What is the purpose of meditation according to Buddhism?

Answer 1

Well, As far as I know there are a few primary goals of meditation because there are a number of different meditation techniques, but I would hazard a guess and say that the most important type is Insight (Vipassana) Meditation.

With Insight Meditation we are learning that:

(1) Our thoughts are transitory and come unbidden. We call the untrained mind a "Monkey Mind" because, like monkeys jumping from one branch to another, our minds jumps from one thought to another. Many times these thoughts come out of the blue. The problem is not that the mind does this; the problem is that when a thought enters our mind we follow that thought and expand it and it takes over our lives. This is where worry and anxiety starts. We think a random thought and instead of acknowledging the thought and let it go we make a whole story around it with all kinds of dire results. For example; the boss calls you up at 12:00 and says, "Please see me at 1:30". You start to think maybe he is going to fire you, and for the next hour and an half you think about what you might have done wrong to get your fired and you think of all the pleas you are going to use to change his mind…etc. Then at 1:30 you go see the boss and he gives you a raise! So much for all that worrying! You, yourself, just made the last 1½ hours a total hell on Earth.

(2) Our thoughts do not define us. We all get bad thoughts. We all think things like "I'd like to punch that guy out!" when someone makes us angry. Don't worry; it's natural. Through meditation when we realize that we are not our thoughts, so when we get a thought like that, we can acknowledge it, and let it go and then think of a better way to react.

When we truly learn and accept these insights it helps us to calm our minds, leads to the decrease of stress and increases our ability to reacting skillfully (saying and doing the right things) to situations. In a nutshell Insight Meditation is self-transformation through self-observation.

Answer 2

Meditation helps strengthen awareness. Meditation helps us to see that we are not the mind, not the emotions, not the body. Meditation brings a sense of calm. Meditation helps us to see that fulfilling the desires of the mind will not bring a lasting sense of contentment.

And all of these things change the way we act in our everyday lives. When a business deal falls through, we do not take it as hard. When someone cuts us off on the highway, we laugh instead of yell. When we have an hour between appointments, we stop and breathe into our bellies and enjoy simply being, rather than playing Video Games.