(The following is
a talk by the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw Agga Maha Pandita U Sobhana given to
his disciples on their induction into Vipassana Meditation at Sasana Yeiktha
Meditation Centre, Rangoon, Burma. It was translated from the Burmese by
U Nyi Nyi )
The practice of Vipassana or Insight Meditation
is the effort made by the meditator to understand correctly the nature
of the psycho-physical phenomena taking place in his own body. Physical
phenomena are the things or objects which one clearly perceives around
one. The whole of one's body that one clearly perceives constitutes a group
of material qualities (rupa). Psychical or mental phenomena are acts of
consciousness or awareness (nama). These (nama-rupas) are clearly perceived
to be happening whenever they are seen, heard, smelt, tasted, touched,
or thought of. We must make ourselves aware of them by observing them and
noting thus: `Seeing, seeing', `hearing, hearing', `smelling smelling',
`tasting, tasting', `touching, touching', or `thinking, thinking.' Every
time one sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches, or thinks, one should make
a note of the fact. But in the beginning of one's practice, one cannot
make a note of every one of these happenings. One should, therefore, begin
with noting those happenings which are conspicuous and easily perceivable.
With every act of breathing, the abdomen
rises and falls, which movement is always evident. This is the material
quality known as vayodhatu (the element of motion). One should begin by
noting this movement, which may be done by the mind intently observing
the abdomen. You will find the abdomen rising when you breathe in, and
falling when you breathe out. The rising should be noted mentally as `rising',
and the falling as `falling'. If the movement is not evident by just noting
it mentally, keep touching the abdomen with the palm of your hand. Do not
alter the manner of your breathing. Neither slow it down, nor make it faster.
Do not breathe too vigorously, either. You will tire if you change the
manner of your breathing. Breathe steadily as usual and note the rising
and falling of the abdomen as they occur. Note it mentally, not verbally.
In vipassana meditation, what you name
or say doesn't matter. What really matters is to know or perceive. While
noting the rising of the abdomen, do so from the beginning to the end of
the movement just as if you are seeing it with your eyes. Do the same with
the falling movement. Note the rising movement in such a way that your
awareness of it is concurrent with the movement itself. The movement and
the mental awareness of it should coincide in the same way as a stone thrown
hits the target. Similarly with the failing movement.
Your mind may wander elsewhere while you
are noting the abdominal movement. This must also be noted by mentally
saying `wandering, wandering.' When this has been noted once or twice,
the mind stops wandering, in which case you go back to noting the rising
and falling of the abdomen. If the mind reaches somewhere, note as `reaching,
reaching.' Then go back to the rising and falling of the abdomen. If you
imagine meeting somebody, note as `meeting, meeting.' Then back to the
rising and falling. If you imagine meeting and talking to somebody, note
as `talking, talking.'
In short, whatever thought or reflection
occurs should be noted. If you imagine, note as `imagining'. If you think,
`thinking'. If you plan, `planning'. If you perceive, `perceiving'. If
you reflect, `reflecting'. If you feel happy, `happy'. If you feel bored,
`bored'. If you feel glad, `glad'. If you feel disheartened, `disheartened'.
Noting all these acts of consciousness is called cittanupassana.
Because we fail to note these acts of consciousness,
we tend to identify them with a person or individual. We tend to think
that it is `I' who is imagining, thinking, planning, knowing (or perceiving).
We think that there is a person who from childhood onwards has been living
and thinking. Actually, no such person exists. There are instead only these
continuing and successive acts of consciousness. That is why we have to
note these acts of consciousness and know them for what they are. That
is why we have to note each and every act of consciousness as it arises.
When so noted, it tends to disappear. We then go back to noting the rising
and falling of the abdomen.
When you have sat meditating for long,
sensations of stiffness and heat will arise in your body. These are to
be noted carefully too. Similarly with sensations of pain and tiredness.
All of these sensations are dukkhavedana (feeling of unsatisfactoriness)
and noting them is vedananupassana. Failure or omission to note these sensations
makes you think, ``I am stiff, I am feeling hot, I am in pain. I was all
right a moment ago. Now I am uneasy with these unpleasant sensations.''
The identification of these sensations with the ego is mistaken. There
is really no `I' involved, only a succession of one new unpleasant sensation
after another.
It is just like a continuous succession
of new electrical impulses that light up electric lamps. Every time unpleasant
contacts are encountered in the body, unpleasant sensations arise one after
another. These sensations should be carefully and intently noted, whether
they are sensations of stiffness, of heat or of pain. In the beginning
of the yogi's meditational practice, these sensations may tend to increase
and lead to a desire to change his posture. This desire should be noted,
after which the yogi should go back to noting the sensations of stiffness,
heat, etc.
`Patience leads to Nibbana', as the saying
goes. This saying is most relevant in meditational effort. One must be
patient in meditation. If one shifts or changes one's posture too often
because one cannot be patient with the sensation of stiffness or heat that
arises, samadhi (good concentration) cannot develop. If samadhi cannot
develop, insight cannot result and there can be no attainment of magga
(the path that leads to Nibbana), phala (the fruit of that path) and Nibbana.
That is why patience is needed in meditation. It is patience mostly with
unpleasant sensations in the body like stiffness, sensations of heat and
pain, and other sensations that are hard to bear. One should not immediately
give up one's meditation on the appearance of such sensations and change
one's meditational posture. One should go on patiently, just noting as
`stiffness, stiffness' or `hot, hot'. Moderate sensations of these kinds
will disappear if one goes on noting them patiently. When concentration
is good and strong, even intense sensations tend to disappear. One then
reverts to noting the rising and falling of the abdomen.
One will of course have to change one's
posture if the sensations do not disappear even after one has noted them
for a long time, and if on the other hand they become unbearable. One should
then begin noting as `wishing to change, wishing to change.' If the arm
rises, note as `rising, rising.' If it moves, note as `moving, moving'.
This change should be made gently and noted as `rising, rising', `moving,
moving' and `touching, touching'. If the body sways, `swaying, swaying.'
If the foot rises, `rising, rising'. If it moves, `moving, moving'. If
it drops, `dropping, dropping.' If there is no change, but only static
rest, go back to noting the rising and falling of the abdomen. There must
be no intermission in between, only contiguity between a preceding act
of noting and a succeeding one, between a preceding samadhi (state of concentration)
and a succeeding one, between a preceding act of intelligence and a succeeding
one. Only then will there be successive and ascending stages of maturity
in the yogi's state of intelligence. Magga-Nana and Phala-nana (knowledge
of the path and its fruition) are attained only when there is this kind
of gathering momentum. The meditative process is like that of producing
fire by energetically and unremittingly rubbing two sticks of wood together
so as to attain the necessary intensity of heat (when the flame arises).
In the same way, the noting in vipassana
meditation should be continual and unremitting, without any resting interval
between acts of noting whatever phenomena may arise. For instance, if a
sensation of itchiness intervenes and the yogi desires to scratch because
it is hard to bear, both the sensation and the desire to get rid of it
should be noted, without immediately getting rid of the sensation by scratching.
If one goes on perseveringly noting thus,
the itchiness generally disappears, in which case one reverts to noting
the rising and falling of the abdomen. If the itchiness does not in fact
disappear, one has of course to eliminate it by scratching. But first,
the desire to do so should be noted. All the movements involved in the
process of eliminating this sensation should be noted, especially the touching,
pulling and pushing, and scratching movements, with an eventual reversion
to noting the rising and falling of the abdomen.
Every time you make a change of posture,
you begin with noting your intention or desire to make the change, and
go on to noting every movement closely, such as rising from the sitting
posture, raising the arm, moving and stretching it. You should make the
change at the same time as noting the movements involved. As your body
sways forward, note it. As you rise, the body becomes light and rises.
Concentrating your mind on this, you should gently note as `rising, rising'.
The yogi should behave as if he were a
weak invalid. People in normal health rise easily and quickly or abruptly.
Not so with feeble invalids, who do so slowly and gently. The same is the
case with people suffering from `back-ache' who rise gently lest the back
hurt and cause pain.
So also with meditating yogis. They have
to make their changes of posture gradually and gently; only then will mindfulness,
concentration and insight be good. Begin therefore with gentle and gradual
movements. When rising, the yogi must do so gently like an invalid, at
the same time noting as `rising, rising'. Not only this: though the eye
sees, the yogi must act as if he does not see. Similarly when the ear hears.
