How to Meditate - Vipassana Style

21/04/2015 HowtoMeditate

http://www.vipassanadhura.com/howtop.htm 1/42

HowtoMeditateNote: These instructionsaredrawn from thevipassana traditionsofMahasiSayadawandChaoKhunBhavanapiramaThera.Itisassumedthereaderisfamiliarwiththearticle,WhatisVipassana?

Contents

ASuitablePlaceClothingSittingStylesResolutionExercise1:RisingandFallingObservingMovementLimitYourGoalPrimaryandSecondaryObjectsMentalNotingWanderingMindOneObjectataTimeKnowandLetGoItchingPainMentalImagesMindfulnessWhenChangingPostureExercise2:WalkingMeditationExercise3:HandMotionsExercise4:Sitting

IfStrongEmotionsAriseLettingGoof"I"SleepinessHowtoObserveObjectsMomentaryKnowingExercise5:SittingTouchingExercise6:RisingFallingSittingExercise7:RisingFallingSittingTouchingExercise8:TheLyingDownPostureExercise9:TheStandingPostureIfYouExperienceBlissDesireisNotYourGuidePayingRespecttotheTeachingsTheMoralPreceptsANaturalMethod?MindfulEatingSharingMeritandLovingkindness(Metta)MindfulnessinDailyLife

Thisarticleoffersstepbystepinstructionsfornineinsightmeditationexercises,aswellasadetailedexplanationofmindfuleating,hintsondealingwithproblemssuchaswanderingmind,sleepiness,disturbingmentalimages,unpleasantemotions,andmore.

Thefollowingexercisesarenotnecessarilylistedinorderofdifficulty.Exercisessuitableforbeginnersarenoted.Wegenerallyrecommendbeginnersstartwiththerisingandfallingorhandmotionsexercise.Basicwalkingmeditationisalsoappropriateforbeginners.

To start, chooseoneor twoexercises andpractice themdaily. Evenafter yougainmoreexperience,youdon'thavetodoalltheexercises.Practicingjustoneexerciseconsistentlyismoreimportant.

Ifthere'ssomethingyoudon'tunderstandatfirst,pleasedon'tletthatdauntyou.Althoughvipassana is a very simple method, many aspects of meditation only become clear byactuallydoingit.Thebestwaytounderstandistopracticetheexercises.

Although these Buddhist meditation exercises come from the traditions of the BurmeseteacherMahasiSayadawandtheThaiteacherChaoKhunBhavanapiramaThera,youdon'thavetobeaBuddhisttopracticethem.Vipassanaisanonsecularmethod.

[Note:Thisinformationisnotmeanttosubstitutefortheguidanceofaqualifiedinstructor.Anyone serious about insight meditation should eventually find a teacher who can offer



individualizedcounsel.Inordertobetterunderstandsomeofthe ideaspresentedherewerecommendreadingthelink:WhatisVipassana?]

ASuitablePlace

Findaplacewhereyoucansitcomfortably,withoutinterruptions,foratleasttenminutes.Although complete silence isn't necessaryor even desirablefor insight meditation, theroom should be free of obtrusive noises such as music, television, constantlyringingphones,andnearby conversations.Evenquiet talk candistract youbecause themindwilltrytounderstandthewords.

Ontheotherhand,backgroundnoiseslikethesoundoftraffic,thebarkofadogoratickingclock should not be considered hindrances, and in fact can be legitimate objects ofmindfulness.Don'twearearplugsinanattemptto"soundproof"yourpractice.

Ifyoumeditateinthebedroomit'sbettertositonthefloorinsteadofthebed,whichmaycause sleepiness. (If you are ill or disabled, however, it is fine to practice in bed). Yoursittingmeditationspacedoesn'thavetobelarge.Evenawalkinclosetwilldo.

Clothing

Wear loose clothing if possible, and remove your shoes. Sometimes you might want topracticeawayfromhome(attheoffice,perhaps)andyouwon'tbeabletochangeclothes.But as long as you have privacy you can loosen your belt, remove your jacket andfootwear,andfindacomfortableplacetosit.

SittingStyles

The following postures are suitable for sitting meditation: 1. Half lotus 2. Full lotus 3.Crossleggedtailorfashion4.Legsbentwithoneleginfront(Burmesestyle)5.Kneelingonameditationbench6.Sittinginachair.

The first pose, half lotus, is the onemost often seen in the Buddha statues of SoutheastAsia. The legs are crossed and the right foot rests on the left thigh. This position isappropriateformostmeditators.Thenextpose,full lotus,isonlypractical ifyouareveryflexible.Therightfootrestsontheleftthigh,theleftfootontherightthigh.

Tailorfashionislessstablebuteasierthanhalflotus.EasiestofallthefloorpositionsistheBurmese pose in which the legs are bent but not crossed. One leg lies in front of or"outside"theother.Bothlegsrestonthefloorbutdon'ttoucheachother.Iftheseposturesaretoodifficultyoucansitonachairorameditationbench.

Whenusingachair,keepyourfeetflatonthegroundandtrynottoletyourbacktouchthechair. If you need to change posture because of discomfort, do so slowly andmindfully,observingtheintentiontomovebeforeshiftingthebody.Whateverposeyouchooseshouldbecomfortableenoughthatyoucanmaintainitwithoutmovingforatleasttwentyminutes(unlessyou'repracticingforashortertime,ofcourse).

Whensittingon the floor itwillhelp touseacushion.Thecushionshouldbe firmenoughthat itwon't be compressed flatwhen sat on. The ideal thickness is somewhere betweentwoandsix inches.You'llwanttoexperimentandfindoutwhatworksbest foryou.Placethecushionunderyourbuttockswithyourlegstouchingthefloor.Thelegsshouldnotrestonthecushion.Elevatingthehipstakesstressoff theneckandbackvertebraeandalignsthespine,whichallowsyoutositcomfortablyforlongerperiods.

Regardlessofwhichpositionyouchoose,don'tletyourbackslumptoomuch.Ontheotherhand, you shouldn't sit so straight that you tense the body. Mind and body should feel



relaxed, yet alert. Striking the right balance between the two extremes will take someexperimenting.Thinkoftuningaguitarstring:itshouldbejustrightneithertootightnortooloose.

Having foundacomfortableposition,putyourhands inyour lap,oneon topof theother,with thepalms facingupward.Traditionally thebackof the righthand restson topof theleftpalm.Don'tclenchyourhands.Inalltheexercisesexceptwalkingmeditationyoureyescanbeeitheropenorclosed(inwalkingmeditationyoureyesmustbeopen).

We advise beginners to close their eyes, which allows for easier concentration. Butsometimesconcentrationbecomesstrongerthanmindfulness.Inthatcaseopeningtheeyesmayhelp disperse the excess concentration andbring the two factors into balance again.Onlymomentary concentration is needed for insightmeditation. Occasionally ameditatormayexperiencedisturbingmentalimages,inwhichcaseitmayhelptoopentheeyes.

Nowyouarereadytobeginmeditating.Chooseoneofthefollowingexercisesandpracticeit for at least tenminutes. Remember that all physicalmovements, such aswalking andmovingthehands,shouldbeperformedslowly,withcontinuousmindfulness.Shallwedivein?

Resolution(Optional)

You may wish to make a resolution before each practicesession. Doing so will helpstrengthenyourdetermination.Youcanuseyourownwords,butthespiritoftheaspirationshouldbesomethinglikethis:"BythispracticeofinsightmeditationmayIreachtheendofsuffering.Mayothersalsobenefitfromthiswholesomeaction."Don'tjustrepeatthewords.Reallyconcentrateontheresolveforamomentortwo.

Exercise1:RisingandFalling(Suitableforbeginners)

Werecommendthisvipassanatechniqueforeveryone.Adoptoneofthesittingpostures.Ifyouaredisabledorhaveachronicillnessyoucandotheexerciselyingdown.

Ifyouchooseasittingposition,placeyourhandsinyourlap,palmsfacingupward,therighthandontopofthe left.Ifdoingtheexercise lyingdown,putyourhandsontheabdomen,oneontopoftheother,oratyoursides.Closeyoureyes.

Next,directyourattentiontotheabdomen,aninchortwoabovethenavel.Findthepointthatseemsclearesttoyou.Don'tactuallylookatthespot.Justplaceyourmindthere.Thepointshouldliealongtheverticalmidlineofthebody.

As you breathe in, the abdomen expands as you breathe out, it contracts. Inmeditationthese movements are called, respectively, "rising" and "falling." They never cease toalternateaslongasyoulive.

Astheabdomenrises,observethemotionfrombeginningtoendwithyourmind.Whentheabdomen falls, do the same. That's all there is to it. Just keep watching the rising andfalling movements. You don't have to do anything to them. Just know the movementswithoutjudgingordescribingthem.

Ifitisdifficulttoperceivetherisingandfallingmotions,putyourhandonyourstomachinordertofeelthemclearly.

Instead ofmaking a continuous loop, the rising and fallingmotions are actually separatemovements.Imaginearockthrownstraightupintheair.Whenreachingthehighestpointtherockstopsforafractionofasecondbeforefalling.Likewise,theabdomenstopsrising



foramomentbeforefallingback.

Asyoudotheexercise,restrictyourattentiontowhatisoccurringintheimmediatepresentmoment.Don't thinkabout thepastor futuredon't thinkaboutanythingatall. Letgoofworries, concerns, and memories. Empty your mind of everything except the abdominalmovementsoccurringrightnow.Butdon'tthinkaboutthemjustknowthem.

It'simportanttounderstandthatknowingbodilymotion(orknowinganything)asitactuallyis in thepresentmoment isentirelydifferent fromthinkingabout it. In insightmeditationtheaimisnottothink,butonlytoknow.

Toknowanobjectduringvipassanameditationmeanstoexperienceitwithbare,nonverbalawareness.Youmerely register thesensationwith impartialattention,without identifying,naming, judging or describing it. You don't have to comment on the movements: "Thatfallingmotionlastedlongerthanthepreviousone.Thatrisingmovementwasn'tasclearastheothers,"andsoon.

As soon as there is bare awareness of the rising or falling movement, you are alreadyknowing it. The same is trueof everythingyoumightobserveduringmeditationpractice.Nomatterwhatappears,justknowitwithbareattentionforonemomentandthenletitgo.

Keepingyourmindontherisingandfallingmovementsmaynotbeaseasyasyou'dthink.Be patient and don't judge yourself, even if themindwanders out often. Remember thatyou're learning a new skill. When learning to play the piano, for example, you wouldn'texpect perfection right away. Likewise, you shouldn't expect it in meditation. Don't getdiscouragedifyourprogressseemsslow.Aslongasyoustickwiththepractice,resultsaresuretocome.

As a beginner, you should label the abdominalmovementswith amental note. Amentalnotealsocalleda"label"isawordorshortphrasesaidsilentlyinthemind.Thepracticeof mental noting helps keep the mind on the meditation object and prevents you fromgettingdistracted.Butthistechniqueisonlyatemporarycrutch.Youshouldstopusingthementalnoteswhenmindfulnessisstrongenoughtoobserveobjectswithoutthem.Ifyou'renot sure whether mindfulness is strong enough, don't worry. In fact, the labels will fallawayautomaticallywhennolongeruseful,soyoudon'thavetomakeadeliberatedecisiontostopusingthem.

