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Once, when I went to a Buddhist meditation center, an experienced meditator said: "Sometimes, for meditation, all it takes is five minutes [in a session]." I'm wondering what is the meaning of such a statement.
Does this refer to relaxation? Insight? Or something else? What is the most plausible meaning?
According to Abhidhamma Jhana is one thought moment. One thought moment is so small there could be billions of thought moments in a splash of the light. So the five minutes of Jhana is quite an achievement for a beginner.
"If one were to develop even for just a finger-snap the perception of inconstancy, that would be more fruitful than the gift, the great gift, that Velāma the brahman gave, and [in addition to that] if one were to feed one person... 100 people consummate in view, and were to feed one once-returner... 100 once-returners, and were to feed one non-returner... 100 non-returners, and were to feed one arahant... 100 arahants, and were to feed one Private Buddha... 100 Private Buddhas, and were to feed a Tathagata — a worthy one, rightly self-awakened — and were to feed a community of monks headed by the Buddha, and were to have a dwelling built and dedicated to the Community of the four directions, and with a confident mind were to go to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha for refuge, and with a confident mind were to undertake the training rules — refraining from taking life, refraining from taking what is not given, refraining from illicit sex, refraining from lying, refraining from distilled & fermented drinks that cause heedlessness — and were to develop even just one whiff of a heart of good will." https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an09/an09.020.than.html
Ah, well you'd have to ask them. In 1999, when i began the Buddhist practices of meditation, I started with 5 minutes per day and it was enough to keep me anchored and get results, and expand the time and depth of practice. I still only average 45 minutes per day but i augment that with "spacing out" practice where i just stop everything and return to meditation.
Or it could mean that in only 5 minutes time a meditator can reach the deep end of the pool. But for me the longer i sit, the deeper the pool is.
Five minutes is great goal for the "spacing out pratice" - to stop and remember the practice. Maybe thats what they meant.
The Buddhist Bhavna is something you do every second of the day, when eating, taking a shower etc. The 5 min thing makes it sound like the following.
-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCq8-XvqU1Q
Does the meditation look and feel like this?
If that is so, you are doing a Vedic form of meditation. Even Buddha played with the breath before enlightenment. It will give Jhana but they are not Ariya Jhana.
How the correct Buddha meditation got corrupted is explained here.
-> https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/31576/15007
The correct meditation espoused by the Buddha is here
