In This Life Itself

In This Life Itself
In This Life Itself

Practical Teachings on Insight Meditation
by
Venerable Uda Eriyagama Dhammajva Thero
Sabbadnam dhammadnam jinti.
The gift of Dhamma surpasses all other gifts.
For free distribution only.
Copyright The Sangha !itirigala
!itirigala "issarana #anaya $$%&' Sri Lan(a.
)ll *ommer*ial rights reser+ed. )ny reprodu*tion in ,hole or part in any form for
sale profit or material gain is prohibited. -o,e+er permission to print for free
distribution as a gift of Dhamma may be sought from the abo+e address.
This edition published and distributed by #ipassan Fello,ship Ltd ,ith the
permission of #en. Dhammaj+a. .+ersion $./0
,,,.+ipassana.*om
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Contents 4 Fore,ord
Contents & ore!ord
)*(no,ledgement
Fore,ord
)bout #enerable 5da 3riyagama Dhammaj+a Thero
Chapter $ Introdu*tion to the Satipa66hna sutta
7enefits of the Satipa66hna pra*ti*e
8re*onditions to be met before *ommen*ing the pra*ti*e
9hat is mindfulness .sati0:
Chapter ' 3stablishing mindfulness
3;ertion of effort
3;erting effort to establish mindfulness of the breath
Labelling "oting and <no,ing
De+eloping *onfiden*e in the pra*ti*e 7enefits of !indfulness
Chapter = Sitting !editation .npnasati bh+an0
8reparing for sitting meditation
>bser+ing the breath
"oting the length of the in2breath and the out2breath
>bser+ing the totality of the in2breath and the out2breath
Calming do,n the mind and settling the breath
"oting personality traits
Con*entration meditation and insight meditation
?uestions and )ns,ers
Chapter & 9al(ing !editation .*an(amana0
7enefits of ,al(ing meditation
8reparing the path for ,al(ing meditation
8reparing to ,al(
8ra*tising ,al(ing meditation
)d+an*ing in the pra*ti*e of ,al(ing meditation
Chapter @ Clear *omprehension .sampajaAAa0
The four aspe*ts of sampajaAAa
!aintaining *lear *omprehension from one a*ti+ity to the ne;t
8rogressi+e unfolding of *lear *omprehension
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Contents 4 Fore,ord
Chapter B Contemplating the anatomi*al parts of the body .pati((ula manasi(ra0
Three types of body *ontemplations
Contemplating the anatomi*al *omposition of the body
Dismantling the notion of a CselfC
Chapter % Contemplating the body as elements .dhtu manasi(ra0
>bser+ing the four elements in the breath
The impermanent nature of a being
Instant death
Contemplating death
Chapter D Contemplating on feelings .+edannupassan0
"eutral feelings
!aterial and Immaterial feelings
)ppendi;
Instru*tions for sitting meditation ,al(ing meditation and
establishing mindfulness in daily affairs
Acknowledgement
The editor is indebted to 7hi((huni <usuma of )yya <hema !editation Centre Sri
Lan(a and <enneth !orris and 7arbara Eanus of the Saddhamma Foundation 5S)
for their suggestions *orre*tions inspiration and *riti*ism in re+ie,ing a draft of
the original print +ersion of this boo(.
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Contents 4 Fore,ord
Foreword
#enerable 5da 3riyagama Dhammaj+a is a rare and de;terous tea*her ,ho tea*hes
us that final liberation is attainable in this life itself. -is tea*hings offer a simple
yet pre*ise guide to the Satipa66hna pra*ti*e and sho, us that insight into final
liberation *ould unra+el in this +ery moment in one breath or in one tou*h of a
foot step.
In This Life Itself is a *ompilation of dis*ourses gi+en on the Satipa66hna sutta at
the Dharmasarana 7uddhist Temple !elbourne )ustralia during a +isit bet,een
>*tober '//B and Eanuary '//%. It begins ,ith the benefits of the Satipa66hna
pra*ti*e and then introdu*es the yogi to establishing mindfulness in the sitting
posture during ,al(ing meditation or in day to day affairs. It then goes on to
dis*uss the 7uddhaFs tea*hings on *ontemplating the body .(aynupassan0 and
gi+es detailed instru*tions on the stages of npnasati meditation and ho, the
7uddha offers insight into the nature of the body in oneFs o,n breath. !oment2to2
moment e;amination of the in2breath and the out2breath is lin(ed to the 7uddhaFs
tea*hings *ontained in the Satipa66hna sutta.
) separate *hapter is de+oted to the *ontemplation of the body during ,al(ing
meditation. 3mphasis is then pla*ed on the 7uddhaFs tea*hings on the anatomi*al
*onstitution of the body and its *omposition by the four elements. Finally In This
Life Itself offers insight into the *ontemplation of feelings .+edannupassan0 and
introdu*es the yogi to the three types of feelings dis*ussed by the 7uddha.
Throughout the tea*hings #enerable Dhammaj+a dra,s on his o,n personal
e;perien*e and offers dire*t and pra*ti*al instru*tions to o+er*ome problems that
the yogi may en*ounter as insight progressi+ely de+elops in pra*ti*e.
9hen #enerable Dhammaj+a +isited #i*toria the lay *ommunity had only (no,n
of his reputation as a meditation master ,ith dire*t (no,ledge of the 7uddhaFs
tea*hings. It ,as in the most une;pe*ted *ir*umstan*es that the #i*torian lay
*ommunity ,as informed of his +isit.
In ,ays that *ould not ha+e been imagined nor anti*ipated during #enerable
Dhammaj+aFs +isit his tea*hings instru*tions and his presen*e opened many doors
and yogis ,ere able to tra+erse through un(no,n territories and en*ounter
une;pe*ted meditati+e e;perien*es. -e ga+e us instru*tions to deepen our insight
and finesse the subtleties of the pra*ti*e and translated the timeless ,ords of the
7uddha in a ,ay that ga+e us *onfiden*e that the desired results *an be attained in
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Contents 4 Fore,ord
this life itself.
This boo( has been *ompiled by a lay dis*iple ,ho +isited the Dhammasarana
7uddhist Temple during #enerable Dhammaj+aFs +isit to )ustralia. It is a rare
moment in samsra that one meets a tea*her ,ho *an insightfully summariGe the
intri*a*ies of the Dhamma in a span of just three2months. In This Life Itself has
been *ompiled to *elebrate the ,isdom of a s(illed and e;perien*ed meditation
master and his sin*erity dedi*ation and respe*t in tea*hing the Dhamma to his
dis*iples.
The reader ,ill note that 8li terms appear throughout the te;t. The 8li terms
ha+e been in*luded to introdu*e a pre*ision of meaning that is not a+ailable in
3nglish and is only possible in the 7uddhaFs tea*hings. The 8li ,ords ha+e been
in*orporated as they are ne*essary for an understanding of the meditati+e pra*ti*e.
The ri*hness of the dis*ourses as gi+en by #enerable Dhammaj+a has ho,e+er
been lost to some e;tent as a result of the editing pro*ess.
The Editor (a disciple from Melbourne)
About Venerable Uda Eriyagama Dhammajva
#enerable 5da 3riyagama Dhammaj+a has pra*tised as a meditation master for
o+er ten years and is presently the meditation tea*her and Deputy )bbot of the
!itirigala "issarana #anaya a monastery in the stri*t forest tradition in Sri Lan(a.
It is one of Sri Lan(aFs most respe*ted meditation monasteries. It ,as found in $HBD
and ,as led under the guidan*e of the great #enerable !tara Sri Innrma
!ahathera.
#enerable Dhammaj+a also spent se+eral years of training under >+ada*ariya
Sayada, 5. 8anditbhi+amsa a leading 7urmese meditation master ,ho follo,s
the lineage of the great #enerable !ahsi Sayada,.
#enerable Dhammaj+a is fluent in Sinhalese 3nglish and 7urmese and has
translated many meditation guide boo(s from 7urmese to 3nglish and to Sinhalese.
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Chapter $
Cha"ter #
Introd$ction to the %ati"a h&na %$tta
"amo tassa bhaga+ato arahato samm sambuddhassa
.-omage to the blessed one ,orthy and fully enlightened0
3(yano ayan bi((ha+e maggo Sattnam +isuddhiy
So(a 8aridda+nam Samathi((amya Du((hadomanassnaJ
)tthangamya Kyyassa )dhigamya
"ibbnassa Sa*hi(iriyya Laddidam Cattro Satipa66hna
<athame Cattro Idha bi((ha+e bi((hu
<aye (aynupassi +iharati )tapi sampajdno sati
#inneya lo(e abhijjhd domanassam #edandsu
+edandnupassi +iharati Mtpi sampajno satim
#inneya lo(e abhijjh domanassam Citte *ittnupassi +iharati
Mtapi sampajAo satim
#inneya lo(e abhijjh domanassaJ
Dhammesu dhammnupassi +iharati Mtapi sampajno satim
#inneya lo(e abhijjh domanassaJ
FSatipa66hna suttaF *an be translated as the Ffour foundations of mindfulnessF. Its
pra*ti*e is *ommonly referred to as Insight meditation.
The Satipa66hna sutta ,as prea*hed by the 7uddha at a to,n named
<ammsadhamma in the F(uruF distri*t. This area is presently lo*ated near "e,
Delhi and is *alled FSant To,nF. It has been preser+ed as an ar*haeologi*al site.
<ammsadhamma ,as a ,ealthy area at that time. The mon(s and the laity li+ing
there ,ere in +ery good physi*al and mental health. They ,ere also of +ery good
moral *ondu*t. )**ordingly they had the reNuisite *onditions to learn the Dhamma
e;pounded in the Satipa66hna sutta.
Benefits of the ati!a h"na #ractice
)s prea*hed by the 7uddha se+en benefits *an be gained from the pra*ti*e of
Satipa66hna.
First the pra*ti*e of Satipa66hna leads to a purifi*ation of the being .sattnaO
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Introdu*tion to the Satipa66hna Sutta
+isuddhiy0. 8ro*eeding along the path of purifi*ation does not demand a belief in
the 7uddha. Pather the Satipa66hna sutta assumes a le+el of autonomy on the
pra*titioner and pres*ribes that purifi*ation of oneself rests in oneFs o,n hands.
This autonomous path of purifi*ation pres*ribed by the 7uddha ,as a re+olutionary
statement be*ause at the time Indian philosophy ,as *entreed on a +ie, based on a
*reator. There ,as a belief that the ,orld ,as *reated by an omnipotent god.
)lthough Indians belie+ed in (amma and +ip(a .a*tion and its result or *ausality0
their sal+ation ,as +ested in a *reator 2 the 7rahma.
The 7uddha prea*hed that there is only one ,ay .e(yano maggo0 to purify the
mind. In this path of purifi*ation establishing mindfulness is of fundamental
importan*e. 5ntil re*ently 7uddhist pra*ti*e *entreed on rituals and the
perfe*tion of merits or on an aspiration for a future 7uddha to liberate them. It is
only as of late that the importan*e of mindfulness in 7uddhist pra*ti*e has gained
prominen*e.
7y purifying the mind a person is able to o+er*ome sorro, and lamentation .so(a
paridda+naO samati((amya0. These are the se*ond and third benefits. The ,orld
is inundated ,ith grief suffering and lamentation and so*iety presents us ,ith
many methods and alternati+es to *ope ,ith these states of mind. 7ut the results
are temporary and superfi*ial. >n the other hand the pra*ti*e of Satipa66hna leads
to a *omplete eradi*ation of grief sorro, and lamentation. The fourth and fifth
benefits are o+er*oming of physi*al and mental pain .du((ha domanassnaO
atthangamya0.
7y pra*tising Satipa66hna a yogi gradually enters the *orre*t path to liberation
.Ayyassa adhigamya0. This is the si;th benefit. )t a theoreti*al le+el the 7uddha
has pres*ribed the noble eightfold path as a means to attain final liberation. 7ut in
pra*ti*e the yogi must assimilate his or her o,n path. This is a trial and error
pro*ess. 7y maintaining moral *ondu*t and de+eloping mindfulness a yogi
de+elops the most *ondu*i+e method for his or her o,n liberation. Inter+ie,s ,ith
ad+an*ed yogis are important in assimilating this path. )ll mista(es e;perien*es
and ad+an*ements should be noted by the yogi and dis*ussed ,ith an e;perien*ed
meditation tea*her.
7y listening to the Satipa66hna tea*hings logi*ally reasoning its *ontent and
pra*ti*ing it the yogi ,ill be led to,ards a purifi*ation of the mind. 7y be*oming
a*Nuainted ,ith the Satipa66hna sutta and its pra*ti*e yogis ,ill see the results of
their o,n purifi*ation 2 an internal transformation ,ithin their o,n personality
traits ba*(ground and en+ironment ,ill ta(e pla*e.
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>ur *apa*ity to pra*ti*e is al,ays *hallenged. 9e get old our fa*ulties fade ,e get
si*( and die. It is diffi*ult to pra*ti*e ,hen ,e are si*( or disabled be*ause ,e need
our physi*al strength to meet the *hallenges fa*ed in the pra*ti*e. 7ut if ,e
pra*ti*e ,hen ,e are mentally and physi*ally sound ,e ,ill be able to meet the
*hallenges en*ountered in the Satipa66hna pra*ti*e Nuite *omfortably.
Pegular and *onsistent pra*ti*e ,ill in*rease our *onfiden*e in the Satipa66hna
pra*ti*e and its results. Iradually ,e ,ill gain an understanding of final liberation
.nibnnanassa sa**hi(iriyya0. This is the final and se+enth benefit. There is no
magi*al formula for this attainment. >ne must simply stri+e to,ards oneFs o,n
purifi*ation.
#reconditions to be met before $ommencing the #ractice
) yogi must ha+e purified +irtues and a +ie, that is dire*t and straight .dime+a
+isodhehi (usalesu dhammesu0 to pra*ti*e Satipa66hna. -a+ing a dire*t +ie,
means that the yogi does not belie+e in a *reator or a god but instead in (amma
and +ip(a .*ausality0. Thus the yogi must be*ome responsible for his or her
a*tions. Through an understanding of (amma and +ip(a a deeper moral
*ons*ien*e and *onfiden*e in physi*al mental and +erbal *ondu*t ,ill de+elop.
9ithout purified morality .sla +isuddhi0 a yogi should not underta(e the
Satipa66hna pra*ti*e. Lay people should aim to ha+e a basi* le+el of sla ,hi*h
*onsists of maintaining the fi+e pre*epts1 refraining from ta(ing life refraining
from ta(ing ,hat is not gi+en refraining from se;ual mis*ondu*t refraining from
+erbal misdeeds and refraining from ta(ing into;i*ants. These human Nualities
must be mastered before *ommen*ing the Satipa66hna pra*ti*e.
Sla is not a set of *ommandments handed do,n by the 7uddha. Pather it deri+es
from a basi* sense of humanity. The 7uddha prea*hed to *riminals and murderers
and in spite of their past beha+iour they ,ere able to purify themsel+es and attain
enlightenment. 9e *an purify our moral *ondu*t at any moment. )s humans ,e
are able to distinguish good from bad. This mental state is uniNue to humans.
)nimals simply rea*t and a*t on instin*t.
>n*e morality is ,ell established the yogi must pra*ti*e ,ith diligen*e e;ert
ardent energy .tpi0 and stri+e in the pra*ti*e of Satipa66hna. The yogi must ha+e
faith in the benefits of the pra*ti*e. Stri+ing is an essential *hara*teristi* of the
Satipa66hna yogi.
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7y applying mindfulness .sati0 one is able to ha+e *lear *omprehension
.sampajaAAa0. !indfulness is the *ore element to attain *lear *omprehension and
gain a dire*t (no,ledge of the natural *hara*teristi*s of phenomena. 9hen
*ontemplating on the breath and its mo+ement the *hanging of postures the
anatomi*al *onstitution of the body or the four elements *omprising the body
mindfulness is the (ey element that should be mastered.
%hat is &indfulness 'ati()
In the pra*ti*e of Satipa66hna mindfulness is applied to four obje*ts1
i. the body .(ya0
ii. feelings and sensations .+edan0
iii. states of *ons*iousness .*itta0Q and
i+. mental obje*ts .dhamma0.
!indfulness is a pro*ess of bringing oneFs mind to the present moment. 9hen ,e
try to bring our mind to the present moment ,e obser+e its true nature 2 ho, it
habitually ,anders around day2dreams and fantasiGes. 9e are al,ays preo**upied
,ith the past and the future. The mind is rarely in the present. It is li(e a mad
mon(ey that jumps from one bran*h to another. It is s,ift and jumps around. It is
al,ays in a state of flu;. It is impossible to obser+e the mindFs true nature unless
,e pause ,ith mindfulness.
7y fo*using our attention on one obje*t at a parti*ular moment ,e are able to
really obser+e its ,andering nature. For e;ample ,hen ,e read a boo( the mind
,anders off. )lthough our eyes are fo*used on the *ontents of the boo( the mind
,ill remain immersed in thoughts past memories or future plans. The mind is
*ir*umstantial and unpredi*table. This aspe*t of the mind *an be *learly obser+ed
,hen an obje*t of meditation is introdu*ed. It simply be*omes unruly and
obstinate.
It is therefore important that a yogi should ta(e parti*ular *are and diligently
pra*ti*e at the +ery early stages of the meditation. The yogi must be patient and be
a,are of the mindFs nature. 7e*ause the mind jumps from one obje*t to another it
ne+er has the opportunity to understand the *hara*teristi*s of one parti*ular
obje*t ,hen it arises. The 7uddha has des*ribed this mind as superfi*ial. It is li(e a
*or( that is put into ,ater simply ,obbling around. It ne+er penetrates. 7ut if you
put a pie*e of stone e;a*tly at the point it tou*hes the ,ater it ,ill sin( to the
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bottom. Similarly ,hen mindfulness is effe*ti+e ,hate+er the obje*t may be it ,ill
penetrate into its *hara*teristi*s. This is ,hy the yogi must repeatedly apply the
mind to the obje*t of meditation.