Labelinganobjectwithamentalnoteshouldnotbeconfusedwithrecognizingandinwardlysayingtheordinarynameoftheobject,whichiswhatwedoindailylifeassoonasweseeorhearsomething.Norshouldweconfusementalnotingwithdescribingtheobjectfurther.Mental notes support mindfulness in the early stages by increasing momentaryconcentration. But even when using the noting technique, we should focus on the actualexperience of the object instead of on the label, letting go of the conventional names,associations and meanings that in ordinary life are automatically attached to senseimpressions.

Here'showtousethementalnotingtechniquewiththisexercise:Astheabdomenexpands,saytheword"rising"inyourmind.Whentheabdomencontracts,say"falling."Continuetonoterising,falling,rising,falling,rising,falling,fromonemomenttothenext.

Onlysay thementalnoteone timepermovement.Forexample,duringonerisingmotionyou would say the word "rising" once, stretching the word out to last as long as theinhalation.Whenbeginningtoexhaleyouwouldsay"falling,"stretchingthewordouttolastas long as the exhalation. Again, these words are said silently. And as we mentioned amomentago,evenwhenusing thementalnotes, try tokeepyourattentionon theactualmovementinsteadofontheword.Theaimistoknowtheexperienceitself.

Thementalnoteshouldcoincidewiththemotion,notbetaggedonafterwards.Sometimesyou might catch yourself saying "falling" after the rising movement has begun, or viceversa. In that caseyouareno longerknowing thepresentmoment. Just startoveragainfromthatpoint,noticingwhatisactuallyhappeningnow.Laterwe'lltalkmoreaboutmentalnotes.



During the risingfalling exercise don't focus on thebreath or the physical components ofthe abdomen. Keep your attention on the surface of the body and focus only on themovement, which is perceived subjectively as a subtle sensation of tactile pressure, asensationwhichkeepschangingfrommomenttomoment.

Imaginelyingonyourback,puttingacoinorsomeotherobjectonyourstomachand,withyoureyesclosed,mentally"watching"thecoinmoveupanddownasyoubreathe.Orthinkofabuoyonthewater,movingupanddownwiththewaves.Thecoinandthebuoyarelikethespotontheabdomen,andthemeditatorjustfollowstheupanddownmovement.

Acoupleofpointers:theabdomenshouldnotbevisualized.Youonlyhavetobeawareofthemovements.Andbe sure tobreathenaturally.Don't try to control yourbreath (but ifyoucan'tperceivetheabdominalmotionsyoumaytakeafewverydeepbreathswithyourhand on your stomach in order to help you sense the movements. Afterwards, let yourbreathingreturntonormal).

If you can watch your abdomen rising and falling one time, you can practice insightmeditation.Whynot try it right nowbefore you continue reading? Itwill only take a fewseconds.

Closeyoureyesandinhale,observingonerisingmotionthenexhale,observingonefallingmotion.Don'tworrythis pagewill still be herewaiting for you. It isn't going anywhere.Youcancontinuereadingaftertryingtheexercise.Letanyresistancedropaway.Goaheadandtryitnow,onthecountofthree.One,two,three:Begin.

Congratulations.Yousee?Insightmeditationisn'tdifficult.

Here is some additional information about observing the abdominalmovements. A singlerising movement of the abdomen lasts about two or three seconds. It has a beginning,middle and end (and so does the falling movement). Ideally your attention should beequally alert for the entire durationof themovement.Notice themotionas theabdomenfirstbeginstoexpand,keepingyourattentioncontinuousthroughoutthedevelopmentofthemovement, until the abdomen reaches the highest point and stops expanding. Don't justfocuson themiddlestage,which is themostobviouspart.Thebeginningandendpointsshouldbenoticed,too.Whentheabdomenstopsexpanding,letgooftherisingmovementand refocusyourattentionon thebeginningof the fallingmovement.Observe the fallingmovementinthesameway,frombeginningtoend.

Please note, we're not saying you should mentally chop one abdominal movement intosections.Onerisingorfallingmotionshouldbenoticedsmoothly,withoutbreaks,untilitisover, at which point you would let it go. The same applies to the motion of the feet inwalkingmeditation,themovementsofthehandsinExercise3,andsoon.

Therisingfallingexercise isnotonly forbeginners.Mostexperiencedmeditatorscontinuetouseitastheirmainpractice.Evenifyoumoveontotheotherexercisesyoushouldnotforgetaboutthisone,sincetheabdominalmovementscanbenotedanywhere,anytime.

Motionbelongs to the first foundationofmindfulness, thebody. The risingfallingmotionsarematerialform(inPali,"rupa").Regardthemwithadetached,scientificattitude.Intheultimate sense, these movements do not belong to you. They are only impersonalphenomena, not your self. In truth, they are not a part of you. They are not themind,either. It is themind(nama) thatknows them.Yet inultimate terms themindwhatyoucall"yourmind"isnotaself,butjustanimpersonalfacultywhosefunctionistobeawareofsomething.

Practicetherisingfallingexerciseanywherefromtenminutestoonehour.Ifyouwanttomeditatelongerthananhour,itisbesttoalternatethisexercisewithwalkingmeditation.



ObservingMovement

Inmanyof the exercises presentedhere, themeditatorwatchesbodilymovement.Whenobservingtheabdominalmotionsoranyotherformofbodilymovement,thestudentshouldfocusonthemovementitselfinsteadofonthephysicalbodypart.

Thetwowaysoffocusingmightbecomparedtolookingatawindmillintwodifferentways.Wemight look at a windmill in order to discover the direction of the wind, or wemightstudythewindmill'sstructurebecausewe'regoingtorepairit.Inthefirstcaseweonlypayattention to themotionof thewindmillbladestheir speed and direction.We don't noticedetailsabouttheirshape,structureandcolor.Whocares?Thephysicaldetailsofthebladestell usnothingwhatsoeverabout thewind, so there'sno reason to focuson them.Allwecareaboutisthepaththeymakethroughspaceastheymove.

Likewise,althoughweareawareofthefootduringwalkingmeditation,wedontcareaboutitscorporealmass,whichonlyservesasa"marker"fortheimportantpart,themovement.Insteadoftryingtofeeleachmuscleorexperienceadeepersensationwithinthefoot,ourfocusisonlyonthepathitmakesthroughspacethetrajectorythefootdescribesintheairwith each step. All other bodily movements, including the abdominal motions and themovementsofthehandsinExercise3,areobservedinpreciselythesameway.

Justwatch the path of themovement, and do soas it is happening. Keep abreast of themovementinthepresentmomentsoyourawarenessdoesn'tlagbehind.

LimitYourGoal

Sometimesyou'llfeelboredoruncomfortableduringmeditation.Youmightkeeppeekingattheclock,wonderinghowmuch timehaspassed.Another twentyminutes togo!Howwillyougetthroughit?Evenonemoreminuteseemstoomuch.

Whenthathappens, limityourgoal.Justtake itonebreathatatime.Remindyourself,"Ionly have to note one rising movement." Or, "I just have to note this single fallingmovement.Justthismuch."Toletgoofyourresistance,worryoraversionforonemomentisn't hard (and even during those timeswhen it isn't easy, it's stillpossible). Then do itagain for onemoremoment. And again. In a fewminutes the feeling of resistancemaychangebyitself,becauseit'sthenatureofthemindtochange.

Sodon'tworryaboutthefutureduringmeditationpractice.Letgo.Tothinkahead,evenifonlytothenextbreath,istomoveawayfromthepresentmoment.Thenthoughtswillgetstirredupdistracting,delusive thoughtsabouthowdifficultorboringmeditation is.You'llthinkofmanythingsyou'dratherbedoing.Soonthosethoughtswillforceyoutostandupand walk away from the cushion without having finished your meditation session. It's



importantnottofollowthosethoughts,becausetheyarenothingbutthemind'sattempttotrickyou intogivingup. Insteadofallowingsuch thoughts tocontrolyou, just stay in thenow.Takeitonemomentatatime.

Ifmeditationseemsverydifficultoryou lackselfdiscipline, try this strategy:decideyouwillmeditate justoneminuteperday.Anyonecando that, right?Youwill find,however,thatonceyouget"overthehump"ofyour initialresistanceandactuallysitdowntodoit,you might sometimes want to meditate longer. It's that initial hurdle that's the mostdifficult.Butevenifyoudon'tendupmeditatinglonger,keeppracticingoneminuteeveryday,withoutexception,andyourattitudewillgraduallychange.

While observing the abdominal movements, other phenomena will sometimes intrudethoughts, sensations of itching, pain, numbness, emotions, sounds, and so forth. In thefollowingsectionswe'lldiscusshowtodealwithsomeoftheseobjects.

PrimaryandSecondaryObjects

Everymeditationtechniqueusesameditationobject:somethingtofocusyourmindon.InExercise 1, the rising and falling abdominal motions are the primary or main object.Although you should try to keep your attention on the primary object, other phenomenamaybenoticedattimes.(We'lltalkaboutwhentonoticetheminamoment.)Theseotherthingsarecalled"secondaryobjects."

Hereweshouldexplainthattheword"object"hasaspecialmeaninginvipassanapractice.It does not refer to a threedimensional Thing like a desk or a bicycle. An objectmeanssomethingthatisknownbythemind(somethingyou'reawareof) inthepresentmoment,asopposedtothesubjectthat isknowingit.Thesubject isthemindor"knower."(Yet, intheultimatesense,thesubjectisnotaselfbutthemerefacultyofknowing).

Invipassana,anobjectofawarenesscanbeeithermaterialormental.Practicallyspeaking,a "material object" refers to a senseimpression: color, sound, odor, tactile sensation(includingbodilymovement),andflavor.Amentalobjectreferstosuchthingsaspleasantorunpleasantfeeling,desire,anxiety,peacefulness,anger,thought,andsoon.

Aswe said,while you'reobserving the risingfallingmovementsotherphenomenawill beappearing and disappearing. Youmight be aware of sounds. Sometimes you'll experienceemotionsandthoughts.Youmightfeel itches,numbnessordiscomfort inthebody,oryoumightfeelverypeaceful.Allofthesearesecondaryobjects.Inshort,asecondaryobjectisanythingyou'reawareofthatisnottheprimarymeditationobject.

When should you deliberately focus on a secondary object? If a secondary objectmakesonlyafaintimpressionontheperipheryofyourawarenessanddoesnotstronglyhookyourattention, ignore itandcontinueobserving theprimarymeditationobject. In thatcase,ofcourse,youdon'tneedtolabelthesecondaryobjectwithamentalnote.

But ifa secondaryobjecthooksyourattentionandpulls itaway,or if it causesdesireoraversiontoappear,youshouldfocusonthesecondaryobjectforamomentortwo,labelingit with a mental note. After that, drop it and resume watching the primary meditationobject.Onlyobserveonethingatatime.

MentalNoting

A mental note identifies an object in general but not in detail. When you're aware of asound,forexample,labelit"hearing"insteadof"motorcycle,""voices"or"barkingdog."Ifanunpleasantsensationarises,note"pain"or"feeling"insteadof"kneepain"or"mybackpain." Then return your attention to the primary meditation object. When aware of afragrance,saythementalnote"smelling"foramomentortwo.Youdon'thavetoidentifythescent.



