The Integration of Developing Mind Models of Meditation Lineages in Thai Society

Abstract

This dissertation entitled ‘The Intregration of Developing Mind Models of Meditation Lineages in Thai Society’ has three objectives namely; 1) to study the concepts and theories of mind development (2) to analyse the patterns of developments of mind cultivation in different meditation lineages in Thai society, and (3) to integrate the patterns of mind development. This research was based on qualitative research by in-depth interview and participatory observation with practices.

                The results revealed that In the Buddhist Scriptures, the concept of mind development appeared in the Threefold Training Process that described the approaches in the Satipatthana and the Anapanasati Sutta.  In the Visuddhimagga appeared the methods of practice in terms of the forty objects of meditation and the sixteen levels of vipassana - knowledge. The patterns of mind development, taught by the five main lineages with the goal to the complete extinction of defilements, emphasize the intense practices according to the Buddhist Texts. Nowadays, the fundamentals of mind development are improved for the present generation of humans. The integration of the models of mind development reveals that the patterns of mind development should be divided four levels of practice: 1) for beginners; 2) for daily life; 3) for intense practice and; 4) for becoming a teacher.