Chapter 2
Mind Development

All nations of the world have plans to develop their lands in various ways and have targets for development to acquire wealth and strength so that the people of that land can live happily and prosper. It is believed that development of one’s own country is of the greatest importance and most necessary for the government to carry out. One cannot just let it be! If this is so, then the country has to have its own plan of development.

In the Buddha’s Teachings it is the same because the Lord Buddha has laid down the plan or method for development, but it is a way of developing the individual’s life and directly emphasizes mind development. For when the mind has been developed, then the person is said to be developed too. Thus all kinds of development for welfare and happiness will be accomplished easily, including the welfare of all human beings. Then the world will be peaceful and happy without wars and civil disturbances. Humanity in all societies will live together in a friendly way having loving-kindness and compassion (metta-karuna), sympathizing and helping each other. The more the mind is developed, the greater the happiness that will accrue to the world.

But while the world is in great turmoil regarding politics, economics, and society in general, as itWQ is now, most people are inclined to develop the material things, including body rather than mind. From this is born the state of permanent crisis in the world and it seems as though it will increase with time. Should there be no crisis in politics and economics, then there would be no mental and nervous diseases among people, especially in the great cities of the world. When compared with earlier times, we see that in today’s world there is much more modern technology that has been developed to increase human happiness, enjoyment, and comfort. On the other hand, mind development has decreased considerably; at least it cannot keep pace with the former.

Thus it is necessary for people to be more aware of mind development, firstly developing their own minds and secondly, pointing out and making mind development known to other human beings, in the same way nations try to develop their own countries. If everyone will develop their minds according to the Buddha’s Teaching, it is certain that the world will have peace and happiness, a vast improvement over the current state of world affairs.

What is Mind Development?

Padhana means ‘growth, development’ from the Pali language ‘bhavana’. It is a new word referring to increase and prosperity and can be used to imply both mind and material development, such as rural development, national development, mind and knowledge development, the way of developing the mind and so on. But the true word for mind development in the Buddha’s Teachings is “bhavana” which means bringing into existence, arising, making prosperous, developing or increasing. For example, samatha bhavana – Calm meditation or tranquillity and vipassana bhavana – Insight meditation, etc.

So in general, mind development in Buddhist terms is called bhavana as we find it mentioned in the Mahasaccaka Sutta where the Lord Buddha instructed Saccaka (the Jain who regarded himself as a learned man) as follows:

“Oh, Aggivessana (the Buddha addressed him by clan-name) what have you heard about mind-development (Cittabhavana)?” When Saccaka could not reply, the Buddha said “Aggivessana, for the noble disciples of this teaching in the dhamma and vinaya who have already developed their minds, when happiness has occurred they just experience that happiness, having no delight in it; and when that happiness disappears and dukkha arises they are not sad and depressed. They do not create difficulties for themselves. They do not lament, nor do they grieve. They do not fall into delusion. So Aggivessana, when happiness occurs to each one of them, their minds are not disturbed by that because they have developed the body already. Whereas, when dukkha arises their minds are also not disturbed since their minds have been developed. A person who has developed the body and the mind is like this.”

(Middle Collection, Discourse No. 36)

The ways of developing both the body and the mind, called Kammatthana or bhavana, are in the Buddha’s Teachings and will now be explained.

Kammatthana or bhavana (Mind Development)

Kammatthana is inner development which is most important in the Buddha’s Teachings so that one who does not understand it or does not practice it cannot be said to have known the Buddha’s Teachings.

Kammatthana means literally the basis (thana) of work (kamma) but it refers to work of the mind which is of the highest value, the most excellent work of the mind. It is the work that raises to the high level of development of the mind because the mind which does not practice kammatthana is a mind untrained and likely to be distracted and worried, weak and with no efficiency. From it sufferings (dukkha) will easily arise both for oneself and for others generally. This is like a person who has no work and so cannot prosper in his life because he has let time pass by without benefits, whereas the mind that has kammatthana has the highest value; its practice is the mind's work. This kind of work which we have called kammatthana has another name in the Buddha’s Teachings, that is, bhavana, as mentioned above in the way of developing the mind. In Buddhism, the word ‘bhavana’ has been used in the Buddha’s time until now whereas Kammatthana has been used in the later time, not mentioned in the Tripitaka (the Three Collections of the Buddha’s Teachings).

