Introduction
Meditation is a practice that continues to flourish in the religion of Buddhism throughout the countries in South and Southeast Asia. It has been a prominent practice for thousands of years and many people who practice meditation do it as a form of discipline. Self-discipline is a main focus point in Buddhism since it is one of the methods in seeking enlightenment. Meditation was a practice that the Buddha himself once indulged in, in order to find enlightenment. In the Buddhist community meditation is an action that not only allows a person to experience what the Buddha experienced, but also allows the practitioner to experience self-awareness. Although meditation has been eminent in the lives of mostly the official sangha of …show more content…
The Buddha himself was said to have practiced meditation and that is what ultimately guided him to enlightenment.1 In a simpler context, the practice of meditation was used by the Buddha, in order to be self-aware of his surrounds and find a deeper concentration to see the truth. Since the Buddha’s time, a briefer compilation of the most important aspects of Buddhism was created. This document was better known as the The Path to Purification (Nyanmoli 1976) and meditation was a main component in the process of purification.2 This piece of writing is still used in the Theravada tradition today and also gives insight to those in the West about meditation. Initially, the practice of mediation was not performed by many lay Buddhists, but mostly those a part of the official monastic community. This was because monks retained more discipline and dedication than those a part of the laity. As meditation expanded throughout South and Southeast Asia, so did the practice of how meditation differed throughout cultures. The expansion of meditation over the years opened up a variety of forms of how meditation was …show more content…
Mae chi women are lay women who follow the teachings of Buddha to the extent of those within the official sangha. They are not ordained since ordination of women within the Theravada tradition is deemed invalid.9 Although many mae chi are not on the official level they still practice as if they were. Each mae chi woman keeps up to eight or ten precepts that the official monks carry. Many mae chi women are also seen as a substitute for the bhikukki (nun) since women are not allowed to be ordained as one in the Theravada tradition. By Buddhist definition the mae chi are unanimously seen as ‘ordained persons’ but through the view of government institutions they are
Meditation is a practice that continues to flourish in the religion of Buddhism throughout the countries in South and Southeast Asia. It has been a prominent practice for thousands of years and many people who practice meditation do it as a form of discipline. Self-discipline is a main focus point in Buddhism since it is one of the methods in seeking enlightenment. Meditation was a practice that the Buddha himself once indulged in, in order to find enlightenment. In the Buddhist community meditation is an action that not only allows a person to experience what the Buddha experienced, but also allows the practitioner to experience self-awareness. Although meditation has been eminent in the lives of mostly the official sangha of …show more content…
The Buddha himself was said to have practiced meditation and that is what ultimately guided him to enlightenment.1 In a simpler context, the practice of meditation was used by the Buddha, in order to be self-aware of his surrounds and find a deeper concentration to see the truth. Since the Buddha’s time, a briefer compilation of the most important aspects of Buddhism was created. This document was better known as the The Path to Purification (Nyanmoli 1976) and meditation was a main component in the process of purification.2 This piece of writing is still used in the Theravada tradition today and also gives insight to those in the West about meditation. Initially, the practice of mediation was not performed by many lay Buddhists, but mostly those a part of the official monastic community. This was because monks retained more discipline and dedication than those a part of the laity. As meditation expanded throughout South and Southeast Asia, so did the practice of how meditation differed throughout cultures. The expansion of meditation over the years opened up a variety of forms of how meditation was …show more content…
Mae chi women are lay women who follow the teachings of Buddha to the extent of those within the official sangha. They are not ordained since ordination of women within the Theravada tradition is deemed invalid.9 Although many mae chi are not on the official level they still practice as if they were. Each mae chi woman keeps up to eight or ten precepts that the official monks carry. Many mae chi women are also seen as a substitute for the bhikukki (nun) since women are not allowed to be ordained as one in the Theravada tradition. By Buddhist definition the mae chi are unanimously seen as ‘ordained persons’ but through the view of government institutions they are