While meditating, the yogi's concern is only to note. What he sees and
hears are not his concern. So whatever strange or striking things he may
see or hear, he must behave as if he does not see or hear them, merely
noting carefully.
When making bodily movements, the yogi
should do so gradually as if he were a weak invalid, gently moving the
arms and legs, bending or stretching them, bending down the head and bringing
it up. All these movements should be made gently. When rising from the
sitting posture, he should do so gradually, noting as `rising, rising.'
When straightening up and standing, note as `standing, standing'. When
looking here and there, note as `looking, seeing'. When walking note the
steps, whether they are taken with the right or the left foot. You must
be aware of all the successive movements involved, from the raising of,
the foot to the dropping of it. Note each step taken, whether with the
right foot or the left foot. This is the manner of noting when one walks
fast.
It will be enough if you note thus when
walking fast and walking some distance. When walking slowly or doing the
cankama walk (walking up and down), three movements should be noted in
each step: when the foot is raised, when it is pushed forward, and when
it is dropped. Begin with noting the raising and dropping movements. One
must be properly aware of the raising of the foot. Similarly, when the
foot is dropped, one should be properly aware of the `heavy' falling of
the foot.
One must walk, noting as `raising, dropping'
with each step. This noting will become easier after about two days. Then
go on to noting the three movements as described above, as `raising, pushing
forward, dropping'. In the beginning, it will suffice to note one or two
movements only, thus `right step, left step' when walking fast and `raising,
dropping' when walking slowly. If when walking thus, you want to sit down,
note as 'wanting to sit down, wanting to sit down.' When actually sitting
down, note concentratedly the `heavy' falling of your body.
When you are seated, note the movements
involved in arranging your legs and arms. When there are no such movements,
but just a stillness (static rest) of the body, note the rising and falling
of the abdomen. While noting thus and if stiffness of your limbs and sensation
of heat in any part of your body arise, go on to note them. Then back to
`rising, falling'. While noting thus and if a desire to lie down arises,
note it and the movements of your legs and arms as you lie down. The raising
of the arm, the moving of it, the resting of the elbow on the floor, the
swaying of the body, the stretching of legs, the listing of the body as
one slowly prepares to lie down, all these movements should be noted.
To note as you lie down thus is important.
In the course of this movement (that is, lying down), you can gain a distinctive
knowledge (that is, magga-nana and phala-nana the knowledge of the path
and its fruition). When samadhi (concentration) and nana (insight) are
strong, the distinctive knowledge can come at any moment. It can come in
a single `bend' of the arm or in a single `stretch' of the arm. Thus it
was that the Venerable Ananda became an arahat.
The Ven. Ananda was trying strenuously
to attain Arahatship overnight on the eve of the first Buddhist council.
He was practising the whole night the form of vipassana meditation known
as kiyagatasati, noting his steps, right and left, raising, pushing forward
and dropping of the feet; noting, happening by happening, the mental desire
to walk and the physical movement involved in walking. Although this went
on till it was nearly dawn, he had not yet succeeded in attaining Arahatship.
Realizing that he had practised the walking meditation to excess and that,
in order to balance samadhi (concentration) and viriya (effort), he should
practise meditation in the lying posture for a while, he entered his chamber.
He sat on the couch and then lay himself down. While doing so and noting
`lying, lying,' he attained Arahatship in an instant.
The Ven. Ananda was only a sotapanna (that
is, a stream winner or one who has attained the first stage on the path
to Nibbana) before he thus lay himself down. From sotapannahood, he continued
to meditate and reached sakadagamihood (that is, the condition of the once-returner
or one who has attained the second stage on the path), anagamihood (that
is, the state of the non-returner or one who has attained the third stage
on the path) and arahatship (that is, the condition of the noble one who
has attained the last stage on the path.) Reaching these three successive
stages of the higher path took only a little while. Just think of this
example of the Ven. Ananda's attainment of arahatship. Such attainment
can come at any moment and need not take long.
That is why the yogi should note with diligence
all the time. He should not relax in his noting, thinking ``this little
lapse should not matter much.'' All movements involved in lying down and
arranging the arms and legs should be carefully and unremittingly noted.
If there is no movement, but only stillness (of the body), go back to noting
the rising and falling of the abdomen. Even when it is getting late and
time for sleep, the yogi should not go to sleep yet, dropping his noting.
