[Embodied]

Once confronted with all the info here i started questioning myself about my formal practice. Below what i’ve been doing till now on a daily basis:

A) Vipassana – not very much for i was never convinced by the usual ways of practicing it, i.e.: sit down ( in my case siddhasana) paying attention to whatever happens (body sensations , mindstream, environnement) without sticking to anything in particular. Apart from finding it relaxing and effective to stimulate awareness i don’t see how this can trigger/improve insight. So i soon “created” (created in the sense that at that moment i hadn’t read anywhere about what i’m going to describe now) another practice based upon the:
B) “4 frames for mindfulness” : after a short relaxation i start focusing on life experiences related to body, feelings/emotions and mental elaborations while “comparing” them to the 3 pillars Anicca, Anatta, Dukkha and the 4 Noble truths. YET i don’t focus through , i do breaks to focus on breathing in order to not become entangled by the process and in order to get back to it with a fresh mind.
C) Twice a week breathing becomes my first focus , switching from focusing on the sensation of touch when air passes through nostrils to focusing on breathing globally meaning that i let myself “to be breathed”, with the exclusive purpose of entering in pratyahara / absorption.

Corrections and constructive critics always welcome ! Thanks.

[Lal]

I really recommend reading the section on “Bhāvanā (Meditation)“.

[Embodied]

Already did Lal and i got the impression that i was practicing right except point C) of my post. As for point A what i’m saying there is that i DON’T practice that.
Now in Bhavana Meditation i read that one can use as focus point a concept, you even recommend to start with Anicca so my question is: isn’t what i’m describing in point C the same practice ?

Anyways i’ll read again and i’ll submit here to your appreciation for correction a full scheme of formal practice from A to Z.

Thanks alot for the fine guidance.

[Lal]

For example, Anapana sati meditation is not breath meditation. See “6. Anāpānasati Bhāvanā (Introduction)” and the following two posts.

[Embodied]

Yes yes i read your teaching about Anapanasati not being breath meditation some days ago too.
Read and understood it. So according your teachings i would sum up my first post on this subject as follows:
– After a short relaxation and having prepared the suitable environment (incense, light etc) i start focusing on one of the 3 pillars Anicca, Anatta, Dukkha and i relate it to my life experience. Then I see what i could have done, thought or said better as per my understanding of the pillar in question.
Example: if i could sum up my understanding of Anicca in some brief sentences (which i can’t) based upon what one SHOULDN’T do/be, i would say that a wrong perception of oneself (meaning that one identifies himself/herself to different cravings and defilements) pushes one into trying to get hold of something that is intrinsically “not holdable” or inconsistent , SO any efforts to immobilise the experience,or to stick to it, will trigger DUKKHA…

[Tobias G]

Formal (sitting) meditation could be:
– homage to the Buddha (namaskaraya), recite the 3 Refuges (tisarana) and the Panca Sila
– bojjanga meditation (contemplation about a Dhamma concept and the tilakkhana with reference to real life situations)
– adinava meditation to reduce lobha/raga (see the disadvantages of acting with dasa akusala and indulging in sense pleasures)
– metta meditation to reduce dosa/patigha
– ask all beings for forgiveness and forgive all debts other beings have with you. Think about the akusala sankhara you have done in sansara with understanding of the 3 akusala root causes (lobha, dosa, moha).

One cannot do all above mentioned points in one session. I normally do the homage to the Buddha and recite the tisarana, then I continue with bojjanga and metta bhavana.

When one really grasps the tilakkhana and the bigger picture which the Buddha gave, then the last point (asking for forgiveness and forgiving all debts other beings have with you) becomes very powerful. One can see the total futility of akusala deeds and one’s panna grows. Also one can “feel” the connection to all beings via the mind plane.

When not in formal meditation always do anapana and satipattana throughout the day.

[Embodied]

Thanks to both, Lal, Tobias. Once i’ll have put all the Pali terms into english i’ll integrate all that in my practice.
I think, i hope i said something that meets what is taught here in my comment just before this one,but using my own vocabulary…i hope !