The yogiFs mindfulness on the in2breath and the out2breath during sitting
mediation ,ill be some,hat superfi*ial at the beginning. 7ut ,ith repeated
appli*ation the mind ,ill gradually fo*us on the obje*t of meditation. 9ith ,ell
established mindfulness a yogi ,ill ha+e sustained attention on the in2breath and
the out2breath. Throughout the period of meditation the noting and obser+ing
mind ,ill be dire*tly fo*used on the obje*t. In ea*h sitting ,ith strong
determination a yogi must stri+e to bring the mind dire*tly in line ,ith the obje*t.
9hen mindfulness is aligned ,ith the obje*t a yogi has a *ertain le+el of se*urity
and hindran*es su*h as sensual desire .(ma**handa0 anger .+ypda0 sloth and
torpor .thna middha0 doubts .+i*i(i**h0 and restlessness and ,orry .uddha**a
(u((u**a0 ,ill no longer be present be*ause the mind is no, o**upied ,ith the
obje*t of meditation.
To strengthen the per*eption .tirasaAA pada66hna0 the yogi must note the
mo+ement and tou*h of ea*h and e+ery in2breath and out2breath. 7y noting the
phase of the pro*ess mindfulness is retained and a,areness is not impinged by
e;ternal distra*tions su*h as thoughts. )s the strength of the per*eption in*reases
the yogi ,ill ha+e the se*urity of a strong and *ontinuous mindfulness.
) yogi ,ith perfe*ted moral *ondu*t and a dire*t +ie, to pra*ti*e diligently ,ill
seethe results of his or her o,n purifi*ation in this life itself. This is not a religious
but a te*hni*al e;er*ise. It is a pro*ess through ,hi*h one goes against the grain.
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Chapter '
Cha"ter '
Establishing Mindf$lness
Idha bhi((ha+e bhi((hu
<ye (ynupass +iharati
Mtpi sampajno satim
#ineyya lo(e abhijjh domanassnam
3ssentially the Satipa66hna sutta *an be *hara*terised as a dis*ourse on
FmindfulnessF.
!indfulness *an be established in three ,ays1
i. During sitting meditation 2 being mindful of the breath .npnasati
bh+an0 this is an intensi+e method
ii. During ,al(ing meditation 2 being mindful of the mo+ement and the
tou*h of the feet .*an(amana0 this is a semi2intensi+e methodQ and
iii. 7eing mindful in day to day affairsQ this is an e;tensi+e method.
Sitting meditation is relati+ely rapid to establish but at the beginning many yogis
find that thoughts sound or pain interfere ,ith their mindfulness of the breath.
9ith repeated pra*ti*e a yogi may be able to establish the desired le+el of
mindfulness and *on*entration. !aintaining mindfulness after a session of sitting
meditation is ho,e+er diffi*ult.
During ,al(ing meditation your eyes are open your body is a*ti+e and you are
mindful of the mo+ement of the feet. The mindfulness gained during ,al(ing
meditation is therefore mu*h more durable be*ause it is de+eloped amidst a*ti+ity.
8aying attention to daily affairs ,ill be *omparati+ely diffi*ult at the beginning and
it ,ill ta(e a long time to *ulti+ate mindfulness from one moment to the other. In
spite of these per*ei+ed diffi*ulties a yogi must stri+e to pra*ti*e all three methods
of establishing mindfulness.
So ho, does one be*ome mindful of oneFs o,n body .(ataA*a bhi((ha+e bhi((hu
(ye (ynupassi +iharati0: )**ording to the Satipa66hna sutta a bhi((hu
*ontemplates the body in its totality. In our daily li+es ,e loo( at the body through
+arious perspe*ti+es. 9e see it as an obje*t of beautifi*ation a se;ual obje*t a le+er
or an obje*t of strength. 9e rarely see the body as it is. To see the body and its true
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3stablishing !indfulness
nature ,e must e;ert ardent effort and mindfully see its a*ti+ities in totality.
)s stated in the <araniya metta sutta one must be mindful ,hen one is standing
.titaO0 ,al(ing .*aram0 sitting .nissinno+0 and lying do,n .sayno+0 .titam
*aram nissinno+ sayno+ y+a66hassa +igatamiddho etam satim adhiheyya0. )
yogi be*omes mindful of the body by being in the present moment and
*ontemplating the body as it is.
9ithout mindfulness ,e ,ill fore+er go on through samsra the *y*le of repeated
birth and death. The samsri* *y*le *an be stopped only if ,e pause ,ith
mindfulness. 9e are *aught up in our personal preferen*es per*ei+ed through a
*onditioning pro*ess. It is only by being mindful from one moment to the ne;t that
,e *an de2*ondition this pro*ess.
E*ertion of Effort
The most pro;imate *ause for establishing mindfulness is the e;ertion of ardent
energy .tpi0. #iriya .effort0 is the energy aspe*t of the mind. Mtpi or padhna
+iriya is the e;ertion of ardent energy in the pra*ti*e. 9ithout energy the yogi ,ill
be in a dull state of mind e;perien*ing sloth and torpor. To establish mindfulness
the yogi must e;ert ardent energy and diligently stri+e in the pra*ti*e.
9hen establishing mindfulness energy must be e;erted in three ,ays1
i. by ,ay of initial appli*ationQ
ii. sustained appli*ationQ and
iii. fulfilling appli*ation.
The initial appli*ation in+ol+es restraining of the fa*ulties the purifi*ation of
+irtues (eeping pre*epts and being morally responsible for our *ondu*t. 7y ha+ing
*ontrol of the senses and sensual pleasures ,e de+elop a moral *ons*ien*e.
>ther,ise ,e simply harm oursel+es and others.
7y establishing mindfulness ,e stop the arising of defilements ,hi*h ha+e not yet
arisen in our stream of *ons*iousness .anuppannam ppa(naO a(usalnaO
dhammnaO anuppdya0. This is an important turning point of the samsri*
journey be*ause ,e ma(e a *ons*ious effort and a determination to restrain
defilements from arising ,ith an understanding of the +i*ious nature of the
samsri* journey. 9hen ,e are not morally responsible ,e attribute all mishaps to
others the past or the future. Iradually ,ith mindfulness ,e begin to see
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*ausality that all a*tions and their results are our o,n responsibility .(amma and
+ip(a0. 9ith an understanding of *ausality moral shame and fear .hiri ottappa0
,ill set in.
E*erting Effort to Establish &indfulness of the Breath
>n*e seated in an ere*t symmetri*al and balan*ed posture ,ith the alignment of a
pyramid in Cairo the yogi ,ill *ome to the present moment and be*ome a,are of
the posture and the body. Iradually you ,ill note the natural in2breath and the
out2breath and silently and *hoi*elessly obser+e the most prominent point ,here
the breath manifests. It may be around the tip of the nose or to,ards the top of the
lips the throat solar ple;us et*. )s the breathing *ontinues in an in+oluntary and
natural manner you must aim to retain your fo*us on the breath and e;ert a
*ertain le+el of energy. >ther,ise thoughts ,ill arise and your attention ,ill be
ta(en a,ay to,ards e;ternal obje*ts.
To retain mindfulness the yogi must patiently obser+e the in2breath and the out2
breath understand and e;perien*e the differen*e bet,een the in2breath and the
out2breath and *arefully obser+e the phase of the pro*ess by maintaining a steady
attention on the breath from the beginning through the middle and to the +ery
end. Iradually the meditati+e mind ,ill be dra,n to the breath and the yogi ,ill
no longer be disturbed by sounds thoughts or bodily pains that arise during sitting
meditation. Clarity ,ill set in. To a*hie+e this pre*ise alignment the yogi must see
the in2breath and the out2breath in their entirety. 7y remaining alert being
attenti+e +igilant diligent and e;erting ardent energy the yogi ,ill ha+e
*ontinuous attention on the phase of the in2breath and the out2breath. Continuous
attention on the breath is only possible ,ith the appli*ation of sustained energy. 7y
e;erting sustained energy you ,ill ha+e *ontinuous attention on the primary
obje*t .the breath0 ,ithout interferen*es from thoughts sounds and bodily pain.
+abelling, -oting and .nowing
During sitting meditation if an e;ternal obje*t impinges strongly on the a,areness
so as to dra, it a,ay from the primary obje*t it must be promptly and *learly
noted. If you hear a sound dire*t your attention to,ards the sound as soon as it
arises and be*ome a,are of it as a dire*t e;perien*e. Lou must identify and label it
as Chearing hearing hearingC. 9hen the sound fades a,ay and is no longer
predominant you *an bring your attention ba*( to the primary obje*t.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $= 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
7y labelling naming or noting it is possible to maintain *ontinuous mindfulness on
the primary obje*t. 9ith e+ery in2breath you note it as CinC. 9hen an out2breath
o**urs you note it as CoutC. 9hen a thought arises you note it as Cthin(ing
thin(ing thin(ingC C,andering ,andering ,anderingC or Cday2dreaming day2
dreamingday2 dreamingC. 9hen pain arises your fo*us ,ill shift to the pla*e of
pain and you ,ill note it as Cpain pain painC.
7y noting all transa*tions ta(ing pla*e in your *ons*iousness ,ill be re*orded. 7y
re*ording all transa*tions during a session of meditation you *an assess its
profitability 2 ,hether you spent your time being distra*ted by e;ternal
disturban*es or by being mindful of the primary obje*t.
7y noting you *an re*olle*t and report the meditation e;perien*e to a tea*her. For
e;ample you ,ill report that at the beginning the attention ,as on the tip of the
nose and an in2breath o**urred. "oted as FinF and it appeared as an in,ard rubbing
sensation. 9hen the out2breath o**urred you noted as FoutF and that it appeared
,armer and longer than the in2breath. Then you ,andered off and started
thin(ing. Lou noted it asCthin(ingthin(ingC. 9hen the thought *eased your
attention ,ent ba*( to the breath et*.
Further by noting you ,ill be able to dis*ern your personality traits during
meditation and see( the appropriate remedies from your tea*her by a**urately
reporting your e;perien*es.
!aintaining *onsisten*y during meditation demands sustained energy. 7y noting
and labelling you are able to e;ert sustained effort and ha+e *ontrol of the pro*ess.
The te*hniNue of labelling and noting is parti*ularly useful for yogis ,ho are
freNuently distra*ted by thoughts sounds and pain during sitting meditation.
7y noting the obje*t you ,ill be*ome attenti+e and see the natural *hara*teristi*s
of the in2breath and the out2 breath. )s you obser+e the in2breath and the out2
breath in a dis*rete manner you ,ill ha+e *ontinuous attention on the primary
obje*t during sitting meditation. In spite of any sounds or pain arising you ,ill
*ontinue ,ith mindfulness on the breath if possible.
"oting labelling or naming is *alled +ita((a. The (no,ledge or (no,ing gained is
*alled +i*ra .the analyti*al mind0. <no,ing is the result of noting. "oting the
obje*t is your in+estment and your effort. 7y e;erting sustained energy and noting
the obje*ts that arise in the stream of *ons*iousness (no,ing ,ill ta(e pla*e. 9ith
mindfulness and noting all defilements entering the stream of *ons*iousness ,ill
be noted and neutralised.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $& 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
9ith mindfulness defilements that ha+e arisen in the stream of *ons*iousness ,ill
be erased off .uppannan ppa(nan a(usalnan dhammnan pahnya0. )s stated
by the 7uddha the first benefit of the Satipa66hna pra*ti*e is the purifi*ation of
the being .sattnam +isuddhiy0. )s the momentum of the purifi*ation in*reases in
the pra*ti*e the yogi o+er*omes grief sorro, and lamentation .so(a paridda+nam
samathi((amya0 and eradi*ates mental and physi*al pain .du((hadomanassnam
atthangamya0.
9hether the yogi establishes mindfulness in day to day a*ti+ities ,al(ing
meditation or the rising and falling of the abdomen during sitting meditation he or
she must stri+e to be ,ith the obje*t of meditation. Simply remain *hoi*elessly and
silently a,are of the obje*t and note it.
Continuous mindfulness ,ill lead to *on*entration. Con*entration ,ill *alm the
mind and enable the yogi to see all natural phenomena unfold as they are. 9ith
,ell established *on*entration the yogi ,ill fo*us his or her attention from one
obje*t to another undisturbed and see the beginning the middle and the end of
ea*h e+ent *learly.
Develo!ing $onfidence in the #ractice
) purified stream of *ons*iousness ,ill enable ,holesome states of mind to arise
.anuppannnaO (usalnaO dhammnan uppdya *handaO janeti +yamati
+iriyaO rabhati *ittan pagganhti padahati0. 9ith in*reased mindfulness your
*ons*iousness ,ill be*ome free from defilements. This purifi*ation pro*ess ,ill
in*rease the faith in the pra*ti*e and the yogi ,ill gain *onfiden*e that ,ith
*ontinuous effort the desired results *an be attained in this life itself or in this +ery
moment. This *onfiden*e ,ill gi+e ,ay to an in*reased faith in the 7uddha the
Dhamma and the Sangha.
Through the purifi*ation of +irtues and the results of your pra*ti*e a penetrati+e
form of faith ,ill arise. Ienerally ,e in*rease or restore faith as ,e sit in front of
an image of the 7uddha or go to a spiritual pla*e. 7ut this faith is superfi*ial. The
faith gained from our e;perien*e in the pra*ti*e and itFs result is not superfi*ial. It
,ill be a penetrati+e form of faith .o((appana saddh0.
7y effe*ti+ely noting e+ery in2breath and out2breath a yogi e;perien*es less and
less defilements and de+elops *ontinuous mindfulness and *on*entration. Faith in
the pra*ti*e ,ill de+elop. 9ith in*reased faith you ,ill e;ert more energy and this
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $@ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
in turn ,ill lead to *ontinuous mindfulness. This pro*ess ,ill de+elop as a *hain
rea*tion.
Benefits of &indfulness
9hen the mind is dire*tly fa*ing the obje*t of meditationlust .rga0 hatred .dosa0
or ignoran*e .moha0 ,ill not arise. To *learly note the benefits of mindfulness the
momentum of the pra*ti*e must *ome to the *orre*t proportion to enable the yogi
to see things as they are. 7y de+eloping mindfulness in sitting meditation the yogi
*an e;tend it to day to day affairs too. Further ,ith *ontinuous mindfulness during
sitting meditation the yogi *an *leanse the stream of *ons*iousness from potential
defilements. This ,ill lead to *on*entration ,hi*h in turn ,ill gi+e ,ay to ,isdom.
9ith *ontinuous mindfulness the yogi ,ill be*ome a,are of the present moment.
7y being in the present moment ,e e;perien*e Cli+ingC. Ienerally ,e are
imagining *aught up ,ith past disappointments and the e;*itements of the future.
This robs us from being in the present moment. In the same ,ay that a *hild
engages ,ith a toy an artist ,ith a painting or a butterfly ,ith a flo,er ,ith
*ontinuous and sustained attention on the primary obje*t the yogiFs meditation
e;perien*e be*omes more +i+id. 7y establishing mindfulness and *learing the
*ons*iousness from defilements ,e are able to remain in the present moment and
see things as they are.
If ,e are mindful ,e *an deal ,ith all mishaps in life ,ith s(ill and *onfiden*e. 9e
,ill ma(e instead of rea*tions lasting de*isions ,hi*h are based on fa*ts arising out
of our obser+ations.
9e oursel+es must attain our o,n liberation. The 7uddha has e;pounded the
Dhamma and has mapped the path but ea*h one of us must pra*ti*e and attain
final liberation. 9ith diligen*e ,e must e;ert ardent energy and regularise the
pra*ti*e. >n*e the meditation gathers in momentum *on*entration ,ill set in.
9ith de+eloped *on*entration ,isdom ,ill arise and the ,heel of Dhamma ,ill be
set in motion. If ,e pra*ti*e in this manner ,e ,ill see irre+ersible *hanges in this
life itself.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $B 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Chapter =
Cha"ter (
%itting Meditation )*n&"&nasati +h&van&,
<ataA*a bhi((ha+e bhi((hu (ye (ynupassi +iharati
Idha bhi((ah+e bhi((hu
MraAAgto+ ru((hamRla gato+ suAAgra gato+
nisdati pallaS(aO bhujit+ ujun(yaO panidhya
parimu(haO satim uppatthapet+.
So sato+ assa sati sato+ passa sati.
Dgam+ assasanto dgam assasmti pajnti
dgam+ passasanto dgam passasm Fti pajnti.
Passam+ assasanto rassam assasm ti pajnti
rassam+ passasanto rassam passasm ti pajnti.
Sabba(ya patisam+edhi assasissm ti si((hati
sabba(ya patisam+edhi passasissm ti si((hati.
8assambhayam (yasan(hram assasissmti si((hati
passambhayam (yasan(hram passasissmti si((hati.
In the Satipa66hna sutta the 7uddha as(s a rhetori*al Nuestion1 -o, does a
bhi((hu *ontemplate the body as body: .(ataA*a bhi((ha+e bhi((hu (ye
(ynupass +iharati:0
The human body is seen as *ompli*ated and mysterious. S*ientists and resear*hers
are still *ontinuing ,ith their pursuit of a *omplete understanding of the human
body. -o,e+er more than '@@/ years ago the 7uddha instru*ted yogis on ho, to
*ontemplate the body and understand its true nature.
To *ontemplate the body as body a yogi must *ontemplate it in its totality. This
does not suggest an analyti*al pro*ess or a separation of the body into elementary
parts. Pather the in+itation is to see the body in its totality. 9e generally per*ei+e
our body through its features and the different perspe*ti+es that they offer. The
body is +ie,ed as a se;ual obje*t something beautiful and an operating ma*hine or
as a sour*e of po,er. These perspe*ti+es only offer a limited understanding. 9hen
,e understand the body in its totality and its natural *hara*teristi*s are re+ealed
there ,ill no longer be any hatred desire or ignoran*e resulting from it.
