A Study of Meditation Practice in the Commentary on the Dhammapada: A Case Study of the Sahassavagga

Abstract

          The research titled has three objectives: (1) to study meditation exercises as presented in Buddhist scriptures, (2) to examine the structure and content of the Sahassavagga, and (3) to analyze the principles of meditation in the Sahassavagga. This research is a documentary study

          The findings reveal that (1) Buddhist meditation exercises are of two types: Samatha (tranquility meditation) and Vipassanā (insight meditation). On the one hand, Samatha meditation is practiced within the framework of 40 meditation objects, leading to a calm and concentrated mind, on the other hand, Vipassanā meditation is practiced by contemplating on Nāma and Rūpa within the framework of three characteristics of existence: impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta). (2) The structure and content of the Sahassavagga involve narratives about various individuals and teachings (verses) that the Buddha delivered. There are 14 stories in total, including those of the man who killed a red-bearded robber, Bhāhiyadārucīriya Thera, Kundaḷakesi Theri, the brahmin Anāthapucchaka, the uncle of Sāriputta Thera, the nephew of Sāriputta Thera, the friend of Sāriputta Thera, Āyuvaddhana Kumāra, the novice Saṅkicca, Khāṇukoṇḍañña Thera, Sappadāsa Thera, Paṭācārā Theri, Kisāgotamī Theri, and Bahuputtikā Theri. (3) The meditation teachings in the Sahassavagga emphasize the comparison of a meaningful word, teaching, or verse to useless hundreds or thousand words where words that are beneficial involve discussing the aggregates (khandhas), elements (dhātus), sense bases (āyatanas), faculties (indriyas), powers (balas), factors of enlightenment (bojjhaṅgas), the foundations of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhānas), and Nibbāna. These teachings are subjects of insight meditation, focusing on the awareness of the arising and ceasing of physical and mental phenomena according to the three characteristics of existence: impermanence, suffering, and non-self. The Buddha delivered these profound teachings to both householders and monastics, conveying that even one meaningful word can lead listeners to attain the ultimate goals: the path, fruition, and Nibbāna. If the primary goal is not yet achieved, the secondary attainment is the celestial realm.