A really serious and energetic yogi should practise mindfulness as if he
were forgoing his sleep altogether. He should go on meditating till he
falls asleep. If the meditation is good and has the upper hand, he will
not fall asleep. If, on the other hand, drowsiness has the upper hand,
he will fall asleep. When he feels sleepy, he should note as `sleepy, sleepy';
if his eyelids droop, `drooping'; if they become heavy or leaden, `heavy';
if the eyes become smarting, `smarting'. Noting thus, the drowsiness may
pass and the eyes become `clear' again.
The yogi should then note as `clear, clear'
and go on to note the rising and falling of the abdomen. However, perseveringly
the yogi may go on meditating, if real drowsiness intervenes, he does fall
asleep. it is not difficult to fall asleep; in fact, it is easy. If you
meditate in the lying posture, you gradually become drowsy and eventually
fall asleep. That is why the beginner in meditation should not meditate
too much in the lying posture. He should meditate much more in the sitting
and walking postures of the body. But as it grows late and becomes time
for sleep, he should meditate in the lying position, noting the rising
and falling movements of the abdomen. He will then naturally (automatically)
fall asleep.
The time he is asleep is the resting time
for the yogi. But for the really serious yogi, he should limit his sleeping
time to about four hours. This is the `midnight time' permitted by the
Buddha. Four hours' sleep is quite enough. If the beginner in meditation
thinks that four hours' sleep is not enough for health, he may extend it
to five or six hours. Six hours' sleep is clearly enough for health.
When the yogi awakens, he should at once
resume noting. The yogi who is really bent on attaining magga-nana and
phala-nana, should rest from meditational effort only when he is asleep.
At other times, in his waking moments, he should be noting continually
and without rest. That is why, as soon as he awakens, he should note the
awakening state of his mind as `awakening, awakening.' If he cannot yet
make himself aware of this, he should begin noting the rising and falling
of the abdomen.
If he intends to get up from bed, he should
note as `intending to get up, intending to get up.' He should then go on
to note the changing movements he makes as he arranges his arms and legs.
When he raises his head and rises, note as `rising, rising'. When he is
seated; note as `sitting, sitting.' If he makes any changing movements
as he arranges his arms and legs, all of these movements should also be
noted. If there are no such changes, but only a sitting quietly, he should
revert to noting the rising and falling movements of the abdomen.
One should also note when one washes one's
face and when one takes a bath. As the movements involved in these acts
are rather quick, as many of them should be noted as possible. There are
then acts of dressing, of tidying up the bed, of opening and closing the
door; all these should also be noted as closely as possible.
When the yogi has his meal and looks at
the meal-table, he should note as `looking, seeing, looking, seeing.' When
he extends his arm towards the food, touches it, collects and arranges
it, handles it and brings it to the mouth, bends his head and puts the
morsel of food into his mouth, drops his arm and raises his head again,
all these movements should be duly noted.
(This way of noting is in accordance with
the Burmese way of taking a meal. Those who use fork and spoon or chopsticks
should note the movements in an appropriate manner.)
When he chews the food, he should note
as `chewing, chewing'. When he comes to know the taste of the food, he
should note as `knowing, knowing'. As he relishes the food and swallows
it, as the food goes down his throat, he should note all these happenings.
This is how the yogi should note as he takes one morsel after another of
his food. As he takes his soup, all the movements involved such as extending
of the arm, handling of the spoon and scooping with it and so on, all these
should be noted. To note thus at meal-time is rather difficult as there
are so many things to observe and note. The beginning yogi is likely to
miss several things which he should note, but he should resolve to note
all. He cannot of course help it if he overlooks and misses some, but as
his samadhi (concentration) becomes strong, he will be able to note closely
all these happenings.
Well, I have mentioned so many things for
the yogi to note. But to summarise, there are only a few things to note.
When walking fast, note as `right step', `left step', and as `raising,
dropping' when walking slowly. When sitting quietly, just note the rising
and falling of the abdomen. Note the same when you are lying, if there
is nothing particular to note. While noting thus and if the mind wanders,
note the acts of consciousness that arise. Then back to the rising and
falling of the abdomen. Note also the sensations of stiffness, pain and
ache, and itchiness as they arise. Then back to the rising and falling
of the abdomen. Note also, as they arise, the bending and stretching and
moving of the limbs, bending and raising of the head, swaying and straightening
of the body. Then back to the rising and falling of the abdomen.