This *hapter ,ill dis*uss ho, a yogi *ontemplates the body in oneFs o,n breath.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $% 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Sitting !editation .Mnpnasati 7h+an0
#re!aring for itting &editation
The 7uddha has suggested that either a forest pla*e .araAAa gato+0 under a tree
.ru((hamRla gato+0 or any other +a*ant pla*e .suAAgra gato+0 is best for
meditation .idha bhi((ha+e bhi((hu aranAagato+ ru((hamRlagato+ suAAgra
gato+0. The yogi must be in an en+ironment ,here there is a minimum of e;ternal
distra*tions.
This is a pra*ti*al suggestion be*ause if the yogi is in a busy or *ro,ded pla*e the
fo*us of the mind ,ill be ta(en a,ay by e;ternal distra*tions.
!editating in an isolated pla*e is a ne, e;perien*e for most people. >ften ,hen
ne, yogis arri+e at the !eetirigala forest hermitage in Sri Lan(a sitting on the
floor and ,al(ing ,ith bare feet itself is a no+elty for them.
7y going to an isolated pla*e ,e are *reating a spiritual atmosphere.
The sitting posture .nisdati pallaS(aO0 is the most *ondu*i+e for de+eloping
*on*entration. Lying do,n ,ill gi+e ,ay to sloth and torpor and interfere ,ith the
de+elopment of *on*entration. Standing may be diffi*ult for the beginner. 9al(ing
meditation may also be a *hallenge be*ause the yogi is intentionally mo+ing the
body ,hile noting the same to arouse the energy aspe*t of the body. Fo*using on
the a*ti+ity and noting the mo+ement of the feet may be distra*ting in the sense of
*on*entration for the beginner. "e+ertheless the *on*entration de+eloped during
,al(ing meditation is more durable as it is de+eloped amidst a*ti+ity. Further
be*ause ,e ,al( to so many pla*es in our daily li+es ,e *an e;tend that
mindfulness already established during ,al(ing meditation in to our day to day
a*ti+ities.
During sitting meditation the yogi must try to sit in the full lotus posture.
)lternati+ely you *an go for the half or Nuarter lotus posture. 9hen you sit li(e
this your ,hole body ,ill be held in a triangular shape as if you are a pyramid in
Cairo. "isdati pallaS(aO means being seated in a *ross2legged position. If sitting
,ith your legs *rossed pro+es to be diffi*ult you *an *onsider sitting on a straight
ba*( *hair or on a meditation ben*h. The benefits of sitting straight are not diffi*ult
to see be*ause an ar*hed ba*( ,ill result in pain and ,ill also hinder the passage of
the air draught. Further sitting in an upright position ,ithout e;ternal support
,ill energise your meditation pra*ti*e.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $D 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
)s you sit in a suitable en+ironment ,ith your upper body ere*t you ,ill ha+e the
appropriate alignment to establish mindfulness on the obje*t in front of you
.araAAa gato+ ru((hamRla gato+ suAAagra gato+ nisdati pallaS(aO bhujit+
ujun(yan panidhya parimu(haO satiOuppa66hapet+0.
Fo*us and s*an through the ,hole body to ensure that you are seated *omfortably.
Simply be ,ith the totality of the body. Do not analyse it. To be in the present Fhere
no, I amF moment. Iradually the pro*esses of the body and the mind ,ill *alm
do,n and the breathing ,ill be*ome prominent.
7reathe naturally ,ithout for*ing your breath to as*ertain a prominent point of
the breath. 9hen breathing *ontinues in its *onsisten*y it is natural.
)s you obser+e your stream of *ons*iousness you *an see ,hether it is *ompletely
ta(en a,ay by ,andering thoughts and day2dreaming or fantasiGing. The mind
may thin( or ,ander off. Eust note these distra*tions as they arise in your stream of
*ons*iousness. 7ut do not rea*t to them. Eust be *hoi*elessly a,are. >r else ,hen
distra*ting sounds or bodily pains arise you ,ill be*ome irritated. If you do not
rea*t thoughts sounds and pain ,ill just *ome and go. They ,ill arise and pass
a,ay *asually. If you rea*t ho,e+er they ,ill persist in your *ons*iousness and
disturb you.
To establish *ontinuous mindfulness you must be attenti+e. Lou must also be
patient.
/bserving the Breath
!indfully you must noti*e the in2breath and the out2breath as they o**ur .so
sato+a assa sati sato passu sati0. The air draught ,ill tou*h many pla*es as the
breath mo+es in and out. Lou must ha+e a deta*hed obser+ation on the obje*t and
see ho, the mind dis*riminately differentiates bet,een the in2breath and out2
breath. )llo, breathing to ta(e pla*e naturally under the light of mindfulness.
"ote the in2breath as CinC and the out2breath as CoutC. "oting does not mean
+erbalising but simply aligning the mind ,ith the in2breath and the out2breath.
Dis*riminately e;perien*e the differen*e bet,een the t,o phases.
)lthough the breathing pro*ess stimulates many points you must dis*ern the most
prominent point and fo*us on it. >n*e you distinguish the most prominent
tou*hing point your fo*us ,ill gradually *on+erge into it. It may be the tip of the
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 $H 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
nose top of the lip or the rising and falling of the abdomen or else,here.
T,o alignments must be established during sitting meditation. Firstly you must
obser+e the dis*riminati+e e;perien*e of the in2breath and out2breath or the rising
or falling of the abdomen. Se*ondly as this happens you must lo*ate the most
prominent point at ,hi*h stimulation o**urs as the breath mo+es in and out.
Sharpen your aim and ma(e sure that the mind is attenti+e to the entirety of ea*h
pro*ess. 7e a,are of the sensations from the +ery beginning and follo, the in2
breath and the out2breath from the beginning through the middle to the end. The
attention must be *ontinuous. The stronger the attention and the fo*us the more
information about the e;perien*e you ,ill gather. Lou must ha+e a pre*ise aim to
dire*tly meet the e;perien*e and the sensations of the air draught.
The journey has no, startedT Thoughts sounds and pain ,ill arise from time to
time and may impinge on your a,areness of the in and out breaths. If mindfulness
is not strongly established the distra*tions ,ill ta(e the attention a,ay from the
primary obje*t. 9hen this happens a helpful aid to pre*ision and *ontinued
mindfulness is to ma(e a mental note of the distra*tion and naming the sensation
by silently repeating the ,ord in the mind su*h as Cthin(ing thin(ing thin(ingC.
)s you adopt this method you ,ill obser+e that thoughts and sounds arise but you
,ill not thin( or hear. Lou ,ill *ontinue to remain ,ith the in2breath and the out2
breath and your mindfulness ,ill not ,a+er. 9hene+er there is no distra*tion go
ba*( to the primary obje*t and note it *ontinuously.
-oting the length of the in0breath and the out0breath
9ith *ontinuous mindfulness you ,ill obser+e the length of the breath. For
e;ample the in2breath may appear longer than the out2breath or +i*e +ersa. 9hen
the in2breath and the out2breath are long you obser+e them as su*h .dighaO +
assasanto dighaO assasmti pajnti dighaO + passasanto dighaO passasmti
pajnti0. Similarly ,hen the in2breath and the out2breath are short you obser+e
them as su*h .rassaO + assasanto rassaO assasmti pajnti rassaO +
passasanto rassaO passasmti pajnti0. Lou must try to e;perien*e the tou*h and
the rubbing sensation of the t,o phases 2 the in2breath and the out2breath
separately.
During npnasati bh+an by obser+ing the length of the in2breath and the out2
breath you *an diagnose your *hara*ter traits. For e;ample a yogi that ta(es a
slo, in2breath and breathes out in a sigh is an emotional type of *hara*ter. ) yogi
,ith a Nui*( and rushing in2breath is a restless type of *hara*ter.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 '/ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
9hen the noting mind *alms do,n the air draught be*omes shorter. This is a
healthy impro+ement and it indi*ates progress. Iradually the dis*rimination
bet,een the in2breath and the out2breath ,ill be*ome less apparent. The in2breath
and the out2breath ,ill be similar and there ,ill be less distan*e bet,een the
breath and the noting mind. The phase of the in2breath and the out2breath ,ill
be*ome less noti*eable. Iradually the breath be*omes in*onspi*uous. )s the
prominen*e of the breath disappears yogis may be*ome doubtful and ,onder
,hether their *on*entration has been disturbed or their mindfulness has lost its
effi*ien*y. >n the *ontrary this state demonstrates a healthy progression of your
meditation.
/bserving the 1otality of the in0Breath and the out0Breath
9hen the breath be*omes shorter and subtler more energy needs to be e;erted.
The yogi ,ill be *hallenged to maintain *ontinuous mindfulness as the breath
be*omes finer and less dis*ernible. So the mindfulness should be a**urate and
pre*ise. Lou must be +igilant diligent mindful and *on*entrated. Iradually the
tou*h sensation of the breath ,ill disappear. .sabba(ya patisam+edi assasissmti
si((hati sabba(ya patisam+edi passasissmti si((hati0.
)t this stage you are instru*ted to see the breath as the ,hole body .sabba(ya0.
Lour attention must be sharpened and you must obser+e the entirety of ea*h
pro*ess. 7e a,are of the +ery beginning of the in2breath and maintain a steady
attention through the middle and the end. Then be a,are of the out2breath from
the beginning through the middle to the end. Su*h a detailed obser+ation is
ne*essary ,hen the breath be*omes subtle. The yogi must *at*h the breath
immediately as it manifests and see its entire pro*ess. Lou ,ill obser+e that the in2
breath disappears e;a*tly at the point before the out2breath starts. 9hen you are
able to *ontinually obser+e this pro*ess and the gap bet,een the t,o phases you
,ill (no, that your mind is fully aligned ,ith the breath. 9hen you obser+e the
breath in its totality you are engrossed in it and you ,ill gradually obser+e that the
beginning the middle and the end of the in2breath and the out2breath are similar.
)s the breath be*omes subtle retaining mindfulness demands energy. So you must
be armed ,ith suffi*ient energy for *ontinuous attention on the breath. In 8li this
energy is *alled +iriya. In order to underta(e longer periods of sitting meditation
yogis are re*ommended to do about thirty to forty minutes of ,al(ing meditation
beforehand. This is be*ause ,al(ing meditation in*reases stamina and builds
durable *on*entration.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 '$ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
The importan*e of dis*ussing this progression in npnasati meditation ,ith an
e;perien*ed tea*her *annot be stressed. It ,ill be a ne, e;perien*e for the yogi and
all so *alled mista(es must be re*orded and reported to a tea*her ,ho *an instru*t
the yogi to s(ilfully pro*eed along the path. >n*e mista(es are reported and
re*tified and instru*tions for o+er*oming negati+e personality traits are re*ei+ed
the yogi ,ill gain *onfiden*e and s(ilfully and independently progress ,ith the
pra*ti*e.
$alming Down of the &ind and ettling Down of the Breath
)s you *ontinually obser+e the subtle phases of the in and out breaths the
mo+ement of the breath ,ill *alm do,n and settle .passambhayaO (yasan(hraO
assasissm ti si((hati passambhayaO (yasaO(hraO passasissm ti si((hati0.
The meditation ,ill be*ome effortless. The meditation ,ill gather its o,n
momentum and you ,ill penetrate deeper into the obje*t of meditation. 9hen your
effort is balan*ed and your attention is pre*ise and *ontinuous mindfulness ,ill
be*ome strongly established and *on*entration ,ill de+elop. The obser+ing mind
,ill be magneti*ally dra,n into the breath and you ,ill find your self in a deep
state of *on*entration 2 in a state of one2pointedness.
If you are naturally in*lined to,ards serenity meditation then as your mind *alms
do,n and be*omes *on*entrated the breath ,ill also settle do,n ,ithout any
steering or dire*tion from the mind. The more you e;perien*e the settling do,n of
the mind and the breath the deeper ,ill be the *almness. )s *on*entration
deepens the obser+ing mind ,ill be left ,ithout any sensation of the breathing. To
maintain *onsisten*y in your pra*ti*e ,hen signs of the breath disappear you must
ha+e an alert mindfulness and firm *on*entration. The *on*entrated mind must be
+igilant and remain in a state of one2pointedness for as long as possible. To retain
this deep2seated *on*entration and firm mindfulness the a,areness should not
shift to bodily pains thoughts or sounds.
-oting #ersonality 1raits
Lour e;perien*es during meditation must be reported to an e;perien*ed tea*her.
)ll mishaps along the path is a lesson to be learnt. They indi*ate your personality
traits. 7y patiently noting all mishaps and personal *hara*teristi*s during
meditation you ,ill be able to dis*ern ,hether you are mostly distra*ted by
thoughts sounds or pain. There is no *riterion other than your o,n in+estigation.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 '' 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Therefore ea*h moment is pre*ious in meditation. The freNuen*y of a parti*ular
disturban*e ,ill enable you to identify it as the most prominent disturbing fa*tor
during meditation. This is a useful self diagnosis. )ll your ,ea(nesses habits and
traits ,ill be re+ealed during this pro*ess. 7y reporting your personality traits to
your tea*her you *an re*ei+e the appropriate te*hniNues to be used during
meditation. Lou must dis*uss your e;perien*e only ,ith an e;perien*ed tea*her.
Ine;perien*ed tea*hers ,ith only a theoreti*al (no,ledge ,ill not be able to
*onstru*ti+ely interpret your e;perien*e. Theory is not as useful as e;perien*e
during pra*ti*e. Dire*t e;perien*e is ,hat is most rele+ant.
>bser+e all sensations and e;perien*es during meditation. "ote the inner *hatter.
7y *olle*ting as mu*h information as possible you *an *learly dis*ern your
personality traits your strengths and ,ea(nesses. )s stated by the 7uddha the
meditati+e e;perien*e is a mirror that refle*ts your personality traits. So there is
no mystery in meditation. The (no,ledge a**umulated ,ill be from your dire*t
personal e;perien*e. >f *ourse you may not li(e ,hat is re+ealed through this
pro*ess be*ause in life ,e are trained to only noti*e the good. 7ut by being
*hoi*elessly a,are of the ,hole e;perien*e as it unfolds you ,ill identify your true
nature and realise that su*h so*ial *onditioning only offers a limited perspe*ti+e.
$oncentration &editation and 2nsight &editation
Those ,ho *annot pro*eed to sustained pure *on*entration during sitting
meditation *an still de+elop insight meditation.
)ll beings ha+e si; fa*ulties1 the eye the ear the nose the tongue the body and the
mind. These fa*ulties ha+e their o,n method of operation. For e;ample ,hen the
eye *at*hes a +isible obje*t the mindFs attention is dra,n to the eye the eye
*ons*iousness and you e;perien*e CseeingC. To e;perien*e CseeingC the +isible
obje*t must impinge on the eye sensiti+ity and then seeing ta(es pla*e.
>r else a sound may arise and the ear drum ,ill *at*h the sound and be*ome
agitated. If the fo*us of the mind shifts to the sound hearing ,ill ta(e pla*e. If the
air draught stri(es at the tip of the nose or at the top of the lip and the mind shifts
to the point of tou*h it ,ill fo*us on the in2breath and out2breath.
)ll si; sense doors operate in the same manner. Three *onditions must be met to
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 '= 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
e;perien*e sense impressions that enter through the si; sense doors1
i. the stri(er element U Mrammana
ii. the base element U D+ara
iii. the ignition element U Tadupapanna
During npnasati meditation the stri(er element is the air draught. The base
element is the point of tou*h 2 the tip of the nose or the top of the lip. The tou*h
sensation or the e;perien*e of the *oolness the heat shortness the rubbing the
e;pansion or the *ontra*tion is the ignition element. The in2breath *omes and
stri(es on the s(in and a tou*h sensation ta(es pla*e. 7y ,ay of analogy if you ta(e
a mat*hsti*( and stri(e on the side of the mat*hbo; a spar( ignites. 7ut for
ignition to ta(e pla*e a parti*ular amount of energy needs to be applied at an
appropriate angle. >ther,ise it is not possible for the spar( to ignite.
) yogi that fo*uses his or her mind on the stri(er element is someone ,ho is
in*lined to,ards *on*entration meditation. Insight meditators ha+e heightened
and dis*riminating obser+ations during npnasati meditation. They obser+e the
,hole phenomena all the three elements1 the e;perien*e of the tou*h the
*oolness the *almness the rubbing sensation the tension the mo+ement or the
stiffness of the breath and its point of tou*h during npnasati meditation.
Insight meditators find it diffi*ult to obser+e only the air *olumnQ the length of the
breathQ and the beginning the middle and the end of the air draught be*ause their
e;perien*e is bent to,ards the ignition element. )s a result they may not benefit
from the npnasati general instru*tions pres*ribed by the 7uddha in the
Satipa66hna sutta. The 7uddha himself has stated that npnasati bh+an *an
only be pra*tised by yogis ,ith *lear mindfulness or *lear dis*ernment .nham
bhi((ha+e mutthassatissa asampajAAnassa npna sati +admi0.
Importantly if you *an pro*eed ,ith undisturbed *on*entration meditation then
you should not *hange your approa*h. Those ,ho *annot fo*us on the stri(er
element .air draught0 *an spe*ialise in insight mediation. To (no, your natural
in*lination you ,ill ha+e to underta(e a fe, sittings. Lou ,ill find that your
e;perien*e os*illates bet,een the stri(er element and the ignition element.
Sometimes you may begin by fo*using on the stri(er element but later shift
to,ards the ignition aspe*ts of the breath and its mo+ement. )lternati+ely you
may find that a fo*us on the hardness the stiffness ,armth or *oolness results in a
*alming do,n of the air draught. Lou must note ,hi*h is most durable and
*onsistent. For a large part identifying the tenden*y of the yogi is the
responsibility of the meditation tea*her. It is therefore important to re*ei+e
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 '& 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
instru*tions from an e;perien*ed meditation tea*her ,ith dire*t (no,ledge. Logis
must s(ilfully dis*ern their e;perien*es during meditation and pre*isely report to
their tea*her. Then it is the responsibility of the tea*her to ma(e an assessment of
the yogiFs natural in*lination and gi+e the appropriate instru*tions.
