1.3: Scope and Justification of the Present Work

In spite of the fact that few researches are already conducted, as recorded above on the subject, still we feel that a complete work depicting the Buddhist way of meditation on the basis of original sources is yet a desideratum. In the present work, the author has presented as well as discussed on the concept and practice of Dhyāna as depicted in the Buddhist literature with special reference to two main schools of Buddhism: Theravāda and Mahāyāna. In these two main schools the problem of dhyāna received complete attention and is analyzed and discussed thoroughly. The approach of analysis through out the work has been comparative, critical as well as historical. References have been made from original sources and also from secondary literature like researches and the observations of modern scholars.

The Buddha’s teachings of dhyāna recorded in the Pāli and Sanskrit Buddhist literature have been used as primary sources for this research. Further, all other works regarding these teachings found else where are also used here as secondary sources for the further development of the thesis.