<p>MN8 indicates that blissful meditation is incomplete on its own:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn8/en/sujato#mn8:7.1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mn8</a>: It’s possible that some mendicant, with the giving up of pleasure and pain, and the ending of former happiness and sadness, might enter and remain in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. They might think they’re practicing self-effacement. But in the training of the noble one these are not called ‘self-effacement’; they’re called ‘blissful meditations in the present life’.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The Buddha goes on to explain that self-effacement is important as well:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn8/en/sujato#mn8:12.1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mn8</a>: Now, Cunda, you should work on self-effacement in each of the following ways.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn8/en/sujato#mn8:12.2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mn8</a>: ‘Others will be cruel, but here we will not be cruel.’  ...</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The exposition is lengthy, but quite clear. Practice goes beyond meditation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-08T07:08:58.200Z
Ok thanks for that
Malik A
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-06T19:35:52.907Z
2019-11-06T19:35:52.907Z
OyaMist
<p>the buddha says that ''with excessive thinking and pondering I might tire my body, and when the body is tired, the mind becomes strained, and when the mind is strained, it is far from concentration.''
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn19/en/bodhi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://suttacentral.net/mn19/en/bodhi</a>
same thing with ''excessive energy'' <a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn128/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://suttacentral.net/mn128/en/sujato</a></p>

<p>he says meditation must be ''made much of''
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/arv12/en/anandajoti" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://suttacentral.net/arv12/en/anandajoti</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-05T13:04:45.303Z
Ok thanks a lot
Malik A
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-05T12:55:17.497Z
2019-11-05T12:55:17.497Z
user12901
<p>I believe that I remember once reading that the Buddha abandoned excessive meditation. Is this true?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-13T09:25:55.470Z
Maybe it was at the time before his enlightenment yes
Malik A
<meditation>
Did the Buddha ever say excessive meditation is bad?
# Did the Buddha ever say excessive meditation is bad?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-11-05)

I believe that I remember once reading that the Buddha abandoned excessive meditation. Is this true?

**Tags:** meditation

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Maybe it was at the time before his enlightenment yes  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-11-05. Score: 4

the buddha says that ''with excessive thinking and pondering I might tire my body, and when the body is tired, the mind becomes strained, and when the mind is strained, it is far from concentration.''
<https://suttacentral.net/mn19/en/bodhi>
same thing with ''excessive energy'' <https://suttacentral.net/mn128/en/sujato>

he says meditation must be ''made much of''
<https://suttacentral.net/arv12/en/anandajoti>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ok thanks a lot  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2019-11-06. Score: 1

MN8 indicates that blissful meditation is incomplete on its own:

> [mn8](https://suttacentral.net/mn8/en/sujato#mn8:7.1): It’s possible that some mendicant, with the giving up of pleasure and pain, and the ending of former happiness and sadness, might enter and remain in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. They might think they’re practicing self-effacement. But in the training of the noble one these are not called ‘self-effacement’; they’re called ‘blissful meditations in the present life’.

The Buddha goes on to explain that self-effacement is important as well:

> [mn8](https://suttacentral.net/mn8/en/sujato#mn8:12.1): Now, Cunda, you should work on self-effacement in each of the following ways.
>
> [mn8](https://suttacentral.net/mn8/en/sujato#mn8:12.2): ‘Others will be cruel, but here we will not be cruel.’ ...

The exposition is lengthy, but quite clear. Practice goes beyond meditation.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ok thanks for that  

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