Youreyeswillusuallybeclosedduringtherisingfallingexercise,soyouwon'thavemuchoccasiontosee.Butsometimesyoumightwanttoopenyoureyes,suchaswhenchangingposture.Whenyouareawareofcolor,notethebaresensationofseeingforamomentortwo, labeling it "seeing."Don'tpayattention towhat thesight isan imageof,orwhetherit'sattractiveorunattractive.Thengobacktoobservingtheprimarymeditationobject.

Using mental notes helps prevent clinging and aversion from arising. But as soon as anobjectisnoteditshouldbeletgoof.Eventhesensationorthoughtyounotedonemomentbeforeshouldnotbekeptinthemind.Inmeditationpracticeeveryphenomenonshouldbedroppedassoonasitisnoticed.

Amentalnoteshouldusuallybelimitedtooneortwowords.Ifit'stoolonganotherobjectwill have arisen before you finish saying the note. Amental note should also be a wordeasily recalledsoyoudon'thave tosearchyourmind for it.Don'twaste time looking fortherightmentalnote.Thatwilltakeyououtofthepresentmoment.Ifyoudon'tknowwhattocallsomethingusethegenerallabel"knowing."

Ifanobjecthasalreadydisappearedbeforeyouwereabletolabelit,don'tgobackandtagonthe label.Letgoofall thepreviousobjectsandstartoveragainfromthismoment,bynoting whatever is being experienced now. But if most of the objects that arise seem"faster"thanthementalnotes,youdon'tneedtousethenotesanymore.

However, although the labeling technique is mainly for beginners, even advancedmeditators benefit from using it whenmindfulness and concentration are weak. Don't beafraid tocomparebothprocedures.Usethementalnotes,andthendropthemforawhile.Whatisthedifference?Areyouabletofocusonthepresentmomentobjectequallywellinbothcases?Eventuallyyou'll know instinctivelywhen the labelsareusefulandwhen theymerelygetintheway.

Remember:thementalnotesaresaidsilentlyattheexactmomentofperceivingtheobject,notaddedlater.

The instructions for noting secondary objects apply to all themeditation exercises in thisarticle.

WanderingMind

Inthebeginningyourmindwilloftenwanderduringmeditation,spinningoutthoughtsaboutthepastand future.Beassured this isnormalbutwhat shouldyoudowhen ithappens?The strategy is simple: When you catch yourself thinking, silently say the mental note"thinking" foramomentor two,and thengently returnyourattention to the risingfallingmovements(orwhateverprimarymeditationobjectyouwereobserving).

Butaftergainingsomeexperience invipassanapracticeyoumaynotice thoughts thatarevery faintor in the "background"ofawarenessanddon'thookyourattention.Beforeyoucan label themwithamental note, they're alreadygone. In that case there'snoneed tolabel the thoughts. Just keep observing the primary meditation object and ignore thethoughts,whichwillfallawayontheirown.

The latter approach ismainly for intermediate andadvancedmeditators.Since it ismoredifficult forbeginners tonoticewhentheyare thinking, there'sagreaterchance themindwillbehookedbyathoughtandgetcarriedawayona longtangentbeforeyourealize it.Immediatelylabelingthinkingwithamentalnotehelpspreventthis.

Don't get upset or judge yourself when themind wanders away. Keep gently bringing itback to themainmeditation object. Be patientwith yourself and understand that it's thenature of themind to think, so training it to stay in the presentmoment and just knowtakestime.

Actually, ifyouareaware themindhaswandered itmeansyouarebeingmindful. Ifyoudidn'thavemindfulness,youwouldn'tknowthemindhaddriftedaway. Indaily lifewe're



unawarehowdistracted and agitated ourminds truly are.Onlywhenmaking an effort tomeditatecanweseethefullextentofthemind'srestlessnessasitjumpsfromonethoughttothenext.Thesuttascompareittoamonkeyinatreejumpingfrombranchtobranch.

When you catch themindwandering youmight be tempted towonder, "How long have Ibeen thinking? When did I lose track of the risingfalling motions?" But those are morethoughts,andevenasyou're thinking themmorerisingfallingmovementsarepassingbyunnoticed.Don'tgoback to find thespotwhereyou lostmindfulnessor try to reconstructthe links in the cognitive chain. You can't bring those past moments back in order toacknowledgethem.Letthemgoandstartoveragainfromthismoment.

One reason the mind easily wanders off on tangents is that we tend to believewholeheartedly in the content of our thoughts, and sowhenever a thought arises we getmesmerizedbyits"story."Wemaynotthinkofourselvesaspeoplewhoareeasilyfooled,butthisisoneareainwhichmostofusarecompletelygullible,especiallywhenthethoughtcarries an emotional charge. When pleasant thoughts appear we get caught up in thefantasies, fueled by desire. When unpleasant memories arise we focus on how we werewronged,gettingmoreandmoreupset.Whether thecontentof the thought ispleasantorunpleasant, we tend to assume it has substance instead of recognizing that it's just anemptyvibrationarisingandpassingaway.

During vipassana practice meditators should try to ignore the content of their thoughtscompletely.Itdoesn'tmatterwhetherathoughtisgoodorbad,pleasantorunpleasanttheconventionalmeaningisirrelevantinmeditation.Theattitudeistolookuponallthoughtsasgeneralinstancesof"thinking,"withoutpayingattentiontothedetailsthatdifferentiateonethought from another. All thoughts (indeed, all objects) have equal value in vipassanapractice.

Wedon'thavetofeelguiltyabouthavingunwholesomethoughts.Thekeyistobeawareofthemassoonastheyarise.Ifwe'reawareoftheminthepresentmoment,mindfulnessisalready there. Everyone has bad thoughts at times. In reality most thoughts arisespontaneouslyduetocauseswecannotdirectlycontrol.Insteadoftryingtosuppressthemduringmeditation,therightapproachisto"knowandletgo."

Imaginetwomeditators:thefirsthasmanyangrythoughtsbutdoesn'tgetinvolvedinthem(oractonthem,ofcourse).Henotesandletsgoofthemrightaway.Thesecondmeditatorclings to beautiful thoughts about the Buddhist teachings. Which student is practicingvipassanacorrectly?Thefirst.

Whenameditatorisawareofathoughtearlyenough,herealizes,"Thethoughtwasnotinexistencebeforeitappearedjustnowanddisappearedatonce.IhadpreviouslyimaginedthoughttobepermanentbecauseIhadnotcarefullyobservedit.NowthatIhavewatchedit,andseen itdisappearing, Iknow it trulyas it is, impermanent" (MahasiSayadaw, TheGreatDiscourseonNotSelf,pp.1156).

Itisimportanttounderstandhowtoobservethinkingcorrectlybecause,asMahasiSayadawexplains, thoughts and tactile sensationsespecially sensations of bodily movementarethe most frequent objects of contemplation. Even exalted thoughts about the Buddhistteachingsshouldbeletgoof,asshouldpainfulthoughts.

Whennothoughtsorothersecondaryobjectsdistractyou,yourattentionshouldstaywiththeprimarymeditationobject.

OneObjectataTime

Thevipassana technique involves focusingonone thingata time.Thatdoesn'tmeanyouhavetoobserveoneobjectexclusivelyfortheentiremeditationperiod.Itmeansfocusingononethingpermoment.Observingtwoobjectsorsenseimpressionsinthesamemoment"confuses"mindfulness.Therefore,whenobservingarisingorafallingmotion,ignoreotherobjects.Don'tpayattentiontosounds,thoughts,feelingsorsmells.



Butitshouldbeunderstoodthatinanytwoconsecutivemomentsthemeditationobjectmaybedifferent.Invipassanayourattentionmayjumpfromonemeditationobjecttoanother.You might observe a falling movement of the abdomen, and then in the next momentobserve a sound. So even if you sit down to practice the risingfalling exercise for thirtyminutes, it doesn'tmean youwill observe the abdominalmovements during every singlemoment of that halfhour period. Secondary objects will sometimes hook you, andwheneveryoudeliberatelynoteasecondaryobjectyoushouldswitchallofyourattentiontoit (even if just for that one moment). Whatever object you're observing at any givenmomentshouldbetheonlythingyoufocusoninthatmoment.

For instance, ifasoundpullsyourattentionaway fromtheabdominalmovements,switchyourattentiontothesoundandnote"hearing"foramomentortwo.Forthosefewsecondsignoreeverythingelse,includingtherisingfallingmotions.(Whiledoingthisyoumightstillbe aware of other phenomena in the background or on the periphery of consciousness.That'sall right.Thepoint isyouarenot intentionally focusingon them).Afteroneor twomoments of noting "hearing," return your attention to the primarymeditation object andforgetabout thesound.Thesameprocedureapplies toanythingelseyoumightobservethoughts,emotions,itches,smells,feelings,andsoon.

By focusing on one object at a time, ameditator is able to perceive the three phases ofeach momentarising, persisting, and vanishingmore and more clearly. On the otherhand, if abeginner tries tobeaware inageneralwayofwhatever comesup,noticing isvague.Becausehisattentionisscatteredacrossseveralobjectsatonce,noneisparticularlyclear.Sinceheistryingtoobservethewholestreamofexperiencesimultaneously,hemaynotknowwhichobjecthesnoticingatanygivenmoment,anditisdifficulttogaininsight.

When two ormore objectssuch as amovement and a soundoccur simultaneously, thegeneralruleistoobservetheonethatmakesthestrongestimpactonthemind,ortheonethattriggersmoredesireoraversion.

KnowandLetGo

Asweexplainthroughoutthisarticle, thevipassanamotto is:knowand letgo.Orwecansay, "Focus and forget it." They mean the same thing. All insight meditators shouldmemorizeoneofthesephrases.

The letting go or "forgetting" is just as important as the knowing or focusing. Duringmeditationpracticeastudentfocusesononethingatatimeandthenlets itgo.Hekeeps"knowing and letting go" repeatedly, from one moment to the next. In Exercise 1, forexample,we focusontherisingmovementof theabdomen,andthendrop it. In thenextmomentweobservethefallingmovement,andthenletitgo.Themomentafterthatwe'reawareoftherisingmovementagainassoonasitendsweforgetit.Andsoon.

That's how to describe the procedure inwords.But in practice, aswe explain elsewhere,"lettinggo" isnotaseparateaction.Lettinggoof thepreviousmeditationobjecthappensautomaticallyeverytimewefocusinthepresentagain.

Let's take another look at Exercise 1.We observe one risingmovement of the abdomenuntilitends.Immediatelyafterthat,inthenextmoment,webringourattentiontoobservethefallingmovement.Butintheactofbringingourattentionintothepresentagaintoseethefallingmovement,therisingmotionissimultaneouslyforgotten.Intruth,consciousnesscanonlybeawareofonethingatatime.Ithastoletgoofthepreviousobjectinordertoknowsomethingelse.

That'swhywedon'thave to letgoasa separate step. Lettinggoand reestablishingourattention in the present moment are the same. Letting go of the past happens by itselfwhenever we truly bring the mind back to the here and now. But reestablishing ourattention in the present is something we have to keep doing, gently, with every singlemoment.Thepresentisnotstatic.Thereisalwaysanew"presentmoment."

Therefore, what we are actually doing during vipassana practice is: knowing, knowing,



knowing, in a chain of moments. Or we could describe it like this: knowingthepresent,knowingthepresent,knowingthepresent. Inanarticle for tricycle.com, JosephGoldsteindescribeshowtodothiswiththeabdominalmovements:"Trainyourawarenesstoconnectclearlywiththefirstmomentofthebeginninginbreath.Thensustaintheattentionforthedurationofjustthatoneincomingbreath.Connectagainatthebeginningoftheoutbreathand sustain your attention till the end." (http://www.tricycle.com/briefteachings/meditationinstructions). Asmeditators, our only job is keep bringing themindback to knowingwhat is happening righthere in thispresentmoment. And now thisone.Andthisone.

