well i'm just getting into buddhism and i'm having a little trouble with maintaining concentration while meditating any tips?
Study meditation as part of a system where you have a peer group. There is no one kind of meditation.
Acknowledge what it is that is making you loose your concentration. Don't try and fight it, simply acknowledge it and let it go.
I'm gonna say no here. If by detach you mean cut off the attachment to worldly things such as your body(worldly example), I would say no. I think... I don't think you get "freedom" or liberation from suffering by detaching yourself, I think by practicing you can possibly become not attached to the worldly things. I'm not 100% on this and have no sutras to support my guess.
Best is realization first before action, otherwise action is false. Therefore, renunciation is only as deep as it truely is. You can't force it, or it will make you crazy. Best to fulfill honorable desires and intentions. Through your whole life than live half hearted renunciation. Some people are naturally passionate, some people aren't. There are all types. Best Buddhist is one who realizes it in their usual conditions because then you shine a light right where you are. If you are able. Sometimes no renunciation is hugest renunciation of all. Think about it. At any rate renunciation is nothing anyone else can judge. Especially from the outside. Amazing feature of Buddhism is it is like a hair conditioner but on the mind and heart. One can say Buddha is therefore a living thing, at least it is concurrent with living. Buddha still works, if one brushes their mind with Buddha for a second.
In the Theravada tradition of Buddhism, Concentration is a result of morality. That is, when practicing not killing, not taking what has not been given, no inappropriate sensual behavior, no false speech, no taking intoxicants that lead to lack of mindfulness, the result is concentration (pali: Samadhi). This doesn't mean that you can't practice AT attaining some level of concentration without practicing morality. However, if one were understand the reason(s) for practicing morality then one would also understand and realize how concentration becomes its result. In the second Noble Truth, it's not so much detaching oneself from worldly things as it is to stop the craving, as Attachment is a RESULT of craving (pali: Tanha, Thirst). That if there were no craving, there would be no attachment as there would be nothing to result from the absence of craving. No craving, no result. Likewise, craving is a RESULT of feelings. That if there were no feelings (pali: Vedana, Sensations) there would be nothing to result from the absence of feelings, which consequentially would also mean no resulting attachment. Feelings (vedana) are the sensations experienced when contact is made between one of the sense faculty (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) and the object associated with this sense faculty (sight, sound, smells, tastes, tactile, and thought). It isn't specifically targeting the IDEA of what one considers beautiful or lovely, although these are also considered the same thing as they are results of thinking when associating with what is pleasant and pleasing from contact between faculty and object. To understand the Buddhist idea on this "feeling" thing, you need to understand the first Noble Truth. Not just know it, but understand it. As it is, from first glance, it goes like this: Feelings are a result of Form -- Contact between sense faculty and the object associated with these faculty results in sensations (feelings). Continuous feelings results in perception. Continuous perception results in mental volition (action), fabricated ideas. Continuous mentality results in consciousness. Form are the objects that make up both objective and subjective reality that have as its basis four elements (vibration/motion (wind), energy (fire), liquid (water), and solid (earth)). Form refers to the sense faculty of Eye, of Ear, of Nose, of Tongue, of Body, and also of Mind. Form also refers to the objects which associates to the sense faculty, as the objects also have as its basis four elements. The key to doing this [detachment] is in the third Noble Truth, which actually is the second Noble Truth in reverse, that is, to put an end to this, stop that, i.e., to end Death, stop birth; to put and end to Birth, stop becoming; to put an end to Becoming, stop clinging (attachment); to put an end to Clinging, stop craving; to put an end to Craving, stop feelings; to put an end to Feelings, stop contacting between faculty and object; to put an end to Contact, eliminate the sense faculty; to put an end to the Sense faculty, stop name and form; to put an end to Name and Form, stop consciousness; to put an end to Consciousness, stop action (acting); to put an end to Action, put an end to Ignorance. None of this is really easy, especially when you share the idea of what is pleasant, pleasing, beautiful or lovely. This is like saying, "Well, does that mean I can't look at a sunset and say how beautiful it is?" or, "I can't say I love my wife [/husband/child/sister/brother/girlfriend/boyfriend/aunt/uncle...etc.]?" These are perceptual ideas you have to come to terms with on your own ... honestly. However ... Knowing how things appear, in relation to what causes them to appear, one acts (or stops acting) appropriately. That is, if you know you must stop the clinging (attaching), then you also know you must stop that which causes clinging, namely craving. That as long as one craves, the result will also be, and always be clinging. So ... What is Ignorance? We all know what the word means in the dictionary, and in our shared idea of ignorance. But what does it mean in this context of "Because of Ignorance there is Action"? Not understanding ... this is Ignorance! Not understand what it is that motivates that cause one to act. Namely Greed (pali: Lobha), Ill-Will (pali: Moha), and Delusion (pali: Dosa). The things we find pleasant, lustful, desirable, beautiful, agreeable. The things we find unpleasant, undesirable, ugly, disagreeable; hate; anger; impatient. And clinging to views ... Not realizing ... this also is Ignorance! You can know something, without understanding it. And you can understand without realizing. It is when one finally realizes that one knows the truth, one is free. Christianity also teaches this: [Jesus said] "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free!". HTML:
