Self Awareness Through Meditation

Author(s): Ranjitsingh Kumat
Publisher: Ranjitsingh Kumat

Page 85

MEDITATION IN BUDDHA SYSTEM
VIPASSANA
Lord Buddha taught the four noble truths, which is the essence of his teachings, to those who experienced sensations the truth of suffering, the truth of the arising of suffering, the truth of cessation of suffering and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The four noble truths can be realized only through the experience of sensations or vedana. Sensation can be pleasant (Sukh vedana), it can be unpleasant (dukh vedana), or it can be neutral (adukkhamasukha vedana). All sensations are impermanent. They arise and disappear. However, we develop craving for the pleasant sensations and aversion for the unpleasant ones. This craving and aversion is the origin and root cause of suffering. Craving is not only the origin of suffering, it is the suffering itself. If we want an end to our suffering, the path is clear; we have to stop the craving and aversion for the sensations and adopt an attitude of equanimity towards them. As has been stated in Sanyutaa Nikaya:
"A meditator who has reached the end (has experienced the entire range) of sensations and has gone beyond it, is freed from craving and is fully liberated”.94
Vipassana Meditation is to become aware of sensations on the body of their true nature, their impermanence and thus the futility of craving for them. To get rid of craving and suffering, one has to experience and understand the truth of arising of sensation (vedana samudaya sacca), the truth of cessation of sensation (vedana nirodh sacca) and the path leading to the cessation of sensation (vedana nirodh gamini pratipada sacca). 95