Meditation on the Ultimate Truth of Cessation – Key Vocabulary
Purpose of the Meditation
- Prevent satisfaction with only temporary relief from specific sufferings.
- Aim for permanent cessation of suffering and its root (self-grasping ignorance) ⇒ \text{Nirvana}.
- Fulfils Buddha’s advice in the Sutra of the Four Noble Truths: “You should attain cessation.”
Key Concepts
- Temporary vs. Ultimate Cessation
• Temporary relief is deceptive and finite.
• Ultimate cessation = irreversible end of all suffering and its causes. - Cycle of Suffering (Samsara)
• Endless rounds of sickness, ageing, death, rebirth.
• Requires strong renunciation, as exemplified by Buddha. - Supreme Goal
• “Supreme permanent peace of mind” & “pure, everlasting happiness of enlightenment.”
Motivation for Practice
- Daily activities (wealth, health, environment) solve problems only briefly; new and greater dangers keep arising.
- Human rebirth uniquely combines:
• Freedom from gross obstacles (e.g.
animal incapacity for Dharma).
• Necessary conditions for hearing, contemplating, and meditating on spiritual teachings.
Object of Contemplation
- Develop a firm determination to realize the ultimate truth of cessation through personal experience.
- When this determination becomes heartfelt and stable, it is the object of meditation.
Actual Meditation Technique
- From the heart, reflect:
“I should not be satisfied with a merely temporary cessation of particular sufferings, which even animals can experience. I must realize the ultimate truth of cessation, the supreme inner peace of Nirvana, through my own experience.” - Hold this determination single-pointedly, as long as possible.
- Repeat the session continually; translate the resolve into daily actions.
Practical Outcome
- Cultivates renunciation and unwavering pursuit of Nirvana.
- Ensures current human life is used to secure permanent freedom rather than transient comfort.
