Mental Health through Meditation – A Buddhist Approach

Mental Health through Meditation – A Buddhist Approach

Most of us have heard the old adage – prevention is better than cure. This saying is also the reason why many health conscious individuals are becoming conscious about their physical fitness to shed the extra kilos and lead an agile and light lifestyle that is free from major lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, and so on. However, the same amount of importance is not given to mental health, which is why we often complain of fatigue, burnouts and bad moods. The mind, which is the invisible aspect of an individual, expresses itself through feelings like happiness and distress. Through this article, My City Links tries to decode what constitutes a healthy state of mind and how different meditation techniques can shield it from depression and anxiety.

My City Links asked psychiatrist Dr. A. Rath what comprises a healthy state of mind. Dr. Rath replied, “It’s a mental state in which an individual is able to do most of his tasks enthusiastically, along with maintaining relationships and a healthy social life. Depression is the opposite of this state which can be caused due to several reasons, the primary reason being negative thought patterns. In order to cure depression, psychiatrists prescribe medications along with something which is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is a talking therapy where the patient’s thought patterns and behaviour are changed. The vicious cycle that is created between negative thoughts and behaviour is broken systematically through therapy sessions. While treatment is essential for a person dealing with depression, for those who want to sustain their mental fitness after the wear and tear of daily life, meditation acts as a wonderful boon.”

Dr. Rath informs us that meditation makes an individual’s mind highly efficient. Experimentally it is seen that those who meditate for longer durations produce gamma brain waves more, which are associated with high levels of cognitive activity, like perception and memory. Brain waves are rhythmic electrical pulses produced by the synchronised activity of many neurons in the brain. Thus, there is experimental proof to show that meditation improves overall mental health.

A Buddhist monk’s perspective

In the quest to know deeper about the human mind and how to keep it healthy, My City Links reached the Mahabodhi Society of India’s Bhubaneswar Centre. There we met the senior monk-cum-preacher venerable Dhamma Gabesha Bhante, who through an interview helped us understand more on the topic. As per venerable Bhante, the mind of an ordinary human being oscillates between raga, dvesha and moha – three tendencies of the mind that make him/her mentally ill. Raga means attachment, dvesha means hatred and moha means stupidity due to illusion. Meditation is needed to curb these tendencies of the mind through the adherence to Sila or disciplines.

Venerable Bhante informs us, “As per Lord Buddha there are three paths for achieving meditation– Sila, Samadhi and Panna (prajna in Sanskrit). He taught us about the Arya Satyas or four noble truths – Dukkha Arya Satya, Dukkha Samudaya Arya Satya, Dukkha Nirodha Arya Satya, Astangamarga Arya Satya. These deal with four aspects – Dukkha or sorrow, its cause, its cessation, and the eightfold path towards its cessation. Buddha obtained knowledge about these four through his research into reality. Only by understanding these four can a person achieve Nirvana or complete bliss. So, to liberate oneself from raga, dvesha and moha it is necessary to follow the eightfold path.”

Venerable Bhante further adds, “The first noble truth states that there are four causes of Dukkha – birth, death, disease and old age. Also, unfavourable conditions and unfavourable people can create Dukkha. Similarly, separation from favourable conditions and favourable people also leads to sorrows. When things don’t happen according to your wish then it leads to sorrow. The second noble truth states that tanha or desire is the root cause of sorrow and suffering. There are three types of desire – kama tanha, bhava tanha and vibhava tanha. Kama tanha means desire to fulfil the demands of the indriyas or sense organs. Bhava tanha means having great ambition for accomplishment. Vibhava tanha means anxiety and depression due to a materialistic approach to life.”

The Eightfold Path to end suffering

The third noble truth, dealing with cessation of suffering, lays stress on forsaking the tendencies of the mind. The fourth noble truth shows us the path for achieving that, which is eight in number. The eightfold path consists of right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. These eight are divided between the three paths for meditation– Sila, Samadhi and Panna. Sila consists of right speech, right action and right livelihood. Samadhi consists of right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Finally, Panna or prajna includes right view and right resolve. As per Buddhism, by following these disciplines alone can one be steady in meditation and hence have good mental health. Meditation leads to the blissful state of Samadhi, which requires a conducive environment and conditions.

