a companion. In other words, taking the medicine means that the heart brings Dhamma into itself as its guardian.

The Dhamma which is the guardian of the heart is called the kammatthana.

There are forty types of Kammatthana which variously accord with the different temperaments of people. They include:
1. The 10 Kasina (Devices for gazing at and concentrating upon)
2. The 10 Asubha (Contemplation of the states of the decomposition of a dead body)
3. The 10 Anussati (Various objects of contemplation)
4. The 4 Brahmavihara (Friendliness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity)
5. The 1 Aharapatikkulasanna (Recollecting the loathsomeness of food)
6. The 1 Catudhatuvavatthana (Defining the four elements)
7. The 4 Arupa (Developing the four form less Jhanas)

Here we will confine ourselves to the consideration of a few of these methods which are in general use and which are found to give satisfactory results. They include:

1. Contemplation of the thirty-two parts of the body, including: Kesa (hair of the head), Loma (hair of the body), Nakha (nails), Danta (teeth), Taco (skin),...etc. This first group of parts is called the Five Kammatthana .

2. Contemplation of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha .

3. Anapanasati (Mindfulness on breathing).

Whichever method is used it should suit one's character, for characters differ, and to teach that everyone should use only one type of Kammathana may well prove to be a hindrance to some people, thus preventing their attainment of the results which they should attain.

When one finds the type of meditation that suits one's character, one should set one's mind to begin doing the practice with a preparatory repetition (Parikamma), such as, Kesa (hair of the head). One should then repeat the word Kesa, but one should repeat it mentally and not loud, and at the same time one should keep one's attention fixed upon the hair of the head.

If however, one finds that thinking, on its own, is not able to capture the heart, one may repeat the preparatory repetition in the manner of a chant so that the sound captivates the heart and it becomes calm and quiet. One should continue repeating the preparatory repetition until the heart has become calm and then one can stop. But whichever preparatory repetition is used, one should retain conscious awareness of that Kammatthana. Thus in the foregoing example of Kesa , one should retain conscious awareness of the hair on one's head.

MEDITATION ON THE BREATH

VIPASSANA MEDITATION (MEDITATION ON THE BREATH)

Vipassana Meditation is the Traditional Buddhist style of meditation. It's purpose is to strengthen concentration, ground yourself, awaken compassion, to awaken to yourself and your true nature, to become fully conscious and to develop buddhi (the discriminating intellect)

"Buddhi is the mental power which enables one to contemplate the eternal."


Parable of the Buddha
The Buddha wandered for many years, and as he encountered others, they recognized a spiritual greatness in him. He eventually gathered many followers (disciples) who wished to learn from Buddha. One day, his followers were debating the nature of Buddha. They came to him with a question.
"Buddha, are you a GOD?"
The Buddha answered simply. "No."
The disciples went off to consider this response, and debate the issue further. Soon they returned with another question.
"Buddha, are you a saint?"
The Buddha answered simply. "No."
The disciples again went off to consider this response, and debate the issue further. Again, they returned with another question.
"Buddha, what ARE you?"
The Buddha answered simply. "I am AWAKE."


HOW-TO

Read the preparation for meditation on the Meditation Techniques page, before beginning any Meditation Techniques.

Darken your meditation room -no glaring sunlight or lamps - just perhaps a soft light - the light level should be as it is at dusk - not completely dark, but only a very low level of light in the room. The room should be quiet and a comfortable temperature. Remove distractions of sight, sound, smell, touch (excessive heat or cold). Come to a comfortable seated position, with the spine erect, shoulders down and back, the body relaxed, breath fluid and easy. Relax and breathe. Fully land yourself in your body.
Focus only on the breath flowing into and out of your body. Let any other thoughts go. The mind tries to distract you with thoughts - it is the nature of the mind. Release the thoughts. Without judgment, bring your awareness back to the breath, the life force, flowing into and out of your body.
Notice the sensation of the breath, as it whispers across the skin just below the nostrils, and above the upper lip. Feel the sensation as you breathe.
Don't change your breath. Just observe it as it is, without the need to change anything. Just notice.
If you notice your attention drifting, honor yourself for noticing and being aware that the mind has strayed, and bring attention back to the breath, back to the sensation of the breath whispering across your skin. The nature of the mind is to wander - being aware of the wandering mind indicates that you are alert and attentive.
Return the awareness back to the sensation of the breath again and again. As the mind wanders, gently guide its attention back to the breath, without judgment.
Go deep within yourself, and connect with your inner vitality.
Be compassionate with yourself.
Allow the mind to be still - through this stillness, you will eventually transcend the mind and fully experience consciousness, your own true nature. This brings you to a state of bliss and truth. TO FULLY AWAKEN!

