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| Tao Garden Health Resort Tao Yin Yoga/ Program |
Buddhist Meditation, Samādhi, Mastering Jhāna (Dhyāna) through the Micro-Cosmic OrbitMeditation & Yoga Postures/ Tao Therapeutic YogaSīlā, the Art of Balanced ActionCave Meditation & Tao Garden Darkness Retreat | |
Buddhist Meditation Techniques
 | The
kind of meditation generally practiced in Thailand, is quite similar to Japanese (Zen) tradition. Generally one practices
walking meditation in combination with sitting meditation. The Walking
Meditation, cankama helps to build up awareness, energy and concentration. In
the Sitting Meditation, concentration can be brought to a higher level
and awareness increases. Initially observing the
in- and out-breath is
used to build up awareness, stabilize the investigative mind and
generate energy. In a
later stage visualization techniques may be employed, which may bring
our concentration to the highest level, from where Samādhi may be
gained easily. |  |
SamādhiSamādhi in Sanskrit means 'concentration', 'one-ness', and is often equated with 'enlightenment'. Samādhi is not (yet) enlightenment, but without Samādhi enlightenment is not possible. When our 'citta', our mind, is in Samādhi, the full potential of thought -which equals the Universe, is drawn into a single 'point'. We then experience the pure nature of being as such, and we are infused with the wisdom that says: 'this is me, my existence and the universal existence are one'.Samādhi may also be translated as 'one-pointedness', and the entry into Samādhi is indeed usually attained through concentration on a single 'object', be it the in- and outflow of the breath, 'touching' specific points on the body with our attentive mind, or concentrating on symbols. Some traditions use elaborate visualization techniques, like meditation on the Five Elements or meditation on Deities, like in Tantrik Buddhism. Sometimes Samādhi may be attained through the practice of mindfulness while engaged in physical activities: sweeping, cleaning, walking meditation. A very powerful way -and an art in itself, is to enter into Samādhi through chanting Sutras and/or Mantra's, hence the sound waves tune our body-mind to the frequency of Samādhi. Once we have become proficient in all this, and able to 'slide' into Samādhi easily, we may try the opposite approach: not concentrating at all, and allowing the mind to find Samādhi through 'Emptiness'. Kammathāna and the Eight Enlightenment FactorsThe practices which lead to Samādhi, like observing the breath, etc., are called Kammathāna, which means 'stilling the mind'. Kammathāna is often practiced on its own, because it helps the mind to focus and to settle mental turbulence. The factors which determine whether or not Samādhi will arise through our Kammathāna practice, are called Bojhanga, 'enlightenment factors'. Generally eight such factors, or stages of the meditation, are recognized:
The core practice of Kammathāna, which stills the fluctuations of the mind, is called Sati, 'mindfulness'. The factor of Sati reigns throughout our meditation, enabling all the other factors, and the attainment of Samādhi will show itself in a person as an increased awareness of morality and judgment, or mindfulness. Samādhi in fact, is the ultimate form of mindfulness, where the mind is no longer affected by delusions such as duality, subject-object, pleasure and pain, but perceives things in their true nature. Successfully practicing Sati in the meditation leads to Dhammavicāya, 'truth investigation', the enlightenment factor which transforms 'thinking about things', into 'understanding things as they are', thus transforming our discursive, reflective mind, into an intuitive grasping of the nature of things. Usually Dhammavicāya is practiced by holding anything which the mind perceives, bodily sensations, thoughts, feelings, etc., against the light of the Dhamma and to grasp the nature of their existence as Anicca, Anatta, Dukkha, that is, as impermanent, selfless and as a root of suffering. Once our Mind is engaged in 'grasping the truth', the full potential of thought -which equals the Universe, is slowly drawn into a single 'stream', which makes us become aware of the energy of existence itself. Moreover, as we have then attained to the first objective of Kammathāna, which is to 'master the mind', we also feel good about ourselves and feel stimulated to go on. This phase is referred to as Virya, from the same Sanskrit root as the English words 'virtue, virility', and may be described as 'energy' or 'aspiration', 'enthusiasm'. Energy entering the subtle channels of the body, may give rise to sensations like waves of (ecstatic) energy moving through the body, or tingling sensation, which is called Pīti, usually translated as 'zest and rapture'. It is sometimes described as the feeling of insects crawling over the body or face, but that description installs unnecessary fear. Pīti is an ecstatic, mystical feeling, where the boundaries of the 'ego' slowly melt. In some persons Pīti can be very strong, and put the body into a shaking or trembling mode. These phenomenon are connected with the occurrence of bio electricity (Chi) and thus are