The three goals of Meditation

Venerable Bhante further adds, “While Buddhism teaches about forty different types of meditation, there are mainly three goals of meditation – relaxation, concentration and purification. Relaxation deals with different activities we do to relax the mind such as singing, travelling, and playing.” Concentration, also called Zen meditation, is done to increase the focus of the mind. Here the example of water is given for the human mind. A mixture of muddy water when kept in a glass for a long time, settles down through sedimentation – where the water and the soil are separated. This sedimentation process is what Zen meditation does to the mind. On the other hand, to separate pure water from the glass through filtration, is analogous to the meditation done for purification of mind. Purification of the mind is the goal of Vipassana meditation, one of the most known forms of meditation of the Theravada school of Buddhism.

Zen meditation for improved focus

“Theravada Buddhism, the oldest surviving school of Buddhism, lays stress on these different methods for meditation," informs venerable Bhante. “Zen Buddhism, which is followed in many parts of Asia, is a derivative of Theravada Buddhism. In Zen, importance is laid on being aware of the mind’s tendencies. Through this observation process the mind’s focus increases. This is not a medicine that will give you quick results. It requires regular and continuous practice. Once we become aware of the mind’s different tendencies, it becomes easier to control and focus it. Thus mindfulness increases.”

Commenting on the modern times, venerable Bhante adds, “In today’s age of internet and social media, we see a lot of hateful and distracting content. This is primarily because of an uncontrolled mind and senses. All information that you obtain through technology is basically going through the gateway of your senses. So being judicious while using them is what is necessary. Sometimes, when we don’t allow our senses the freedom that they demand, our mind becomes agitated. To calm it down, we need awareness through meditation.”

A common technique in most meditative practices is to focus on your breath while sitting in a meditative posture. In Zen, it is important to develop daily rituals, where you meditate for certain durations every day at a specific time. “If you are unable to focus on your breath, then observe your mind. If this is difficult for you, then focus on your steps while walking. It is important to have a flexible approach. If sitting meditation is difficult then go for walking meditation. The goal is to have awareness of the mind," says venerable Bhante.

Zen meditation stresses on doing your activities at the natural pace. At the same time, stress is laid on not being prone to multitasking. We should move to the next task, once our previous task has been finished. Venerable Bhante says, “In Buddhism, time is considered as the most precious thing. That is why Zen meditation should be done in the early hours of dawn or at night time after the evening. In the daytime focus should be on our work.”

The word Zen is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyan which means focus. The popular illustrative image of Zen practice is that of four stones stacked over each other, representing two key aspects – focus and balance. Another important aspect of Zen Buddhism is its stress on simplicity. Venerable Bhante states, “Simplicity is achieved through 5 qualities as per Buddhism – non-violence, non-stealing, celibacy, truthfulness, and temperance. These qualities can be maintained through good association and practice.”

An advanced variation of Zen Buddhism called the Kaizen technique is used in the corporate world to improve the working efficiency of employees. Similarly, Zazen is a variation of Zen meditation which means sitting meditation.

Vipassana meditation for self-purification

Though Vipassana appears to be very similar to Zen meditation, the difference lies in its objective. Venerable Bhante says, “Vipassana means to see things as they really are. The idea is to be prudent and less judgemental. There are three aspects to it – anapana, vipassana and metta bhavana. In Anapana the wandering mind is curbed by observing and meditating on the entering and leaving breaths. In Vipassana, different parts of the body and its sensation is observed while meditating, in order to understand its impermanence. In Metta Bhavana, the attitude of compassion is inculcated towards everyone so as to serve the society better. Through a combination of these three aspects an individual’s mind becomes purified and healed.”

Buddhism’s approach and impact

Compassion, as mentioned earlier, is called the taproot of Buddhism and the foundation of service. “Our goal should be the wellbeing of others while we are doing some service. Buddhism does not give much stress on faith or divine interventions. It lays stress on the self. There is no age limit for practising meditation, one can do it at any age. But in the beginning it should be done under the guidance of a teacher. A teacher is one who has the experience of travelling in the path of self-improvement. Thus his guidance can fortify the students against different obstacles," says venerable Bhante.

“A lot of people are changing by adopting meditation. Our work is only to guide, but it is the responsibility of the person concerned to walk the path and improve himself/herself. The Mahabodhi Society of India has the primary objective of serving the society by educating them. Our different branches are spread in six places in India. My role is to take care of the centre, worship the idols and guide people,” says the venerable Dhamma Gabesha Bhante.

We conclude with the hope that in the path towards a healthy state of mind, our readers don’t forget the two magical words – patience and practice. For one who conquers the mind, conquers the world.