Itching

During vipassana practice you might feel an itch somewhere on the body. In daily lifesensationsofitchinessarisefrequently,butsincethenormalresponseistoscratchtheitchunconsciously,withoutclearmindfulness,peopledon'trealizeithappenshundredsoftimesperday.Asa result ofmeditating, youbegin to see thatuncomfortablebodily sensationsarisemuchmoreoftenthanyouhadthought.

If you can keep your attention on the principal object and let the itch stay in the"background," it will often disappear by itself. If it doesn't disappear but becomesmoreuncomfortable, just watch the sensation for a few moments, saying the mental note"feeling"or"itching."Desiremightarisedesiretoberidofthefeeling.Label it"wanting"or"desire."(Hereyoudon'tobservethesensationofitchinessperse,butthewantingitself,whichisadifferentobject).

Iftheitchpersistsandyouhavetoscratchit,usethefollowingstepbysteptechnique:

1. Observethedesiretoberidofthefeeling,sayingthementalnote"desire."

2. Beforemovingyourhand,note"intendingtomove."

3. Mindfullymoveyourhandtotheitchyspot,noting"moving."

4. Whenyoureachthespot,stopmovingyourhandforamomentandnote,"intendingtoscratch."

5. Scratchtheitch,noting"moving"or"scratching."Stop.

6. Moveyourhandback,sayingthementalnote"moving."Stop.

7. Putyourhandinyourlap,noting"placing."Nowyouarebackintheoriginalmeditationposture.

8. Notethepleasantfeelingthathasreplacedtheunpleasantone,labelingit"feeling"foroneortwomoments.Noticeiflikingarisesforthegoodsensation.Ifitdoes,labelit"liking"or"desire."

9. Resumewatchingtheprimarymeditationobject.

Pain

Wheneveryoukeep thebody in thesamepositionwithoutmoving it, sooneror laterpainwillarise.Howshouldyoudealwithpainduringmeditationpractice?

Instead of automatically shifting the body when you feel discomfort, try to observe thesensationitself,labelingitwiththementalnote"pain"or"feeling."Sometimesthepainwilldisappearonitsown.Sometimesitwillgrowstrongerfirst,andthendiminishordisappear.Inanycase,byobservingunpleasantfeelingyouwillnoticethatitdoesnotstaythesame.Itchangesfrommomenttomoment.Likeeverythingelse,painisimpermanent.

But if thepainbecomes toosevereyoushouldchangeposition.Beginnersshouldn't try to



grit their teeth and tough it out. Only advanced meditators can observe severe paineffectively.Theobjectistooheavyforabeginner'smindfulnessto"lift."

Ontheotherhand,youdon'twanttochangepositionatevery littletwitchortingle.Don'tgiveintodesireeasily.Meditatorswon'tmakeprogresswithoutthepatiencetobearmanyunpleasant feelings. Only change position if you cannot tolerate the discomfort and it isinterferingwithyourmindfulness.

Ifyoudecidetochangeposition,followthisstepbysteptechnique:

1. Observethesensationofpainforafewmoments,labelingit"pain"or"feeling".

2. Notethedesiretoberidofthepain.Ifpossible,waituntilyourmindisnolongerstrugglingagainstthepainfulfeelingbeforegoingtothenextstep.

3. Saythementalnote"intendingtomove."

4. Slowlymovethebodyintothenewposture,noting"moving."Breaktheentireactionintoseveralsmallermovements,stoppingfullyaftereachone.Thiscreatesclearobjectsformindfulness.

5. Notethepleasantfeelingthathasreplacedthepain,labelingit"pleasure"or"feeling"foramomentortwo.Ifyoulikethefeeling,labelit"liking,"or"desire."

6. Resumewatchingtheprimarymeditationobject.

Bypracticinginsightmeditationwegraduallyrealizethereisnobodilypositioncomfortableenoughthatwecanalwaysmaintain it.Pain inevitablyappears,evenwhen lyingdown(ifyoudoubt this,askanyonewho isbedridden in thehospital).Nomatterhowcomfortablethepositionisinitially,wearealwaysforcedtomovebecauseofthechangingnatureofthephysical elements. That is one way in which the body is unsatisfactory, or a cause ofsuffering.

Formoreadvancedmeditatorsthereisanadditionalmethodfordealingwithphysicalpain,whichistodisengageyourattentionfromitandobservetheminditself.

Sometimes when you have bodily pain, even in daily life, the mind is momentarilydistracted from it. When you're aware of the pain again you realize that for those fewmomentsofthinkingaboutyourfinances,oranargumentyouhadwithalovedone,orthethingsyouneedtobuyatthestore,youdidn'tactuallyfeelthediscomfortanymore.Why?Becausethemindwasoccupiedwithsomethingelse.Itisafactthatconsciousnesscanonlyknowonethingatatime.Whenyouarethinkingaboutsomethingelseyoucannotbeawareofpainatthesametime.

From this experience you realize that when the mind lets go of pain and focuses on adifferentobject,thepaineffectivelydisappears.Butthat'snottosayyoushouldthinkandfantasizeduringmeditationpractice.Youshouldstay in thepresentmoment,butseparateor disengage your mind from the feeling and put your attention on the mind itselftheknower or the one knowing the experience. You may then see that the mind or knowerarisesandpassesawayfrommomenttomoment.

Withthismethodyouletthepainbethereinthebackgroundif it'sgoingto,butyoudon'tpayattentiontoit.Theattitudeisthatyoudon'thavetogetinvolvedwiththepainorworryaboutit.Theunpleasantfeelingissolelythebusinessofthebody.Ifyoucanseparateyourmindfromthepainandletgoofit,youwon'texperiencethesufferinginthesamewayasbefore.Then,eventhoughthephysicalsensationmaystillbethere,itwon'tbeexperiencedas"hurt",anditwon'tmakethemindsuffer.Butthisisanadvancedtechniquewhichisnotrecommendedforbeginners.

Generally speaking, when feelings arise during meditation they should be observed andlabeledwithamentalnote.Thatisnotonlytrueofunpleasantfeelingssuchaspain.Ifyoufail to observe a pleasant feeling when it arises, attachment can develop. Before you'reevenawareof it,youwill cling to the feeling. It iseasy togetcaughtup inpleasureandforgetaboutstayinginthepresentmoment.Whetherafeelingispainfulorpleasant,after



notingitforamomentortwo,letitgo.

Youshouldalsobeawareofanydesirethatarisesinconnectionwithfeelingwhetherthedesire to get rid of a painful sensationor to prolongapleasant one.Whendesire arises,labelitwithamentalnote.

MentalImages

Somemeditatorsseevividmentalimageswhenreachingacertainstageofinsight.Othersnever see such visions. Whether or not they appear depends in part on the student'stemperament. The imagesmight be of anything at all: people, animals, gardens, colors,decayingbodies,abstractshapes,oreventheBuddha.

Thesevisionscan range fromexquisitelybeautiful tovery frightening.Butnomatterhowvivid they seem, these images are not real. They aremental formations that arise fromimagination (coupledwith concentration) and have no significance. They are neither goodnorbad.Themeditatorshouldneitherdesirenorfearthem.

Ifanimageoccurs,trytofocusontheprimarymeditationobjectagain(suchastherisingfallingmotions), ignoring the image. Let the image remain in the "background," but don'tpayattentiontoit.Eventuallytheimagewillfadeaway.

Iftheimagepersistsandinterfereswithyourpractice,thereareseveralthingsyoucando:

1. Practicewithyoureyesopen.

2. Labeltheimagewithamentalnote.(Youcanusetheword"image"or"seeing,"althoughitshouldbeunderstoodthatknowingamentalimageisnotthesameasgenuineseeing.)Continuetonotetheimagefrommomenttomomentuntilitdisappears.Theimagewilloftendisappearafterseveralnotings.

3. Switchtoadifferentmeditationexercise.Ifyouaresitting,getupandpracticewalkingmeditationordothehandmotionsexercise.

Ifyounote the imagewith theaimofgetting ridof itdue toaversionor fear, itwill lastlonger.Enjoying thevisionwillalsomake itpersist.Whether it ispleasantorunpleasant,try to note the image impartially, just as you would any other object, without liking ordislikingit.

MindfulnessWhenChangingPosture

Insight meditators usually alternate a period of sitting with an equal period of walkingmeditation, especially during an intensive retreat in which vipassana is practiced manyhoursperday.

During the transition between postures it is crucial tomaintain stepbystepmindfulness.When thesitting time isover, resist the temptation to jumpupsuddenlyorautomaticallystretchyourbackorlegswithoutbeingmindfulofyourmovements.Inthelongrun,evenafewmoments of speeding up will slow you down. Carelessmovements cause a break incontinuitythatscattersmindfulness.

In the old days before lighters andmatches, fire could only be produced by rubbing twostickstogetheruntilthefrictioncreatedaspark.Continuityofeffortwasessentialingettinga flame. If you stopped to rest, the sticks would go cold and you'd have to start over.Continuityisjustasimportantinvipassanapractice.

Here we'll describe how to change from sitting to standing in a stepbystep manner,enablingyoutomaintainmindfulness.Thesameprinciplesapplytoalltheotherpostures.



First, note your intention as "intending to move." Next, start moving the body slowly,breaking the motion down into a series of separate actions. Stop completely after eachmovement.Bringeachhandtoyourstomachoneatatime.Tiltyourtorsoforwardasyouprepare to stand. Uncross your legs. Lift one leg and then the other. Note the feeling ofpressureagainsteachfootasyouplaceitonthefloor,andthenslowlystandup.

Each of these actions should be performed slowly, methodically, and observed frombeginning to end. Whenever possible, move only one body part at a time. It's veryimportanttostopfullyattheendofeachmovement.Labeleachactionwithanappropriatementalnoteorsimplynote"moving."

Once the body is upright you should observe the standing posture for a few moments,noting "standing." This means to focus awareness on the position or shape of the body,beingawareofhowitfeels.Ifthisisdifficultyoucanfocusononepoint,suchasthespotwhere the soles of your feet touch the floor. (For amore detailed description of how toobservebodilyposture,pleaseseeExercise4).

Whether you are standing, sitting, or lying down, apply this stepbystep techniquewheneveryouchangepostureduringvipassanapractice.

Belowareaseriesofdrawingsthat illustratethereverseprocess,changingfromstandingtositting, inevenmoredetail.Here theprocesshasbeenbrokendown intosixteensteps(this information has been adapted from Helen Jandamit's book, The Way to Vipassana,Bangkok,V.H.Publications,1990).

1. Beginbystandingwithyourfeettogether,armsatyoursides(alternatively,youmayholdyourarmsinfrontofthebody,onehandclaspingthewristoftheother).Moveyourleftfootbackwards,noting"moving."

2. Slowlybendyourknees,noting"moving"or"down".

3. Asyourleftkneetouchestheground,note"touching".



4. Moveyourlefthandtowardthefloor,noting"moving."

5. Placeyourlefthandonthefloor,noting"touching"(yourhandneedstobeinthispositiontosupportthebodypriortomovingtherightleg).

