Actually, anapanasati is a specific type of meditation; there are many types out there. IMO most meditative practices do have a goal of achieving mindfulness and usually ends there, but anapanasati goes far beyond that. Anapanasati starts with the practice of sati (mindfulness), which in turn is used as a tool to reach samadhi (meditative absorption) through jhanic (meditative states) samatha (cooling the mind), and thereafter vipassana (investigative wisdom) towards nibbana (enlightenment). It is not avoidance, however. It takes great, persistent training to reach jhana, much less vipassana.
Hi,
I jumped. Let me tell you why first. I was treated to The Essence of God one day. The female that is known as The Virgin Mary to Christians is the one who treated me to this. The next day, I was treated to the core personality of Jesus The Christ. And on the next day, I was treated to seeing this Virgin Mary, as she existed on earth when she was 49 years old, immediately before she died, here on earth. The year was 2006. The month was January. It was the middle of January.
Off the point, an entity that I had dealt with for years, approaches me and has a question asked to me. I am to make a decision. That decision changed my life, and for eternity. It cannot be undone.
Back on the point, Nirvanna, the other word for nibanna in your article, I think I experienced in that January 2006, encounter, though in the section just involving a Command from the one The Christians call The Holy Spirit and then engaging with the one The Christians call Jesus The Christ.
It took my third attempt at matching the one called Jesus to do this. On the second attempt, something similar to nibanna happened. It took till the third and final and totally succesful attempt, to reach what you may call, nibanna. For the peace that came over me, defies human words. It is still here. I have no more questions about earth, or the universe, or even the parts of the universe that we as humans cannot see yet, FOR I HAVE SEEN. I have felt. I have touched.
Even the envelope, and now for you, the envelope that encloses the known and unknown universe, this I have seen, this my hands have touched. I know where the earth is. I know where it's place is, in that envelope.
I am a scientist of sorts. No, longer do some things interest me, as I know.
I also care not to be here.
I also lament being on earth.
I also love as that is all that I am now.
I wonder what Buddha meant?
And, outside of what exists, there is nothing. Inside is all that we know. I have seen those that are like the angels. I have seen all of them, I think. I have seen those that are not with the angels, like is stated by those who have reached nibanna/Nirvanna in the things written by those who have reached that state.
Why am I telling you all of this. I do not know yet. Maybe it is because, I who know God and what God is, and what God does, and how He did creation in terms of matter and energy but not spirit yet, would like you to know of one, who might have reached your nibanna, but also am Christian.
This year, I have been working with angels, and those called saints, in the departed from this earth form, to Chrisitians. I just thought you should know.
Also, do not try and pray for me. It doesn't work. You can do it, but none of your efforts go to me. Instead they go to others, or back to you.
I know what that means. Also, do not think of me as anything, great, rather think of me if you can, as one smaller than anyone or anything in existence. As that too, is a difficult thing for people to understand.
As your lesser, I can love you. As your lesser, I can work for you. And as horrible as this might sound to Christians, I can serve anyone there is.
For you Christians, my being able to serve anyone, is by an allowance, otherwise I could not do my job, the one I accepted when I said 'YES!' one day. It just seemed appropriate, for that new job.
The point might be, if what you say is true, and my life is also true, maybe there is something here for you to think about.
LOVE,
...Mary., .... .