The patisambhidh magga *hara*terises yogis as pra*tising three methods1
i. yogis that begin ,ith *on*entration meditation .fo*us on the stri(er
element0 and later *on+ert to insight meditation samatha yni(a.
ii. yogis ,ho begin ,ith insight meditation and later *on+ert to
*on*entration meditation +ipassan yni(a and
iii. yogis ,ith mi;ed e;perien*es of both *on*entration meditation and
insight meditation yuganadda.
Lou must ha+e a deta*hed obser+ation and be aloof and independent ,hen
obser+ing the breath. 9hen the *on*entration or insight meditation gathers in its
momentum your fo*us ,ill be dragged into the breath. )n independent +ie, of the
,orld *an then be obser+ed you ,ill not grasp anything in the ,orld as the mind
,ill be *losely o**upied ,ith the obje*t of meditation .anissito*a +iharati na *a
(iA*i lo(e updiyati0.
3a*h day you must start as a beginner 2 as if you are obser+ing the breath for the
first time. )s your pra*ti*e is regularised past meditation e;perien*es ,ill guide
you through any stumbling blo*(s. Consistently and gradually the *on*entration or
the insight meditation ,ill pro*eed uninterrupted.
7oth insight meditators and *on*entration meditators at the begining must de+elop
*on*entration. It is only ,ith *on*entration or purified *ons*iousness that ,e *an
penetrate into the true nature of ,hat is happening and be*ome free from the
deluded notion of a self and simply obser+e phenomena naturally arising and
passing a,ay.
>n*e you are grounded in establishing mindfulness and *on*entration you ,ill ease
through life. Lou ,ill be able to e;tend the strong mindfulness and firm
*on*entration established in sitting meditation to ,al(ing meditation and then to
day to day affairs. The mindfulness and the resulting *on*entration ,ill gro, li(e a
net,or(. 9hate+er happens in life you ,ill remain in the present moment. )s
e;pounded in the Satipa66hna sutta a yogi ,ho regularly pra*ti*es ,ith a firm
resolution and ,ith diligen*e ,ill progress along the path to insight and ,ill attain
the desired results in a ma;imum of se+en years or se+en days. If you pra*ti*e ,ith
a pre*ise aim and diligent effort you ,ill dire*tly obser+e things in their true
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 '@ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
nature and see the desired results in this life itselfT
3uestions 4 Answers
As you do npnasati meditation, there comes a time when you have unbearable pain and
your mindfulness shifts from the breath (primary object) to the pain (the secondary object).
At this point, how does the yoi become choicelessly aware of the secondary object and then
o bac! to the primary object"
9e li+e in an o*ean of pain. 7ut ,e are not a,are of it. )t the beginning ,hen you
fo*us your attention on the breath you ,ill note the breathing as *oarse and you
,ill obser+e the in2breath and out2breath +ery *learly. Subtle pains may e;ist but
the fo*us on the breath ,ill be strong. Therefore the pain ,ill not be an issue.
)s you sit in the same posture for a ,hile the intensity of pain ,ill gradually
in*rease. It ,ill in*rease in its for*e until it be*omes the predominant obser+ation.
Lour attention ,ill then be dragged to the pain as it is unbearable and you ,ill
surrender to the pain.
9hen this happens you must mentally note it as Cpain pain painC and be a,are
that it has impinged on your a,areness and has ta(en the attention a,ay to the
point ,here the pain has arisen. First you must note the pla*e ,here the pain has
arisen ,hether it is on the right (nee left (nee or the an(le et*. )s you obser+e the
pain you ,ill obser+e its *hara*teristi*s. The pain ,ill manifest as a stabbing
pier*ing a *onglomeration of dots a heat pat*h or as something ,hi*h mo+es up
and do,n.
Ienerally ,e rea*t to pain as soon as it arises by *hanging the posture and fail to
obser+e its natural *hara*teristi*s. 9hen pain arises instead you must note it as
CpainC and spend as mu*h time as you *an ,ith it and obser+e its natural
*hara*teristi*s. ) theoreti*al (no,ledge of pain is useful but unless you see it
dire*tly as it o**urs you ,ill fail to obser+e its nature or its *hara*teristi*s. 8ain is
an internal feeling. Lou must patiently be ,ith the pain and obser+e one or more of
its natural *hara*teristi*s.
Sometimes e+en if you obser+e the natural *hara*teristi*s of pain it *ontinues in
its intensity and be*omes unbearable. The mind ,ill then suggest that you get up or
*hange the posture. 7ut before ma(ing a de*ision to *hange the posture you must
re*ognise that the immediate *ause for *hanging the posture is pain and *onsider
the most pra*ti*al shift. Change your posture mindfully ,ith the idea that you ,ill
*ome ba*( to the primary obje*t. 9ith a slight and slo, shift the pain ,ill be
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 'B 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
released.
8ain must be dealt ,ith patien*e. In 7urma there is a saying that Cpatien*e leads to
nibbnaC. 8ain is al,ays *hallenging and suggests that ,e must *hange our posture.
7ut the truth of suffering manifests through pain. >ur forbearan*e resistan*e and
stamina in dealing ,ith pain ,ill indi*ate ho, strong ,e are in our *on*entration.
)t the beginning you may mindfully do some adjustments. Lou must (no, pain as
pain and that you are foregoing the primary obje*t and slo,ly adjusting the
posture.
)lternati+ely you *an fo*us your attention at the parti*ular pla*e ,here the pain
has arisen and *ontinuously note it as Cpain pain painC. Lou must (eep the noting
mind ,ith the pain and see its natural *hara*teristi*s. 9hen pain be*omes
intensified your noting must also follo, at the same *onsisten*y and in the same
freNuen*y. To understand the nature of pain you should not rush and *hange the
posture. Instead you should try to be ,ith the pain for a little longer and see its
*hara*teristi*s. This ,ill demonstrate your resilien*e and indifferen*e to the pain
that has arisen. 8ain is a useful test for the +ipassan yogi as the noting mind *an be
used to see the natural *hara*teristi*s of pain.
Lou *an also do some ,al(ing mediation to postpone the pain that arises during
sitting meditation. If you do ,al(ing meditation beforehand your mindfulness and
*on*entration ,ill be *onsistent during sitting meditation and you ,ill be able to
sit for longer.
#s it useful to sit on a chair or on somethin more comfortable, if you find that pain arises"
During my first sitting meditation ,ith !unindra2ji he said that e+en if I am sitting
on a *ushion of air pain ,ill arise. -e said Cthe day you e;perien*e the pain of
death the ne;t day you ,ill be enlightenedC. So you *annot a+oid pain. Lou must
gradually get used to it. Sayada, 5. 8andit on*e noti*ed foreign yogis bringing
*ushions on their ,ay to 7urma *ommented that in spite of their best efforts to
ma(e their sittings more *omfortable ,ith *ushions pain ,ill still arise. There is a
monastery in 7urma ,here the tea*her prohibits yogis from using *ushions on the
basis that +enerable Sariputta and !oggallna ne+er had used them.
So you must *onfront the pain. This may seem diffi*ult. 7ut the day you o+er*ome
pain you ,ill realise its +alue. 8ain (eeps the yogi a,a(e during sitting meditation.
Some yogis spread sand on the ground ,here they sit to feel the pain 2 be*ause pain
(eeps you a,a(e. 9hen pain is absent you feel a sense of paralysis. 7ut for
beginners it may be too diffi*ult to endure pain. Therefore it is re*ommended that
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 '% 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
they use a *hair or something *omfortable at the beginning and gradually get
a**ustomed to pain.
$ometimes, the pain you endure in sittin meditation results in feelins of aversion and
aner. %ould you please e&plain how to deal with this situation"
There are many designs of *ushions and *hairs to e;perien*e a greater le+el of
*omfort. !anufa*turers ma(e a lot of money out of pain. Io to meditation *entres
and you ,ill see *ushions ,ith many designs. 7ut e+en then pain arises. Lou ha+e
to a*Nuaint yourself ,ith it. Iradually you ,ill be*ome a**ustomed to pain and you
,ill no longer see it as something bad resulting in negati+e states of mind.
)s time passes you ,ill see the early stages of pain and ho, it *an ta(e your
attention a,ay from the primary obje*t. 8ain operates uni+ersally. 7e ready for
pain to arise. 9hen beginners note pain it is too late and they rea*t to it. This is the
differen*e bet,een diligent attention .appamda0 and delayed attention .pamda0.
9ith diligent attention you ,ill see the *hara*teristi*s of pain as soon as they arise.
If you are late in noting pain then the body ,ill simply rea*t to it. 9ith
mindfulness and *on*entration you ,ill realise that it is due to your delay in
noti*ing the pain that it be*omes unbearable and you hen*e rea*t to it ,ith
a+ersion and and anger.
As pain arises, do you reflect on the reasons for the pain"
"o instead you must obser+e the natural *hara*teristi*s of pain. It is a +ery +i+id
and enlightening e;perien*e.
5sually you rea*t at the beginning. 7ut later you ,ill realise ho, to deal ,ith it.
Lou must ma;imise your attention on the primary obje*t. Then you ,ill ha+e
*ontinuous energy to obser+e intense forms of pain as and ,hen they arise.
8ain is an a,a(ening e;perien*e. If you *an a,a(en to the pain and li+e ,ith it
,hen e+er you ha+e a disease you ,onFt rea*t. Ienerally as soon as the symptoms
surfa*e ,e start ta(ing medi*ine. 8ain is identified as something bad. It is ne+er
obser+ed as a feeling that it is neither good nor bad.
The Satipa66hna sutta pres*ribes an obser+ation of the painful and the pleasurable
as feelings and sensations. 9ith established mindfulness and firm *on*entration
enduran*e in the fa*e of se+ere and unbearable pain is possible.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 'D 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
'hich of the two methods of meditation, concentration meditation or insiht meditation
ives (uic!er results"
"o one *an predetermine your personal *hara*teristi*s and in*linations. It is not
possible to learn s,imming from ashore. Lou must get into the ,ater. The first fe,
in2breaths and out2breaths during sitting meditation ,ill indi*ate your
*hara*teristi*s as a yogi. The best is to allo, the natural pro*ess to unfold and note
your personality traits. Lou must *arefully start as a beginner e+eryday. Lou *annot
predetermine ,hat pra*ti*e you ,ill do. Lou *annot de*ide ,hether you are the
*on*entration or insight meditation type. 9e must pra*ti*e for a number of days
and obser+e your in*linations and de*ide. >nly then *an you obtain the rele+ant
information and support your tenden*y to,ards *on*entration meditation or
insight meditation.
'hat instructions can you ive to a yoi who commences with the inition element, which
leads to concentration and then focuses on the stri!er element, and then proceeds to the
inition element towards a later stae of meditation"
)ny element su*h as earth fire ,ater air as it appears ,ill be a dire*t e;perien*e.
Lou feel the numbness the stiffness the heat *oolness or the tensions. 9hen this
happens you just (eep on obser+ing. Lou should not then *hange to the stri(er
element and see the length of the breath or see the beginning middle and the end
of the in2breath and the out2breath. Lou are not as(ed to *hange the element. Lou
must spe*ialise and see ,hat is happening and (eep the *onta*t ,ith the element as
long as you *an. If you *hange your trend ,ill be bro(en and mindfulness ,ill be
sha(en. Lou must promote obser+ation of ,hat happens. !editation itself ,ill ta(e
turns and ,hen it happens donFt interfere ,ith it. Eust patiently obser+e it. Do not
try to steer the situation.
7ut if the *hange in fo*us happens naturally you may *ontinue ,ith it and obser+e
the *hanges as they happen.
)o you need concentration to develop insiht"
Les there is pure *on*entration and insight *on*entration. Con*entration based on
the stri(er element ,hi*h leads to jhni* e;perien*e is the pure type of Samatha
samdhi. Con*entration .samdhi0 is ne*essary for both Samatha pra*ti*e and
#ipassan pra*ti*e. Lou *an also de+elop #ipassan samdhi after de+eloping
Samatha samdhi. First you must de+elop samdhi and (no, ,hi*h samdhi you
are dealing ,ith. Then you *an na+igate to,ards insight. If you donFt (no, ,hi*h
samdhi you ha+e de+eloped you ,ill simply be standing at a jun*tion not (no,ing
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 'H 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
,hi*h ,ay to turn. )s a result you ,ill ne+er pass the jun*tion.
Cha"ter -
.al/ing Meditation )Can/amana,
8una*a paraO bhi((ha+e bhi((hu
ga**hanto+ ga**hm ti pajnti
Thito+ thitomh tipajnti
"issinno+ nissinomh ti pajnti
Sayno+a saynomh ti pajnti
Lath yath + panassa (yo panihito hoti
Tath tathnam pajnti
!editation is generally *onsidered to be limited to the sitting posture. In the
Satipa66hna sutta the 7uddha re*ommends the pra*ti*e of establishing
mindfulness in the four postures of ,al(ing standing sitting and lying do,n. )s a
yogi ,al(s the yogi must *ontemplate that he or she is ,al(ing .ga**hanto+
ga**hm ti pajnti0. Similarly the sitting posture *ould be used as the primary
obje*t of meditation. ) yogi must be mindful ,hen he or she is standing .thito+
thitomhti pajnti0 and lying do,n .sayno+a saynomhti pajnti0. )lthough the
7uddha has pres*ribed all four postures to be used as meditation obje*ts this
*hapter ,ill only dis*uss the benefits and the pra*ti*e of ,al(ing meditation.
9al(ing meditation is uniNue to 7uddhism. ) yogi ,ith a dynami* meditati+e life
underta(ing long periods of sitting meditation may find ,al(ing meditation
parti*ularly useful. ) period of formal ,al(ing meditation before sitting ser+es to
fo*us the mind. 9al(ing meditation de+elops a**ura*y of a,areness and durability
of *on*entration. To de+elop durable *on*entration .samdhi0 during sitting
meditation a yogi reNuires energy .+iriya0. Eust li(e an athlete ,arms up before the
e+ent in order to be armed ,ith suffi*ient energy a yogi engages in ,al(ing
meditation before *ommen*ing sitting meditation. >ther,ise you are li(e a *ar
,ith a run do,n battery. Simply the *ar ,ill not sustain a long journey unless the
battery is *harged. Similarly after a meal or a sleep you must mobiliGe your energy
by doing ,al(ing meditation. Then you ,ill be*ome diligent and mindful. >n the
other hand if you do sitting meditation after a meal or a sleep sloth and torpor ,ill
o+er*ome you.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =/ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
9al(ing !editation .Can(amana0
Benefits of %alking &editation
)**ording to the 7uddha fi+e benefits *an be gained from ,al(ing meditation.
The first is that the yogi ,ill de+elop stamina to endure long journeys. During the
time of the 7uddha +enerable )nanda (ne, the duration of the journey that the
7uddha ,as to underta(e by simply obser+ing the amount of time he allo*ated for
,al(ing meditation. 9ith longer periods of formal ,al(ing meditation +enerable
)nanda (ne, that the 7uddha ,as about to embar( upon a long journey.
The se*ond benefit is that ,al(ing meditation de+elops stamina for the yogiFs
meditation pra*ti*e. 7y doing at least an hour of ,al(ing meditation beforehand a
yogi ,ill be able to sit for a longer period as *on*entration gradually de+elops
during sitting meditation. The effort e;erted during ,al(ing mediation is t,o2fold.
)s you ,al( you intentionally mo+e your limbs and note the same as FrightF2FleftF
FrightF2FleftF. The yogi e;erts me*hani*al effort to mo+e the limbs as ,ell as being
mindful of the mo+ement. 7y *ontinually e;erting this t,o2fold effort a yogi
strengthens the *apa*ity for strong and *onsistent mental effort that is *ru*ial for
the de+elopment and maintenan*e of *on*entration during sitting meditation.
Thirdly ,al(ing meditation *ontributes to impro+ed health. In the earlier times
people did not tra+el by +ehi*les but ,al(ed from one pla*e to another. So they
,ere naturally healthy. !y tea*her +enerable Innrma on*e said that the
origins of refle;ology *ould be tra*ed ba*( to forest mon(s as they undertoo( long
periods of ,al(ing meditation (no,ing that it reju+enated their ner+ous system
and blood *ir*ulation. Today ,e tra+el by +ehi*les and often ,ear shoes ,hen ,e
,al(. )s a result there is +ery little opportunity for our feet to tou*h the earth and
e;perien*e the natural benefits of refle;ology. Ironi*ally manufa*turers ha+e
introdu*ed oursel+es to spe*ial types of foot,ear designed to attra*t the benefits
of refle;ology massage ,hi*h you simply get by ,al(ing barefoot.
The fourth benefit is that ,al(ing meditation assists digestion. Therefore yogis are
re*ommended to underta(e ,al(ing meditation after a meal. #enerable Innrma
used to ,al( for at least thirty minutes after a meal. 3+en ,hen he ,as si*( and
hospitalised he ,al(ed along the hospital *orridor simply to restore his health.
Finally,al(ing meditation helps to build durable *on*entration. ) yogi ,ho
underta(es a period of ,al(ing meditation and de+elops *on*entration before
sitting ,ill be able to restore and de+elop *ontinuous mindfulness and
*on*entration ,hi*h is *ru*ial for ,isdom to arise and penetrate into the true
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =$ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
nature of reality. ) yogi ,ho is diligent during ,al(ing meditation ,ill *arry strong
mindfulness and firm *on*entration into the sitting meditation that follo,s.
#re!aring the #ath for %alking &editation
T,o (inds of ,al(ing meditation paths are a+ailable in traditional Thera+ada
7uddhist monasteries. >ne has a roof and is *alled Findoor *an(amana.F The other
the more preferable one is the open2air ,al(ing meditation path .ambulatory0.
Importantly the ,al(ing path must be le+elled. It must be four to four and a half
feet ,ide.
