Mahasati Meditation
Encyclopedia
Also known as Dynamic meditation, Mahasati Meditation is a form of mindfulness meditation. It is a technique developed by the late Thai Buddhist reformist, Luangpor Teean Jittasubho. Mahasati Meditation uses movement of the body to generate self-awareness and is a powerful tool for self-realization. Practiced throughout Asia
and in the United States
, this method of meditation is appropriate for anyone regardless of religion
or nationality.
. The Buddha
taught that each of us could come to the very important point of the cessation of suffering. Mahasati Meditation is a simple and direct method of practice developed by Luangpor Teean Jittasubho, an important teacher in the world of Thai Buddhism.
Many teachers, mostly from the East, provide many different forms of meditation. Some teachers use breath-counting and breath-concentration. Others teach concentration
on a mantra
or a koan. Some tell their students to visualize a religious image or some form of light or color. These methods all share the same central theme - the concentration of the mind.
Luangpor Teean taught that meditation is the art of seeing things as they are with awareness
and wisdom
. Usually we see the world and everything around us through the filter of our concepts or thoughts and through our mental images which we have collected in our daily life since childhood. Thus, these thoughts are both the source of human activity and human suffering. Thought is, for Luangpor Teean, the source of greed
, anger
and delusion
.
Luangpor Teean said that we cannot simply suppress greed, anger, and delusion by keeping moral precepts, nor can we suppress them by maintaining calmness through some form of meditation based on concentration. Though these activities are useful to some extent, we need to go to the root of suffering: to let awareness see through and break through. When we see things as they are, the mind changes its qualities completely. At the very moment of awareness, the mind immediately becomes active, clear, and pure. With this active, clear, and pure mind we will realize the law of nature and the freedom of life. And then, we will be free from suffering.
Mahasati Meditation is a form of moving meditation. In Mahasati Meditation the practitioner moves rhythmically with their awareness open to the movement of body and mind. The movements are simple and repetitious, yet Mahasati Meditation is a powerful, deep, and advanced method for self-realization.
The aim of Mahasati Meditation is to attain direct insight into one's self-freedom from pain and suffering, and to attain a healthy mind, one that is stable and wise. This healthy mind benefits not only the practitioner, but is also a beneficial influence on the practitioner's surroundings, including those who are close to him or herself, and to society in general.
2. Turn the right hand onto its edge, be aware; do it slowly, then stop. Do not say to yourself "turn the right hand", being aware is enough.
3. Raise the right hand up, be aware, and then stop.
4. Lower the right hand to rest on the abdomen, be aware, and then stop.
5. Turn the left hand onto its edge, be aware, and then stop.
6. Raise the left hand up, be aware, and then stop.
7. Lower the left hand to rest on the right hand, be aware, and then stop.
8. Move the right hand up to rest on the chest, be aware, and then stop.
9. Move the right hand out, be aware, and then stop.
10. Lower the right hand onto its edge on the thigh, be aware, then stop.
11. Face the right palm down, be aware, and then stop.
12. Move the left hand up to rest on the chest, be aware, and then stop.
13. Move the left hand out, be aware, and then stop.
14. Lower the left hand onto its edge on the thigh, be aware, and then stop.
15. Face the left palm down, be aware, and then stop.
After sitting for a long time, which may cause pains and aches, practitioners can change the position to the walking back and forth. After walking for a long time, they can change to the sitting posture. This is called changing the positions; sitting, lying, standing, walking. Practitioners should allot them properly.
Practitioners do not move the arms while walking. Practitioners should fold the arms across the chest, or clasp the hands behind the back.
While walking back and forth, practitioners should be aware of the feeling or the feet. It is not necessary to say to themselves, "right foot moves", "left foot moves". Practitioners should not walk too fast or too slow, they have to walk naturally.
While sitting on a bus or in a car, practitioners lay their hand on the thigh and turn the palm up and down, or they run the thumb over the fingertip, or they make a fist and open it repeatedly. The key is to do every movement slowly and be aware.
According to Mahasati Meditation, this is the natural way of cultivating self-awareness, learning Dhamma with nature
.
. His father died when he was young. Luangpor Teean did not have formal education in his childhood. The boy, like the rest of them in the village, had to help his mother in running their farm.