a sign of approaching Samādhi. As Pīti slowly melts away our ego-boundaries and resistance, we may find ourselves suddenly in an Ocean of Calmness, which is referred to as Passaddhi. This Calmness may be very deep and the 'sound of silence' be heard. Even without further attempts to concentrate, Samādhi is attained easily, especially if it is the first time we 'come up'. One then finds oneself in Samādhi, as the 'citta', the 'mind, drops into a concentrated state, which comprises the other 'enlightenment factors' in it, so that the mind indeed 'drops' into Samādhi, but does not 'sink' or fall asleep. One stays aware (Sati), one is attentive, knowing 'truth', aspiring consciousness, melting in ecstasy, calmly abiding; that is Samādhi. Samādhi is Bliss while we attain it and beyond Bliss after we attain it, since it contains all existence in a concentrated form. In this state the mind is not affected by the 'pairs of opposites' and thus we do not experience any distinction between 'pleasant and unpleasant'. As long as we can reside in this meditative equipoise, called Upekhā (Equanimity), our mind dwells in Ekagrāta, 'one-pointedness' and Samādhi is maintained. Samādhi is of three kinds, depending on the nature of our mind and the level of our practice: Upacāra Samādhi, which is translated as 'access concentration' and is essentially a visionary state in which the mind follows 'leads', being visions, appearances, sounds, voices or other kinds of perceptions; Khānika Samādhi, which is 'empty' and refreshing, yet lasts only for a short while; Anapassadhi Samādhi, which is very deep and may be experienced for a longer time. These types of Samādhi will be explained more in the workshop. Once concentration (Samādhi) has become strong, we enter the path of Vipassanā. Vi-passanā literally means 'to look into, with awareness', or simply 'Insight Meditation'. There are many stages of Vipassana, which are not haphazard states of mind, but structured stages of insight into existence. Usually on the first occasion of attaining Samādhi, one 'rises' fully into an enlightened state, where one's 'karma' is completely annihilated; one has become a 'stream enterer' and experiences the bliss of what is called 'Samādhi without remainder'. It may be though, that on 'coming back down', the 'weight of one's karma' is experienced more pressing than ever. One has become a 'once returner', one that is aware of her/his karmic obligations, whose time has come to work for the good of 'all sentient beings'. A 'once returner', it is said, has a chance to clear his/her karma forever, but, once a knower, cannot afford to make the same mistake(s) again. To ground the awareness gained in Vipassana, walking meditation, sweeping leaves, or working, are helpful. This grounding is very important, because once we step on the path of Vipassana, we have to finish it and failure to do so may very well lead to -temporary- psychosis.But when grounding is effective, and if we are able to make 'Eka- one pointedness', once we have learned to keep the mind from wandering around, we can explore all levels of Vipassana, including Jhāna, deeper.  Mastering the Jhāna-States of Buddhist Meditation through the Micro-Cosmic Orbit:Although many people practice Vipassana, not many of them enter the high state of concentration (Samādhi), which is called Jhāna (Dhyāna). Because our mind likes to fantasize, unaware of what is really going on, forfeiting the first step of Jhāna, called Sati or Mindfulness. The risk of entering into Jhāna, then is craziness, and the fear of becoming 'crazy' bars us from entering into the 'stream' of Samādhi, to fully find back the way into our original nature, without any fear.In ancient times this problem was quite common amongst practitioners of Zen Meditation in Japan. Some practitioners would go 'crazy' at some stage of their meditation and the resultant psychosis proved very hard to cure. Sometimes a person like that, would be sent to China to seek the help of a Taoist master. The Taoists teach to circulate your Chi in the Microcosmic Orbit, which prevents energy from getting stuck, especially from getting stuck in the head, which may create all kinds of delusions, or from getting stuck elsewhere in the body, such as the heart or the sexual organs, which may cause emotional and physical problems. Jhāna, as in Pāli, or in Sanskrit Dhyāna, may be described as a 'concentrated state' in which the mind stays focused while going into changes of all sorts, first in the Form Plane (Rūpa Jhāna) and then in the Formless (Arūpa Jhāna). Now understanding Jhāna States is not so much about what one sees or experiences, which may be quite individual, but to understand how being in a concentrated state affects your interaction with nature. The first stage of Jhāna takes place on what is called the 'Form Plane', where being in Jhāna affects the way in which the fibers of your 'Energy Body' bundle together in one-ness or deflect in split-ness, like seeing your own body split up into different forms, which then unite again when you approach One-ness (Ekagrāta). The second stage of Jhāna pertains to the 'Formless', where being in a Jhāna state directly affects the way in which you relate to existential parameters like space and time, consciousness (of being and non-being), emptiness (you don't occupy a place anymore) and perception (you exist in the differential between perception and perceived). | ||||
