SEVEN BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

* THE FIFTH BENEFIT IS THE CESSATION OF MENTAL SUFFERING

Physical suffering such as pain, stiffness, itchiness, numbness and so on can be overcome by this mindfulness in meditation retreats as well as in daily life. When you have some experience in the meditation practice, you can overcome your mental and physical suffering to a large extent.

If you invest enough effort and time you can exterminate both mental and physical suffering permanently when you have attained Arahantship. But during meditation, you can overcome pain stiffness, numbness, itchiness and all kinds of unpleasant physical sensations by observing them very attentively and closely. Therefore, you need to be afraid of pain, stiffness or numbness because there are your good friends who can help you to attain the cessation of suffering.

If you observe the pain energetically, precisely and closely. It may seem more severe because you know it more and more clearly. When you have comprehended the unpleasantness of this painful sensation, you will not identitfy it with yourself because the sensation is perceived as just a natural process of mental phenomena. You are not attached to the painful sensation as 'I' or 'mine' or 'me', or a 'person' or a 'being'. In this way, you can eradicate the wrong view me a soul, a self, a person, a being, an 'I' or a 'you'.

When the root of all kinds of defilements, i.e. sakyã-ditthi or atta-ditthi has been destroyed you are pure to attain the First Path, Sotãpatti-magga. Then you can proceed with your practice to attain the three higher stages of the Path and Fruition. That is why I say that unpleasant physical sensations such as pain, stiffness and numbness are your 'good friends' who can help you to attain the cessation of suffering. In other words, this numbness or any painful sensation is the key to open the door of Nibbãna. When you feel pain, you are lucky. Pain is the most valuable object of meditation because in attracts the 'nothing mind' to stay with it for a very long time. The 'nothing mind' can concentrate on it deeply and be absorbed in it. When the mind is completely absorbed in the painful sensation you will no longer be aware of your bodily form or yourself. Now you are realising the sabhãva-lakkhana of the pain or the individual characteristic of the painful sensation (dukkha-vedanã). Proceeding with the practice you will be able to realise the common characteristics of impermanence, suffering and no-soul or no-self nature of mental and physical phenomena. This will lead you to the cessation of all kinds of sufferings. So, you are lucky if you have pain.

In Myanmar (Burma), some meditators, having passed the third stage of insight knowledge (sammasana-ñaña), almost had completely overcome all painful sensations and were dissatisfied with their practice because they had no pain to note. So they folded their legs under themselves and pressed them so that they could get pain. They were looking for their 'good friend' who could lead them to the cessation of suffering.
When you feel unhappy, please observe that unhappy, unhappy,. If you feel depressed, that depression must be observed very attentively and perseveringly. When your mindfulness becomes powerful, the unhappiness and depression will cease to exist. So the overcoming of mental suffering is the fifth benefit of mindfulness meditation.


* THE SIXTH BENEFIT IS THE ATTAINMENT OF ENLIGHTENMENT, THE FATH AND FRUITION (magga and phala)

When you devote enough time and effort to your mindfulness meditation, you will attain at least the First Path, Sotãpatti-magga. This is the sixth benefit of Mindfulness meditation.


* THE SEVENTH BENEFIT IS THAT YOU ARE SURE TO ATTAIN NIBBÃNA, DELIVERANCE, EMANCIPATION THROUGH MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

To summarize, the seven kinds of benefits of mindfulness meditation which the Vipassana meditator can gain through personal experience of Dhamma are:
1. Purification from all kinds of defilements.
2. Overcoming sorrow and worry.
3. Overcoming lamentation.
4. Cessation of all kinds of physical suffering.
5. Cessation of all kinds of mental suffering.
6. Attainment of Enlightenment.
7. Attainment of Nibbãna.

The Buddha began the Maha satipatthana suttã with these seven benefits of mindfulness meditation. So you are pure to acquire these seven benefits if you put strenuous effort into your practice.

We are lucky because we believe in the enlightened Buddha who teaches the right way leading to the cessation of suffering. But we should not be complacent. In the Pali texts, there is a simile:
There is a great pond full of clear water with many lotus flowers in it. A traveller's hand are dirty. He knows that if he washes them in the pond, they will be clean. But though he knows it, he does not go to the pond to wash his hands, his hands are still dirty. In this way, he passes the pond and continues his journey.
He knew he could wash the dirt away in the pond, if he want to clean he must have to wash dirt.