At the age of eleven, he was ordained as a novice at the village monastery, and stayed there with his uncle who was a resident monk
. During a year and six months in the monastery
, he studied Laotian scripts and ancient local scripts. He also started practicing various meditation methods, such as the Budh-dho and Breath Counting methods. After disrobing, he returned to his home.
Following tradition, he was ordained as a monk at the age of twenty. Again he studied and practiced meditation with his uncle for six months. After returning to lay life, he was married at twenty-two and had three sons. In his village, he was always a leader in Buddhist activities and was highly respected and chosen to be the head of the village on three different occasions. Despite of heavy responsibilities, he continued his meditation practice regularly.
Later he moved to Chiengkhan, a larger community, where his sons could attend school. Being a merchant, he sailed his steamboat along the Maekhong River between Chiengkhan-Nongkai-Vientiane, or even as far as Luangprabang. He had opportunities to meet several meditation masters and his enthusiasm in pursuing Dhamma (the Truth) continued to strengthen. Furthermore, he began to realize that many years of being good, making merit
, and practicing various methods of meditation had not liberated him from his anger. Finally, he determined to start searching for the way out.
In 1957, when he was nearly forty-six, he left his home with firm determination not to return unless he found the Truth
. He went to Wat Rangsimukdaram, Tambol Pannprao, Amphur Tabon in Nongkai Province and practiced a simple form of bodily movements except that he did not follow the recitation
of the words "ting-ning" (moving-stopping) like others did. What he did was only being aware of the movements of the body and mind. Within a couple of days, his mind reached the End of Suffering completely without traditional rituals or teachers.
Later he returned home. He taught his wife and relatives what he had found for two years and eight months, as a lay teacher. He then decided to re-enter monkhood in order to be in a better position to teach the people. The ordination
was made on February 3, 1960.
After realizing Dhamma, Luangpor Teean traveled around Thailand. Wherever he went to he taught the true messages of the Dhamma. He also established several meditations centers throughout Thailand. Wat Sanamnai is one of his meditation centers. Even though this temple is located on the outskirts of Bangkok, it maintains all the characteristics and formality of the Thai forest tradition.
In 1985, Wat Sanamnai Monastery was formally permitted a temple. Luangpor Teean held a Sangkha meeting with all the monks who studied the Mahasati Meditation method and appointed Luangpor Thong the abbot of Wat Sanamnai. After Luangpor Teean died in 1989, “Luangpor Teean Jittasubho (Pann Intapew) Foundation” was founded, with Luangpor Thong
as its president, a position he has maintained to this day.
Luangpor Teean’s teachings were spreading across the country as well as outside. He devoted his life to the teaching of Dhamma despite his poor health. He was diagnosed to have stomach cancer (malignant lymphoma) in 1982. In spite of his illness he continued his work actively and incisively until the end of his life.
On September 13, 1988, he died at the age of seventy-seven in a hut on Koh Buddhadhamma, Tabb Ming Kwan, Tambol Gudpong in Loei Province.
"Generally, when thought arises, the mind will be dragged along like a kitten trying to catch a big rat. The rat (thought) is bigger and stronger than the kitten (awareness). When the rat shows up, the kitten, by nature
, will catch the rat. The rat is frightened and runs away with the kitten holding on. After a while the kitten becomes tired and let the rat go. Similarly, thoughts will arise endlessly and stop by themselves.
As we cultivate self-awareness more and more, it is like we keep feeding a kitten until it becomes a big, strong cat. When thought arises, the mind will not be dragged along and thought
will stop immediately."
Luangpor Teean Jittasubho
(Source: Luangpor Teean Jittasubho A Manual of Self-Awareness, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 1994)
One is one's own shelter
"You should not believe what I have said, but prove it for yourself. If anyone just believes me, that's wrong. Change your mind
- don't just believe. Prove it with yourself and thoroughly understand it - then believe. Otherwise, whom should we believe? The Buddha? Don't even believe in the Buddha or teachers. We must believe in ourselves. The Buddha taught us we will be our own refuge
. The Buddha said 'attahi-attano-nato' - "One is one's own shelter." Since most people have no shelter, they turn to something else which prevents them from finding the real shelter."