Kammatthana or bhavana (Mind Development)

In the Buddhist meditation there are two types of bhavana or Kammatthana. They are:

(I) Tranquillity Meditation (Samatha bhavana)

(II) Insight Meditation (Vipassana bhavana)

The purpose of practicing tranquillity meditation is to make the mind peaceful, while that of insight meditation is to acquire wisdom so as to get rid of ignorance (Avijja) which is the root-cause of all mental defilements.

The Lord Buddha explained the reason for practicing these of two types meditation as follows:

(Numerical (Anguttara) Collection, Book of the Ones)

Tranquillity Meditation (Samatha bhavana)

Samatha bhavana (Tranquillity meditation) is the method used to make the mind peaceful; the Dhamma (doctrine) which makes the mind free from mental hindrances. So the practicing of Tranquillity Meditation is just the training of the mind itself (Citta-sikkha), and this is for the purpose of being rid of the middle grade of defilements. In the way of training in Buddhism it is called the training of the mind (citta in Pali) to concentrate the mind because the concentration of the mind is called “Samadhi”.

When Samadhi is translated it means literally ‘firm establishment’, that is to say, the firm establishing of the mind, so that it is firm and not distracted. Just as a post deeply sunk into the ground will take any load without moving, so the mind established in Samadhi is like that. It is not ruffled nor distracted. Even if an external stimulus arises, Samadhi can preserve its nature. Such a kind of mind is of an inestimable value.

Samadhi or the way of mind development is not found only in the Buddha’s Teaching. Other religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, and Islamism also mention it. Quite a number of physicians practice meditation. However, the method and goals of the different practitioners are not the same.

Some groups of people use their power of samadhi to kill or harm others and this is the source of ‘black magic’ in the world. In the Buddha’s Teaching this is called Miccha-samadhi, that is, ‘wrong concentration’ and it is condemned by Buddhists as wrong and harmful to both the doers and others as well. But many aspirants to samadhi make use of its strength for beneficial ends for themselves and for others. For instance, they wish to increase their own happiness and also to help others by keeping them from danger and so on. If this kind of samadhi is used in magic then it must be called ‘white magic’.

It is important to note that samadhi, in the Buddha’s Teaching, is practiced with the aim of ridding oneself of defilements. Hence, it is known as Samma-samadhi or ‘right concentration’, in accordance with the Buddhist doctrines. So the way of practicing meditation which is described below is right concentration, for it is the way to exercise and develop the mind constructively.

In fact, human beings have a greater ability than they think they have. If they can concentrate their minds they will see the marvels of their own minds. The current of the mind is like that of water for when it flows in a narrowed channel it has great strength. Or it is like the light from a concentrated source, which is not the same as scattered light. Just as scientists can concentrate a beam of light, so the meditator can concentrate the power of the mind by training the mind in the right direction.

Two kinds of Samadhi

Samadhi or Tranquillity meditation in Buddhism can be divided into two kinds:

(2) Absorption concentration (Appana-samadhi)

(Visuddhimagga 1/105)

As we find mentioned in the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga), access concentration is one of merely touching or near to entering absorption (Jhana) but it is not steady and firm. The mind that has entered this Samadhi has already eliminated the five mental hindrances but the five factors of Jhana, especially one-pointedness, have not appeared clearly because the mind is not firmly concentrated. Even though it has bliss and peacefulness, the mind in this concentration has not reached absorption.

Absorption concentration is concentration that is steady and fixed with a single object. The five factors of Jhana include initial application (Vitakka), sustained application (Vicara), rapture (Piti), bliss (Sukkha) and one-pointedness (Ekaggata), and they appear clearly in this concentration. One who has reached Absorption concentration has completely attained Jhana. In the Buddhist concentration practice Jhana has eight stages and it depends upon the ability of each aspirant as to which of these will be reached. One who experiences this samadhi lives on bliss and may remain their concentration without resting for many hours or even days.

