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Vipassana Practioners
Hello,
Any vipassana practitioners out there? I've learnt this technique on a retreat I did recently (about three weeks ago). I haven't done any sitting since.
It requires a lot of sati.
My question is, if you do practice it, how do you go about it? In my retreat, it was basically 1/3 of the days we'd do breathing meditation to build sati and the rest we did vipassana.
Say I put out an hour for meditation a day, would that mean I should do 20 minutes of building sati and 40 minutes of Vipassana?
I find that my sati is poor, so it affects my ability to sit and go more than one round of feeling sensations in the body.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks
Any vipassana practitioners out there? I've learnt this technique on a retreat I did recently (about three weeks ago). I haven't done any sitting since.
It requires a lot of sati.
My question is, if you do practice it, how do you go about it? In my retreat, it was basically 1/3 of the days we'd do breathing meditation to build sati and the rest we did vipassana.
Say I put out an hour for meditation a day, would that mean I should do 20 minutes of building sati and 40 minutes of Vipassana?
I find that my sati is poor, so it affects my ability to sit and go more than one round of feeling sensations in the body.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks
0
Comments
I have a lot of trouble with insight meditation when it comes to thoughts. It always seems as though I'm catching the tail end of them, and then I try to recognize it past the fact, which in turn seems to take me out of the present moment and distract me. I was able to see the thoughts in the present moment once, but that was over a month ago, I think.
That seems to be about 1/3 of the session.
Just go back, when you realise you're letting your thoughts wander, doesn't matter if it is after the fact or not, without aversion of the thoughts nor attachment of them, or to the thought that you just let thought creep in, calmly go back to your breathing.
Don't let it get you down that you let your concentration wander. It happens to all of us. Just be aware of any thoughts that creep in and in equanimity, go back to the breath.
Its easier said than done though. I tend to not have enough determination to carry through, unless I'm distressed. It's almost as if I'm using it as an escape mechanism, which is probably very bad.
When you stop accruing things, only then will you have begun meditating. Ajahn Chah says "We meditate not to attain things, but to see how much we can let go of".
At the start of the meditation, make the resolution firm in your mind that now is the time for stillness, now is the time for silence, now is the time to watch the breath. Watch the breath go in, breath go out, breath in, breath out, in, out, etc...if a thought comes along to try to disturb you, just think "not important" or "none of my business" because that's all thoughts are in meditation, just distractions.
This (should be) more than enough instructions, but us westerners always overcomplicate things by thinking ourselves stupid.
Watching the thoughts as they arise, how would you be aware of that? Wouldn't you be aware of that by thinking, "thought just arose"?
I think what you mean by watching thoughts as they arise is one of the benefits of insight meditation, the dissolving of the ego, developing an understanding that the observer and the observed are one.
Don't think of it as pushing thoughts away. Whatever thought it maybe, and whatever reaction/emotion such thoughts might bring, just try to be in equanimity and go back to the breath.
To be in equanimity, remember the noble truth of anicca or impermanence, everything that arises falls away, there is no need to react, at least not during meditation.
Like it says above, don't meditate to attain anything, just see how much you can let go of.
When we are sitting, our observation of the body and mind becomes just that. You don't have to observe in thoughts, and we are not thoughts. Rather you relate to your mental thinking as you would relate to the breathing. Does that make sense? I think this is the archetype that is being spoken of.
With warmth,
Matt