Introduction To Vipassana Meditation – Venerable Ashin Silanandabhivamsa (agga Maha Pandita)

Questions answer about Vipassana

Vipassana meditation comes from the tradition of Theravada Buddhism. There are two major divisions of Buddhism in the world today — Mahayana and Theravada. Mahayana tradition developed as Buddhism spread to the Northern Asian countries of Tibet, China, Japan, etc. Theravada tradition stayed in Southern Asia and spread to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

The word Vipassana is composed of two parts “vi which means “in various ways and “passana” which means “seeing”. So Vipassana means seeing in various ways.

The ultimate purpose of Vipassana is to eradicate mental impurities from your mind altogether. Before that stage, there are benefits of tranquility peace of mind and the ability to accept things as they come. Vipassana helps you to see things as they truly are, not as they appear to be. Things appear to be permanent, desirable and substantial, but actually they are not. When you practise Vipassana meditation, you will see for yourself the arising and disappearing of mental and physical phenomena. And you will have clearer comprehension of what is going on in your mind and body. You will be able to accept things as they come to you with less agitation and deal with situations in a more positive way.

Vipassana meditation is for the cure of diseases of the mind in the form of mental defilements like greed, hatred, delusion, etc. We have these mental diseases with us almost all the time. In order to at least control them, we need ‘Vipassana meditation.

Since mental impurities are almost always with us, we need Vipassana meditation almost all of the time. There is no fixed time for the practice of Vipassana. Morning, during the day, before bedtime … anytime is the time of Vipassana. And Vipassana may be practised at any age.

There is nothing, which can be called particularly Buddhist in Vipassana meditation. There is no element of religion. It is a scientific investigation and examination of yourself. You must observe closely everything that comes to you and is happening to you in your body and mind at the present moment.

Yes and no. Meditation involves control of mind, and mind is most unruly. You come to know this personally when you practise meditation. So, it is not easy to practise Vipassana meditation because it is not easy to control the mind … to keep the mind on one and the same object. In another way, Vipassana meditation is easy to practise. There are no elaborate rituals to follow or much to learn before being able to practise Vipassana meditation. You just sit, watch yourself and focus your kind on the object… just that.

You need a genuine desire to practise and a readiness to follow the instructions closely because if you do not practise properly, you will not get the full benefits of meditation. You also need to have confidence in the practice and the teacher and an open mind to try it and see what it can do for you. Patience is also very important. When you meditate, you have to be patient with many things. There will be distractions; sensations in your body and you will be dealing with your mind. You must persevere when these distractions come and you cannot concentrate on the object. Also in Theravada Buddhism, purity of morals is emphasized because without pure moral conduct, there cannot be good concentration or peace of mind. Thoughts of something you have done will come to you again and again, especially when you are in meditation, and it will be more difficult for you to get good concentration.

Actually, you don’t need anything at all. All you need is a place where you can sit down, close your eyes and focus on the object. But I am not against using cushions, benches or even chairs and other things because in order to practise meditation, you need some degree of comfort. But, while you don’t need to inflict pain on yourself unnecessarily, you should take care not to be too much attached to comfort or sloth and torpor will come to you and you will go to sleep.

Vipassana meditation can and should be practised in all postures – sitting, standing, walking and lying down. Whatever you do, you should be mindful.

Although it is customary and traditional to sit on the floor to practise meditation, it is not essential in Vipassana. If you cannot sit cross-legged, you may sit in any way you like as long as it is comfortable for you. What matters in Vipassana is just the awareness, not the posture.

It is better to keep your eyes closed, but you may leave them open if you like whichever is the least distracting for you. But if you happen to look at anything, then you have to be aware of the “looking” and note it. The important thing is to have good concentration.

There are no strict rules as to how to put your hand during Vipassana meditation. You may put them anyway you like. The most usual position is on the lap, one over the other. Or you may put your hands on your knees

That depends on how much time you can spend for meditation. There is no fixed rule. It is good if you can sit for one hour. But if you cannot sit for one hour at the beginning, then you may sit half an hour or fifteen minutes and little by little extend the time, until you can sit longer. And if you can sit for more than an hour without much discomfort, you may sit two or three hours if you like.

We eat every day, care for our bodies every day. Since we almost always have mental defilements with us, we need to cleanse our minds every day. I recommend the morning hours because then your body and mind are rested and you are away from the worries of the previous day. It would also do you good to meditate in the evening before you go to bed. But you may practise any time. Any if you make it a habit to practise every day, it will be good and beneficial to you.

This is important. Whenever you learn a new skill, you need a teacher. With the advice of a teacher, you learn quickly and you cannot go wrong. You need a teacher who is competent to give you instructions, correct your mistakes and give guidance when you have trouble in the course of meditation. There are some meditators who think they are making progress while in reality, they are not making any progress at all. And sometimes, they are making progress but think they are not doing well. Only the teacher can tell, and so at such a time he or she is indispensable. If you cannot find a teacher, you may rely on books, although no book can entirely take the place of a teacher. You may be able to do fairly well by reading the instructions and following them carefully. But even then, you may have need for discussion with a teacher occasionally.

You can have awareness of whatever you do whether you are working, walking, doing something, etc. It will not be as intense as in meditation or during a retreat, but a more general awareness. And when you apply mindfulness to problems in your life, you will be able to deal with yourself more effectively.

A meditation retreat provides an opportunity to deepen meditation practice in a supportive environment with the guidance of an experienced teacher. Everything you do at a retreat becomes the object of meditation.

A retreat day consists of alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, a nightly lecture and personal interview with the teacher. Continuity of practice is developed by bringing mindfulness to all other activities throughout the day as well. Noble Silence is observed during a retreat. Retreats can last for one day, a weekend, a week or longer.

The intensive practice of a retreat is very beneficial for developing good concentration and quieting the mind. Since concentration is essential for penetrative wisdom to arise, a meditation retreat gives you the best possible opportunity to be able to experience for yourself the true nature of reality.

Ven. Ashin Silanandabhivamsa,

Agga Maha Pandita

Theravada Buddhist Society of America 17450 S. Cabrillo Highway

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-2518, USA