Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

The insight(vipassanā) has been said to go with the serenity(samatha) since the early Buddhism. In this study, I also have insisted that the insight and the serenity should be a pair in the practice of meditation. The meditator makes the progress of meditation through these two functional elements.Nevertheless, there are some differences between the insight and the serenity. It is the insight that continually required until the last goal. The serenity would be used as the supporter of the insight in the limits. Therefore I would like to say that the essence of the early Buddhist practice theory lies in the insight. The serenity can be divided into the nine stages, that is four jhānas and four samāpattis and a saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpatti. When the meditator practices the insight, he leans on the four jhānas and first three samāpattis. nevasaññānāsaññāyatanasamāpatti and saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpatti have no connection with the insight.Therefore the meditater would be retired from nevasaññānāsaññāya tanasamāpatti and saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpatti for the practice of the insight. I have referred to this fact in confromity with Anupadasutta in Majjhimanikāya. On the basis of this reason, the insight would go with the serenity only for some time. And the first jhāna would be the main area for the practice of the insight among the seven stages of the serenity.When the meditator reaches the deep stages of the serenity, his capacity of the insight will be reduced step by step. The serenity is to concentrate one's mind on one point, that is opposed to the capacity of the insight. That is why the insight would go with the serenity only for some time, and that the first jhāna is the main area to practice the insight.