)n open2air ,al(ing meditation path must ha+e a layer of sand of about half an
in*h. >ften a garden *hair is pla*ed at the end of the path for the yogi to sit and
rest if ne*essary. The length of the ,al(ing path should be about thirty steps in
length. >n a+erage it *ould be measured to be about forty fi+e feet. >f *ourse these
standards *ould be +aried. Ienerally fifteen steps or t,enty feet ,ould be
suffi*ient. "aturally a longer ,al(ing path ,ill gi+e ,ay to stronger and
*ontinuous mindfulness ,hi*h is essential for de+eloping *on*entration. The
ma;imum length of a ,al(ing path should be ninety feet. Indoor meditation paths
are four feet ,ide and thirty fi+e feet long. >lder mon(s often reNuire support
,hen ,al(ing along the path. )s a result some paths ha+e rails fitted to a ,all ,ith
a rope hanging from the top of the roof to assist them along the path.
Traditionally ,al(ing paths ha+e a peripheral border around them to obstru*t
*ra,ling animals or ants from entering the path. It is preferable to ha+e a ,ater
*anal in bet,een to pre+ent them. The ,al(ing path must be appro;imately eight
in*hes higher than the ground.
)lthough ,al(ing along a grass field also is permissible yogis must ensure that the
grass is e+en. Further ,hen ,al(ing on an o+al it is preferable to ,al( along a
straight path and not in *ir*les.
#re!aring to %alk
To *ommen*e ,al(ing meditation you must stand at one end of the pathQ ha+e
your eyes open and pay attention to the standing posture. 7y obser+ing your
posture and establishing mindfulness on the body you ,ill be assured that no pains
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =' 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
or thoughts ha+e arisen in your stream of *ons*iousness. First you just ,al( up and
do,n the path at normal pa*e for about fi+e minutes. 9hen you are ready and the
,al(ing path is suitable you *an *ommen*e formal ,al(ing meditation.
#ractising %alking &editation
9hen the right foot mo+es and tou*hes the ground you obser+e the sensations and
the mo+ement and per*ei+e ,hat happens naturally. Do not loo( at the feet. Lour
eyes should be *ast do,n and your fo*us should be at least fi+e to fi+e and a half
feet in front of you. In ,al(ing meditation you pay attention to the ,al(ing
pro*ess the mo+ement of the limbs and the sensations as the feet tou*h the
ground. 9hen the right foot mo+es you obser+e the feeling and the mo+ement of
the foot being lifted and pla*ed on the ground. Lou obser+e the sensations of the
foot tou*hing the ground. Then the fo*us ,ill shift to the left foot and you obser+e
the sensations as the foot lifts and tou*hes the ground.
The fo*us of the sensation ,ill +ary among yogis. Logis in*lined to,ards the
ignition element ,ill obser+e the sensations as the foot tou*hes the ground. Logis
,ith attention on the stri(er element ,ill obser+e the mo+ement of the feet the
lifting and lo,ering of the feet. First you note the mo+ement as Cright2left right2
leftC. If thoughts pains or sounds impinge on your *ons*iousness you must pause
and ma(e a soft mental note of the distra*tion as Cthin(ing thin(ing thin(ingC
Cpain pain painC or Chearing hearing hearingC ,hi*h e+er is predominant at the
time. 9hen the distra*tion is no longer predominant you re*ommen*e ,al(ing.
Try to (eep your mind on the sensations of ,al(ing. >bser+e ,hat happens ,hen
you stop at the end of the path as you stand still and turn around and begin
,al(ing ba*(. )s you pro*eed ba*( along the path you on*e again fo*us on the
sensations of ,al(ing and note the mo+ement as Cright2left right2leftC.
Insight yogis ,ill fo*us on the sensations as the feet tou*h the ground. They ,ill
ha+e more detailed obser+ations as the meditation progresses uninterrupted. 9ith
attenti+e obser+ation and diligent pra*ti*e they ,ill obser+e ho, their heel
tou*hes the ground first and spreads to,ards the toes. 7ut this e;perien*e itself
,ill +ary amongst insight yogis. Some ,ill find that the inner part of the foot
tou*hes the ground first and spreads out,ardsQ some others ,ill find that the outer
part of the foot tou*hes the ground first and spreads in,ards. 9ith attenti+e
a,areness you ,ill obser+e other *hara*teristi*s as the feet mo+e and tou*h the
ground. Lou ,ill obser+e a hea+iness of the right foot as it is pla*ed on the ground
and that its sensations are more prominent than the left or +i*e +ersa. Sometimes
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 == 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
the tou*h of the feet may feel as if you are ,al(ing along a thi*( *arpet a spongy
surfa*e or a muddy path. It is only by establishing mindfulness on the pro*ess of
,al(ing that you are able to noti*e these basi* *hara*teristi*s.
Some yogis ,ill fo*us on the an(le rather than the soles of their feet. Some others
may fo*us on the (nees or the joint at the hip. 9ith *ontinuous mindfulness yogis
may also e;perien*e ho, the mo+ement of joints jer( up to their head. Some ,ill
also be*ome a,are of their s(eleton.
Advancing in the #ractice of %alking &editation
9ith *ontinuous a,areness you must aim to obser+e the sensation of ea*h foot
being lifted and pla*ed on the ground. 3arlier you *ompared the tou*h and the
mo+ement of the left foot ,ith the right foot. "o, you must *ontrast t,o
e;perien*es of the same foot as it mo+es. )s you lift you obser+e the lifting pro*ess
and note it as Clifting2lifting2liftingC and ,hen you pla*e the foot on the ground
you note it as Cdropping2dropping2droppingC. The lifting must be obser+ed as an
up,ard mo+ement and the dropping as a do,n,ard mo+ement independently.
Lifting may appear as a hea+y a*tion and pla*ing the foot on the ground may be
effortless. )s you progress ,ith attenti+e a,areness you are able to obser+e more
and more detailed natural *hara*teristi*s of ea*h step.
)s you ad+an*e further in your pra*ti*e you must di+ide the mo+ement of ea*h
foot into three distin*t mo+ements1 liftingmo+ing and pla*ing the foot. To instil
pre*ise a,areness you must separate the mo+ements *learly noting ea*h step as
Clifting2mo+ing2dropping lifting2mo+ing2droppingC ensuring that your a,areness
follo,s the pro*ess *learly through to the end. 9ith ,ell established mindfulness
you ,ill note that the foot rea*hes its pea( as the pro*ess of lifting ends and ho, it
mo+es for,ard and passes the other foot as it drops and tou*hes the ground. Lou
,ill obser+e the *ontrasting *hara*teristi*s of the t,o pro*esses of lifting and
dropping and ho, ea*h pro*ess in+ol+es many sensations. 9ith diligent a,areness
and dynami* mindfulness you ,ill obser+e the sensations of the mo+ing feet in
detail.
"ot e+ery yogi ,ill progress ,ith meditation a**ording to the instru*tions
dis*ussed in the pre*eding se*tion. In pra*ti*e yogis ,ill de+elop these stages
a**ording to their indi+idual *alibre and tea*hers ,ill gi+e instru*tions a**ordingly.
Inter+ie,s ,ith tea*hers are important for this ad+an*ement. Logis must pre*isely
re*olle*t their obser+ations and report to their tea*hers. ) yogi must report in
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =& 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
detail ,hat he or she obser+ed as the foot tou*hed the groundQ ,hether the heel
tou*hed the ground first and slo,ly spread to the toes et*. )ny sensations felt
through the pro*ess must also be reported. It is also useful to ha+e a personal
report of your obser+ations. The more you obser+e and note the more information
,ill you ha+e about the pro*ess in+ol+ed in ,al(ing.
)s you a**urately loo( at the lifting pro*ess from the beginning to the end the
mental fa*tors or the intention ,hi*h pre*edes the physi*al a*tions *an also be
obser+ed. Lou ,ill obser+e the intention behind ea*h lift mo+ement and pla*ing of
the foot and that the lifting pro*ess is *omposed of mental and material
phenomena. Lou ,ill obser+e ho, they operate as a pair throughout the pro*ess of
,al(ing. The lifting stops as soon as the intention to lift stops. )s you obser+e that
the physi*al sensation of mo+ement is separate from the mental aspe*t the
interplay bet,een mind and matter ,ill be re+ealed.
3+en amidst ,ell established mindfulness and diligent pra*ti*e thoughts may arise
and your attention ,ill be ta(en to other parts of the body. Lou *ould also be*ome
distra*ted by sounds and pains. In the same ,ay that you *ross a busy road ,ith
many interfering pedestrians by noting the thoughts sounds and pains as they
arise and letting them pass ,ithout interferen*e you pro*eed ,ith the spa*e you
ha+e and ,ithout e;pe*ting the street to be empty before you *ross.
5nless ,e pra*ti*e ,al(ing meditation or Satipa66hna ,e ,ill ne+er see the *hains
of mental and physi*al *auses and effe*ts in our li+es. The mental in+ol+ement of
ea*h and e+ery physi*al a*tion ,ill not be re+ealed. >n*e ,e are able to see the
mental aspe*t of the ,al(ing pro*ess the a,areness ,e de+elop *an be e;tended to
our day to day a*ti+ities in parti*ular be*ause our daily li+es in+ol+e so mu*h
mo+ement from one pla*e to another.
The regular pra*ti*e of ,al(ing meditation has many benefits. >ne *an obser+e
profound aspe*ts of the Dhamma ,hile ,al(ing and e+en be*ome enlightenedT )
yogi that pra*ti*es ,al(ing meditation ,ith pre*ise mental aim and diligen*e ,ill
ha+e an impro+ed and sustainable meditati+e life. 7y *arefully noting the
e;perien*e of the sensations as the feet mo+e ,ith a**urate and pre*ise
mindfulness during ,al(ing meditation you ,ill obser+e the interplay of mental
and material aspe*ts of all pro*esses in life and see the true nature of reality in this
life itself.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =@ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Chapter @
Cha"ter 0
Clear Com"rehension )%am"aja11a,
8una *a paraO bhi((ha+e bhi((hu
)bhi((hante patti(ante sampajana(r hoti
Mlo(ite +ilo(ite sampajana(r hoti
SammiAjite pasrite sampajana(r hoti
Sanghtipatta *+ara dhrane sampajana(r hoti
)site pte (hyite syite sampajana(r hoti
5**rapass+a(amme sampajana(r hoti
Iate thite nisinne sutte jgarite bhsithe tunh bh+e
sampajna(r hoti
The ne;t *ontemplation introdu*ed in the Satipa66hna sutta is the de+elopment of
in+estigati+e *omprehension or *lear *omprehension .sampajaAAa0 and dire*t
mindfulness to bodily a*ti+ities.
SampajaAAa *an be translated as F*lear *omprehensionF Ffull a,arenessF or
Fin+estigati+e *omprehension.F In the abo+e passage of the Satipa66hna sutta a
bhi((hu is instru*ted to mindfully ,al( for,ard and ba*(,ard .ahbbi((hante
pati((ante sampajna(r hoti0Q loo( ahead or side,ays .lo(ite +ilo(ite
sampajna(r hoti0Q bend and stret*h arms or limbs .sammiAjite pasrite
sampajna(r hoti0Q ,ear robes and *arry the outer robes and bo,l .sanghtipatta
*+ara dhrane sampajna(r hoti0.
This *hapter introdu*es a yogi to mindfully obser+e the postural adjustments of the
body and be*ome a,are of the pro*ess in+ol+ed in ea*h a*ti+ity and adjustment.
The yogi ,ill be both the CdoerC and the Cobser+erC throughout this pro*ess. >r if
,e use the analogy of a +ideo produ*tion the yogi be*omes both the a*tor and the
person re*ording the image. 7y be*oming a,are of the pro*ess ,ith a deta*hed
a,areness the yogi obser+es that the +ie, of a FselfF is being repla*ed ,ith a
pro*ess a le+er ma*hine or e+en a puppet mo+ing from one a*ti+ity to another.
1he Four As!ects of am!aja55a
) detailed analysis of *lear *omprehension as stated by the 7uddha is introdu*ed
through four aspe*ts1
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =B 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Clear Comprehension .SampajaAAa0
i. sttha(a sampajaAAaQ *lear *omprehension of purpose
ii. sappya sampajaAAaQ *lear *omprehension of suitability
iii. go*ara sampajaAAaQ *lear *omprehension of resort
i+. asammoha sampajaAAaQ *lear *omprehension of nondelusion
The first t,o aspe*ts are parti*ularly rele+ant to the yogi. During a session of sitting
meditation it is natural for physi*al pain to arise. 9ith a strong resol+e you ,ill be
able to bear the pain and remain ,ith the primary obje*t 2 the breath. 3+en ,hen
the pain intensifies your fo*us ,ill shift to the pain to obser+e its *hara*teristi*s.
7ut ,ithout the reNuisite amount of energy you may be*ome distra*ted. 7y
*onsidering alternati+es to the sitting posture you may attempt to get rid of the
dis*omfort. )t this stage the meditati+e mind ,ill be ta(en a,ay from the primary
obje*t. Changing the posture by rea*ting to the pain is ho,e+er a great loss to the
mindfulness and the *on*entration de+eloped during meditation.
)t this jun*ture the 7uddha *autions the yogi to pause for a moment gi+e priority
to the meditation and *onsider the most appropriate shift before *hanging the
posture. 9ith *lear *omprehension you must *onsider the purpose of *hanging the
posture .sttha(a sampajaAAa0. "e;t you must *onsider ,hat posture is most
*ondu*i+e for meditation .sappya sampajaAAa0 2 ,hether the shift is suitable for
de+eloping mindfulness and *on*entration. )s su*h *lear *omprehension must be
dire*ted to the purpose of the a*ti+ity intended and to its suitability.
Lou are also instru*ted to maintain *lear *omprehension ,hi*h ensures *ontinuous
mindfulness on the obje*t of meditation .go*ara sampajaAAa0. The *hange of
posture must relate to the meditati+e pra*ti*e ,hether the alternati+e posture is
*ondu*i+e for maintaining and establishing *ontinuous mindfulness. Importantly
the Satipa66hna pra*ti*e itself is your field of appli*ation for maintaining
*ontinuous mindfulness from one obje*t to another.
The fourth aspe*t reNuires you to ha+e *lear *omprehension by de+eloping Fnon2
delusionF i.e. to *learly understand the true nature of reality. Lou must attend to
routine a*ti+ities ,ith an undeluded mind .asammoha sampajaAAa0. For e;ample
,hen ,al(ing you should not thin( CI am ,al(ingC and introdu*e a FselfF or an CIC
to the pro*ess. Pather ,ith a deta*hed obser+ation you must be mindful of the
pro*ess.
&aintaining $lear $om!rehension from one Activity to the -e*t
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =% 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
9e ma(e many postural adjustments in our daily li+es. 7ut they interrupt our
mindfulness and *on*entration. Changing from one posture to the ne;t in+ol+es
many adjustments to our body. Importantly as ,e ma(e these shifts our
mindfulness must be gal+anised ,ith *lear *omprehension. 9ithout mindfulness
and full a,areness of the shift from one posture to the ne;t it is impossible to
implement *lear *omprehension. Ienerally ,e *hange our postures me*hani*ally
,ithout mindfulness. 7e*ause mindfulness and *omprehension are *losely related
to ea*h other it is imperati+e that *ontinuous mindfulness is maintained from one
a*ti+ity to the ne;t.
Ta(e the breath as an e;ample. During npnasati bh+an ,e mindfully obser+e
the in2breath and the out2breath from the beginning through the middle to the
end. )s ,e obser+e the breath in this manner ,e obser+e a gap .or a jun*tion0
bet,een the end of the in2breath and the beginning of the out2breath. >ften this
*hange o+er happens me*hani*ally ,ithout our per*eption or *ontrol. 9e per*ei+e
the out2breath only after it has passed a *ertain threshold. 9ith the in2breath it is
the same. 9ith *ontinuous mindfulness from one breath to the ne;t ho,e+er an
e;perien*ed yogi ,ill per*ei+e the gap bet,een the in2breath and the out2breath.
)t the end of a session of sitting meditation ,e get up in order to *ommen*e
,al(ing meditation. 7ut ,e rarely *ontemplate the purpose of *hanging the
posture. >ur daily routine en*ounters an in*al*ulable number of postures and ,e
me*hani*ally shift from one posture to another. 9e ne+er pause ,ith mindfulness.
Slo,ly and mindfully ,e must get up from a session of sitting meditation by
*onsidering the most *ondu*i+e posture for the *ontinuation of mindfulness by
gi+ing priority to the meditation.
>n a more subtle le+el ,e need to be*ome mindful of sense impingements that
*ross our *ons*iousness. 9e ha+e si; fa*ulties but only one *ons*iousness. 3a*h
fa*ulty *ompetes for the attention of our *ons*iousness. 9ithout mindfulness and
*lear *omprehension the strength of the sense impingement and the priority gi+en
to ea*h fa*ulty be*omes a random sele*tion. 7e*oming mindful of this shift
ho,e+er is diffi*ult be*ause the mindFs fo*us from one sense obje*t to the ne;t is
so s,ift. 7ut mindfully ,e must obser+e ho, our mind mo+es to the different
fa*ulties and sense impressions.
Imagine you are ,at*hing a mo+ie or a film. ) film *annot be seen on the s*reen
unless there is dar(ness. Similarly it is impossible to fo*us on the breath unless the
other fa*ulties ha+e been shut out. )s our fo*us shifts from the eye to the ear
priority ,ill be gi+en to the hearing that is o**urring in the ear *ons*iousness and
the eye *ons*iousness ,ill be shut out. 9ithout *ontinuous mindfulness ho,e+er
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =D 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
,e ,ill not obser+e ho, the fo*us shifted from the eye to the ear.
9ith one stream of *ons*iousness among si; sense fa*ulties ,e e;perien*e only
one2si;th of the phenomena presented to us in ea*h moment. The rest remain as
proje*tions and past per*eptions 2 ,hat ,e sa, tou*hed heard or tasted et*. )s ,e
,at*h a mo+ie and be*ome immersed in it ,e feel as if our fo*us remained on the
entire mo+ie as it unfolded from the beginning to the end. 7ut throughout our
attention shifted from the +isual to the musi* from smelling the *igarette smo(e to
*he,ing the gum or nibbling on some food and thoughts from the physi*al
*omforts or dis*omforts of being seated for a long time. >ur attention from one
sense impression to the ne;t had shifted so s,iftly and ,ithout our noti*e. So our
per*eption is that ,e ha+e ,at*hed the mo+ie as a *ontinual pro*ess. 9e thin( that
all a*ti+ities ha+e o**urred simultaneously throughout the entire mo+ie.
