Vipassana Meditation : Lectures On Insight Meditation by Venerable
Vipassana Meditation : Lectures On Insight Meditation by Venerable
Vipassana Meditation : Lectures On Insight Meditation by Venerable
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and the dropping movement must be closely and precisely observed as theyreally are.LabelingWe may need labeling or naming when we are mindful of any object.When we lift our foot to walk, we should label it as 'lifting'. When we push itforward, we should label it as 'pushing'. When we drop it, we should label is'dropping'. In this way 'lifting, pushing, dropping; lifting, pushing, dropping'.Labeling or naming can lead the mind to the object of the meditation closelyand precisely. It is also very helpful for a meditator to focus his mind on theobject of meditation. However, there may be some meditators who need notlabel or name the object of meditation. Instead, they just observe it. Theyshould just observe the movement of the foot - from the very beginning of thelifting movement up to the end of the dropping movement. The mind mustfollow the movement of the foot very closely as it is, without thinking oranalyzing. In this way, one can develop concentration more deeply that ever.At the beginning of the practice, the mind wanders very often. Wheneverthe mind wanders, you should follow the mind and observe it. If you arethinking about your family affairs, that thought must be observed as it is,making a mental note, 'thinking, thinking, thinking'. After the initial thoughthas disappeared, you should resume your walking and noting as usual - 'lifting,pushing, dropping'.Samatha and <strong>Vipassana</strong>Here, we should know the difference between Samatha meditation and<strong>Vipassana</strong> meditation. Samantha means concentration, calmness, tranquility.When the mind is deeply concentrated on the object of meditation, the mindbecome calm and tranquil. The purpose of Samatha meditation is to attaindeep concentration of the mind on a single object. So, the result of Samathameditation is the attainment of deep concentration such as absorption(appana-samadhi, jhana) or access concentration (upacara-samadhi). Whenthe mind is deeply concentrated on the object of meditation, all thedefilements such as lust, greed, hatred, desire, conceit, ignorance and so onare kept away from the mind which is absorbed in the object. When the mindis free from all the defilements or hindrances, we feel calm, tranquil, happyand peaceful. The results of the Samatha meditation, therefore, is some degreeof happiness through the attainment of deep concentration such as Absorption(appana-samadhi, Jhana) or access concentration (upacara-samadhi) but itdoes not enable us to rightly understand the mental and physical phenomenaas they really are.7