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Dharma Talk August 96
In the West, Southern Buddhist meditation is often called Vipassana meditation, which means meditation of looking deeply within; Vietnamese people translate it as insight meditation. Northern Buddhist meditation is called Zen meditation. At Plum Village, our method of meditation is called mindfulness meditation, based on the foundation of the Noble Eightfold Path, in which sati (mindfulness) is one of the eight elements.
Meditation consists of two inseparable parts:
- Samatha (stopping) helps us to calm down, to bring stillness to the mind
- Vipassana (looking deeply) helps us to look deeply, to develop insight
Mindfulness is the energy that is brought into both:
- walking meditation – each step rests in the present moment, stopping in the mind even while still walking
- sitting meditation – relaxing the body through the breath, sitting posture, and a gentle smile so the body can truly rest
- tea meditation, eating meditation – contemplating each movement with care and attention
- using the bell, the breath, and joining our palms to initiate the stopping and resting of body and mind
Practicing samatha meditation is a prerequisite for insight meditation to arise naturally, just as when the surface of a lake is still, it reflects the moon clearly. Through retreats lasting from one to thirty days (One Day of Mindfulness, Seven Days of Mindfulness, or 21, 30 days), meditation is not only a method but also the foundation that helps us live mindfully, peacefully, in every moment.