7ut ,ith one *ons*iousness ,e are able to gi+e priority only to one sense
impingement at a time. It is therefore impossible that ,e *ould ha+e entertained all
the a*ti+ities at on*e. 9e remember the mo+ie as one single e;perien*e be*ause ,e
,ere not mindful ,hen our attention shifted to the musi* after tasting the pop *orn
or to the main a*tor after listening to the musi*. -ad ,e studied the proje*tor ,e
,ould ha+e (no,n that for fifty per *ent of the time ,e ,ere in dar(ness. If not
the film *ould not ha+e been proje*ted onto the s*reen. 7ut ,e did not see the
dar(ness be*ause our fo*us ,as on the film.
Similarly ,e fail to pause ,ith mindfulness to obser+e the postural adjustments
during our life. So ,e see an apparent *ontinuation in all our a*ti+ities. )s
dis*ussed in the follo,ing *hapters the elements that *onstitute our body
*ontinually arise and pass a,ay. They are momentary but our per*eption of a
CselfC or a CbeingC pre*ludes us from seeing their impermanen*e .ani**at0. Pather
our per*eption is al,ays glossed o+er ,ith a notion of permanen*e and *ontinuity
.ni**a saAAa0.
#rogressive Unfolding of $lear $om!rehension
The term sampajaAAa *an be disse*ted into three parts. CEaAAaC or CAAaC indi*ates
(no,ledge or a,areness. This a,areness is supported by the prefi; of CsamC
translated as Cby one2self or Cin totalityC. Sometimes it is referred to as Cdire*tC.
CpaC in 8li means Cspe*ially parti*ularlyC. 9hen sampajaAAa is present one *an
dire*tly e;perien*e an independent understanding of phenomena under oneFs +ery
nose. For e;ample during npnasati bh+an ,e note the in2breath as CinC and
obser+e its mo+ement and its tou*h. This is our o,n understanding 2 CsamC To ha+e
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 =H 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
*lear *omprehension ,e must obser+e the breath immediately and in its totality.
9ith established mindfulness ,e obser+e the beginning the middle and the end of
the in2breath and the out2breath. )s the breath is obser+ed immediately and in its
totality a notion of a being ,ill be repla*ed ,ith an e;perien*e of me*hani*al
pro*ess. )t this point ,e e;perien*e *lear *omprehension.
7y *hanging our posture mindfully slo,ly and ,ith *lear *omprehension during
sitting meditation ,e obser+e the pro*ess underlying it. )s this pro*ess unfolds it
is impossible for us to identify ,ith any aspe*t of self in it. Do ,e identify ,ith the
intention to *hange the postureQ the shift or the mo+ementQ or the *ause of the shift
as self: Logi*ally ,e find that a notion of a Cself is impra*ti*al. So ,ith *lear
*omprehension ba*(ed by mindfulness ,e see the *omponent parts of ea*h
pro*ess rather then a self.
3stablishing mindfulness to a le+el ,here *lear *omprehension .sampajaAAa0 sets
in is a rare stage of meditation that a yogi may en*ounter. 7e*ause our deluded
minds are ta(en a,ay by beautiful sights good sounds and tastes ,e rarely obser+e
the underlying pro*esses. 9e see *ontinuity and fail to obser+e the impermanen*e.
During sitting meditation ,e are re*ommended to remain in the same posture for
as long as possible. This ser+es to maintain mindfulness and *on*entration for *lear
*omprehension to set in. )t this jun*ture ,e begin to see things oursel+es in
totality and immedia*y. 9ithout the reNuisite alignment of mindfulness and
*on*entration ,e are interrupted ,ith thoughts. Pational or dedu*ti+e (no,ledge
,ill o+erpo,er our dire*t e;perien*e. So ,e must note the same obje*t as many
times as possible. )s ,e stri+e to do this ,e see ho, mu*h of our past (no,ledge
memories per*eptions rationaliGations and inferential (no,ledge seeps into our
dire*t e;perien*e.
3+ery obje*t must be obser+ed immediately and in its totality. This gi+es rise to
dire*t e;perien*e. !indfulness and *lear *omprehension lead to ,isdom. 9isdom
has the Nuality of brightness. 9ith ,isdom you ,ill see the aspe*ts of any a*ti+ity
you are in+ol+ed in be it seeing smelling tasting tou*hing feeling through the
body or thin(ing. The beha+ioural aspe*t of ,isdom is *larity. 7ut ,isdom should
not be tarnished ,ith rationaliGation inferential (no,ledge or *on*epts. Too many
options and ideas be,ilder our minds and ,e begin to ma(e de*isions based on
faith .saddha0 preferen*e .ru*i0 ad+i*e re*ei+ed by our tea*hers and parents
.anuss+ana0 rationalisation or dedu*ti+e (no,ledge .(ra pari+ita(ha0 or our
+ie,s .dhi66i nijjhna(hanti0. 9ithout mindfulness ,e resort to these methods
based on pre2programmed *onsiderations. 7ut a yogi ,ith *lear *omprehension ,ill
remain in the present moment and implement free2,ill ,hen fa*ed ,ith de*isions
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &/ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
in life.
9e must *arefully obser+e ea*h episode in our life as it unfolds. -o,e+er mundane
they are ,hether it is *hanging postures or noting the mindFs mo+ement from one
sense fa*ulty to the other to obser+e the true nature of phenomena ,e must
obser+e the ,hole pro*ess and the *hange2o+er from one a*ti+ity to the ne;t. 9e
must mindfully obser+e the gaps the *hanging2o+er from one pro*ess to another.
3stablishing *ontinuous mindfulness to,ards an obje*t is li(e +ie,ing an obje*t
,ith a magnifying glass. 9e begin to see the intri*a*ies of all phenomena. In this
,ay ,hen mindfulness is gal+anised ,ith *lear *omprehension ,e de+elop
,isdom to see things as they really are.
3uestions and Answers
*ou said that we can be conscious of an object throuh only one sense faculty at a time. +ut
in our daily lives we are aware of many happenins and we perceive objects throuh more
than one sense door at a iven time. ,lease e&plain.
9ithout momentary *on*entration ,e only ha+e a theoreti*al understanding of
the mind and the sense impingements. To e;perien*e momentary *on*entration
our mindfulness and *on*entration must a**elerate to a *ertain momentum. 5ntil
,e rea*h that stage ,e feel as if e+erything is happening at on*e. This leads to a
false per*eption of *onglomeration 2 that ,e are able to do many things at on*e.
)s stated by the 7uddha a pie*e of thread that *onsists of si; indi+idual strands put
together appears strong and unbrea(able. 7ut if ,e disintegrate it into indi+idual
parts our per*eption of it ,ill *hange. It ,ill no longer be unbrea(able or strong.
7y *arefully noting ,e see that only one thing *an o**ur at a time. It is impossible
to both CseeF and ClistenC at the same time. The mind is so s,ift ,hen it mo+es from
one sense obje*t to another. 5nless ,e understand the momentariness of a being or
an e;isten*e ,e per*ei+e a pro*ess of *ontinuity in e+erything that ,e e;perien*e.
So ,e belie+e that there is a CselfC a male or a female and ,e de+elop pet ideas and
per*eptions or preferen*es and resort to *on+entional reality. 7ut ,ith momentary
*on*entration ,e begin to see the indi+idual *omponents of all phenomena.
9hen ,e e;perien*e momentary *on*entration ,e obser+e a preliminary or
primordial form of *ons*iousness 2 one that *annot be e;perien*ed through the
sense fa*ulties. In 8li this *ons*iousness is *alled anindriya pa6ibaddha +iAAna
*ons*iousness that is unrelated to the sense fa*ulties. It is only ,hen this
preliminary *ons*iousness *onne*ts to the senses that ,e per*ei+e and e;perien*e
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &$ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
sense impingements. >ur sensual ,orld is *onne*ted to and per*ei+ed through the
senses. Eust li(e a turtle that tu*(s its limbs under its shell for se*urity the 7uddha
re*ommends the yogi to ba*(tra*( from the senses. 9hen a yogi e;perien*es
anindriya pa6ibaddha +iAAna he or she ,ill not e;perien*e seeing hearing or
thin(ing. It is a state of just being simply being ali+e.
During npnasati bh+an ,e retreat from the senses and de+elop
*on*entration. 9ith *ontinuous mindfulness ,e e;perien*e ho, the in2breath and
the out2breath gradually phase out and be*ome less per*ei+able. The sensations of
the breath also be*ome less ob+ious. )lthough per*eption of the breath is lost ,e
(no, that ,e are ali+e. 9e e;perien*e a primordial form of *ons*iousness 2 one
that it not *onne*ted to the eyethe ear nose or the tongue et*. 9hen the
*ons*iousness is in the primordial form it is pure and energeti*. 7ut this pure and
bright *ons*iousness is glossed o+er by sense impingements. )s it *onne*ts to the
senses ,e fall into their trap and be*ome sensual beings .pabhassara midhn
bi((ha+e *ittataO taO*a (ho agantu(ehi upa((ilittehi upa((ili66an0. This *hange
o**urs ,ithin a split se*ond. 7ut ,ith *ontinuous thought moments a yogi *an
re+erse this pro*ess.
9ith *ontinuous mindfulness a yogi ,ill note seeing as just CseeingCQ hearing as
just ChearingCQ breathing as just CbreathingC. In this manner ,e *ome ba*( home.
9e remain at home as long as ,e are mindful of ea*h moment and be*ome
deta*hed from the senses.
)urin npnasati bhvan, when the in-breath occurs, you note it as .in. and observe the
sensation and the movement. *ou said that by observin the breath in its totality, clear
comprehension sets in. $o can sampaja//a be summarised as the !nowlede ained by
establishin mindfulness on an object at any iven time"
7y progressing deeper into npnasati bh+an *on*entration and *lear
*omprehension sets in. 3a*h moment ,e are dying but ,e are not a,are of it. Let if
,e see a dead body ,e rea*t. 9e are programmed not to thin( about death. 7ut it is
happening from one moment to the ne;t. 9e gro, old be*ome si*( and die. 9hen
,e mindfully note the in2breath and the out2breath as they o**ur ,e see a gap.
Similarly as ,e stand up after sitting there is a gap. 7ut ,e are not mindful of it.
9ith *lear *omprehension yogis steeped in insight meditation ,ill see that there
are thousands of breaths ,ithin one in2breath and out2breath. 3+en lifting of our
hands in+ol+es many pro*esses and episodes. 7et,een ea*h episode there is a gap.
7ut it happens me*hani*ally in dar(ness ,ithout our mindfulness. 5nless ,e
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &' 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
be*ome a,are of the gaps bet,een ea*h and e+ery pro*ess ,e *annot *omprehend
momentary death or e;perien*e momentary *on*entration. So ,e impose a notion
of a being or a FselfF. 5nless ,e are mindful from one moment to the ne;t ,e ,ill
not be able to disse*t or analyse the underlying pro*esses of our li+es. To de+elop
this insight ,e must *ontinue meditating in the same posture. )n understanding of
*lear *omprehension at a gross le+el is ne+ertheless possible if ,e *arefully obser+e
the postural adjustments in our daily li+es.
9ithin ea*h in2breath there are many a*tions 2 there is a beginning middle and an
end. The *hange2o+er from one episode to the ne;t in+ol+es a gap. )lthough the
breath appears as a smooth flo, from an in2breath to the out2breath in reality
ea*h per*eption of a breath in+ol+es many small breaths. Ta(e the e;ample of a line
of ants. From a distan*e all ,e see is a rod. 7ut as ,e mo+e *loser ,e see the
indi+idual ants *omprising the line. The pro*ess is the same ,ith a ri+er 2 there is
not a single e;isten*e *alled ri+er but an e+er *hanging flo, ,ith its ,idth
*hanging from one moment to the ne;t. )s one ,estern philosopher *laimed no
one *an *ross the same ri+er t,i*e be*ause the ri+er is a *hanging pro*ess of
flo,ing. In 7uddhism ,e say that the same person too *annot *ross the ri+er t,i*e.
It is not only the ri+er but the person *rossing the ri+er also *hanges from one
moment to the ne;tT
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &= 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Chapter B
Cha"ter 2
Contem"lating the 3natomical Parts of the +ody )Pati//$la
manasi/&ra,
8una*a paraO bhi((ha+e bhi((hu
Ima me+a (yaO uddhaO pdhatal
)dho (essamatta( ta*a pariyantaO
8uram nanappa(rassa asu*ino pa**a+e((hati
)tthi imasmiO (ye
<es lom na(h dant ta*o
!aOsaO naharu a66hi a66imiAj +a((aO
-adayaO ya(anaO (iloma(aO piha(aO papphsaO
)ntaO anantagunaO udariyaO (arisaO 8ittaO
semmaO pubbo lohitaO sedo medo
assu +as (helo
SiSgni( lasi( muttaO
The Satipa66hna sutta in+ites the yogi to *ontemplate on the anatomi*al
*omposition of the body. Commonly referred to as )subha bh+an this
*ontemplation reNuires the yogi to obser+e the bodyFs repulsi+e aspe*ts. Logis
steeped in serenity meditation engage in this *ontemplation. Insight yogis ,ill
*ontemplate on the body in terms of the four elements. This ,ill be dis*ussed in the
follo,ing *hapter.
7y dire*ting mindfulness to analyse the anatomi*al *onstitution of the body a yogi
is introdu*ed to the anatomi*al parts organs and fluids *ontained in it. The
anatomi*al parts listed in the Satipa66hna sutta follo, a natural seNuen*e 2 from
the solid outer parts through the internal organs to the organi* liNuids. )s
instru*ted by the 7uddha a yogi must re+ie, the body up from the soles of the feet
and do,n from the top of the hair and *ontemplate the +arious repulsi+e organs
and liNuids that are en*losed by the s(in.
The first fi+e parts of this *ontemplation are related to aspe*ts of beautifi*ation1
hair on the head .(es0 body hair .lom0 nails .na(ha0 teeth .dant0 and s(in
.ta*o0. Through a deta*hed obser+ation of the anatomi*al parts one must
*omprehend oneFs true nature 2 that there is nothing inherently beautiful in any
aspe*t of the body. 9hen applied e;ternally to other people this *ontemplation
*an be a po,erful *ountermeasure for sensual desire. In 7uddhist ordination
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 && 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Contemplating the )natomi*al 8arts of the 7ody .8ati((ula manasi(ra0
*eremonies no+i*e mon(s and nuns are instru*ted to *ontemplate on the first fi+e
anatomi*al parts stated abo+e. This ser+es to temper any sensual desires that may
be diffi*ult to o+er*ome during the early stages of the pra*ti*e.
1hree 1y!es of Body $ontem!lations
) *ontemplation of the anatomi*al *omposition of the body in+ariably leads to a
*ontemplation of its repulsi+e nature. This has attra*ted mu*h *riti*ism as it is
often per*ei+ed as negati+e. Those ,ith a strong in*lination to,ards sensual
pleasures are Nui*( to reje*t its benefits. )lthough this *hapter is limited to a
dis*ussion of the anatomi*al *omposition of the body it is imperati+e that yogis are
a,are of all three methods of *ontemplating the body and its *omponent parts. )
yogi must *ontemplate the1
i. anatomi*al *omposition of the bodyQ
ii. body in terms of the four elements1 the earth element the ,ater
element the fire element and the air elementQ
iii. *olour of body parts.
$ontem!lating the Anatomical $om!osition of the Body
7uddhist literature re*olle*ts many stories that relate to *ontemplating the
anatomi*al *omposition of the body. !any of these e+ents are reported by 7uddhist
nuns .bhi((hunis0. In the Therigth one nun +i+idly illustrates her insight into
the repulsi+e aspe*ts of the body by pointing out that if ,e ,ere to turn our bodies
inside out e+en our mothers ,ould be disgusted and not be able to bear its smell.
9hen painted ,ith *osmeti*s and *o+ered by the s(in our bodies *an be *harming.
7ut this beauty is only s(in deep. 7y penetrating beyond the s(in ,ith ,isdom ,e
see its true nature. 9e see that our bodies are *omposed of repulsi+e elements.
7uddhist *ommentary dra,s an analogy bet,een separating the body into
*omponent parts and the dismantling of a royal *arriage. The royal *arriage ,as
the most e;pensi+e +ehi*le during the time of the 7uddha. 9hen the *arriage is
dismantled remo+ing its parts one by one only the separate parts the ,heel the
pole and a;le et*... ,ill be left. >n*e dismantled its aestheti* +alue ,ill be lost.
Similarly ,e *ould *onsider the dismantling of an e;pensi+e and modern *ar in
*ontemporary so*iety. If ,e dismantle its parts at a garage its appeal ,ould soon be
lost. >n a more personal note ,e *an turn to our mu*h +alued teeth. 9e pay
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &@ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
*opious amounts of money at the dentist to loo( after our pre*ious teeth. 7ut if the
dentist ta(es a tooth out and pla*es it on our hand our per*eption ,ill be different.
9e ,ill simply rea*t to its repulsi+eness.
) Sri Lan(an 7uddhist *ommentary re*olle*ts a story of a mon( tra+elling through
a thi*( forest to,ards the *ity in the early hours of the day. >n the ,ay he passed a
,oman ,ho flirtatiously smiled at him. )s the mon( sa, the ,oman his eye *aught
a glimpse of her teeth and instantly his fo*us shifted to a *ontemplation of the
anatomi*al parts of the body. -e be*ame deeply *on*entrated. -is *on*entration
*hanged in to insight *on*entration .the *ontemplation of the four elements0 and
he attained final liberation at that +ery moment. ) man passing by the forest
stopped and as(ed the mon( ,hether he had seen the ,oman. The mon(Fs
response ,as1 CI do not (no, ,hether it ,as a man or a ,oman but I sa, only
some teethC. )**ording to the *ommentary this mon( did not *ontemplate on the
repulsi+e nature of all namely teeththe anatomi*al parts but be*ame
*on*entrated by seeing the stru*ture of the ,omanFs bones,hi*h then led him
to,ards an insight into the elements.