"yoga chitta vrtti narodha" - Yoga is the practice of stilling the fluctuations of the mind. Erich Schiffman elegantly translates this as "yoga is the spirit and practice of moving into stillness"

This style of Meditation, Vipassana Meditation, can also be done while walking - being completely conscious of every step, every breath, every sensation. Vipassana is traditional Buddhist Meditation. Buddha is not a deity to be worshipped and idolized. Buddha is a goal. Buddha means "one who is fully awake." One of the primary tenets of Buddhism is that we all have the capacity to become fully enlightened (FULLY AWAKE) beings in our lifetime.

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Traditional Cupping

Cupping

Known by many names, practiced by many cultures, cupping is a practice that is quickly gaining much attention in the West. The dangers arises when capitalistic influences driven by the profit motivated medical industry encroach on ancient, conservative, proven, holistic treatments that were entrusted to healer, not businessmen. We are now in an age controlled by the Medical Mafia. No matter if treatments are termed conventional or alternative, buyer beware.

Cupping is an ancient therapy use by many cultures including the Egyptians Greeks and the Chinese. The first known recording is by Ebers in his famous medical text book dated approximately 1550BC and was also used by Hippocrates.

The therapist uses a cup to expell oxygen from a cup or vessel to create a vacuum on a place on the body. The primary objective of cupping is to release stagnation of any kind within the body. Cupping is effective at releasing the flow of 'Qi' (energy), when blocked the body finds if difficult to heal. Cupping will stimulate the flow of blood to aching or damaged muscles. Cupping will remove congestion and enhance the flow of lymph. Cupping helps relieve painful muscles, joints and initiate renewal therefore healing.

For more on cupping, see:

http://www.painfoundation.org/page.asp?file=documents/CAM/guasha.htm

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Cupping.asp

http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/cupping

Benefits of massage

Benefit of Massage

Service of massage may be divided into 5 levels. These are

1. Massage for health.
To relieve general bodily discomfort by improvement of general of local blood circulation.

2. Massage for curing.
To cure or alleviate some diseases. The practitioner should by Ayuravedic doctors or well trained traditional doctors. The 63 disorders may be cured or alleviated by massage as the following:
2.1 Disorders of the nervous system, i.e. stroke, number (not from beriberi which can be cured by vitamin B2), spinal cord repression ect.
2.2 Disorders of the skeletal system, i.e. fracture, dislocation, joint stiffness and some other bone and joint disorders, especially of the elderly.
2.3 Disorders of the muscular system, i.e. muscular paralysis, muscular weakness.
2.4 Disorders of the urogenital system, i.e. infertility due to abnormal position of the uterus, dysfunction of pelvic diaphragm and impotence.
2.5 Miscellaneous, i.e. increasing child intelligence.

3. Massage for physical imbalance. To improve the posture disorder and gait disorder by thoroughly corrections of several parts of the body.

4. Massage for sports. Used for relieve muscular pain and fatigue, inflammation of muscles and tendon, dislocations, cramps, and other injured tissues.

5. Massage for beauty. To rejuvenate the complexion by the special patterns of massage along with many other beauty aids.

Thai Massage

Type of Thai Massage

The Thai Massage is classified into two main types, base on the way of life:


1. The People Type which has been developed by the people and spread all over the country. At present, the famous institutes for teaching and servicing are at Wat Pho, Wat Samphraya and many other associations for massage. The simple way to recognize this type of massage are the observations of:

1.1 The masseur postures, some are impolite.
1.2 The client positions: various, including prone position.
1.3 The manipulation : some are aggressive and harmful such as : kneading by elbow, knee, heel and sole, stretching and twisting of neck, limb, shoulder, hip, and vertebral column.



2. The Court Type which has been developed by the courtiers, according to the successive was with the neighboring countries. In the ancient time the kings were the leaders of the troops. Trauma, dislocation, fracture, wound from the ancient different arts of fighting could be cured by herbs and massage. The massage must be also applied to the kings and their families. This type of massage is therefore recognized by:

2.1 The Masseur Postures : polite and very polite, some derived from boxing and some are dramatics.
2.2 The Client Position : no prone position.
2.3 The Manipulations : no aggressive and no harmful.