Skywander wrote: “I agree, yet, for some of us, the concentration needed to successfully do vipassana is out of our skills.”
- Each person can do Vipassana at their level of understanding.
- The simplest way is to read a post from this website or listen to a verbal discourse while paying complete attention. The engagement and interest will grow if one starts grasping even a single concept.
- I know of many people who listen to discourses while doing household work. Others read posts on this website without paying much attention or not reading the suggested links. Those are bad habits.
- At the beginning of numerous suttas the Buddha started with the following verse: “taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasikarotha, bhāsissāmī” which means, “Listen and pay full attention, I will speak.”
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Skywander wrote: “The problem I have when I try to do real vipassana is that by examining citta and dhammas my mind ends lost in itself.”
- This is the same issue as above.
- Vipassana can be done while sitting at a table reading a post on the computer. Just make sure to pay complete attention.
- Initially, it is best to pick a post (or section) where you have some understanding. Pick a time when distractions are minimal.
- If it helps, you could ” watch the breath” for a few minutes to calm the mind. People in Asian countries start a meditation session by offering flowers/lighting a candle to the Buddha and reciting a few verses. That helps calm the mind, too.
- As you make progress, you will be able to sit somewhere and contemplate a Dhamma concept. That is the Vipassana I do every day. Whenever needed, I get up to look up a sutta or do an online search. The goal is to increase one’s understanding, not to be forced to sit like a statue.
- Once getting some traction, this will become a habit. I wake up thinking about a Dhamma concept and go to sleep thinking about a Dhamma concept. Then I do that throughout the day too. Of course, not everyone can do the latter. I can do that since I am retired!