) 7uddhist *ommentary similarly re*olle*ts the meditation e;perien*es of three
nuns ,ho attained final liberation by *ontemplating the anatomi*al parts of the
body. 5nli(e the mon( in the pre+ious story the three nuns attained final
liberation by *ontemplating on the *olour aspe*t of the bodily parts and
progressing to,ards insight meditation to *ontemplate on the four elements.
Similarly in your pra*ti*e during a session of npnasati bh+an ,ith
*ontinuous mindfulness you ,ill gradually de+elop *on*entration to an
appropriate le+el. )s you progress deeper into *on*entration you ,ill simply
be*ome a,are of the body and be *ons*ious of it .atti (yoti + panassa sati
pa**upa66it hoti0. )s your *on*entration deepens you ,ill be*ome a,are of the
anatomi*al parts of the body their *olour or the four elements. If you are in*lined
to,ards *on*entration meditation you ,ill be*ome a,are of your hair or the bones
as the prominent obje*t of meditation or obser+e that the body is *omposed of
many parts. )lternati+ely as an insight yogi you may obser+e the hardness of the
bones the fluidity of the blood or the bile and *ontemplate on the elements. The
elements may also manifest as a ti*(ling sensation as the dripping of ,ater or as a
mosNuito bite. This is yet another natural unfolding of your a,areness of the body.
>r else you may be*ome a,are of the *olour aspe*t of the bodily parts 2the grey
*olour of the hair the bones as ,hite the urine or bile as yello, or the blood as red.
9hen ,e see the body in this manner and analyse it into *omponent parts ,e
begin to *hallenge our per*eptions and desires for sensual pleasure. 9e see that our
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &B 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
desires in life and sensual indulgen*es are premised on a faulty foundation1 a body
that is simply *omposed of *onstituent parts elements and *olours.
It must be noted that the *ontemplation of the repulsi+e aspe*ts of the body has
possible dangers. )n o+eremphasis on repulsi+eness *ould lead to loathing ,hi*h
*ould manifest as an e;pression of frustrated desire. The dis*ourses re*olle*t an
e;ample of e;*essi+e *ontemplation of the anatomi*al parts of the body. )fter the
7uddha had instru*ted a group of mon(s on this pra*ti*e and retired into solitude
the mon(s *ontemplated the anatomi*al parts and their repulsi+eness ,ithin their
bodies ,ith su*h fer+our that they be*ame disgusted by it resulting in a number of
them *ommitting sui*ide. 9hen the 7uddha ,as informed of this he gathered the
mon(s and instru*ted them to underta(e this *ontemplation ,ith suffi*ient
pre*aution and de+elop the appropriate attitude to nurture a ,ise and balan*ed
*ontemplation of the unattra*ti+e aspe*ts of the body. The mon(s ,ere
re*ommended to gradually progress to,ards a *ontemplation of repulsi+eness only
after de+eloping npnasati bh+an and allo,ing insight to naturally unfold
,ith mindfulness of the breath.
Dismantling the -otion of a elf
>ne of my student mon(s at !eetirigala on*e attended an autopsy. 5pon his return
he re*olle*ted his obser+ations and reported ho, it ,as simply impossible to
identify ,hi*h anatomi*al part belonged to the person that ,as *ut open ,hen
ea*h part ,as ta(en out one by one and pla*ed on a table. >bser+ations su*h as
these *hallenge our false per*eption of a CselfC. The 7uddha pro+ides a similar
e;ample of a but*her *utting a *o,. >n*e the *o, is *ut open and the separate
pie*es are displayed at the but*herFs shop the *ustomers attending the shop to
pur*hase the meat ,ill not ha+e any per*eption of the *o, but of its *omponent
parts. The *on*ept of a *o, as an entity ,ould no longer be apparent.
7y obser+ing the anatomi*al parts of the body or the *omposition of the body as
elements and being a,are of its hardness softness liNuidity *oolness heat
e;pansion *ontra*tion et*. the *on*ept of a CselfC or an entity ,ill be *hallenged
and *an no longer be sustained. Pather the per*eption of the body ,ill be that of
*omponent parts or elements. 9hen the body is insightfully obser+ed in this
manner *on*eit desire and self2indulgen*e ,ill no longer be present.
During npnasati bh+an you gradually penetrate into a *ontemplation of the
anatomi*al parts of the body or its *omposition as elements. This is an a,a(ening
e;perien*e. 7ut it is diffi*ult for a yogi to remain unsha(en ,hen insight unfolds in
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &% 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
this manner espe*ially ,hen it o**urs for the first time. 9ith a theoreti*al
understanding of the pro*ess ho,e+er a yogi *an remain unsha(en and *ontinue
,ith sustained mindfulness and *on*entration as insight progressi+ely de+elops in
pra*ti*e. In the Dasa saAAa sutta or Iirimnanda sutta the 7uddha instru*ts that
notions of non2self impermanen*e repulsi+eness unpredi*table and
disad+antageous aspe*ts of the body ,ill be re+ealed on*e *on*entration and
insight are progressi+ely de+eloped in pra*ti*e. 7ut yogis must e;ert effort and
establish *ontinuous mindfulness and *on*entration ,ith the appropriate
alignment in order to see things as they are .y+ade+a Aanamattya
patissatimattya0. 9ith repeated pra*ti*e a yogi must de+elop *ontinuous
mindfulness during sitting meditation ,al(ing meditation and in day to day
a*ti+ities. Iradually the *omponent parts of the body ,ill be*ome apparent. 9hen
a yogi en*ounters this a,a(ening he or she be*omes free from the deluded
per*eption of a CselfC an entity or a being.
The Satipa66hna sutta pres*ribes an internal .ajjhatta0 and e;ternal .bahiddh0
approa*h to *ontemplation throughout the dis*ourse. )s pres*ribed by the 7uddha
one must first see the anatomi*al *onstitution and its repulsi+eness in oneFs o,n
body. 9ith this understanding one is able to infer the nature of the bodies of
others and their *omposition .ajjhattaO + (ye (ynupass +iharati bahiddh +
(ye (ynupass +iharati ajjhattabahiddh +a (ye (ynupass +iharati0. 9ith
deeper insights into the true nature of our being our mysti* attra*tion to,ards
others ,ill diminish. This progression ,ill happen naturally as Dhamma gradually
unfolds during our pra*ti*e.
In the follo,ing *hapter ,e dis*uss ho, yogis in*lined to,ards insight meditation
,ill penetrate further into a *ontemplation of the *omposition of the body as
elements. >n*e our mindfulness and *on*entration are aligned to the appropriate
le+el ,e see the body as *omponent parts or elements. 9e begin to obser+e ho,
humanity is all the same. 9e appre*iate the true nature of all phenomena 2 ho, all
matter1 trees ro*(s ri+ers et*... are *omposed of the same four elements. 9ith
su*h a penetrati+e insight ,e appre*iate a true harmoniGation ,ith the uni+erse.
7y insightfully understanding our true nature that ,e are simply *onstituted ,ith
*omponent parts and a *omposition of energies ,e realise that ,e are nothing
better than indi+idual grains of sand lying in a bed of sand alongside a ri+erT
7y insightfully de+eloping ,isdom in this manner you ,ill not grasp at opinions
ideas or preferen*es based on a sense of self but ha+e a *hoi*eless approa*h to life.
!indfully you ,ill remain in the present moment and obser+e the true nature of
internal and e;ternal phenomena as it unfolds .atthi (yoti + panaFssa sati
pa**upatthit hoti y+ade+a Aanamattya paissatimattya anissito *a +iharati na
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &D 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
*a (iA*i lo(e updiyati0.
#n our daily lives, if we operate with a notion of .non-self., we will find that our peers will
destroy or crush us. $o what approach should we adopt"
Lou must apply *ommon sense. )lthough ,e meditate the rest of the ,orld does
not do so. It is unrealisti* to imagine that there is a ,orld +ie, that e+eryone
should meditate and that those ,ho pra*ti*e meditation should be treated
separately. 9hen you spea( to a baby you must spea( in the babyFs language. In
)ustralia you spea( )ustralian. 9hen you go to Sri Lan(a you spea( in the lo*al
language. Li(e,ise ,hen ,e tal( ,ith yogis ,e *an dis*uss ho, enlightening it is
to see the ,orld and its properties as elements. 7ut you must (no, ,hom you are
spea(ing to. Someone ,ho does not meditate ,ill see the body as an obje*t of
beauty or strength. 7ut you see the body in its totality. It is useless to tell that
person about the deeper insights into the true nature of the body be*ause it ,ould
be in*omprehensible.
8arents use (idsF language ,hen playing ,ith their *hildren. 7ut they donFt use
that language ,hen *ommuni*ating ,ith their employer do they: 9hen ,e
pra*ti*e together ,ith a group of yogis ,e feel en*ouraged be*ause ,e share
similar +ie,s and *an relate to ea*h othersF e;perien*es. >n*e you mature in your
pra*ti*e you ,ill find the right balan*e and learn ho, to relate to people ,ho are
not pra*tising meditation. So do not tal( about this subje*t ,ith those ,ho do not
pra*ti*e. 9hen you are in Pome beha+e li(e the PomansT !aintaining the pra*ti*e
in the *on+entional ,orld is a matter of *ommon sense. The 7uddha is not going to
tea*h you this. >f *ourse finding the balan*e in our daily li+es is diffi*ult but ,ith
maturity in the pra*ti*e you ,ill learn ho, to operate ,ith ease amongst those
that are not in*lined to,ards meditation.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 &H 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Chapter %
Cha"ter 4
Contem"lating the +ody as Elements )Dh&t$ manasi/&ra,
8una *a paraO bhi((ha+e bhi((hR
Imame+a (yaO yatthitaO yath panhitaO dhtuso pa**a+e((hati
)tthi immasmiO (ye pa6ha+i dhtu po dhtu
tejo dhtu +yo dhtR ti
Seyyath Fpi bhi((ha+e da((ho goghta(o
+ goghta(a Fnte+s + g+iO
+adhit+ *tummahpathe bilaso pa66i+ibhajit+ nissinno assa
3+ame+a (ho bhi((ha+e bhi((hR
Imame+a (yaO yathtitaO yath panhitaO dhtuso pa**a+e((hati
Contemplating the body as four elements in+ol+es an a,areness of the four basi*
*hara*teristi*s of matter1 the earth element .solidity0 .patha+i dhtu0 the ,ater
element .liNuidity0 .po dhtu0 the fire element .temperature0 .tejo dhtu0 and the
air element .motion0 .+yo dhtu0. This *ontemplation is bent to,ards insight
meditation and de+elops an analysis of the body on a more refined le+el. )lthough a
*ontemplation of the anatomi*al *onstitution of the body *o+ers the solid and
liNuid elements this analysis ta(es a more *omprehensi+e approa*h and e;tends
a,areness to aspe*ts of the body that manifest the *hara*teristi* of temperature
.heatV*old0 as ,ell as motion .e;pansionsV*ontra*tions0.
3+ery being *onsists of *orporeal .rRpa dhamma0 and mental attributes .nma
dhamma0. In the Phulo+da sutta the 7uddha des*ribes a being as *omposed of si;
elements in*luding the spa*e element and *ons*iousness in addition to the four
elements stated abo+e. This des*ription ta(es into a**ount aspe*ts of mentality.
Corporeality .rRpa dhamma0 in*ludes the earth ,ater fire air and spa*e element.
The mental aspe*ts in*lude feelings per*eptions +olition and *ons*iousness. The
7uddhaFs instru*tions for *ontemplating the body .(ynupassan0 as outlined in
the Satipa66hna sutta are limited to seeing the body as four elements representing
solidity liNuidity temperature and motion .imame+a (yan yath panhitaO
dhtuso pa**a+e((hati0.
The instru*tion for insight .+ipassan0 meditation is to begin ,ith ,hate+er is the
prominent obje*t. The yogi is then gradually en*ouraged to progress to,ards the
more subtle aspe*ts of Dhamma. The Satipa66hna sutta also follo,s this seNuen*e.
So ,e start ,ith the body .(ya0. This is the first foundation of mindfulness. 9ith
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @/ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Contemplating the 7ody as 3lements .Dhtu manasi(ra0
the four elements also ,e follo, this seNuen*e. 9e start ,ith the breath be*ause it
is the most prominent of the four elements. The Nuality of motion in the breath
ma(es it per*ei+able more dis*ernible. 3lements ho,e+er do not e;ist in isolation.
In ea*h in2breath and out2breath all four elements are present. -o,e+er the air
element is the most dis*ernible. In pra*ti*e ,e feel heat as ,e breathe in or
*oolness as ,e breathe out. So ,e (no, that the fire element representing the
Nuality of temperature is also present in the breath.
/bserving the Four Elements in the Breath
During npnasati bh+an a yogi *an be*ome a,are of the elements by
obser+ing the in2breath and the out2breath .+yo pho66ahba dhtu0 mo+ing in and
out. )n insight yogi ,ill obser+e the rubbing sensation of the air2draughtQ the heat
*oolness stiffness tension of the breath or a tingling sensation as the breath
tou*hes the s(in. These features are the manifestations of the four elements.
) yogi must obser+e the t,o phases of the in2breath and the out2breath
*omparati+ely ,ith *lear *omprehension. 8re*ision of a,areness is also ne*essary
to dis*riminately obser+e the differen*e of the in2breath and the out2breath.
Dis*ernment is an important attribute of a yogi. 9ith sharp and pre*ise
mindfulness you must *losely and *ontinually obser+e the in2breath and the out2
breath by (eeping the noting mind at one parti*ular pla*e. 9ith the appropriate
alignment you are bound to see all the prominent attributes of the in2breath and
the out2breath as they manifest. 9ith *ontinuous a,areness of the t,o phases you
,ill see that ea*h in2breath has its o,n different *hara*teristi*s. 7e*ause the breath
appears *oarse at the beginning you *an *learly obser+e and dis*ern the differen*e
bet,een ea*h in2breath and out2breath.
9ith ea*h in2breath and out2breath you are able to see the attributes of the breath
and ho, they are *onstituted by the four elements. Iradually you ,ill note that
the in2breath is different from the out2breath. Lou ,ill also note that ea*h in2
breath is different from the other. The out2breath ,ill also be of the same nature.
)s you progress further it ,ill be possible to obser+e ho, the beginning of the in2
breath is different from its middle and the end of the same. )s the noting mind
*ontinually remains ,ith the breath the body ,ill be*ome *almer the breath ,ill
be*ome subtle and the noting mind and the obje*t ,ill *ome *loser to ea*h other.
This mar(s progress. Throughout this pro*ess a yogi ,ill obser+e numerous
attributes of the breath ,hi*h in turn *an be interpreted as manifestations of the
four elements.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @$ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
)s *on*entration sets in your mindfulness ,ill be*ome steadfast. )lthough the
breath is not per*ei+able you must remain engaged in the immedia*y of
phenomena. )s you penetrate deeper ,ith *on*entration you ,ill see ho, the
mind gathers momentum. The mind ,ill no longer be noting the in2breath and the
out2breath at this stage. Eust obser+e ,hat is present before you. Lou are no longer
an obser+er ,ho notes the phase of the breath but a spe*tator of ,hat unfolds
before you.
9hen mindfulness and *on*entration is appropriately aligned insight ,ill set in.
Lou may suddenly e;perien*e ,etness in +arious parts of the body or as if
e+erything is melting. Lou may feel a heat heat pat*hes in your ear lobes or
*oolness titillation et*. These are all manifestations of the elements and their
depi*ting Nualities. "o, the elements are spea(ing to you through the e;perien*es
that you are feeling. This is simply the language of the elements. Do not be alarmed.
Simply obser+e these manifestations as they unfold. Lour body has be*ome a
platform for the elements to manifest. Eust sit still in a,areness and obser+e the
elements manifesting themsel+es. 9ith *hanging sensations of the body the
elements and their manifestations ,ill also *hange. If you feel heat or burning in
+arious parts of the body you ,ill (no, that the fire element has ta(en *entre
stage. 7ut remember that the other three elements are also *o2a*tors of the
performan*e troupe and are in the ba*(ground. In turn they ,ill return to the
*entre stage to perform their role in the s*ript.
Lour role throughout this performan*e is to be a passi+e obser+er. Do not interpret
or interfere. 3ndure any painful sensations that may arise in your body ,ith
patien*e. 7e attenti+e to the a*tor that has ta(en *entre stage ,ith ea*h ne,
e;perien*e. 3;perien*e ho, the earth element has ta(en o+er from the fire element
in produ*ing a ne, e;perien*e. Do not for*e a parti*ular element to gi+e a
prominent e;perien*e. 3a*h ,ill ta(e its turn ,ith ea*h ne, e;perien*e that you
en*ounter. 9ith ea*h manifestation you must *learly dis*ern the +arious Nualities
of the elements. Identify and (no, their defining attributes.
3a*h element has its o,n intrinsi* *hara*teristi*s. The earth element ,ill appear as
hard or soft rough or smooth hea+y or light. These are simply attributes of the
elements. They do not belong to a soul or a being. 9hen your mindfulness is
dire*tly aligned ,ith the obje*t e+erything be*omes transparent. 7ut ,hat you
obser+e is +erifiable. Seeing your body as elements is a life *hanging e;perien*e. So
you must be bra+e. This is an important point of transition in your life as a yogi.
)lthough the sitting posture is the most *ondu*i+e for de+eloping *on*entration
,hi*h progressi+ely leads a yogi to,ards these insights it is possible for a yogi to
progress to,ards this stage of a,areness in the other postures as ,ell. )s you gain
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @' 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
insights into the elements through their defining attributes at that moment you
,ill share the hardness the softness the roughness and the smoothness heat and
*old et*. ,ithin the uni+erse. Lou ,ill simply be*ome a part of it.