6. Movetherightlegbackuntilitisparallelwiththeleftleg,noting"moving."

7. Whentherightlegtouchesthefloor,note"touching".



8. Moveyourlefthandbackwards,noting"moving."

9. Asyourlefthandtouchesthefloor,note"touching".

10. Loweryourbodyuntilyouaresitting,noting"lowering".

11. Movetheleftfootbackwardssothatitisfurtherunderyourbody(itshouldbeinthecorrectpositiontositcrosslegged),noting"moving."

12. Liftingtherightknee,movetherightfootforwards,noting"moving".



13. Reachyourrightarmforwardandtakeholdofyourrightankle,noting"grasping".

14. Lifttherightfoot,noting"lifting."

15. Movethefoottowardsthebody,noting,"moving".

16. Setyourfootonthefloor,noting"placing".

17. Putyourhandsinyourlaponebyone,noting"moving."



This series of movements is only one of many possibilities, and does not have to befollowedprecisely.Ifyouhaveadisabilityorotherchronicphysicalproblemyoumayneedtoalter the steps.Adjustmentswill alsohave tobemade if youmeditate ina chair. Theimportantthingistofollowtheprincipleofbreakingdownlargermovementsintoseparate,smalleractionsthatcanbenotedoneatatime,andtostopcompletelyattheendofeachaction before beginning the next. Also, be sure to acknowledge each movement with amental note, especially if you're a beginner. You may devise your own notes the onesgivenhereareonlysuggestions.

Exercise2:WalkingMeditation

Walking meditation is an important vipassana technique. The basic walking meditationexercise is similar to normal walking, only slower and more deliberate. Your attentionshouldbeminutelyfocusedoneachaction.

The primary object during walking meditation is the motion of the feet. Observing themovementofthefeetisessentiallynodifferentfromwatchingtheabdominalmovementsorthe motions of the hand in Exercise 3. Don't try to feel the muscles in the foot, or asensationinthefoot.Instead,observethemovementitself.Inotherwords,witheachstepobservethepaththefootmakesasitmovesthroughspace.

Paynoattentiontotheabdominalmovementsduringthisexercise.Aswesaidbefore,onlyobserveoneobjectpermoment.

Onefinalnote:don'tlookatyourfeet.Justbeawareofthemovementswithyourmind.

Thebestenvironment isonewith fewvisualdistractions.Removeyourshoes, ifpossible.Youshouldhaveenoughspacetowalkatleastsevenpacesinastraightline.

Followtheinstructionsonchangingfromsittingtostanding.

Onceyouarestanding,holdyourhandsinfrontofyourbody,onehandgentlyclaspingthewrist of the other. Instead of looking around the room, keep your eyes directed straightahead or slightly downcast toward the floor (but don't bend your neck too far forward,whichmaycausediscomfort).Trynottoturnyourheadindependently.Evenwhenyouturnaroundattheendofthewalkingpath,keepyourheadinastraightlinewithyourspine,asif youwerewearing a neck brace.Move yourwhole body as one unit on the turn. Relaxyourshoulders.

BasicWalkingExercise(Suitableforbeginners)

1. Observethestandingposture,noting"standing"forafewmoments.Thismeanstofocusawarenessonthepostureofthebodyasyoustand(foramoredetaileddescriptionofhowtoobserveposture,seeExercise4).Ifthisisdifficultyoucanchooseonepointtofocuson,suchasthesolesofyourfeet,beingawareofthefeelingofpressurefromtouchingthefloor.

2. Beforemoving,note"intendingtowalk."(Don'tskipthisstep).

3. Slowlylifttherightfootandplaceitdown,takingonestep.Thisshouldbeasinglefluidmotionwithoutbreaks.Beawareoftheentirearcofmovementfrombeginningtoend.Asyoudoso,labelthestep"placing"(remembertolabelwhilethemotionishappening,notafterwards).Theleftfootshouldnothavemovedandtheleftheelshouldstillbeontheground.Afterplacingtherightfootdown,stopcompletelyforamoment.

4. Slowlytakeastepwiththeleftfoot,noting"placing."Stop.

5. Continuewalking,makingsuretostopcompletelyaftereachstep.Onlymoveonefootatatime.



6. Whenyoureachtheendofthewalkingpath,placeyourfeettogetheronthelaststep,noting"stopping."

7. Note"standing"fortwoorthreemoments.

8. Nowyouwillbegintoturn,infoursteps.Note"intendingtoturn."

9. Liftthetoesofyourrightfootandpivotontheheel,turningtoyourright.Atthesametime,saythementalnote"turning."Therightheelshouldstayontheground.Besuretokeepyourheadinlinewithyourtorso.Theleftfootshouldnotmove.Stop.

10. Lifttheleftfootandplaceitdownnexttotheright,whilenoting"turning".(Theleftfootdoesn'tpivot,butsteps.)Youshouldhavemovedaboutninetydegrees.Stop.

11. Pivotontherightheelagain,noting"turning."Stop.

12. Lifttheleftfootandplaceitdownnexttotheright,noting"turning."Bynowyoushouldbefacingintheoppositedirection,havingturnedonehundredandeightydegrees.

13. Repeatsteps112asmanytimesasyouwish.

Thatisthebasicexercise.Nextwe'llgivefivevariationsinwhicheachstepisbrokendownintoaseriesofsmallermovements.Substituteanyvariationforinstructionsnumber3and4above.Therestoftheexerciseisthesame.

Aword of advice: don't try the variations until you are adept at the basic exercise. Anddon't proceed to the next variation until you've mastered the previous one, even if thattakes amonth, a year, or longer. (During an intensivemeditation retreat, however, youmightspendonlyonedayoneachvariation.)

Remember that the "resting" foot should not come off the floor until the active foot hasfinishedmoving.Don'tforgettostopcompletelyaftereachsegmentofastep.

AdvancedWalkingMeditation

Thetwopartstep:(Lifting,placing).Lifttheheel,noting"lifting"(thetoesarestillonthefloor).Stop.Nowmovethewholefootforwardandplaceitonthefloor,noting"placing."

The threepartstep. (Lifting,moving,placing).Lift thewhole foot straightupasaunit,noting "lifting." Stop.Move the foot forward, noting "moving." Stop. Place thewhole footdownasaunit,noting"placing."



The fourpart step: (Heel up, lifting, moving, placing). Lift the heel, noting "heel up."Stop. Lift thewhole foot straight up, noting "lifting." Stop.Move the foot forward, noting"moving."Stop.Placethefootdownasaunit,noting"placing."

Thefivepartstep:(Heelup,lifting,moving,lowering,placing).Lifttheheel,noting"heelup." Stop. Lift the whole foot straight up, noting "lifting." Stop. Move the foot forward,noting "moving." Stop. Lower the foot as a unit, noting "lowering" stopwhen the foot isaboutaninchfromthefloor(besuretostopcompletelyhere).Placethewholefootonthefloor,noting"placing."

The sixpart step: (Heel up, lifting, moving, lowering, touching, placing). Lift the heel,noting"heelup."Stop.Liftthefootstraightup,noting"lifting."Stop.Movethefootforward,



noting "moving." Stop. Lower the foot, noting "lowering" stopwhen the foot is about aninch from the floor. Touch the toesonly the toesto the floor, noting "touching." Stop.Placetheheelonthefloor,noting"placing."

Exercise3:HandMotions(Suitableforbeginners)

Thisexerciseissimilartowalking(andrisingfalling)inthatyouwatchthebody'sphysicalmovement.By focusingonadifferent part of thebody, however, yougivemindfulness alargerrepertoireofobjects,justasaweightliftertrainsdifferentmusclesinrotation.

Sincemindfulnesssometimesgets"bored"orslowsdownwhenobservingthesameobjectfor a long time (especially during a meditation retreat), changing to another primarymeditationobjectcanhelpmindfulnessmaintainstrengthandcontinuity.Andbecausesomeof the movements here are shorter than in the other exercises, mindfulness is able toobservemore"moments"inthesameamountofpracticetime.

Thehandmotionsexercise,performedwhile sittingor lyingdown, isespeciallyuseful forthosewhocan'tdothewalkingpracticeduetoillnessordisability.Note:youdon'thavetolookatyourhand.Justwatchthemovementwithyourmind.

ExerciseA

1. Adoptoneofthesittingpostures,orliedown.Placeyourhandsonyourknees,palmsfacingdownward.(Iflyingdown,placeyourhandsatyoursides,palmstouchingthefloor).

2. Slowlyrotateyourrighthandlaterally(toyourright)untilitisrestingonedge,perpendiculartotheknee.Thereshouldbenospacebetweenthefingers.Stopcompletelyforamoment.

3. Raiseyourhandstraightupabouteightinches.Stop.

4. Lowerthehandbackdown,stoppingwhenit'saninchortwofromtheknee.

5. Continuemovingyourhanddownuntilthelateralsideofthelittlefingertouchestheknee.Stop.

6. Rotatethehandmediallyuntilthepalmisrestingontheknee.Stop.

7. Repeatsteps26.Beginnersshouldlabeltheactionswiththefollowingmentalnotes:"turning,""raising,""lowering,""touching,""turning."Practicewithonehandalone,anywherefromfivetothirtyminutes.Thenchangetotheotherhand,givingitequaltime.

ExerciseB



1. Adoptoneofthesittingposturesorliedown.Placeyourhandsonyourknees,palmsfacingdownward.(Iflyingdown,placeyourhandsatyoursides,palmstouchingthefloor).

2. Slowlyrotateyourrighthandlaterally(toyourright)untilitisrestingonedge,perpendiculartotheknee.Thereshouldnotbeanyspacebetweenthefingers.Stop.

3. Raiseyourhandstraightupaboutsixinches.Stop.

4. Pivotingfromtheelbow,slowlyswingthehandandforearminwardtowardthecenterofthebody,stoppingacoupleofinchesbeforetouchingtheabdomen.Thehandandwristshouldremaininastraightlinewiththearm.Thefingertipswillnowbepointingtotheleftandthepalmwillbefacingtheabdomen.Stop.

5. Placetherighthandagainsttheabdomen.Stop.

6. Rotatethelefthandlaterally(toyourleft)untilitisrestingonedge,perpendiculartotheknee.Stop.

7. Raisethelefthandstraightupaboutsixinches.Stop.

8. Pivotingfromtheelbow,swingthelefthandandforearminwardtowardthecenterofthebody,stoppingwhenacoupleofinchesfromtheabdomen.

9. Placethelefthandagainsttheright.Stop.

10. Nowyouwillrepeatthemotionsinreverseorder.Swingtheleftforearmoutuntilthehandisagainabovetheknee.Thehandandwristshouldstayinastraightlinewiththearm.Stop.

11. Lowerthehandstraightdown,stoppinganinchortwoabovetheknee.Thehandisstillperpendiculartotheknee.

12. Continuemovingthelefthanddownuntilthelateralsideofthelittlefingertouchestheknee.Stop.

13. Rotatethehandmediallyuntilthepalmisrestingontheknee.Stop.

14. Repeatsteps1013withtherighthand.Youmaylabelthemovementswiththefollowingmentalnotes:forsteps25and69:turning,raising,moving,touching.Forsteps1013:moving,lowering,touching,turning.Practicethisexerciseanywherefromfiveminutestoonehour.

Exercise4:Sitting

(Beginners can practice this for a few minutes before doing the risingfalling exercise.Intermediateor advanced students canpractice it longer.Wedon't recommendbeginnerspractice it for the entiremeditation period, because posture is amore difficult object toobservethanphysicalmovement.)