Luangpor Thong Abhakaro
(Source: Luangpor Thong Abhakaro, Beyond Text, Beyond Scriptures, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation)
_____________, Normality, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 2004
_____________, Nibbana, Bangkok: Medchai Printing House, 2006 (Thai Version)
_____________, A Manual of Self-Awareness, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 1994
_____________, Teacher, teaching, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 1997, ISBN 974-89976-1-8
Luangpor Thong Abhakaro, Mahasati Meditation, Taiwan: Mahasati Meditation of Taiwan, 2009 (Chinese Version)
Anchalee Thaiyanond, Against the Stream: The Teaching of Luangpor Teean. Bangkok: Thammasat University Press., 1986
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, this method of meditation is appropriate for anyone regardless of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
or nationality.
Practice of Mahasati Meditation
Mahasati Meditation is a meditation technique concerned about how to end sufferingSuffering
Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, is an individual's basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. Suffering may be qualified as physical or mental. It may come in all degrees of intensity, from mild to intolerable. Factors of duration and...
. The Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
taught that each of us could come to the very important point of the cessation of suffering. Mahasati Meditation is a simple and direct method of practice developed by Luangpor Teean Jittasubho, an important teacher in the world of Thai Buddhism.
Many teachers, mostly from the East, provide many different forms of meditation. Some teachers use breath-counting and breath-concentration. Others teach concentration
Concentration
In chemistry, concentration is defined as the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Four types can be distinguished: mass concentration, molar concentration, number concentration, and volume concentration...
on a mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
or a koan. Some tell their students to visualize a religious image or some form of light or color. These methods all share the same central theme - the concentration of the mind.
Luangpor Teean taught that meditation is the art of seeing things as they are with awareness
Awareness
Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
and wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
. Usually we see the world and everything around us through the filter of our concepts or thoughts and through our mental images which we have collected in our daily life since childhood. Thus, these thoughts are both the source of human activity and human suffering. Thought is, for Luangpor Teean, the source of greed
Greed
Greed is an excessive desire to possess wealth, goods, or abstract things of value with the intention to keep it for one's self. Greed is inappropriate expectation...
, anger
Anger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
and delusion
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
.
Luangpor Teean said that we cannot simply suppress greed, anger, and delusion by keeping moral precepts, nor can we suppress them by maintaining calmness through some form of meditation based on concentration. Though these activities are useful to some extent, we need to go to the root of suffering: to let awareness see through and break through. When we see things as they are, the mind changes its qualities completely. At the very moment of awareness, the mind immediately becomes active, clear, and pure. With this active, clear, and pure mind we will realize the law of nature and the freedom of life. And then, we will be free from suffering.
Mahasati Meditation is a form of moving meditation. In Mahasati Meditation the practitioner moves rhythmically with their awareness open to the movement of body and mind. The movements are simple and repetitious, yet Mahasati Meditation is a powerful, deep, and advanced method for self-realization.
The aim of Mahasati Meditation is to attain direct insight into one's self-freedom from pain and suffering, and to attain a healthy mind, one that is stable and wise. This healthy mind benefits not only the practitioner, but is also a beneficial influence on the practitioner's surroundings, including those who are close to him or herself, and to society in general.
Rhythmic movements
1. Rest the hands palm down on the thighs.2. Turn the right hand onto its edge, be aware; do it slowly, then stop. Do not say to yourself "turn the right hand", being aware is enough.
3. Raise the right hand up, be aware, and then stop.
4. Lower the right hand to rest on the abdomen, be aware, and then stop.
5. Turn the left hand onto its edge, be aware, and then stop.
6. Raise the left hand up, be aware, and then stop.
7. Lower the left hand to rest on the right hand, be aware, and then stop.
8. Move the right hand up to rest on the chest, be aware, and then stop.
9. Move the right hand out, be aware, and then stop.
10. Lower the right hand onto its edge on the thigh, be aware, then stop.
11. Face the right palm down, be aware, and then stop.
12. Move the left hand up to rest on the chest, be aware, and then stop.
13. Move the left hand out, be aware, and then stop.
14. Lower the left hand onto its edge on the thigh, be aware, and then stop.
15. Face the left palm down, be aware, and then stop.
Four basic positions to meditate
Mahasati Meditation can be practiced in four basic positions: sitting, lying, standing, walking.After sitting for a long time, which may cause pains and aches, practitioners can change the position to the walking back and forth. After walking for a long time, they can change to the sitting posture. This is called changing the positions; sitting, lying, standing, walking. Practitioners should allot them properly.
