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In Buddhism, meditation is a part of a wider path that includes the whole of our lives. Many people start with meditation because it has immediate, obvious benefits, but traditionally the path starts with ethics. That doesnât mean following a set of rules. It means recognising that our actions, and especially how we relate to others, have a big effect on us. Meditation naturally prompts us to look at our behaviour and ask if there are things we need to change.
In Triratna we teach a balanced approach, which includes ethics, mindfulness, studying the Dharma (the Buddhist teachings), devotional ritual and acting for the good, along with meditation. Some people naturally have an affinity with one or another approach, but everyone needs to develop in a balanced, rounded way.
Sangharakshita also identified a number of dimensions of the path, all of which grow in meaning and depth as we progress. He referred to this as âa system of Dharma life.â
Each of us has our own, particular psychological makeup. This may be formed by difficulties like stress or anxiety, there may be unresolved issues from our childhood, relationships or the whole process of growing up and finding our place in the world. Meditation, mindfulness and other Buddhist practices are, generally speaking, helpful on this level (though some people may also need specialist help). we can call this process âintegrationâ. We also have our own distinctive personalities, shaped by our genes and background, our likes and dislikes, and our natural strengths and weaknesses. Bringing all of this on to the Buddhist path is part of the process of 'integration'.
Integration means learning to focus and direct our attention â an especially important skill in a culture thatâs full of distractions â and the Mindfulness of Breathing practice is particularly helpful. It also includes taking full responsibility for our actions and the domain of ethics.
As with the other stages, we can practise integration on deeper and deeper levels as the Dharma comes to permeate the whole of our experience.
Loving Kindness Meditation is an important part of the Triratna approach to meditation, because our feelings, emotions and relationships are so fundamental to our lives. Along with meditation, we can develop more positive emotions through acting with kindness, generosity, contentment and so on. Faith and devotion connect this to the Dharma.
This aspect of practice naturally grows into a wish to share oneâs Dharma practice with others through cooperation, friendship and, perhaps teaching. It expresses itself as compassion and a deep desire to help others that finds its full expression in the bodhisattva path of selfless practice.
Try a period of Loving Kindness Meditation here
Dharma practice takes effort, but that needs to be balanced by receptivity. So another dimension of practice is letting go of making an effort and instead allowing ourselves to absorb our experience â or perhaps letting qualities that are already within us emerge in their own way. The practice of Just Sitting, aware of oneâs experience without following a particular formal structure is a way to do this. This dimension is closely connected to mindfulness.
A common way to divide up the stages of the Buddhist path is to distinguish between the stages of calm (samatha) and insight (vipassana). The five elements of the Triratna âsystemâ of Dharma practice also divide in this way, and Sangharakshitaâs term for the process of developing wisdom or insight is âSpiritual Deathâ.
This dramatic way of describinginsight evokes wisdomâs capacity to cut through our assumptions and our fixed sense of identity. Finding a deeper, more authentic way to live means seeing the limitations of how we live already.
In Triratna, we introduce explicit insight practices only at the point of ordination, but it is important to study and reflect on the Buddhaâs teachings about the nature of existence from the start of our practice. Impermanence and unsatisfactoriness are all around us and show up in our meditation and our lives as a whole. When we notice the effects of acting skilfully or unskilfully we are learning to see the workings of conditionality.
Something is missing if we think of the more developed aspects of Dharma practice solely as a process of seeing through delusions and letting go of attachment. It also brings a joyful sense of entering into a new way of being that is hard to put into words. Sangharakshita calls this âSpiritual Rebirthâ.
This dimension of Dharma practice starts with the inspiring sense of the possibilities the Dharma opens up. This new kind of existence is represented, symbolically, by the Buddha and expresses itself in faith. Ritual and devotional practices help this sense develop.
Members of the Triratna Buddhist Order usually pursue this dimension of Dharma practice by meditating on the figure of a buddha or bodhisattva.