An untrained mind is restless. It lacks clarity on what should or should not be done. Due to the diversity of the external environment and the emotions it triggers, the untrained mind remains closed off. Many people fail to recognize that there is such a thing as the mind. This is because the mind is often conditioned by external objects, such as people and things. As a result, the external world becomes more prominent, and the mind tends to follow it. The spiritual world becomes neglected and forgotten. When the mind is exposed to the external environment without limit, objects and people quickly become its focus, causing confusion. At this point, there is no room for spiritual growth. Therefore, meditation training should begin in a calm and minimally distracting environment. Places such as forests, groves, or simple huts are ideal for this purpose. However, this is only for the initial stages of meditation. Once training is stable, one can maintain their spiritual values in any environment.
Accordingly, even for people who are very busy, meditation can be practiced during the temporary breaks they get throughout the day. For meditation practice, it is essential for the mind to be secluded. A person with an untrained mind may physically be isolated from others, but their mind still remains involved with the people around them. However, someone practicing meditation, even while among others, can mentally remain secluded. They pay more attention to their spiritual values. ‘Sīla’ (moral conduct) is one of the fundamental spiritual values. Without ‘Sīla’, spiritual progress is hindered. Repeated cultivation of ‘Sīla’ leads to the development of spiritual awareness, and without it, one cannot make spiritual progress. Through steadfastness in ‘Sīla’, the spiritual insights gained from meditation become more consistent. Therefore, ‘Sīla’ is an essential internal factor for meditation.
In a similar vein, external factors also contribute significantly to the practice of meditation. A mature spiritual teacher is particularly helpful for meditation practice. The strength to hear and understand the Dhamma teachings is called “sutamayā paññā” (wisdom gained from listening). The ability to reflect on and understand the Dhamma teachings is called cintāmayā paññā (wisdom gained from contemplation). These help one gain practical knowledge of the Dhamma. However, they do not necessarily bring one closer to the spiritual essence of the Dhamma. The strength to live the Dhamma in a spiritual way is called “bhāvanāmayā paññā” (wisdom gained through meditation). This is an essential spiritual technique that must be recognized through practical training methods. The guidance received from those who have trained in the Dhamma shows the path to be followed by newcomers, it points out places where one might encounter difficulties; and it helps create a conducive external environment for spiritual practice. Therefore, seeking the guidance of experienced spiritual teachers is invaluable for beginners on the path. While there is mutual friendliness within the spiritual community, each person must also engage in their own individual practice of seclusion. Therefore, meditation and seclusion are closely interconnected.
In meditation, progress means training the mind, repeatedly conditioning it. If a certain mental state is conditioned repeatedly, that mental state becomes stronger and more prominent. The disturbed mental states and the darkness of spiritual ignorance are habitual conditions of the untrained mind. Meditation, on the other hand, is the practice of conditioning the mind with spiritual virtues that oppose these negative tendencies. Since the untrained mind must be countered, the beginning of meditation is difficult.
There are two types of meditation: ‘Samatha’ and ‘Vipassanā’. Through ‘Samatha’ meditation, the mind becomes concentrated. Through ‘Vipassana’, wisdom (insight) develops. For wisdom to arise, the mind must be concentrated to some extent, though not to an absolute degree. The mind can only become concentrated when it is freed from disturbed mental states. Therefore, first, one must choose a pleasant mental state that counters the disturbed tendencies and awakens the mind to a spiritual level. Careful practice is needed to maintain this positive state. Once this is done, the disturbed mental states are gradually eliminated, and concentration and insight arise simultaneously. This creates a suitable mental condition for wisdom to manifest. ‘Vipassanā’ is the development of wisdom through clarity of mind, and concentration without exerting force. The mind becomes calm, and wisdom flows naturally. If the mind is forced to contemplate the teachings, wisdom will be lost. Again, the thought and analysis will reaffirm their dominance over the mind.
Thus, ‘Vipassanā’ meditation is about creating and sustaining a calm and unshakable state of wisdom. It is the gentle cultivation and maintenance of this state, allowing space for it to grow. ‘Samatha’ is goal-oriented. In ‘Samatha’ meditation, the mind is directed toward a specific objective. Vipassana, however, is not goal-oriented. In ‘Vipassana’, the mind is detached from its objectives. Whether real or imagined, everything the mind perceives is an objective. The practice of ‘Samatha’ involves focusing the mind on a single chosen goal. This is the task of someone progressing in concentration.
At first glance, it seems that limiting the mind to a single objective causes it to become stagnant. However, this conclusion is based not on the internal workings of the mind but on the nature of the objectives themselves. No matter how many objectives exist in the world, at any given moment, the mind focuses on only one. For an untrained mind, the choice of objective is determined by habitual patterns of pursuing goals. In training the mind, what happens is that the power of making this decision is handed over to the mind itself.