The mind of such a person conquers the middle form of defilements completely. Such a person enjoys bliss of the highest degree in the mind and has developed himself in the middle level of the Buddha’s Teachings. But one who wants to develop the mind to experience this samadhi should study the methods of meditation practice first. They are explained as follows.

Objects of Tranquillity Meditation

Those which cause the mind to become peaceful are called mental objects of Tranquillity meditation and are the methods of making the mind peaceful. Those who want to develop Tranquillity meditation must understand the objects of meditation first and then they will be able to practice and obtain good results. This is like a soldier who goes to war. First he has to train in all military knowledge before going to the battle field. However, this comparison differs in the point that the soldier has only to fight the outward enemy while the practitioner of meditation must fight the inward enemy.

In the Books of Abhidhammatthasangaha and Visuddhimagga (Path of Purification), there are mentioned objects of Tranquillity meditation which are methods for practicing this kind of meditation. Altogether there are forty in number which are then divided into seven groups as follows:

6) Determination of the Four Great Elements (Catudhatuvavatthana),

7) Formless states (Arupadamma).

The Ten Kasina:

1) Earth-kasina, having earth as the object

2) Water-kasina, having water as the object

3) Fire-kasina, having fire as the object

4) Air-kasina, having air as the object

These four are called the essential-kasina.

5) Green-kasina, having green as the object

6) Yellow-kasina, having yellow as the object

7) Red-kasina, having red as the object

8) White-kasina, having white as the object

There four are called the color-kasina.

9) Light-kasina, having light as the object

10) Space-kasina, having space as the object

The Ten Asubha:

There are ten stages of the decomposition of the body as follows:

1) A swollen corpse (Uddhumataka)

2) A blue-black corpse (Nilaka)

3) A festering corpse (Vipubbaka)

4) A dismembered corpse (Vicchiddaka)

5) A corpse hewed and scattered by animals (Vikkhayitaka)

6) A cut-up scattered corpse (Vikkhittaka)

7) A cut and dismembered corpse (Hatavikkhittaka)

8) A bleeding corpse (Lohitaka)

9) A worm-infested corpse (Puluvaka)

10) A skeleton (Atthika)

The Ten Recollections (Anussati)

There are ten subjects to be recollected:

1) Recollection of the Buddha (Buddhanussati)

2) Recollection of the Dhamma (Dhammanussati)

3) Recollection of the Sangha (Sanghanussati)

4) Recollection of the Virtue (Silanussati)

5) Recollection of the Generosity (Caganussati)

6) Recollection of the Deities (Devatanussait)

7) Recollection of the Death (Maranasati)

8) Recollection of the Body (Kayagatasati)

9) Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati)

10) Recollection of the Niravana (Upasamanussati)

The Four Divine Abodes (Bramavihara)

The Four Divine Abodes are:

1) Loving-kindness (Metta)

2) Compassion (Karuna)

3) Sympathetic Joy (Mudita)

4) Equanimity (Upekkha)

The purpose of the contemplation of food is to realize its repulsiveness.

Determination of the Four Great Elements (Catudhatuvavatthana)

The method of dividing the different parts of the body so as to see them as only these four elements, that is earth, water, fire and air, and just seeing them as unattractive.

These are the four formless Jhanas:

1) Infinity of space—attending to space as infinite

(Akasanancayatana)

2) Infinity of consciousness—attending to consciousness as infinite

(Vinnanancayatana)

3) Nothingness—attending to formlessness so that there is not even a

little of the thought of it (Akincannayatana)

4) Neither-perception-nor-not-perception—attending to the third

formless state knowing ‘This is very fine, this is very

subtle’ without being able to say ‘This is perception, this

is not perception’ (Nevasannanasannayatana).

The person who wishes to develop Tranquillity meditation should study these until they understand the methods of practice, which are the calm related to these forty subjects. When one has tried for some time, one will know which objects are appropriate to oneself and to one’s character. Then one should concentrate on that meditation object. In Thailand and in many other countries, people prefer Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati) over all others because it is a method for which the object is found easily and it is suitable for most people. Not only is it an object for Tranquillity meditation, but it can also be used for Insight meditation.

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