The Three Characteristics: Search them out, or let them come?

buddhajunkie

I've always approached the three characteristics as something that pops up on their own during the course of insight meditation.

However, I've heard some people suggest that the three characteristics are things that someone should consciously seek out during meditation.

What are your thoughts and/or is your practice?

DhammaDhatu

There are various techniques, such as the Mahasi techniques, which consciously seek.

In reality, the three characteristics are inherent in any object of meditation.

At least for me, the task is to see the object clearly.

To see an object clearly, the mind must be clear & subtle, like a microscope.

As with a microscope, what is placed under it for viewing need not be large. In fact, it only needs to be exacting.

If the mind 'seeks', that is craving. The mind will not settle & clarify & flow.

The Buddha advised at least three qualities of concentration are purity, stability & activeness (kammaniyo). 'Kammaniyo' or activeness means the mind is 'ready for work' of insight. Often, it is translated as malleable.

So the mind must be pure, still but also flexible or malleable. It must be able to 'flow' naturally, like water flows into cracks, crevices, etc.

In my opinion, if we seek or strive too much, the quality of concentration or seeing will be diminished.

Cloud

@buddhajunkie, The three characteristics may be a bit much to try and apply to all phenomena as they arise, to begin with. An easier way would be to keep firmly in mind that all thoughts/feelings/sensations that arise are impermanent (anicca). Know immediately as soon as anything arises that it will pass.

zenff

Yes, I suppose meditation is a complicated thing when we think about it.
And some people have very specific ideas of what it should be like.

I’d say thinking about it too much, or even thinking about it at all, is not helpful.

The position is “important”, not as such, but because - it seems to me – sitting without movement and straight up does something to our minds.
Just the physical sitting in meditation, makes the mind meditate. Something like that.

Also I think we have to trust the process of just sitting. When we are evaluating our meditation all of the time, there is no time for any meditation to happen.

Cloud

@zenff, Yeah, as far as zazen goes; the OP didn't specify what type of meditation. Though... buddhajunkie did say "insight meditation", and that's not usually the nomenclature used in Zen, so it's probably Vipassana or something.

zenff

@Cloud, And because I’m into zazen, I feel that any such activity as visualizing, analyzing and evaluating during meditation is what...is seeking entertainment?
Nothing wrong with that of course.
If we don’t firmly hold on to them, they will go away.

Cloud

Yeah I'm not into analyzing and junk either; prefer the "knowing", simple observation of the arising and passing, the cause and effect. Watching the mind do what it does.