Meditation is very common within many religions around the world and has been practised for hundreds of years. Buddhism is probably the most well known religion that practises meditation and Nibbbana is the ultimate goal for a Buddhist. This is achieved by years of practising Buddhist mediatation. Nibbana is a state of mind and not a physical thing that can be held, seen or bought. Nibbana is achieved by reaching the end of suffering and craving and this is the final goal for someone who practises Buddhist meditation.

Although being a kind person, being good to others and doing good deeds is important to make you a nice person it will not help you to achieve Nibbana. Nibbana is only achieved through Buddhist meditation and following the Buddhist writings and scriptures. To reach full enlightenment you not only need to read the scriptures but more importantly, you need to understand and implement the actual practice. There are two different methods of Buddhist meditation that are used in the Buddhist religion. These are Samatha and Vipassana.

Samatha translates to mean tranquillity or calmness. This is a state that the pupil is trying to get to whilst meditating. This is done by calming the mind and concentrating on one specific thing. There are many things that can help with Samatha meditation like a flickering candle or water. The person meditating can concentrate on the water or candle flame and block out all other outside interferences. Whilst concentrating your mind you should also use anapanasati. This is the method of concentrating on your breathing. If you do not have any candles or water then you can just use your breathing to help concentrate your mind. Samatha is more than just focusing; however, they need to get rid of the five vices of sloth, ill will, anxiety, sensual desire and doubt. When this has been attained through this form of Buddhist meditation, immense happiness is gained but, Nibbana still has not been achieved. This is where vipassana is required.

Vipassana is very different from Samatha but is still a vital part of Buddhist meditation and reaching the goal of enlightenment. This method is all about looking at life with a very basic outlook. You need to look at things as they are and you need to acknowledge everything that you do. If you are sweeping the floor, you need to acknowledge to yourself that you are sweeping the floor. This is the first stage of vipassana which is bare awareness. By becoming fully aware of everything you do at all times and by concentrating your mind by using Samatha you can obtain total enlightenment which is the final goal of anyone who is interested in Buddhist meditation.

Most practioners of Buddhist meditation spend their entire lives trying to attain enlightenment, so if you have just started, do not be disheartened if you do not achieve the end goal within a short period of time. Buddhist meditation needs to become part of your life and how you live your life. Although it is a long road to get to the end, enlightenment can be the ultimate spiritual fulfilment.

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