Practitioners do not move the arms while walking. Practitioners should fold the arms across the chest, or clasp the hands behind the back.
While walking back and forth, practitioners should be aware of the feeling or the feet. It is not necessary to say to themselves, "right foot moves", "left foot moves". Practitioners should not walk too fast or too slow, they have to walk naturally.
Self-awareness in daily life
To cultivate self-awareness, practitioners must practice as much as possible. Practitioners can practice even when in a car or on a bus.While sitting on a bus or in a car, practitioners lay their hand on the thigh and turn the palm up and down, or they run the thumb over the fingertip, or they make a fist and open it repeatedly. The key is to do every movement slowly and be aware.
According to Mahasati Meditation, this is the natural way of cultivating self-awareness, learning Dhamma with nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
.
Biography of Luangpor Teean Jittasubho
Luangpor Teean Jittasubho (1911–1988), or Pann Intapew, was born on September 5, 1911, at Buhom, Amphur Chiengkhan in the northeastern province of Loei, in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. His father died when he was young. Luangpor Teean did not have formal education in his childhood. The boy, like the rest of them in the village, had to help his mother in running their farm.
At the age of eleven, he was ordained as a novice at the village monastery, and stayed there with his uncle who was a resident monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. During a year and six months in the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, he studied Laotian scripts and ancient local scripts. He also started practicing various meditation methods, such as the Budh-dho and Breath Counting methods. After disrobing, he returned to his home.
Following tradition, he was ordained as a monk at the age of twenty. Again he studied and practiced meditation with his uncle for six months. After returning to lay life, he was married at twenty-two and had three sons. In his village, he was always a leader in Buddhist activities and was highly respected and chosen to be the head of the village on three different occasions. Despite of heavy responsibilities, he continued his meditation practice regularly.
Later he moved to Chiengkhan, a larger community, where his sons could attend school. Being a merchant, he sailed his steamboat along the Maekhong River between Chiengkhan-Nongkai-Vientiane, or even as far as Luangprabang. He had opportunities to meet several meditation masters and his enthusiasm in pursuing Dhamma (the Truth) continued to strengthen. Furthermore, he began to realize that many years of being good, making merit
Merit
The term merit constitutes a desirable trait or ability belonging to a person or an object.It may refer to:* Merit * Merit * Meritocracymerit may also mean:...
, and practicing various methods of meditation had not liberated him from his anger. Finally, he determined to start searching for the way out.
In 1957, when he was nearly forty-six, he left his home with firm determination not to return unless he found the Truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
. He went to Wat Rangsimukdaram, Tambol Pannprao, Amphur Tabon in Nongkai Province and practiced a simple form of bodily movements except that he did not follow the recitation
Recitation
A recitation is a presentation made by a student to demonstrate knowledge of a subject or to provide instruction to others. In some academic institutions the term is used for a presentation by a teaching assistant or instructor, under the guidance of a senior faculty member, that supplements...
of the words "ting-ning" (moving-stopping) like others did. What he did was only being aware of the movements of the body and mind. Within a couple of days, his mind reached the End of Suffering completely without traditional rituals or teachers.
Later he returned home. He taught his wife and relatives what he had found for two years and eight months, as a lay teacher. He then decided to re-enter monkhood in order to be in a better position to teach the people. The ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
was made on February 3, 1960.
After realizing Dhamma, Luangpor Teean traveled around Thailand. Wherever he went to he taught the true messages of the Dhamma. He also established several meditations centers throughout Thailand. Wat Sanamnai is one of his meditation centers. Even though this temple is located on the outskirts of Bangkok, it maintains all the characteristics and formality of the Thai forest tradition.
