How Did Buddha DIscover Meditation?

[Ether]

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[Saumaya]

He did "Sitting and doing nothing other than focusing on your nature of existence", not meditation

[hundreth]

He grew up in Nepal around meditating monks. He didn't invent meditation. In fact a meditating monk was one of his greatest inspirations.

Quote

During this period he went through four strange experiences which the Buddhists refer as the "Four Noble Signs". They changed his thinking completely and brought a fundamental change in his attitude towards the life he was leading till then.

The first of these signs was the sight of an old and decrepit man. This made him think about the decay inherent in all life. The second was the sight of a sick and ailing man. This made him think about the suffering inherent in existence.

The third sign was the sight of corpse lying in a bier. This made him think about the transience of human life and need for liberation from the very experience of death. The fourth was the sight of a meditating monk, who had renounced the worldly life and was leading the life of a monk. It reminded him of the possibilities of spiritual life lying beyond the boundaries of his own materialistic life.

These experiences prompted the young Siddhartha to review the life he was leading till then and change it if he could. He was overwhelmed with a sense of grief and compassion for the troubles of the mankind. He decided not to rest till he found suitable answers to the questions that were troubling him for some time. His son Rahula was just born then, as if circumstances were making it a little more difficult for him to leave his wife and worldly life behind.

But the young Siddhartha was firm in his resolve. Ever since he saw the meditating hermit, he became eager to pursue a similar life of austerity and inner detachment.

 

[Ether]

@Saumaya I heard he did mindfulness meditation

[Saumaya]

@Ether He certainly didnt invent it.

[Ether]

@Saumaya Guess we will never know.

[hundreth]

18 minutes ago, Ether said:

@Saumaya I heard he did mindfulness meditation

Lol why all the posting and speculation? Do some basic research on the dude.

[Saumaya]

1 minute ago, hundreth said:

Lol why all the posting and speculation? Do some basic research on the dude.

He is just passing time honestly, no time for research

[Ether]

3 minutes ago, Saumaya said:

He is just passing time honestly,

tru

3 minutes ago, Saumaya said:

 no time for research

not tru

[deci belle]

How Did Buddha DIscover Meditation?

The historical buddha to whom you are referring is just known as such; there are reasons, but they are all circumstantial. They don't matter.

Meditation is older than sin. No one "discovered" meditation— it is mind itself right now before the first thought.

Due to habit energy, people find it difficult to just rest here. It is your own mind right now not being used to reify the psychological apparatus of the being that is going to die. The mind's non-psychological capacity is the door to all wonders. Self-reification is bondage to endless cycles of illusion.

The awake aware mind before the first thought is the pinnacle of remedial techniques aimed at clarifying open sincerity without bias.

"He is just passing time honestly" is aiming at clarifying open sincerity without bias. This is true practice passing through all activities, conditions and situations unbeknownst to anyone. I recommend this kind of research above all others. Ultimately, this kind of research transcends time and creation.

Taoism calls this "resting in the highest good". It is the "pivot of awareness".

Buddhism didn't invent enlightenment. The Tao isn't taoist.

It's your own mind right now before the first thought.

[Nahm]

@Ether Buddha isn’t a name, it’s an adjective. It means “The Awakened One”. 

[pluto]

Why don't you travel back in time and ask him?

[deci belle]

In terms of the impersonal absolute, of course buddha isn't capitalized— so Nahm's distinction qualifies its possibilities in contextual usage.

The OP is indicative of the author's true wonder into the nature of perception to the point where it is realized that awareness is such that it is possible for people to "discover" its properties— how wonderful!

Taoism refers to peoples' unified awake nature as "the real human without status", and "Buddhas" are referred to as "real humans".

So even in taoism, the absolute nature of the awake one is personified as a matter of implication due to its intrinsic aspect of phenomenal humanity. The word "one" is indicative of universality, or unity, in terms of the absolute nature of awareness; "one" is not referencing a person in the context that Nahm has pointed out— a lot of people aren't aware of that, so that is an important distinction by Nahm.

When it is capitalized (independent of religious emphasis), it refers to the usual (relatively recent historical) suspect— and it is a proper name.

Otherwise, the reference indicates inherent buddha nature in terms of the absolute nature of humanity— and that includes everyone right now.

All people are potential buddhas already, only we use our complete perfect aware qualities to perpetuate the false psychological identity by using things to gratify the personality, instead of seeing reality impersonally, which then enables us to skillfully use ego-consciousness to adapt to conditions according to the time. Enlightening activity such as this doesn't depend on sudden illumination or rote meditation exercises.

It is necessary for each individual to see this and know this personally to enter the path of authentic 24/7 practice that doesn't depend on formal meditation schemes. Those who take the forward step without psychological bias or projections and can truly share themselves with the world are actually clarifying their own potential buddhahood without entertaining anticipation or conceptualization.

 

 

ed note: add last part of 4th paragraph

Edited February 28, 2018 by deci belle

[Ether]

@Nahm ik

[Ibn Sina]

There were primitive hindus ideas like samadhi , association of cessation of the mind with oneness with the absolute from the very dawn of humanity, which probably has it's roots on self observation and noticing the fact  that  the  mind is a sufffering generating machine. 

Buddha's methods are derived from these ideas. His most profound and unique contribution is Madhyamaka or the middle way.  He also systematized many vague ideas into concrete well defined terms like anatta, samsara,  dukkha and anicca. I will say he was more of an improviser/ systematizer/philosopher than a discoverer, but hands down the most enigmatic mystic to have ever graced the earth. His satori is the highest till date. Leo is trying to beat that. 

[Ether]

@Ibn Sina whats a satori?

[Ibn Sina]

the act of  seeing into one's own nature. It is a zen word. 

[Dodo]

Do you know the way?

[Ether]

@Dodo i do