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Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

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steadfast underst<strong>and</strong>ing.<br />

If the mind contemplates some image or stone, this is<br />

the samapatti of investigation (a), <strong>and</strong> this should not be<br />

confused with the final stage, here called "the samapatti<br />

of truth."<br />

By distinguishing these four we shall not confuse an<br />

intellectual concentration for true underst<strong>and</strong>ing, which<br />

can only arise from developed samatha.<br />

I. Mistakes in Practice <strong>and</strong> their Cures<br />

For the practice of samatha there are six mistakes <strong>and</strong><br />

eight cures listed by Venerable Bodhisattva Maitreya in<br />

his treatise, the Sastra of the Center <strong>and</strong> Circumference<br />

(Madhyanta-Vibhaga-Sastra). The six defects described<br />

are:<br />

1. The Six Defects<br />

a. Laziness<br />

b. Forgetting the instruction<br />

c. Lethargy<br />

d. Excitement when the mind is lifted up<br />

e. Negligence in not acting at the proper time<br />

f. Too much zeal or enthusiasm<br />

2. The Eight Cures<br />

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