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

The aim of the present work is to review the understanding of meditative practice in the aspect of main doctrine of Early Buddhism. Besides, it has another aim to establish a bridgehead between Vipassanā and Kongan-seon(公案禪). For those purposes, I will examine the original concept of jhāna-practice and how the original concept of jhāna-practice turned out false. The first introduction of such transfiguration might be derived from a story of Mahāparinibbāna Suttanta and its parallels Chinese translation, and another sutta of Majjhima Nikāya. According to theses suttas, once, the Buddha was meditating at Ātumā, at the threshing-floor, the rain-god streamed and splashed, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, and two farmers, brothers, and four oxen were killed.And a lot of people went out of Atumā to where the two brothers and the four oxen were killed. However, the Buddha neither see nor hear when the rain-god streamed and splashed, lightning flashed and thunder crashed. There is another story of the monk, Sañjīva, who was in a state of jhāna in a forest. But woodmen, thought that he was dead andburnt his body. But Sañjīva came out of his jhāna at the right time and shook out his robes and entered the village for alms.This state of jhāna is regarded as saññāvedayita-nirodha(Cessa- tion of Feeling and Perception), the last attaintment of Buddhist meditative system in the stage leading to the ultimate salvation of Nibbāna. Therefore, completion of 'intensive and motionless absorption' was thought to be the purpose of Buddhistmeditation. Buddhist celebrates a suspension of all consciousness and activities. Such annihilation of the senses can be called as the 'theory of motionless-samādhi'. More serious problem was that such an idea brought about misconception of the relation between Samatha and Vipassanā, and Nibbāna. For example, It was thought that the mutual exclusive of Samatha and Vipassanā, and the limitation of Vipassanā is the first jhāna to ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpatti(attaintment of No-Thingness). Moreover, it was thoughttoattain Nibbāna in the limitation of the first jhāna, etc.However, the essential core of Buddhist meditationis a cultivation ofadhicitta-sampadā(or citta-sampadā : perfectionof higher thought, i.e., mental purity and clarification), not a completion of intensive absorption.That is the reason why the higher degree of clarification of mind indicates the higher stage of jhāna in early Buddhism. Further, the completion of purity(pārisu- ddhi) is the stage of the fourth jhāna, and it generates the next division of sikkhā(the 3-fold division of training), i.e.,'knowledge of things as they truly are' (yathābhūtañaṇadassana).Yathābhūta- ñaṇadassana meanspaññā(insight) of yathā-bhūta, and vipassanā is name of practice in the state of paññā. Therefore, the accurate understanding ofBuddhist meditation directly opposes to the view of mutual exclusive of Samatha and Vipassanā, to the limitation of Vipassanā up to ākiñcaññāyatansam- āpattietc.For the concluding remarks, the present examination basically deals with the critique of recent discussions by other scholars for the foundation ground of further discussion on the relation ofVipassanā and Kongan-seon.