Contemplation is the ability to focus on a chosen objective. A mind strengthened in its ability to choose objectives does not become stagnant; it becomes sharp. For the mind to sharpen, the objective chosen for contemplation must be free from impulsive reactions, must generate equanimity, and must create a sense of serene clarity. If not, the objective will dominate and control the mind. In such cases, the objective will rise above the mind, and the mind will become hidden or suppressed.
The meditation object used for contemplation is merely a foundation that helps stabilize the mind. The mind does not have an isolated existence. In ‘Samatha’ meditation, a pleasant object is used for this very reason. The lack of tranquility in the mind is generally due to a few common weaknesses present in all beings. Since ‘Samatha’ meditation techniques are designed to counter these weaknesses, their number is also limited. When one focuses on a selected meditation object among these, the mind distances itself from the diversity of objectives. This diversity refers to the attraction exerted by various objectives. When this attraction weakens, the mind transcends objectives and moves forward; it becomes apparent. At this point, one can experience the natural state of the mind that is not overshadowed by any objective—a luminous state free from defilements.
By stabilizing in this state for some time, one can enter mental states of concentration known as “Dhyana”. As one progresses into subtler levels of concentration, practitioners who skillfully manage their minds demonstrate various extraordinary abilities: perceiving distant events, hearing divine sounds, reading others’ thoughts, recalling past lives, and witnessing beings’ deaths and rebirths. A mind developed through ‘Samatha’ meditation reaches its peak at this stage. However, ‘Samatha’ meditation limits itself to calming and stabilizing the mind; it does not transcend it. The only way to transcend is through ‘Vipassanā’ meditation.
Vipassana begins when the mind is freed from the influence of habitual mental states. In other words, a basic level of ‘Samatha’ meditation must first be completed. Vipassana meditation can also help achieve this level of ‘Samatha’. However, contemplation alone is not true Vipassana. When the mind is engaged in contemplation, a specific insight arises, which eventually leads to continuous awareness. This is the beginning of Vipassana meditation. It is a process of recognizing the truth through deep awareness, a state of understanding that is beyond ordinary thinking.
Thus, one must not hinder this process through excessive intellectualization. Simply thinking about the teachings of the Dharma does not lead to true ‘Vipassana‘. ‘Vipassana’ is the cultivation of wisdom, which grows through repeated reflection on the core teachings such as the Four Noble Truths and the Dependent Origination. However, if one repeatedly contemplates the teachings without experiencing their truth, it only results in mental formations, not real understanding.
Mental formations, formed through effort and intellectualization, are not the true nature of the Dharma. Those who become attached to these intellectual concepts may miss the deeper truth of the Dharma. Vipassana prepares the mind to see the truth of the Dharma as it is. Through this practice, the mind gradually begins to experience a deeper, more direct awareness of the nature of reality.
The Buddha himself realized the truth through direct experience. His disciples, the Buddha’s followers, come to understand the Dharma through external teachings. Once the basic understanding of the teachings is grasped, the next step is to experience the Dharma for oneself through the practice of ‘Samatha’ and ‘Vipassanā’.
‘Vipassanā’ (Insight) is a form of refined observation. It is a complete awareness of the present moment, viewing it with full attention. The observer does not engage with partial or subjective knowledge but remains open and fully attentive to what arises. The thinker intervenes to draw conclusions based on partial knowledge, but after this insight, any incomplete observations dissolve.
Thus, in meditation, even when thoughts related to the Dhamma arise, they are not assigned special value. They are simply recognized as thoughts and let go. All that is seen, heard, sensed, and thought is merely an experience filtered through the lens of insight. Through such recognition, the intensity of attachment to goals weakens. The focus of insight is on the three characteristics: impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anattā).
Impermanence refers to the lack of permanence in all things; suffering refers to the inherent dissatisfaction that pervades existence; and non-self refers to the absence of a fixed, independent self, free from influence by either oneself or others. From the lens of ‘Vipassanā’, no fixed labels or definitions are made; no desire for transformation is entertained. Everything is seen as simply Dharma, empty of any inherent self.
With the primary Vipassana lens, an effortless insight-oriented contemplation arises, expanding into a subtle, clear-thinking process. This is termed ‘Nayavipassanā.’ It is a clear, refined reasoning through which the mind is protected from mere conventional delusions, and it avoids becoming entangled in emotional attachments. The practitioner creates a mental space where views, including self-views and philosophical views, no longer disturb the mind.
This space is the ideal environment for the cultivation of insight, a place previously unknown to the meditator. Within this space, insight grows and gradually matures into a profound and complete form of Vipassana. At this point, the power of intellectual reasoning or ‘Nayavipassanā‘ fades. Insight alone burns brightly, seeking the ungraspable, the ineffable, in the very moment.
One day, the practitioner experiences Nirvana, the unimaginable, for the first time. From this moment, they become an ‘Arahant’ (one who has attained liberation). As their understanding of the Dhamma deepens and their practice advances, they ultimately achieve full enlightenment, realizing the ultimate truth. For such an enlightened being, there are no more obstacles to overcome, nor any further aspirations to pursue.
© Satipatthāna Magazine