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46 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Yuganaddha Sutta (AN 4.170) states that one can attain possesses both and, thus, attain their union for
1
arahantship through four paths or one of them : efficaciousness in counteracting the kleśas (dissonant
1. Vipassanā preceded by samatha mental states) and their resultant duḥkhas. So, they may
2. Samatha preceded by vipassanā be ‘distinct meditation paths’, but once attained, they
3. Samatha and vipassanā in tandem are best effective as a unified force in a practitioner’s
4. A mind seized by Dhamma agitation which later mission of uprooting the kleśas. In his Engaging in the
becomes composed. Bodhisattva Deeds, Shantideva says:
Insight conjoined with serenity
The fourth path seems to be samatha not preceded Completely destroys the afflictions.
by vipassanā although the commentary explains Knowing this, seek serenity at the outset.
Dhamma agitation as caused by spectacular vipassanā In his Songs of Spiritual Experience— Condensed Points
th
experiences, which makes it a redundant overlap with of the Stages of the Path, the 15 century Tibetan sage
the second path. and scholar Tsongkhapa, who founded the Gelug Order
of Tibetan Buddhism, beautifully captures it when he
Min Wei: According to Chan, Avataṃsaka, Tien-tai, and says:
Pure Land traditions, concentration and insight are In a mere one-pointed concentration I fail to see
indivisible, and true concentration necessarily includes The potency to cut the root of cyclic existence;
true wisdom, and true wisdom is inseparable from Yet with wisdom devoid of the path of serenity
concentration. [śamatha], No matter how much one may probe, the
afflictions will not be overcome.
The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng states: Wondrous are those who see this
“Calming is the essence of wisdom. And wisdom And strive for the union of serenity
(prajñā) is the natural function of calming (samādhi). [śamatha] and insight [vipaśyanā]. I,
It is to say, at the time of prajñā, samādhi exists, while a yogi, have practiced in this manner;
at the time of samādhi, prajñā exists. How is it that You, who aspire for liberation, too should do likewise.
samādhi and prajñā are equivalent? It is like the light
of the lamp. When the lamp exists, there is light. When The word “mindfulness” is a translation of the Pāli
there is no lamp, there is darkness. The lamp is the word sati (Skt. Smṛti), which means “to remember”
essence of light. The light is the natural function of the or “memory”. But mindfulness is also understood as
lamp. Although their names are different, in essence, bare awareness and being non-judgemental. How
they are fundamentally identical. The teaching of did these two terms come to be associated with
samādhi and prajñā is just like this.” mindfulness?

As a result, we could clearly notice the relationship Ven Aggacitta: This idea comes from the book The Heart
between concentration and insight is a crucial point in of Buddhist Meditation (first published in 1962), written
Mahāyāna Buddhism. by Venerable Nyanaponika Thera after a meditation
retreat under the guidance of Venerable Mahasi
Geshe Dadul: In our tradition also, śamatha and Sayadaw U Sobhana in Burma. He devoted one whole
vipaśyanā are two distinct practices that involve sub-chapter attempting to fit sati into and promoting
separate methods of cultivation and primarily serve his idea of “Bare Attention”.
different purposes. At the same time, the main goal of
working on them individually is so that a practitioner Eventually, that idea evolved into the currently popular
understanding of mindfulness as “present moment

1 The Sutta says “through four ways or one of them”, but I think awareness in a non-judgemental way”. I find this easier
it’s more practical to interpret it as “through one of the four to reconcile than “bare attention/awareness”, as I shall
ways or a combination of them”. explain.