What is the final goal of Meditation?
In Yoga...
The state of meditation leads to the highest stage of consciousness called Samadhi. In the verse 2 of the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says:
In Yoga...
The state of meditation leads to the highest stage of consciousness called Samadhi. In the verse 2 of the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says:
Yoga is the suspension of the modifications of the mind.
(Sutra 2, chapter I).
The modifications of the mind are later explained in the text as “right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, deep sleep and memory” (sutra 6, chapter I). Therefore the state of Yoga occurs through meditation, when the mind is out of any of these states. When that happens the person resides in its true nature, reaching the higher state of Samadhi. Then, the person is not affected by the results of the actions, has clear vision of how the things are in its pure nature, and is free from suffering.
In Buddhism...
From a young age Siddharta Gautama had prohibited to see the outside world, he was only allowed to live inside of the perimeter of his family palace, which by the way was not small at all. Inside that palace he never knew about diseases, ageing and he did not even know about death. This was because his father organized everything in order to make Siddharta happy.
(Sutra 2, chapter I).
The modifications of the mind are later explained in the text as “right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, deep sleep and memory” (sutra 6, chapter I). Therefore the state of Yoga occurs through meditation, when the mind is out of any of these states. When that happens the person resides in its true nature, reaching the higher state of Samadhi. Then, the person is not affected by the results of the actions, has clear vision of how the things are in its pure nature, and is free from suffering.
In Buddhism...
From a young age Siddharta Gautama had prohibited to see the outside world, he was only allowed to live inside of the perimeter of his family palace, which by the way was not small at all. Inside that palace he never knew about diseases, ageing and he did not even know about death. This was because his father organized everything in order to make Siddharta happy.
One day, despite his father’s desire, Siddharta came to know about diseases, ageing and death when he went out of the palace. He was in shock when he saw a sick person in such a bad condition, he also saw an old man, someone dying and finally he saw an ascetic. After this he was so affected that he decided to find out by himself how to put an end to any kind of misery and suffering for all sentient beings by living the life of an ascetic. This led him to learn from different masters about these subjects, but he still could not find the answers he was looking for.
He decided to meditate under a tree until he was able to find these answers by himself. After a long time he finally understood the root cause of this suffering. From then, he devoted his life to teach his learning, so people could also enjoy from the benefits of liberation. The Four noble truths and the Eightfold path are some of the most important teachings from Buddha. |
Finally and to put in simple words, we can say that through the meditation practice we increase our compassion, respect and we eliminate our suffering and the suffering of all sentient beings.
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