[Jaro]

Hello Tobias,

by now your post is already 5 years old and I am curious whether you have kept up your practice. May I ask you what progress you have made in this time? Do you have a plan on which day you do which form of meditation? Or do you do several forms in the same session? What does a typical day look like for you?

[Tobias G]

Hello Jaro,
I read my own lines above after those 5 years and I must say I described that very well at the time. What has happened since then? Well, my mind has become very calm, various unwholesome social contacts and behaviors no longer exist, the Buddha Dhamma is understood in greater depth. My faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha is unwavering. In endless loops, I see people engaging in the same misconceptions and subsequent deeds. During meditation I often stay longer in samma samadhi with bliss. This is because one grasps the uselessness of all sankhara.

What has remained of Akusala? Very few desires (chocolate, good coffee, Asian food), now and then some annoyance and irritation. I do not watch TV, but sometimes still a movie or documentary. Under pressure, Uddhacca and Mana still appear. I can use my energy specifically for tasks and I hardly get distracted. Depression became impossible.

Since I have to take care of a family and also secure their future, I have too little time for Dhamma. But I contemplate even during car rides about just experienced situations. I can really meditate only on weekends, the approach is as described above 5 years ago :-)

 

[Jaro]

Thank you for your reply Tobias,

I am glad to hear that your post is still valid and that you have made considerable progress. Your caring for your family is honourable and deserves respect.

I have been doing 45 minutes of formal meditation on the tilakkhana almost every day since the beginning of February and have also done metta meditation a few times. Before I discovered puredhamma, I was essentially doing breath mediation, for which I now feel really foolish.

[Embodied]

“At this point one should stop the contemplation process and start breathing in and out to cleanse the body; sometimes the body itself automatically gets rid of those things via a long out breath. This will lead to passaddhi (tranquility) of both the body and the mind, and one gets to samadhi gradually. One needs to think about the lightness of the body and the mind (passaddhi) and the niramisa sukha (from samadhi) that results. One also should think about upekkha (equanimity) too.
When the body and the mind calm down enough and when one feels relaxed, one should go back to cultivating the previous three sabbojjanga, i.e., start on the contemplation process of dhammavicaya.”

I found on the site (as above) the right phrasing for what i wanted to mean with my blurred speech:
“after a short relaxation i start focusing on life experiences related to body, feelings/emotions and mental elaborations while “comparing” them to the 3 pillars Anicca, Anatta, Dukkha and the 4 Noble truths. YET i don’t focus through , i do breaks to focus on breathing in order to not become entangled by the process and in order to get back to it with a fresh mind.”

[Tobias G]

Yes, while doing Dhammavicaya one will have a break to breathe out and relax. Vicaya is the investigation and requires effort and thus a moment of silence inbetween helps to reach a balance between work and silence. All together it is the “washing out” of defilements.

[Lal]

Embodied said: “At this point one should stop the contemplation process and start breathing in and out to cleanse the body; sometimes the body itself automatically gets rid of those things via a long out breath. This will lead to passaddhi (tranquility) of both the body and the mind, and one gets to samadhi gradually. One needs to think about the lightness of the body and the mind (passaddhi) and the niramisa sukha (from samadhi) that results. One also should think about upekkha (equanimity) too.
When the body and the mind calm down enough and when one feels relaxed, one should go back to cultivating the previous three sabbojjanga, i.e., start on the contemplation process of dhammavicaya.”

As Tobias confirmed, that is correct. That quote is from the post,”11. Magga Phala via Cultivation of Saptha Bojjanga“.

Your earlier description of anicca is fine too, Embodied.
Each person sees it one’s own way. But the key is to see the “unfruitfullness” in worldly things, and that if one commits dasa akusala to get those worldly things one will face bad consequences in the future.

By the way, the following post may be helpful for everyone in writing responses or asking questions in formatting the text (and to provide links): “How to Reply to a Forum Question“.

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