Theory and methods of taming the mind in theravāda buddhism as reflected in the sutta-pitaka and its commentries
| dc.contributor.author | Rev. Zanaka | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-11-26T12:03:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-11-26T12:03:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2018-04-03 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This is an attempt to examine the theory and methods of taming the mind as depicted in the sutta-pitaka and its commentaries. Buddhism instructs people to develop positive feelings such as love, compassion, equanimity, mental purity, and joy that brings happiness to others through taming our own mind. When the mind is systematically tamed, it will definitely bear the fruits of happiness. It implies that there is no way to attain Nibbāna, the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice, without taming the mind. The objective of this research is to investigate meditative techniques, which come from Pāli terms, danta, dama and damatha, being rendered as ‘tame’ or ‘taming’ in English. These Pāli terms are very profound and deeply connected with Buddhist counseling therapeutic methods. The paper will reveal those methods as depicted in the Sutta- Pitaka and its commentaries in a textual based study. The Buddha says that it is good to tame one’s own mind and that the tamed mind brings happiness. Methods of taming the mind are selected from Pāli discourses. All practices or techniques are interrelated as can be seen from the study of the terms danta, dama and damatha and relevant practices. It is clear, therefore, that taming the mind in Theravāda Buddhism is the most important practice for the overcoming of mental illness and suffering so that attainment final emancipation could be reached by the proponents of Buddhism. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Proceedings of the PGIHS Research Congress (PGIHS-RC-2018), University of Peradeniya, p.20 | |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 978-955-7395-01-2 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir.lib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/20.500.14444/4140 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | University of Peradeniya | |
| dc.subject | Danta | |
| dc.subject | Dama | |
| dc.subject | Damatha | |
| dc.title | Theory and methods of taming the mind in theravāda buddhism as reflected in the sutta-pitaka and its commentries | |
| dc.type | Article |