Four foundations of Buddhist meditation techniques

People have been practicing the Buddhist meditation techniques to get relief of the stress and anxiety from long time. The basic concept is to gain self-control of their mind and produce positive attitude to others during every abnormal circumstances. Most of the psychiatrists and psychologists use the Buddhist techniques to eliminate the depression and anxiety. The experts and innovative psychologists advocate the Buddhist techniques in mental and physical health, especially mindfulness. Bhavana means the meditation in Buddhism language and it is essential in all their community members to learn several techniques.
The Buddhist meditation techniques are more popular in recent days and now widely used throughout the globe even by the non-Buddhists. The basic meditation in the Buddhists encompasses a large variety of techniques in order to develop insight, tranquility, full concentration, and supramundane powers.
In early stages of Buddhism the traditional practice was preserved in nikaya agamas. It continued until the Theravada lineage. This was also focused by the early Buddhist learning facilities. It has been continued in the Tibetan Buddhism and Mahayana traditions by at large.
Types of meditation: from early traditions to the existing traditions of Buddhism, there have been several types of meditation techniques used. Some of them vanished while many of them are popular among followers for better results.

1. Samma Sati: Samma Sati means right mindfulness, an exemplified state by the four foundations of buddha’s mindfulness.
2. Samma Samadhi: Samma Samadhi means right concentration, culminated in the jhanic absorptions by the meditative developed techniques of Samatha.
3. Samma Ditthi: Samma Ditthi means right view, embodying wisdom which traditionally attained by the meditative developing techniques of Vipassana written in samatha.
Classic text of the Pali literature enumerates the Buddhist meditation techniques including the Visuddhumagga, Samadhi, and Satipatthana Sutta.

Four foundations of mindfulness:
Buddha identified the four foundations to mindfulness in Satipatthana Sutta.

1. Body
2. Feelings
3. Mind states
4. Mental objects

He also enumerated these objects as base of meditative development to the mindfulness.
He further described the body as breathing, postures, cemetery contemplations, and clear comprehending. Feelings could be pleasant neutral or unpleasant.

Serenity and Insight

Buddha described the two major paramount of the mental qualities generated by the meditation techniques which are insight and serenity.
The insight enables the people to observe, explore and distinguish the objects of life. While the serenity also called as tranquility steadies, unifies, and compose concentrations to the mind.

People can suppress the obscuring obstacle of their life with the help of meditative techniques of serenity. After suppression of obstacles, the meditative techniques of insight help them gain the liberating wisdom in life.
In order to complete four foundations of Buddhist meditation techniques, people have to obtain the two step of Jhana. They can select any way to obtain the three marks of existence in the first Jhana and proceed to the next stage of Jhana.

1. The people gain serenity first and then insight.
2. The people gain insight first and then serenity.
3. The people gain insight and serenity in tendem.