As the yogi goes on noting thus, he will
be able to note more and more of these happenings. In the beginning, as
his mind wanders here and there, the yogi may miss noting many things.
But he should not be disheartened. Every beginner in meditation encounters
the same difficulty, but as he becomes more practised, he becomes aware
of every act of mind-wandering till eventually the mind does not wander
any more. The mind is then riveted on the object of its attention, the
act of mindfulness becoming almost simultaneous with the object of its
attention such as the rising and falling of the abdomen. (In other words
the rising of the abdomen becomes concurrent with the act of noting it,
and similarly with the falling of the abdomen.)
The physical object of attention and the
mental act of noting are occurring as a pair. There is in this occurrence
no person or individual involved, only this physical object of attention
and the mental act of noting occurring as a pair. The yogi will in time
actually and personally experience these occurrences. While noting the
rising and falling of the abdomen he will come to distinguish the rising
of the abdomen as physical phenomenon and the mental act of noting of it
as psychical phenomenon; similarly with the falling of the abdomen. Thus
the yogi will distinctly come to realize the simultaneous occurrence in
pair of these psycho-physical phenomena.
Thus, with every act of noting, the yogi
will come to know for himself clearly that there are only this material
quality which is the object of awareness or attention and the mental quality
that makes a note of it. This discriminating knowledge is called namarupa-pariccheda-nana,
the beginning of the vipassana-nana. It is important to gain this knowledge
correctly. This will be succeeded, as the yogi goes on, by the knowledge
that distinguishes between the cause and its effect, which knowledge is
called paccayapariggaha-nana.
As the yogi goes on noting, he will see
for himself that what arises passes away after a short while. Ordinary
people assume that both the material and mental phenomena go on lasting
throughout life, that is, from youth to adulthood. In fact, that is not
so. There is no phenomenon that lasts for ever. All phenomena arise and
pass away so rapidly that they do not last even for the twinkling of an
eye. The yogi will come to know this for himself as he goes on noting.
He will then become convinced of the impermanency of all such phenomena.
Such conviction is called aniccanupassana-nana.
This knowledge will be succeeded by dukkhanupassana-nana,
which realises that all this impermanency is suffering. The yogi is also
likely to encounter all kinds of hardship in his body, which is just an
aggregate of sufferings. This is also dukkhanupassana-nana. Next, the yogi
will become convinced that all these psycho-physical phenomena are occurring
of their own accord, following nobody's will and subject to nobody's control.
They constitute no individual or ego-entity. This realisation is anattanupassana-nana.
When, as he goes on meditating, the yogi
comes to realise firmly that all these phenomena are anicca, dukkha and
anatta, he will attain Nibbana. All the former Buddhas, Arahats and Aryas
realised Nibbana following this very path. All meditating yogis should
recognise that they themselves are now on this sati-patthana path, in fulfilment
of their wish for attainment of magga-nana (knowledge of the path), phala-nana
(knowledge of the fruition of the path) and Nibbana-dhamma, and following
the ripening of their parami (perfection of virtue). They should feel glad
at this and at the prospect of experiencing the noble kind of samadhi (tranquillity
of mind brought about by concentration) and nana (supramundane knowledge
or wisdom) experienced by the Buddhas, Arahats and Aryas and which they
themselves have never experienced before.
It will not be long before they will experience
for themselves the magga-nana, phala-nana and Nibbana-dhamma experienced
by the Buddhas, Arahats and Aryas. As a matter of fact. these may be experienced
in the space of a month or of twenty or fifteen days of their meditational
practice. Those whose parami is exceptional may experience these dhammas
even within seven days. The yogi should therefore rest content in the faith
that he will attain these dhammas in the time specified above, that he
will be freed of sakkaya-ditthi (ego-belief) and vicikiccha (doubt or uncertainty)
and saved from the danger of rebirth in the nether worlds. He should go
on with his meditational practice in this faith. May you all be able to
practise meditation well and quickly attain that Nibbana which the Buddhas,
Arahats and Aryas have experienced!
Sadhu (well done)! Sadhu! Sadhu!
Source: Buddhayana
Centre, Netherlands