BASIC PRINCIPLES OF INSIGHT PRACTICE
Before commencing insight meditation, it is advisable to practise the four guardian meditations.
RECOLLECTION OF THE BUDDHA
The four Guardian Meditation
1. Recollection of the Buddha
2. Cultivation of Loving-Kindness
3. Recollection of Loathsomeness
4. Recollection of Death
One recollects the special virtues of the Buddha. One can select just one of the many qualities and reflect on it. For example the Buddha has the quality of an arahant, a perfected one. A brief contemplation is sufficient.
At some phases of one’s meditation
one may meet with fearsome objects. This recollection helps to overcome
such fear.
CULTIVATION OF LOVING KINDNESS
In this practice one develops friendliness towards all beings using the concise phrase:
May all beings be free from enmity.
One radiates loving kindness to
all beings repeatedly. The short and concise phrase has a wide range in
meaning. For example enmity refers both to internal enemies (i.e. defilements)
and external enemies (unfriendly beings, dangers, etc.). If people are
really free from enmity, then there is true peace in humanity. Such a practice
creates a friendly atmosphere around oneself and therefore one will not
be harassed or disturbed by other beings.
RECOLLECTION OF LOATFFSOMENESS
In the recollection of loathsomeness one needs not necessarily refer to corpses. One can refer to the loathsomeness of the living body. Normally people have a lot of attachment to bodies, their own or others. If one really looks closely into the body's parts, one can loosen the attachment to it. For example, reflect on head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin.
The development of loathsome perception
with regards to the body helps to overcome lust, which may arise as a strong
hindrance in the meditation practice.
RECOLLECTION OE DEATH
Frequent recollection of the inevitable nature of death irrespective of caste, rank, age, place, etc., cultivates a sense of fearlessness of death together with an increased sense of urgency to purify the mind and practise the foundations of mindfulness. One will also be able to endure excruciating sensations that arise in the course of one’s practice.
For those who intend to practise insight meditation, these four guardian meditations may occupy a total of eight minutes (i.e. two minutes each) once or several times a day at the beginning of a round of sitting meditation. In insight meditation mindfulness establishes itself with firmness and continuous occurrence in four domains of mind and body. This establishment is called four foundations of mindfulness.
The Four Foundation of Mindfulness
1. Contemplation of the Body
2. Contemplation of Consciousness
3. Contemplation of Feelings
4. Contemplation of Mental Objects
CONTEMPLATION OF THE BODY
This is the repeated observation of the material qualities in the body. Four postures are used when one contemplates the body. For the beginner the sitting and walking postures are suitable because the standing posture needs a lot of energy and can be too demanding for the beginner, and the lying posture easily seduces her or him to fall asleep. Sitting and walking on the other hand are most suitable for the balancing of faculties. In the sitting posture the body is allowing concentration to develop yet a certain amount of energy is required to keep it upright. Walking increases the faculty of energy and helps to balance out the strong tranquillity developed in sitting still.
The Four Postures:
1. walking
2. standing
3. sitting
4. lying
Traditionally, sitting is done cross-legged. If done awkwardly, a lot of pain may arise within a short time, so it should be done carefully and properly. The trunk should be erect, preferably perpendicular. This prevents the arising of unnecessary painful feelings. It also helps blood circulation.
SEATED CROSS-LEGGED,
WITH STRAIGHT BACK;
THE WIND CENTRED
ON THE BELLY.
After sitting like this, place the mindfulness on the basic meditation object, the rising and falling process of the abdomen. Watching the rise and fall enables one to find the natural phenomena, which can be seen in their true nature:
To bring forth a penetration or insight into the phenomena one has to be in the right place at the right time. The right place is the process of rising or falling of the abdomen. The right time is their very moment of occurrence.
The mind is too readily swept away by defilements. By fixing the mind on the rising and falling of the abdomen, the mind is temporarily freed from them. This, of course, requires initially a lot of effort.
A simile: A little boat is easily swept downstream but to get it upstream is difficult. To make it go upstream one must first manipulate the rudder, which compares with the placing of the mindfulness on the belly. After that one needs to row, that means one needs to follow the rising and falling uninterruptedly and relentlessly with continuous effort, to move upstream.