In 1985, Wat Sanamnai Monastery was formally permitted a temple. Luangpor Teean held a Sangkha meeting with all the monks who studied the Mahasati Meditation method and appointed Luangpor Thong the abbot of Wat Sanamnai. After Luangpor Teean died in 1989, “Luangpor Teean Jittasubho (Pann Intapew) Foundation” was founded, with Luangpor Thong
Luangpor Thong
Commonly referred to as Luangpor Thong, Luangpor Thong Abhakaro is a Buddhist monk and teacher of Mahasati Meditation —a meditation method developed by his teacher, Luangpor Teean Jittasubho...
as its president, a position he has maintained to this day.
Luangpor Teean’s teachings were spreading across the country as well as outside. He devoted his life to the teaching of Dhamma despite his poor health. He was diagnosed to have stomach cancer (malignant lymphoma) in 1982. In spite of his illness he continued his work actively and incisively until the end of his life.
On September 13, 1988, he died at the age of seventy-seven in a hut on Koh Buddhadhamma, Tabb Ming Kwan, Tambol Gudpong in Loei Province.
Living teachers
- Luangpor Thong Abhakaro http://www.mahasati.org/Abhakaro_Biography.html
- Achan K. Khemananda
- Loo-ang por Kamkee-an
- Bhikkhu Nirodho
Quotes
The rat (thought) is bigger and stronger than the kitten (awareness)"Generally, when thought arises, the mind will be dragged along like a kitten trying to catch a big rat. The rat (thought) is bigger and stronger than the kitten (awareness). When the rat shows up, the kitten, by nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
, will catch the rat. The rat is frightened and runs away with the kitten holding on. After a while the kitten becomes tired and let the rat go. Similarly, thoughts will arise endlessly and stop by themselves.
As we cultivate self-awareness more and more, it is like we keep feeding a kitten until it becomes a big, strong cat. When thought arises, the mind will not be dragged along and thought
Thought
"Thought" generally refers to any mental or intellectual activity involving an individual's subjective consciousness. It can refer either to the act of thinking or the resulting ideas or arrangements of ideas. Similar concepts include cognition, sentience, consciousness, and imagination...
will stop immediately."
Luangpor Teean Jittasubho
(Source: Luangpor Teean Jittasubho A Manual of Self-Awareness, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 1994)
One is one's own shelter
"You should not believe what I have said, but prove it for yourself. If anyone just believes me, that's wrong. Change your mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
- don't just believe. Prove it with yourself and thoroughly understand it - then believe. Otherwise, whom should we believe? The Buddha? Don't even believe in the Buddha or teachers. We must believe in ourselves. The Buddha taught us we will be our own refuge
Refuge (Buddhism)
Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
. The Buddha said 'attahi-attano-nato' - "One is one's own shelter." Since most people have no shelter, they turn to something else which prevents them from finding the real shelter."
Luangpor Thong Abhakaro
(Source: Luangpor Thong Abhakaro, Beyond Text, Beyond Scriptures, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation)
Further reading
Luangpor Teean, To One that Feels. Bangkok: Supa Printing Co, Ltd., 3rd Ed 2005, ISBN 974-94394-3-0_____________, Normality, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 2004
_____________, Nibbana, Bangkok: Medchai Printing House, 2006 (Thai Version)
_____________, A Manual of Self-Awareness, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 1994
_____________, Teacher, teaching, Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 1997, ISBN 974-89976-1-8
Luangpor Thong Abhakaro, Mahasati Meditation, Taiwan: Mahasati Meditation of Taiwan, 2009 (Chinese Version)
Anchalee Thaiyanond, Against the Stream: The Teaching of Luangpor Teean. Bangkok: Thammasat University Press., 1986
External links
- Buddhist Association of the United States
- Vipassana Meditation
- Luangpor Teean Web page
- S. N. GoenkaS. N. GoenkaSatya Narayan Goenka is a leading lay teacher of Vipassanā meditation and a student of U Ba Khin. He has trained more than 800 assistant teachers and each year more than 100,000 people attend Goenka sponsored Vipassana courses....
(Vipassana Meditation) - Sharon SalzbergSharon SalzbergSharon Salzberg is a New York Times Best selling author and influential teacher of Buddhist meditation practices in West. She co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein, in 1974...
(Insight Meditation) - Mahasati Meditation of America
- Mahasati Meditation Video Demonstration
- Basic Mahasati Meditation Bodily Movements