Jhāna-States & the Micro-Cosmic Orbit
 |
| The
first Jhāna
is composed of five steps: the meditator starts by being Mindful(0), that is, attentive
to the body, the breathing or the object of
concentration, whatever it is; by dwelling on this and through applied
effort and Truth
Investigation (1) of his/her own mind, experiences Energy(2)Bliss,
zest and rapture(3),Calmness
and happiness(4) arise
and Samādhi
(5), which is
attained and maintained through Equanimity
based on compassion. In the second Jhāna Mindfulness, Truth Investigation and Energy come together into Vitakka; the meditator rises in three steps: Vitakka(0), 'sustained application', from which arises Energy(0) (transforms the sexual energy), then Bliss, zest and rapture(2), Calmness and happiness(3), leading to Samādhi(4) The third Jhāna consists of only two steps: Vitakka is taken in with Energy (spontaneous transformation of sexual energy) (0), Bliss, zest and rapture , Calmness and happiness(2), leading straight into Samādhi(3). The fourth Jhāna then, consists of only two steps: Calmness and Happiness disappear; Equanimity(0) leads to Samādhi(1); Samādhi is maintained through Equanimity; the secret of this plane is called Ekagrāta, One Pointedness. The Jhāna States may be understood more easily, once we know how to work with the Microcosmic Orbit. |
Sila, the Art of Balanced ActionThere
are many schools of Buddhism, and many different approaches to Buddhist
meditation, but all of them go back to what the Buddha practiced and taught. Having learned with various teachers
and holy men, Buddha decided on going the 'middle way' and avoiding
extremes. For our meditation practice we may adopt the same attitude:
we will avoid eating heavy meals after midday, because we know that
meditating on a full stomach may induce wind, day-dreaming, strange
visions and fatigue.
But we will not fast or practice any other kind of
austerity-for-the-sake-of-austerity, like not sleeping or not allowing
ourselves to be comfortable. Thus the 'rule' of not eating after midday
(Vikālabhojaņa) for us is a help on the way, in stead of a
restriction. Likewise, we may interpret the other 'rules' which are
seen as conducive to our Vipassana practice: -not using any
intoxicants; -not having sex; -getting up early; -sleeping no more then
6 hours a day; -remaining in silence; all these should be used as a support for our practice. Meditation & (Tao-Therapeutic) YogaYoga is a helpful practice for meditation. It helps us to be more comfortable in (sitting) meditation and rid ourselves of unnecessary tension, both physically and mentally. This way Yoga for meditation may prevent potential damage to our body from over zealous meditation sessions, especially in the legs. Yoga also helps to release tension on the breath, which directly helps our meditation.In Tao Garden a variety of Yoga-forms are being taught, including Tao Yin Yoga, a special form of Chinese Yoga developed by Master Mantak Chia, Tao-Therapeutic Yoga, in which special set-ups and props are used to gently stretch, strengthen or even correct parts of our body, as well as Kuṇḍalinī Yoga, Mantra Yoga and Tantra Yoga. More about our Yoga Program through following the link. In December 2008 a special workshop is organized in which the not well known Vāgyoga is being taught. Follow the link to find out more about Vāgyoga and Mantra Yoga. Cave Meditation & Tao Garden Darkness RetreatThe Darkness Retreats in Tao Garden have been especially created to facilitate the teaching and practice of higher level Taoist Alchemical Meditation. To find out more about these special retreats, please visit our Electronic Magazine for the Darkness Retreats: To read about Ajahn Al's experience with Buddhist Meditation, in the Cave Tham Pha Pung in Southern Thailand, please visit: | ||
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These courses are taught by Ajahn Al, who has
been a certified Healing Tao Teacher since 1992 and a certified Yoga
Teacher since 1984. He studied with Master Mantak Chia for many years
and studied different forms of Yoga and Meditation with a variety of
teachers, such as Saswitha Yoga (a dynamic form of (Kashmiri) Yoga), Iyengar Yoga (a very precise way of doing Yoga), Vāgyoga
(the Esoteric Yoga of Sanskrit Language) and Mantra Yoga (which he
first learned from Shyam Bhatnagar & Harish Yohāri in 1982 and
later from the Brahmin Shri Tripāthi Vāgish Shāstri of Vārāṇasī). He then
studied Tantrayāna Buddhism with Tibetan monks. The culmination of his spiritual journey occurred in 2002,
when he was initiated by the Thai monks into Vipassana Meditation. They
brought him to a cave, where he spent 4 months in Samādhi, after which
he was ordained as a monk. Follow the links below to read more.
For more information about this retreat and other courses with Ajahn Al, or to organize a retreat elsewhere,
please contact: Alyatra@Gmail.com
Dynamic (Kashmir-Tibetan) Yoga
Tao Yin /Yoga Program
IndoEuropeanLanguage.com
Video
Darkness Retreats