The Two Noting Powers:
- power of effort
- power of accuracy
For this, two kinds of power are required: Energetic power, which is the complete and relentless effort to follow the rising and falling, and accurate power, which is the accuracy in the following. Accuracy comes from hitting each and every occurring phenomena with right mindfulness. The breathing rhythm should be normal and natural and not forced. When these two powers of effort and accuracy are balanced, there is momentary concentration.
The procedure may be compared to a spider in its web. Normally the spider is poised at the centre of the web. Whenever an insect gets caught, it rushes to it, saps its nutrition, and returns to the centre. Likewise the meditator puts the attention to the centre, the primary object of observation which is the rising and falling of the abdomen. Whenever any other object arises the mind takes quick note of it, due to the power of effort and accuracy.
BREATHING NATURALLY,
FIX THE MIND ON RISING AND FALLING.
In each moment of careful attention and precise noting of the rising and falling of the abdomen the mental factors for the elimination of defilements are developed.
These factors are:
i. Right Effort, which has the function of not accepting defilements.
ii. Right Aim, which has the function of applying the mind accurately on the desired object, putting it right on the target.
iii. Right Mindfulness, which has the function of guarding the mind from defilements.
iv. Right Concentration, which has the function of preventing the mind from being scattered.
The mind thus is in a pure state. This itself is virtue and goodness, benefits that arise simultaneously with every moment of mindfulness. Therefore at every noting in meditation one is cultivating the skilful and wholesome mind.
PURE DWELLS THE WIND,
FREE FROM GUILT, AND IN TRUE VIRTUE
When we begin our practice, we start to see how wild the mind is-like a kid neglected by his parents. If we leave the mind in this state, we will not be free of obstacles blocking our spiritual growth, as we are under constant bombardment by objects giving rise to pleasant and unpleasant feelings, thus to greed, hatred and delusion. This reactive mind can only be tamed by proper mind control.
If parents for example do not exercise control over their children, they may, through the influence of bad company, turn out to become juvenile delinquents. However, if proper control is exercised, the children would eventually mature in wisdom and gain the discretion to keep away from unskilful actions, even at times when their parents are not around.
It is the same with meditation. The mind now and again runs after sensual desires, gets upset. We need to control and allow it to grow up. This period of discipline, though painful, is necessary.
Despite initial resentment in the child’s mind, it will eventually come to realise the benefits of wise control as being a basis for a successful life. Becoming independent, the control will then come from within, no longer having to be imposed from outside and the child will know how to discern wholesome from unwholesome actions and keep to the good throughout life.
At the beginning, it is difficult to centre the mind on the rising and falling of the abdomen. But it is reassuring to know that the invested effort and discipline provides space to grow and develop skilfulness. This difficult technique of attentive mind control is essential for mental purity. This is what meditation means; the cultivation of skilful states, which enable wisdom to blossom.
What do we mean by insight and wisdom? When the hindrances to concentration are absent for longer periods of time, one can see natural phenomena directly, for example the movement, stiffness, heat, sensations, etc. in the rising and falling of the abdomen. As one goes further, one begins to be able to differentiate between conscious and unconscious phenomena occurring within the field of awareness. Furthermore, the intricate chain of conditioning of phenomena can also be discerned.
The mechanism which enables one to see how all these natural phenomena truly behave can be compared to watching a cinema movie.
In this way, the characteristics of these natural phenomena are experienced directly. They fall into two categories. The sensations of the body who have each their specific quality like heat, cold, hardness, softness, flowing, pressure, etc. are characteristics of the first categories. They are called the specific or unique characteristics. In the second category are the qualities, which can be found universally in all compounded phenomena. They are called universal or common characteristics. They are the arising and vanishing of all objects, their unsatisfactoriness and the lack of an absolute ownership over them. In Pali language they are called anicca, dukkha and anatta.
Special Characteristics
hard and soft
hot and cold
pushing and supporting
cohesion and fluidity
Universal Characteristics
impermance
unsatisfactoriness
non-self
When the specific characteristics of phenomena are noted with relentless effort and high precision, the universal characteristics become evident. This is the arising of insight.
Process:
Insight Meditator
Appearance of Object - Focusing attention on belly
Directing of Attention - Appearance of rising and falling of the abdomen
Close Observation - Distinguishing the process by labelling
Understanding - Discovering what the special characteristics are and how they actually behave.
CONT.....