Reply To: A Self-inquiry on Emptiness and request for support

#35768
raj
Participant

This is an attempt to share my positive experiences and hear from other meditators so that we can all progress on the 8 fold noble path.
I am a vipassana meditator (Goenka school) and was struggling to maintain my daily quota of meditation, which is a qualification requirement to sit for the long courses (20,30 days) and they also have 45,60 and 90 days. But for the past few days I look forward to doing it!
I was a dedicated follower of the vedic school from my early 20’s and had learnt hundreds of hymns for the next 30 years or so, and I don’t see any use in chanting them, now that I have started to follow the teaching of the buddha.
So I decided to start learning some basic suttas and started with Karaniya metta sutta. It probably took me a couple of months and after hearing it many times every day, I have almost memorized it.
I decided to do the Rattna sutta next. I listen to it atleast 5 times a day and sometimes more.
All these positive vibrations are helping me with the meditation.
There was a plague or epidemic in the city of Vaishalli and the Buddha visited the city out of his causeless mercy. He taught this sutta to the Ven. Ananda, who travelled to various parts of the city and chanted this sutta, and city got rid of the disease.
If this sutta can rid a city of a plague, imagine what it can to us!
I have also heard a lecture by the Ven. Bhikku Bodhi on the 4 types and aid to meditation. It was a while back, and I think it was 1. Metta bhavana, 2. Buddhanusati (meditating on the qualities of the Buddha) 3. Marananusati (the temporary nature of the body) and one more.
Also for the past one week or so, I don’t listen to any current politics on news ( I realized these people just throw dirt on each other, and it is a contribution to wrong speech, so I just read headlines and just hear news on health issues). I spend my time listening to spiritual talks and different chantings.
The reduction of material vibration and the increase of spiritual vibration has done the trick.
Hopefully I will be able to maintain it, because this is a wonderful experience and the other was just boring and same old thing.
The pandemic is an added bonus, because I don’t know if and when I will end up in the daily stats and how much time I have in this life to practice the Dhamma. It has had a good positive effect on me.
This past week has been more spiritually productive than attending a long retreat!