In the previous exercises you had a moving object. Here you will observe a stationaryobjectthe sitting posture itself (strictly speaking, however, movement is still present,because themindmoves).Withyourmindyouaregoing to look repeatedlyat thebody'sposture,asitappearsinthepresentmoment.

Adoptacomfortablesittingposition.Now,focusyourawarenessonthepostureofthebodyasitsits.(Paynoattentiontotherisingfallingmotions.)Thebodyisadoptingashapethatdiffers from standing or lying down. This may seem obvious, but there is a differencebetweenthevague, intermittentawarenessofposturewehave indaily life,anawarenessinterrupted by talking or thinking of a thousand things, and an attention that is whollyfocusedonthatpose.

Just "look"withyourmind'seye toknowwhat thesittingposture is likehow it feelsinthis very moment. If it's difficult to be aware of the whole posture at once, place yourattentionononearea,suchasyourhandsinyourlap.Asyoufocusontheposture,labelit



withthementalnote"sitting."

After focusingonetime,do itagain.Themethod issimply toobservetheposture foronemoment, let itgo,andthen immediatelybring themindback to thesittingpostureagain.Thisisdonegently,withalighttouch.Watchthisactionagainandagaini.e.,theactionofbringingthemindtolookatthesittingposture.Simplybeawareofknowingsitting.

Eachactorinstanceoffocusingshouldbefairlyquick,lastingaboutoneandahalftothreeseconds (but youdon't need to time it, of course).Anotherway to thinkof it is that youfocusforaslongasittakestosaytheword"sitting,"orroughlyaslongasoneinhalation.Thenletgo,andfocusonsittingagain.

What you should be aware of is not a visual image of the posture, but the kinestheticexperienceor"feel"of it.There isatactilefeelingwhenyouholdthebackuprightasyousit. You will also experience sensations of pressure at various points where your bodycontactsthefloororonelegpressesagainstanother.Therewillalsobeafeelingofcontactwherethehandstoucheachother.

Please don't misunderstand: you don't need to observe these various sensationsindividually,indetail.Whenpracticingtheexercise,don'ttrytoexaminethemonebyone.Look at the whole thing at once, in one fell swoop. Notice the feel of the entire sittingpostureinthepresentmoment.Thendoitagaininthenextpresentmoment.Themeditatorisawareofthewholepostureeachtimewiththeaimofunderstandingthatthisisallthereis to"sitting"onlyamomentarygroupofsensations,nothingmore. It isnotstable. It isconstantlychanging. (Again,however, if it isdifficult tobeawareof theentirepostureatonce you may focus on a smaller area. Eventually you will be able to "see" the wholeposture.)

Every time you focus on the posture, simultaneously label it with a mental note. Keepnoting "sitting," "sitting," "sitting," from one moment to the next, over and over.Remember,it'salighttouchandgo.Youdon'tneedtoexplorethedetailsofthesensation.

Areminder:don'tlookatthebodywithyoureyes.Lookwithyourmind.

AsAchanSobinsuggests, itmayhelptothinkof themindasacameratakingaseriesofsnapshots. Take a "shot" of the sitting posture. Then take another snapshot of the samething.

Further,whenaphotographeradjustsacameralens,hefocusesononespotonlybuttheentire image comes out clear, not just the particular spot he was focusing on. (This issimilartofocusingonlyonyourhandsinsteadofonthewholesittingposture).

Afewparagraphsbackwespokeaboutlettinggoafterobservingthesittingposture.Thinkofachainofindividualactsoffocusing,andlettinggoaftereachone.Inotherwords,whatyoushoulddois:Focusontheobjectandthenforgetit.Thenimmediatelyfocusandforgetitagain.Andagain.Andsoon.

That'showweexplain it inwords.But inactualpractice the"forgetting"or "lettinggo" isnotaseparateaction.Lettinggoofthepreviousmomenthappensbyitselfeverytimethemindfocusesonthepostureagain.Soreallyit'samatterof:focus,focus,focus,inaseriesofmoments.Themeditatorkeepstakingconsecutive"snapshots"oftheposture,eachonelastingroughlyacoupleofseconds.

Somereminders:don'tmentallyreviewyourbodyonepieceatatime.Thatwouldtaketoolong and would pull themind out of the present moment. And even though you use thementallabel"sitting,"remembertofocusontheactualposture,nottheworditself.

Everymomentofourliveshastwocomponents:anobjectofawareness,andthemind.Inthismeditationexercise, theobjectofawareness is thesittingposture.Sowehaveonly:the sitting posture (material form) and the thing that is knowing it (themind). Theminditselfcannotadoptaposture.Theminddoesn'thavebuttocksorlegstositorstandwith.Itcanonlybeawareofthebody'sposture.



ThereareacoupleofPaliwordsworthremembering,becauseyouwillhearthemoverandoveragainindiscussionsaboutvipassanameditation.Theyare:"rupa"and"nama."Amongother things, rupameansmaterial form.Namameans themind. In summary: the sittingpostureismaterialform(rupa).Themind(nama)knowsisawareoftheform.

Inconventionalterms,wesay"Iamsitting."But in truth,a"self"cannotsit.Thebody isnotaself.Itisnotyourselfsittingthere.It isonlymatter,orrupa,sitting.Andwhenthebodysits, themindexperiences thepostureasagroupof temporarysensations,differentfromwhen the body is standing or lying down. That is the only way in which posture isexperienced.

Everything we've said about observing the sitting posture applies to all the other bodilyposturesaswell.

Intermediate or advancedmeditatorsmay practice this exercise for the entiremeditationperiod,orforafewminutesbeforepracticingtherisingfallingexercise.Beginnersmaydothelatter.

IfStrongEmotionsArise

It is natural that strong emotions may sometimes come up during meditation. If thathappens, don't assume you are practicing incorrectly. Emotions are valid meditationobjects, too, objects of the fourth foundationofmindfulness.As objects of themind theyhavenomorenor less importance thanbodilymovementor posture. Theyare, however,morechallengingtoobserve.

Whenanunpleasantemotionsuchasangerarises,don'tgetupsetortrytosuppressit.Norshouldyoutrytolookfora"better"object.Theemotionisthetruthofwhatishappeninginthepresent,sojustbeawareofit.

As soonas you're awareof an emotionduringmeditationpractice, label itwith amentalnote.Forexample,ifyourealizeyou'reangry,labeltheemotion"anger,anger,"foroneortwomoments. If you're depressed, note "depression" if anxious, note "anxiety." Do thesamewithpleasantemotions: ifyou feel joyful,note"joy" ifpeaceful,note"peace."Yougetthepicture.

Theinsightmeditationmethodisamiddlepathbetween1)suppressinganemotionand2)indulging itbyexpressing it inwordsoractions, trying to feel itmoredeeply,or thinkingabout it further.Whetheranemotion ispleasantorunpleasant,thevipassanatechnique issimply to know it with impartial awareness, neither liking it nor wanting to make it goaway. (Note: we are talking about during meditation. In daily life when expressing anemotion a meditator would do so with clear awareness, avoiding harmful speech orbehavior.)



Don'tjudgetheemotionoryourself.Ifyou'resuddenlyfuriousatsomeone,don'tcriticizeyourselfforgettingangry.Instead,trytodisengagethemindfromanyinvolvementintheanger and just watch it, as if youwerewatching it happen to someone on television, orviewingitunderamicroscope.Asoneteachersays,"Seeit,don'tbeit."

After noting the emotion for one or two moments, let go of it and gently bring yourattentionback to theprimarymeditationobject. If theemotion isstill sostrongyoucan'tfocusontheprimaryobject,repeattheprocedure,notingtheemotionlongerifnecessary.As soon as you can, return to observing the primary meditation object. Over time thismethodweakensanger,fear,depression,etc.,sinceyouarenot"feeding"themwithyourthoughts and reactions. If you acknowledge an emotion when it appears but don't gethookedbyitdon'tgetupsetorintriguedtheemotionwillgraduallyfadeout.

A fire reflected in a lake cannot burn the water. Neither can emotions disturb the mindwhenyoudontgetinvolvedinthem.

Dontidentifyanemotionasyourself.Thefearorangerisnotyou,butonlyanimpersonalphenomenon. Mentally pull back from the emotion and turn your awareness around toobserveit.Nowtheemotionisjustanotherobjectofyourattention.Insteadof"becoming"theemotionbygettingcaughtupinit,you'relookingatitfromtheoutside.

When we're in the grip of a negative emotion we tend to believe it will never end. Butemotionsarenomorepermanentthanthoughts.Withcontinuedpracticeyoullfindthatyouonlyhavetowaitandanyemotion,whetherpleasantorunpleasant,isboundtochange.

Intrainingthemindtoknowemotionsastheyreallyare,ameditatorcomestorealizethatevenstronggrief,angerorfearcanlastonlyamomentbeforepassingaway.Theemotionmightcomebackbutevensoitinstantlypassesawayagain.

Anemotion isnotsomethingthatbelongstoyou.Theanger,sadness,orpeace isonlyanimpersonalphenomenon,akindofmentalweather thatarisesaccording tocertaincausesandthenvanishes.

Whenyou'reabletoseparateyourawarenessfromanemotionabletoleavetheangerorsadnessaloneandbecometheobservertheemotionhasnopowertocontrolyouorcausesuffering. The key is to bemindful as soon as it appears so you don't get hooked in theearlystages.

But sometimes beginners are so overwhelmed by painful emotion they cannot practiceeffectively.Inthatcaseoneofthefollowingmethodsmayhelp:

1. Pressthefistagainstthecenterofthechest(aroundtheheartarea)andrepeat"knowing,knowing,knowing,"beingawareofthesensationofpressurefromyourhand.Keepthisupuntiltheemotionsubsides.

2. Ifyou'resitting,getupandpracticewalkingmeditation.

3. Temporarilyswitchtoaconcentrationtechniqueuntilyouareabletoresumevipassanapractice.Forexample,youmightrepeattheword"Buddho,"oranothermantra(amantraisaspecialwordorphraserepeatedaloudandfocusedoninconcentrationmeditation).

Usethe lastmethodonlywhenmindfulness is trulyunabletocopewithastrongemotion.Switching to a concentration technique should not be used as a means of avoidingunpleasant emotions. Sooner or later, mindfulness must learn how to handle emotionalobjectsorwewon'tbeabletomakeprogressininsight.

In genuine vipassana practicewe cannot avoid experiencing unpleasant emotions such asboredom,loneliness,fear,jealousy,anger,andsoon.Butmuchislearnedfromobservingthem mindfully, and gradually we're able to let go of them sooner. Whenever theseemotionsdoarisetheyareweakerthantheyusedtobe,causinglessandlesssuffering.

Pleasantemotionsshouldalsobeknownimpartially,withoutlikingorbecomingattachedto



them.They,too,areimpermanent.Ifwetrytomakeapleasantemotionlastlongeritwillbecome a cause of frustration and unhappiness when, inevitably, it changes. Sufferingresultswhenwetrytoholdontosomethingthatbyitsverynaturecannotendure.

Most painful emotions arise from memoryhence the value of staying in the presentmoment.Whenrecallingapainfulmemorywhetheritbeofabrokenheart,orthelossofhome, health, career, or loved onethe unpleasant event that triggered the feeling is nolonger actually occurring in the present. Although the event is over themind clings to it,whichgeneratesmoresuffering.

Orsometimesweworryabout the future, fearingthe lossofwealth,youth,orhealththathasn'tyetoccurred.Butnoneoftheseimaginingsisreal inthesensethatnoneisactuallyhappeningatthemomentwearethinkingaboutit.

The painful events that happened in the past do not exist now.Whatmight ormight nothappeninthefuturedoesnotexistrightnow,either.Whyshouldwelettheminddragusintounnecessarysuffering?

It is not wrong to plan intelligently for the future, of course. But there's a differencebetweenbehavingresponsiblydoingwhatneedstobedoneandneedlesslysufferingoverthings thatmayneverhappenor are alreadygone thingswhich, in any case,we cannotcontrol. Suffering about past or future events can only arise whenwe fail to stay in thepresent.Sodon'tfastforwardorrewind.

LettingGoof"I"

In theprevioussectionweexplainedthatanemotion isnotyourself.Herewewill talkalittlemoreaboutnotidentifyingobjectsasself.

Normally, the mind relates everything we experience in everyday life to a concept ofselfhood. If we feel a pain in the body, for example, we automatically think, "my backhurts" or "my leg hurts." The painful body part is immediately identified as belonging to"me."

Althoughthe falsebelief inselfcantbewilledaway, invipassanapracticewe try tostopreinforcing itso thatclearseeingmightarisenaturally.Wetry toobserveourbodiesandminds without automatically identifying them as self, or as things that are part of us orbelongtous.Theaimistoletgoofthefeelingof"I"asmuchaspossibleandmerelyknowthebare,phenomenalexperienceofeachmomentasitis.

Duringmeditationpractice,insteadof:"Iammoving,""Iamhearing,""Iamthinking,"andsoon,simplybeawareof:moving,hearing,thinking.There'snoneed tomix the"I" intotheseexperiences.Intruth,thereisnopermanentagentexecutingtheactions.

Trytoseparateyourawarenessandwatchthemindbodyprocessasifithadnothingatallto dowith you. If there's apain in yourbackor leg, label the sensationwith thementalnote "pain"or "feeling,"without regarding it as "me"or linking it toa specificbodypart.Whenthoughtscome,don'tassumetheyareyours(butthat'snottosaytheyaresomeoneelse's. They don't belong to anyone). TheBuddha taught there is thinking, but no thinker(the"knower"ofthethoughts isonlyamomentaryawarenessthatdoesnotequalaself).Apply the sameprinciple to all the othermeditation objects. In truth, none of them trulybelongstoyou.

Sleepiness

Sleepinessmaybotheryoumoreduringan intensivemeditation retreat than inyourdailypractice. Nevertheless, it can be a frequent hindrance for beginners. Just be aware thatsleepinessispresentwheneveritarises.Youcanmentallynoteitas"sleepiness."Ifitdoesnot disperse after repeated noting, try some skillful antidotes: 1) open your eyes 2) do



walkingmeditation3)turnupthelights,or4)splashyourfacewithcoldwater.Coolingtheroommayalsohelp.Anexcessofconcentrationcancausesleepiness.Becarefultofollowthemeditationtechniquescorrectlysothatmindfulnessandconcentrationstayasbalancedaspossible.

HowtoObserveObjects

It is important to understand what counts as a correct object for mindfulness. As weexplained in"What isVipassana?"theFourFoundationsofMindfulnessaretheappropriateobjectsforinsightmeditation.Onceagain,theseare:

1. Thebody:i.e.,bodilymotionandposture.

2. Feelings:painful,pleasantandneutralfeelings(thesedon'trefertoemotions).

3. Consciousness:forexample,theconditionofthemindwithorwithouthatred,delusion,etc.

4. Dhammaobjects:thisgroupincludesthefivementalhindrances:lust,anger,sleepiness,restlessness,anddoubt,aswellasthefivesenseimpressions:sights,sounds,tastes,smells,andtouches.Someobjectsinthisgrouparemental,some,material.

Reduced to their essentials, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are simply materialphenomena (rupa) and mental phenomena (nama). But this might sound as if anythingwhatsoevercanbeavalidobjectformindfulness.Notquite.

A valid object for mindfulness must be something that actually exists, and is directlyperceived inthepresentmoment.It isn'tsomethingthatusedtoexist,orwillexist inthefuture.AsVen.Sujvapointsout,itisn'timaginary,conceptual,orremembered.Norisitanameoraword.

Let's talk for a moment about mental phenomena, since these are the hardest tounderstand.Inthecontextofvipassanameditation,somementalformsare"real,"suchastheintentiontomovethebody,orafeelingofaversionordesire.Theyarevalidobjectsofmindfulness if we observe them at the very moment in which they arise (instead ofrememberingthemafterwards).Mentalphenomenathatarenotrealinthesamesensearenames,words,memoriesandfantasies.

Butweshouldunderstandthatduringvipassanapracticewewon'talwaysbeabletofocusona"real"or"correct"meditationobject,evenifwetryhardtodoso.Sometimeswe'llgetlostinmemories,orfindourselvesplanningwhatwe'regoingtodothenextday.Wemightrealize we've been focusing on a word instead of on the actual phenomenon beingexperienced. At times the mind will get caught up in imaginary constructs. That's to beexpected, and it's all right. We shouldn't get upset when it happens. As soon as we'reaware,we can begin again from that point. Allwe need to do is label the eventwith anappropriatementalnote,suchas"memory,""planning,"or"imagining,"andlightlybringthemindbacktothemainmeditationobject.

In daily life our minds become obsessed with some forms and try to get rid of others.Inevitably we like good feelings, beautiful sights, pleasant sounds, delicious tastes, andfragrantsmells,anddislikeunpleasantones.Partialityreigns.Yetvipassanaistheultimatedemocratic technique.Whethergoodorbad in conventional terms, all objects are treatedequallyduringmeditationpractice.

Butit'snotenoughjusttoknowwhichobjectstoobserve.Havingidentifiedtheappropriatemeditationobjects,weneedtounderstandpreciselyhowtoobservethem.

The way of focusing on objects in vipassana practice differs from that of concentrationmeditation,and it's important tounderstandthedifference.Ineverypresentmoment, themind makes contact with, or knows, an object. In other words, the mind, the knower,experiencesanobject.



Inordertohaveacompletefoundationformindfulness,ameditatorobservesboththemindand itsobject ineachmoment.(Butthatdoesn'tmeanobservingtwoobjectsat thesametime.Aswesaidearlier,ameditatorobservesonlyoneobjectatatime.)

Put another way, a meditator observes the knowing. Or we could say, he observes: themindintheactofknowingtheobject.Itisn'tascomplicatedasitsounds.Assoonaswe'reawareofknowinganobject,we'llautomaticallybeawareoftheobject,too.Consciousnesscan'tknowitself.Ithastohavesomethingoutsideitselftobeawareof.Theactofknowingcannothappenwithoutsomeobject"x"tobeknown.

Sowhenwesay,forexample,"beawareoftherisingmotion,"whatshouldbeobservedis,"knowingrising,"or"theactofknowingrising."That istrueforallmeditationobjects,notjust the abdominal movements. The complete unit of observation is always "themindknowingx"orsimply,"knowingx."

There isanother importantaspect toobservingobjects in insightmeditation.Everyobjectwe observe during vipassana practice arises, persists, and then ends, and this entiredevelopmentoccurswithinonemoment.Thiscanbeillustratedbyasinglestepofthefootinbasicwalkingmeditation.Everystephasaclearbeginningasyoulifttheheel,amiddlephase as the foot travels forward, and an end as you place the foot down (these threephasessegueintoeachotherfluidly).Theentireprogressionhappensinonemoment,andourattentionshouldbesustainedthroughthewholearc,fromtheinstantofliftingtheheelallthewaytotheend.Afterthemovementendsweletitgoandfocusonthebeginningofthenextobject. Ifwewant tokeepwalking,wewouldobserve thebeginningof thenextstep.

Althoughnot allmeditation objectswill have such clearly distinct phases as a single stepdoes,wecanuse thisexampleasaparadigmofhowtoobserveotherobjects, too,evenmental events. Even though we won't be able to do it clearly at first, our eventual aimduring meditation should be to observe every object in this manner, knowing it withmindfulness from the instant of its arising all theway through to its ending, right in thepresent moment. But remember, the cycle of development we're speaking about occurswithinasinglemoment,asingle instanceofnoticing,notacrossseveralmoments.Sothedurationofthewholeprocessisveryshortnomorethantwoorthreeseconds,sometimesmuchless.Ifyou'reabeginner,thiswillprobablysoundquitepuzzling.Pleasedon'tworry.Asyougainexperiencepracticingmeditationthemeaningwillgraduallybecomeclear.Thisis one of many aspects of meditation that only truly becomes clear with practicalexperience.Buthavingan intellectual understandingbeforehand canhelppoint you in therightdirection.

To summarize how to observe objects in vipassana practice, we should: 1) observerealities,notconceptsornames2)beawareofknowingeachobjectand3)observeeachobjectfrombeginningtoendasitarisesanddisappearsinthepresentmoment.

MomentaryKnowing

In insightmeditation, objects should be observedmomentarily.What does "momentarily"mean?Duringmeditationyoushould letgoofanobjectafterfocusingonitonce.Inotherwords,afterobservingsomethingforonemoment,mentally let itgoandthenmoveontothenextobject(the"nextobject"mightbeacompletelydifferent form,or itcouldbethesamethingagainifit'sstilloccurring,likeafeelingofitchinesslastingafewminutes).Aninsightmeditatorfocusesmomentbymoment.Aswesaidbefore,themottois:"Focusandforgetit,"or"knowandletgo."

Pleasedon'tmisunderstand:wedon'tmean you have to change to a differentmeditationobject every single moment. Don't worry if you're a little confused at this point. We'llexplainfurther.

Somemeditationobjectsonly lastafewseconds.Taketheexerciseofwatchingtherisingand falling movements, for example. We watch the abdomen rise, and then the risingmovement ends, only to be immediately replaced by the falling movement, which is a



differentobject.

Evenifyouwanttoobservetherisingmovementlonger,youcan't,becauseitdoesn'tlastmore than a couple of seconds. After watching it for a moment you have to change toobserving the fallingmovement.And thenafteracoupleof seconds the fallingmovementchanges to rising. And so on. That's why you can't observe the rising movement or thefallingmovementlongerthanonemomentatatime.

Butwhatifyou'rewatchingameditationobjectthatstaysthesameforalongertime?Howwouldyouobserve it frommomenttomoment?Let'staketheexampleofsound.Imaginethat while observing the abdominal movements you're distracted by the sound of a caralarmgoingoffinthestreetbelow.Thenoisecontinuesforatleastfiveminutes.Youwouldobservehearingthesoundforonemoment,andthendropit.Butsincethesoundwouldstillbehappening,youwouldobservethesamesoundasecondtime,lettingitgoagainandsoon,inaseriesofactsofknowing.(Note:thatdoesn'tmeanyouhavetokeepobservingthesounduntilitsover.Ifthesoundnolongerdisturbsyourmindafternotingitonceortwice,there'd be no reason to continue focusing on it. You could then return to watching theabdominalmovements).

The same thingapplies to theothermeditationobjects.Students sometimesget confusedbecausewesayameditationexercisesuchasthesittingposturecanbepracticedas longas fortyfiveminutes. In that case,wouldn't aperson focuson the sittingposture for theentiremeditationperiod?

In ordinary terms, yes. But again,we need to understand how to focus frommoment tomoment during vipassana practice. Although for the sake of communication we can talkabout observing the sitting posture for threequarters of an hour, what we are actuallydoingduringthattimeisknowingsittingforamomentandlettingitgo,knowingsittingandlettinggo,knowingandlettinggo,overandoveragain.It'sthesameasintheexampleofthe car alarm. Each instance of focusing lasts only a moment. During those 45 minutesmany individual acts of noticing occur, and the mind starts over again with each one.Furthermore,inbetweenmomentsofknowingthesittingposturetheremaybetimeswhenwenoticeasecondaryobjectsuchasathought,asound,oranitch,wheneverthosethingspullourattentionaway.Duringasinglemeditationsessionmindfulnessmayjumpbackandforthfromoneobjecttoanothermanytimes.

Mostofushaveseen jugglersat festivalsorstreet fairs,andtheir touchandgoskill isaperfectexampleofhow to focusonobjects inmeditation.A jugglerhas toconcentrate inordertocatcheachballasitcomesaround.Hecan'tlethimselfgetdistractedbyanoiseinthe crowd or allow his gazewander. Hemust knowwhere to put his attention, and thenkeep his mind on that spot. Likewise, a meditator has to concentrate or he will getdistractedfromwhateverobjectisappearinginthepresentmoment.That'sthe"focus"partoftheequation.

Nowforthe"forgetit"part:assoonasajugglercatchesoneballheletsitgoimmediatelyorhishandwon'tbefreetocatchthenextone.Hekeepshisattentionmoving,"jumping"fromoneobjecttothenext.Inthesameway,assoonameditatornotesanobjecthedropsit,orelsehe'llmissthenextpresentmoment.Hisattentiondoesn'tclingtoanything.Likethejuggler's,hisexperienceistouchandgo,touchandgo.

In the ultimate sense, reality is a series of different phenomena coming into being anddyingoutoneafteranother,veryfast.Forthatreasonourattentionhastokeepmovingtothenext thing inorder tokeepup.Mindfulness isalwaysmoving toknowthenextobjectthatappears.Itdropsthelastmomentinordertoknowwhatisarisinginthenextpresentmoment.

Exercise5:SittingTouching

In this exercise your attention switches back and forth between two primary meditationobjects.Thefirstobjectisthesittingpostureitself,asdescribedabove.



For the second object, find a point on your right or left buttock where you can feel thecontact of the floor. Thatwill be the touching point. The idea is to "touch" this spotwithyourmindi.e., tobringyourawareness to focuson thatpoint,momentarily.During thisexerciseignoretherisingfallingmotions.

Adoptoneof thesittingpostures.Asdescribedabove,observe thesittingposture foronemoment,focusing, ifyouwish,onyourhandsinyour lap.Inthenextmomentmoveyourmindtothetouchpointandobservethecontact.(Note:wearereferringtomentalcontact,notphysicalthecontactofthemind"touching"thepoint.)Yourattentionwill"jump"fromthesittingposturetothetouchpoint.

Keep alternating between them from onemoment to the next, noting, "sitting, touching,sitting,touching,sitting,touching."Focusoneachobjectapproximatelythesamelengthoftimeabout oneandahalf to three seconds, or roughly as long as it takes to say thementalnote.(Anotherwaytothinkofitis:focusonsittingforroughlythedurationofonerisingmotionof theabdomen.Thesamewith touching.)Don't try tobepreciseabout thelengthofeachmoment. Justobserve theposture foras longas it takes tosay"sitting"alittlemoreslowlythannormalandyou'llbefine.Thatisonemoment.Thennotethetouchpoint for about the same length of time, saying "touching." And back to knowing sittingagain, one time. Then touching, for one moment. Back and forth. Practice this exerciseanywherefromtwentyminutestoonehour.

Duringameditationretreat,observe the touchpointon therightsideof thebody foronemeditationsessionandtheleftsidethenext,alternatingsidesthroughouttheday.Inyourregulardailypracticeyoucandotheleftsideoneday,therightsidethenext.

Exercise6:RisingFallingSitting

Onceyoufeelcomfortablewiththerisingfallingandsittingtouchingexercisesindividually,youcanbegintocombinethemasinthisexercise.Likeajuggleraddinganotherball,youaddathirdobjecttogivemindfulnessmore"work"todo.Ifyouhavenoticedapronouncedgapbetweentherisingandfallingmovements inExercise1,you'rereadytoadd"sitting."(But thatdoesn'tmeanyouhave topractice thisexerciseall the time fromnowon.EvenadvancedmeditatorsstilluseExercise1astheirmainmeditationexercise).

Adopt one of the sitting postures. Observe one rising and one falling motion of theabdomen.Beforebreathinginagain,focusonthesittingpostureforonemoment,takingamental "snapshot"of thepose.Eventually thedurationof these threemoments shouldberoughly equal, but when first learning the exercise they are often uneven. That's allright,aslongasnoneofthemomentsislongerthanaboutthreeseconds.(Notethatsittingisobservedinbetweenfallingandrising,sodonotbreatheinwhileobservingsitting.)

After observing the sitting posture one time, start over with rising again. Keep going insequence:rising,falling,sittingrising,falling,sitting.Usethecorrespondingmentalnotes:



"rising,""falling,""sitting."

At firstyoumighthavetoholdyourbreath foramoment inorder to fit thesittingobjectbetweentheoldfallingandthenewrisingmotion.Butwithpracticetherewillbeanaturalspacelongenoughinwhichtoobservetheposture.Practicethisexerciseforaminimumoftwentyminutes,workinguptofortyfiveminutesoronehour.

Exercise7:RisingFallingSittingTouching

Once you feel comfortable with exercises five and six you can add a fourth object,combiningtherisingfallingandsittingtouchingexercises.Adoptoneofthesittingpostures.Observe one rising and one falling motion of the abdomen. Before breathing in again,observe the sittingposture for onemoment. Then (alsobeforebreathing in) focuson thetouchpointatthebuttocks.Intotaltherearefourobjectsobservedinsequence:1)rising,2)falling,3)sitting,4)touching.Theseshouldbeofroughlyequalduration.Donotbreathewhileobservingsittingandtouching.Afteryounotetouching,startoverwithrisingagain.

Continuethesequence,usingthementalnotes"rising,""falling,""sitting,""touching,"ifyouwish.Observeeachobjectforaboutoneandahalftothreesecondseachtime(oraboutaslongasthedurationofonerisingmotion).Atfirst,asinExercise6,youmayhavetoholdyour breath slightly in order to fit sitting and touching between the falling and risingmotions.Butwithpractice,conditionswillbalancebythemselvesandyouwillbeabletofitinallfourobjectswithouthavingtoconsciouslyadjustyourbreathing.



Exercise8:TheLyingDownPosture(Suitableforbeginnersifpracticedashorttimeonly,orwhenill)

During ameditation retreat,when devoting the entire day to vipassana, it's important topracticeinallfourpostures:sitting,walking,standing,andlyingdown.Notthatyoushouldspendequaltimeineachpose.Typically,sittingandwalkingarepracticedanywherefromthirtytosixtyminutesatatime,standingandlyingdown,fromfivetofifteen.

Onlyanadvancedmeditatorcanpracticelyingdownforlongperiodswithoutgettingsleepyor losing mindfulness. And although standing can be practiced longer, it's usually toouncomfortableforthenovicetomaintainforlongperiods.

Inthebeginning,therefore,unlessyouare ill,donotexceedthefifteenminutemaximumfor lyingdown.Changeintotherecliningposeslowlyandmindfully,followingthestepbysteptechniqueofstoppingbetweenmovements.

Asyouchangefromstandingtolyingdown,noteeachsmallaction:observethesensationofcontactasyoubendeachkneetothefloorandlowerthetorso.Movethelegsoneatatime,placingoneontopoftheother.Notethecontactthere,too.Labeltheseactionswiththeword"moving."

Lieonyourside,withthearmclosesttothefloorextendedunderyourheadoronthefloorin front of the chest, the uppermost arm resting against the side of the body. (Youmayplaceapillowunderyourhead).

Nowobservethelyingdownposture,takingrepeatedmentalsnapshots,aswithsitting.Asyoudoso,note"lying"or"lyingdown."Ignoretherisingfallingmotions.

Foramoredetailedexplanationofhowtoobservebodilyposture,pleaseseeExercise4.

Alternatively,insteadofthepostureitselfyoucanobservetherisingandfallingabdominalmovements (but do not also watch the posture. Choose one or the other). You can alsopractice the hand motions exercise while lying on your back. In that case, ignore thepostureandabdominalmovementsandobserveonlythemovementofthehands.

Exercise9:TheStandingPosture(Suitableforbeginners)

Aswithsittingand lyingdown, themeditationobjecthere is theposture itself.Youmightwant to practice this exercise for five, ten or fifteen minutes before doing walkingmeditation.Stand straightwith the armsheld in front of thebody, onehand clasping thewristoftheotherorclaspthehandsbehindyourback.



Youreyesmaybeopenorclosed.Ifyouopenyoureyes,don'tpayattentiontowhatyou'reseeing.Letyourattentionstaywith thekinesthetic "feel"of theposture. Ifyouwish,youmay focus on one area of the body, such as the soles of your feet. Now take amental"snapshot" of the posture, noting "standing." Ignore the risingfalling motions. Just keepobservingstanding,beingawareofknowingtheposturefrommomenttomoment.

Foramoredetailedexplanationofhowtoobserveposture,pleaseseeExercise4.

IfYouExperienceBliss

Some students experience strong feelings of rapture, peace or bliss at a certain stage inmeditationpractice.Ifthishappenstoyou,don'tgetexcited.Justnotetheblissorpeaceasyouwouldanyotherobject.Don'tclingto the feeling(butneithershouldyoutry toavoidit). Like everything else, blissful or peaceful feelings should be known with impartialattention.Thenletthemgo.

As one teacher cautions, meditators who fail to notice pleasant feelings impartially,thinking, "'After all, these are good things,' will ultimately find themselves in difficultstraits, unable to advance in meditation." (Ven. Mahathera Matara, The Seven Stages ofPurification,p.39).

There'snothingwrongwithgoodfeelingsbutit'stheirnaturetopassaway.Tryingtomakethem last will only disturb yourmind and prevent you from gaining the higher levels ofinsight.

Eveniftheblississtrongerthananyhappinessyou'veeverknown,youshouldn'tmistakeitfor enlightenment, or even an advanced level of insight. Generally speaking, blissfulfeelingsariseatarelativelyearlystageinvipassanapractice.Thepeacethatcomesfrommaturing insight, which is independent of the presence or absence of pleasant feeling(sukha vedana), is quite different from the blissful states that may occur in the earlierstages of vipassanaknowledge. The latter are temporary, pleasurable feelings whichalternatewithneutralorunpleasantfeelings.Whenthepleasantfeelingendsthemeditatormay be unhappy or irritated because he wants to have the feeling again. But a highlyexperiencedvipassanameditatorisabletotranscendattachmenttofeelingsoastobefreeand perfectly content no matter what kinds of sensations are present, even unpleasantones.Theremarkablefreedomandeaseofnonattachmentaresuperiortothehappinessofpleasantfeeli

How to Meditate - Vipassana Style

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