)s you progress deeper into the meditation you ,ill see that there is no tra*e of a
soul a being a man or a ,oman but just elements. )s insight matures and
penetrates into the elements disillusionment of an CegoC or a CselfC ,ill set in. This
is a *onfronting e;perien*e as ,e are often deluded by a sense of self. )s you
penetrate in to the true nature of your being and see it as a *onstitution of the four
elements you ,ill begin to see all matter in your e;ternal surroundings also as
being *onstituted by the four elements. Suddenly in a most ego *rushing
e;perien*e you ,ill realise that you are part and par*el of the uni+erse 2 just a
grain of sand in a huge bed of sand alongside a ri+er ban( nothing spe*ial. In the
,orld of elements your name and other *on+entional attributes lose their
signifi*an*e.
9hen the *hara*teristi*s of elements unfold you ,ill see that there is no boundary
bet,een the internal and the e;ternal. 3+erything ,ill be redu*ed to elements. Li(e
a grain of salt dissol+ed into the sea you be*ome a part and par*el of the uni+erse.
Lou ,ill see that the elements are in a *onstant state of flu; arising and passing
a,ay. Lou ,ill also see their transient and impermanent nature. Iaining insights
into the true nature of phenomena and ,itnessing the body as elements *an be
e;perien*ed by anyone dedi*ated to the pra*ti*e. )s stated by the 7uddha
irrespe*ti+e of oneFs se; age or *reed e+eryone has the ability to see the elements.
1he 2m!ermanent -ature of a Being
The 7uddha instru*ted no+i*e Phula that ,hen he sees himself as elements it
,ould be impossible to de+elop any hatred or mali*e to,ards others. 3lements do
not ha+e desire hate or be,ilderment. 7ut ,e belie+e in a self ,rongly. So ,e
argue for our rights and get angry ,ith people. Let if ,e are redu*ed to elements it
is impossible to de+elop hatred or lust to,ards others. The 7uddha instru*ts
bhi((hus to attend to day to day a*ti+ities su*h as ,earing robes *onsuming food
or ta(ing medi*ine et*. by *ontemplating on their utility +alue. For e;ample a
bhi((hu must *ontemplate1 C!ay I use this robe ,ith the *lear *omprehension that
I am just ,earing this robe in order to a+oid the heat the *oldness et*.C >n a deeper
le+el a bhi((hu must *ontemplate ho, the robe is made up of elements just li(e
the body and therefore ,earing a robe be*omes simply a *onta*t bet,een
elements. 7oth the robe and the one ,earing the robe are ,ithout a soul .nissatto
nijj+o suAAo0 2 free of a being just emptiness. This is ho, the 7uddha has
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @= 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
instru*ted us to see through the elements to see beyond the boundary bet,een the
internal and the e;ternal to trans*end our notion of permanen*e or of an entity.
9hen ,e see oursel+es as elements ,e see that ,e are only an arising and passing
a,ay of phenomena 9e see all phenomena as eNual. 3+erything is impermanent
,hen +ie,ed as elements. 9hen you see impermanen*e in e+erything you realise
suffering. 7e*ause elements are al,ays in a state of flu; and are impermanent
there is no opportunity for us to rela; for e+en a split se*ond. 3+erything is
*hanging ,ithin and around us. The *on*ept of a unit or entity ,ill gradually be
dismantled into elements. 9ithin ea*h element ,e ,ill see its *hara*teristi*s. 9e
,ill obser+e that they are only energies *onstantly arising and passing a,ay.
9hen ,e see phenomena as elements it is +ery monotonous and *an e+en be
fearful. Things appear as baseless. ) theoreti*al (no,ledge of this unfolding is
imperati+e before you en*ounter these e;perien*es in pra*ti*e. )lthough you may
*onsider it to be a great a*hie+ement to de+elop your pra*ti*e to a stage ,here
elements *an be obser+ed ,hen you *ontinuously see materiality as a *omposition
of elements it *an be*ome boring. )ll matter ,ill appear to be in a flu;. 9hen
+ie,ed as elements things lose their appeal.
>bser+ing physi*al phenomena as elements is the ma;imum that a yogi *an
de+elop by ,ay of penetrating into the nature of material phenomena. )ll matter
appears so subtle at this stage. The impermanent flu; of elements ,ill be Nuite
apparent and you ,ill fa*e it dire*tly through your o,n obser+ation. For the first
time in samsra you ,ill lose a notion of a fi;ed being. Lou ,ill e;perien*e an
impermanent flu;. )s a yogi obser+es the minutiae of the elements and their
attributes and just obser+es the flu; in pra*ti*e the meditation pra*ti*e ,ill dire*t
itself to,ards the mental aspe*ts. Lou ,ill be able to distinguish the material
attributes from the mental attributes and the interplay bet,een mind and matter.
)s you en*ounter the first +ipassan insight by noting ea*h momentFs e;perien*e
,ith deep a**urate and pre*ise mindfulness you ,ill penetrate into the true
nature of reality. Lou ,ill obser+e ho, mind and matter *onstitute all e;perien*es
and (no, that they are interrelated by *ause and effe*t.
2nstant Death
9hen ,e see the elements and their impermanent nature ,e e;perien*e instant
death. The arising and passing a,ay of the elements and the impermanent flu;
denotes this e;perien*e. 3+ery passing moment ,e die. )rising and passing a,ay is
a uni+ersal *hara*teristi* of phenomena. There is no beginning or end to the this
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @& 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
phenomena. The ,hole uni+erse is just an arising and passing a,ay of phenomena.
9e realise that there is no time for us to rest e+en for a split se*ond be*ause e+ery
moment ,e die. 9ith a deta*hed obser+ation ,e simply obser+e this *onstant state
of flu;.
9hen ,e de+elop *onfiden*e in this pra*ti*e ,e ,ill s(ilfully see all matter as
elements. 9e ,ill see the flu;. 9e e;perien*e *on+entional death only on*e in our
li+es. 7ut ,hen ,e see the arising and passing a,ay of elements ,e see our death
,ithin e+ery thought moment. It demands an enormous amount of bra+ery and
self2*onfiden*e. To see this ho,e+er ,e must pra*ti*e *ontinuously. It is not
possible to penetrate into this obser+ation by resorting to a theoreti*al
understanding or rationaliGing. 9e must e;ert effort pra*ti*e ,ith a *lear resol+e
to see the true nature of all things.
$ontem!lating Death
The Satipa66hna sutta then introdu*es the yogi to *ontemplation on a dead body.
)t a *on+entional le+el our death mar(s the end of our li+es. 7ut a yogi that sees
the body as elements e;perien*es instant death. The 7uddha instru*ts us to
*ontemplate on a *orpse ,hen ,e see one. 9e are as(ed to proje*t this obser+ation
internally and *ontemplate ho, ,e also ,ill die one day. 9hen a body de*ays its
flesh and the liNuid parts ,ill disappear and only the bones ,ill be left behind. The
7uddha states that if ,e are bra+e enough to see a dead body and understand the
*on*ept of death at that moment ,e are li+ing in the present moment. 9e are not
ta(en a,ay by day2dreaming or sense indulgen*es. If ,e are ready to maintain this
moment to moment *ontemplation of death ,e ,ill not be distra*ted by sense
impressions.
If ,e li+e in this manner ,e ,ill e;perien*e a *alm and pea*eful death. It is
impossible to penetrate in to the deathlessness ,ithout *ontemplating upon death.
9e *annot predi*t ,hen ,e ,ill die. 9e are not guaranteed of the ne;t breath as
,e breathe in and out. 9e are born ,ith a death senten*e 2 be*ause birth
*onditions death. 7ut ,e fail to *ontemplate on the ine+itable be*ause our minds
are ta(en a,ay by sense impressions and deluded per*eptions of permanen*e.
This *ontemplation is not a hypothesis a rationaliGation or an inferen*e. This is the
truthT The 7uddha instru*ts the ,ise to ta(e this pra*ti*e to heart. De+elop this
pra*ti*e or rationally understand and listen to the Dhamma and absorb it into your
memory. Then one day the truth ,ill be realised. The 7uddha in+ites all of us to
loo( into death as ,e all e;perien*e it. The Dhamma is timeless. It is present and
immediate.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @@ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
As you radually proress in npnasati meditation, there comes a point when your breath
is not perceivable, but you are breathin and you are alive. At that point, where does our
mindfulness lie, where is our consciousness"
9hen *ons*iousness is *onne*ted to the si; sense doors ,e e;perien*e seeing
hearing tou*hing et*. 9e are able to dis*riminate bet,een one sense impingement
and another. Sounds *ome and stri(e at the ear drum smells rub on the sensiti+ity
of the nose et*. 7ut ,ith one *ons*iousness ,e *an entertain only one obje*t at a
time. So ,e dis*ard fi+e of the si; impingements at a gi+en time. )lso ,e e;er*ise
*hoi*e as sense impingements stri(e our *ons*iousness. 9ith *hoi*e *omes the
manifestations fabri*ations +olitions et*. 9hene+er *ons*iousness is *onne*ted to
the senses *hoi*e is implemented.
So ,e go to a silent pla*e *lose our eyes and meditate. )s ,e *ontinually note the
breath *oming in and out ,e find that it be*omes less per*ei+able. 9hat happens
,hen the breathing *eases to e;ist:
)t this stage there is no sensation *onne*ted to the sense doors. This is *alled
*ons*iousness unrelated to the senses. This e;perien*e *an be fearful for those ,ho
(no, only the *ons*iousness related to the senses .indriyapa6ibaddha +iAAna0.
The *ons*iousness that is not *onne*ted to the senses is a preliminary or
primordial form of *ons*iousness. 9e are at home ,hen ,e e;perien*e this state of
mind. 9hen *ons*iousness is *onne*ted to the senses it is li(e mi;ing muddy ,ater
into pure stream.
9e must train oursel+es daily to arri+e at this state of *ons*iousness that is
unrelated to the senses .anindriyapa6ibaddha +iAAna0. In terms of *on*entration
this is the ma;imum stage that you *an rea*h. Formations .san(hra0 ha+e no part
to play in this e;perien*e. If ,e entertain this state *ontinuously for e;ample for
about t,o to three hours ,e ,ill not e;perien*e a single thought moment of
distra*tion. 9e be*ome silently a,are. 9e gain a *learer understanding of the true
nature of phenomena.
9hen ,e e;perien*e this *ons*iousness unrelated to the senses
.anindriyapa6ibaddha +iAAna0 ,e *lear our minds from +olition fabri*ation and
any *olouration. 3+en though this is a temporary state of mind ,e are progressing
to,ards insight by building a pure foundation 2 just li(e ,hite paper upon ,hi*h
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @B 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
you *an dra,. It is an immaterial form of e;perien*e. Some des*ribe it as
immaterial pleasure 2 nirmisa su(ha. In this +ery life you *an e;perien*e it. This
results in +i+e(ajaO pti su(haO Cjoy in the pleasurable form of se*lusionC. )s it is
free from +isual obje*ts sound ,a+es smell taste tou*h and thoughts .+i+e(a0 2
se*lusion leads to pti .joy0 and endo,ment and a,a(ening. !indfulness on the in
and out2breath is one of the methods the 7uddha has re*ommended to e;perien*e
this *ons*iousness unrelated to the senses. )s you e;perien*e this *ons*iousness
unrelated to the senses you e;perien*e death a *reati+e death a separation from
sensual obje*ts 2 the +ery basis that ,e des*ribe as e;isten*e.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @% 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Chapter D
Cha"ter 5
Contem"lation on eelings )Vedan&n$"assana,
<ataA*a bhi((ha+e bhi((hR
#edansu +edannupass +iharati
Idha bhi((ha+e bhi((hR
Su(haO +edanaO +ediyamno su(haO +edanaO
+ediyO ti pajnnti
Du((haO +edanaO +ediyamno du((haO +edanaO
+ediym ti pajnnti
)du((hamasu(haO +edanaO +ediyamno adu((hamasu(haO
+edanaO +ediym ti pajnnti
SmisaO + su(haO +edanaO +ediyamno smisaO su(haO
"irmisaO + su(haO +edanaO +ediyamno nirmisaO su(haO
SmisaO + du((haO +edanaO +ediyamno smisaO
du((haO +edanaO +ediym ti pajnnti
"irmisaO + du((haO +edanaO +ediyamno nirmisaO
du((haO +edanaO +ediym ti pajnnti
SmisaO + adu((hamasu(haO +edanaO +ediyamno smisaO
adu((hamasu(haO +edanaO +ediym ti pajnnti
"irmisaO + adu((hamasu(haO +edanaO +ediyamno nirmisaO
adu((hamasu(haO +edanaO +ediym ti pajnnti
Iti ajjhattaO + +edansu +edannupass +iharati
7ahiddh + +edansu +edannupass +iharati
)jjhattabahiddh + +edansu +edannupass +iharati
Samudaya dhammnupass + +edansu +edannupass +iharati
#ayadhammanupass + +edansu +edannupass +iharati
Samudaya +aya dhammanupassi +
+edansu +edannupass +iharati
)tti (yoti + panassa sati pa**upa66hit hoti
L+ade+a Aanamattya patissatimattya anissito *a
+iharati na *a (iA*i lo(e updiyati
3+anpi (o bhi((ha+e bhi((hR +edansu +edannupass +iharati
The se*ond foundation of mindfulness des*ribed in the Satipa66hna sutta is the
*ontemplation of feelings .+edannupassan0. In this *ontemplation the yogi is
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @D 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
Contemplation on Feelings .#edannupassana0
instru*ted to be*ome a,are of feelings as feelings ,ithout forming o,nership.
9hether they are pleasant unpleasant or neutral the yogi must mindfully be
a,are of the e;perien*e.
In insight meditation ,e start ,ith prominent obje*ts of *ontemplation and
progress to,ards more subtle aspe*ts of Dhamma. Therefore ,e begin ,ith the
material aspe*ts of the breath and see its *omposition by the four elements as
dis*ussed in the pre+ious *hapter. 9hen the breath be*omes subtle and ,e enter a
state of deep *on*entration our attention is di+erted to feelings. Then ,e be*ome
a,are of feelings 2 the pleasant feeling painful feeling neutral feeling et*. )t this
stage a natural *hange2o+er from a *ontemplation of the body .(ynupassan0 to
a *ontemplation of feelings .+edannupassan0 o**urs. Then our attention is
dire*ted to,ards the mental aspe*ts.
) yogi *an e;perien*e feelings in many ,ays during a period of sitting meditation.
9hen a yogi rea*hes a parti*ular le+el of *on*entration he or she ,ill e;perien*e
joy or rapture .pti0. This e;perien*e mar(s progress during meditation. )t this
stage a**ording to the Satipa66hna instru*tions a yogi must be*ome a,are of the
pleasurable sensation as a feeling and note it as su*h instead of rea*ting or
unmindfully indulging in it. !indfully you must be*ome a,are of the e;perien*e.
This te*hniNue is the same ,hen e;perien*ing unpleasant feelings. For e;ample
during a session of sitting meditation a yogi *an be*ome disheartened ,hen the
meditation is not going ,ell. >r else the yogi may be*ome disgusted and begin to
e;perien*e unpleasantness ,hen the breathFs prominen*e gradually disappears. )
yogi may e;perien*e bodily pains. 7odily pains ho,e+er in+ol+e both material and
mental aspe*ts. Instead of rea*ting the yogi must be*ome a,are of the pain and try
to see its beginning middle and the end.
9e en*ounter many moments of pleasure and pain in our daily li+es. 7ut ,e are
rarely a,are of them. -o,e+er during meditation ,hen our minds are introdu*ed
to the primary obje*t ,e are able to note both pleasant and unpleasant feelings.
-ere the 7uddhaFs instru*tions are for the yogi to remain neutral and be a,are of
the e;perien*e ,hen pleasant or unpleasant feelings arise. 9hether it is pleasure or
pain both are feelings. So yogis must *ontemplate feelings as feelings and should
not introdu*e a Nualitati+e measure based on their past e;perien*e.
-eutral Feelings
)s ,e be*ome a,are of pleasure and pain ,ith *ontinuous momentum during
meditation ,e gradually obser+e feelings as episodes that arise and pass a,ay. In
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 @H 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
bet,een ea*h episode ,e see a gap li(e. If you are breathing in you e;perien*e the
beginning the middle and the end of the in2breath. 7efore the out2breath be*omes
per*ei+able there is a gap. 9hat is the feeling of the gap: It is subtle and you
*annot per*ei+e it. 7ut ,hen the mo+ement of the breath *ommen*es you *an
immediately *at*h it and per*ei+e it. Similarly ,ith *ontinuous mindfulness of
feelings ,e are able to obser+e the gaps or the pauses at the end of one feeling and
the *ommen*ement of the ne;t. Sometimes this gap is +ery long. 7ut ,e are not
a,are of it. 7e*ause it is so subtle mindfulness *annot beam upon it. For e;ample
,hen ,e loo( at the s(y at night ,e only see the stars. 9e rarely see the spa*e in2
bet,een. >ur tenden*y is to aim at positi+e signs 2 the stars or the light. So ,e donFt
see the spa*e the dar(ness. 7ut ,hen ,e loo( at the s(y aiming at the stars for
mu*h of the time ,e ,ill begin obser+ing the spa*e (no,ingly or un(no,ingly.
7e*ause ,e do not +alue the spa*e ,e simply donFt see it.
Similarly ,ith *ontinuous mindfulness if you obser+e the beginning the middle
and end of pain or pleasure you ,ill see that there is a gap bet,een the end of one
sensation and the beginning of the ne;t. That is a neutral feeling .adu((hamasu(ha
+edan0. 3;perien*ing neutral feelings is a +ery subtle and deep obser+ation. It does
not ha+e the Nuality of either pain or pleasure. 7uddhist *ommentaries des*ribe
this as a dar(ness that our eyes *annot see. >ur ordinary *ons*iousness *annot
tou*h it. It is +ery subtle. Ienerally ,e feel that pain gi+es rise to pleasure and
pleasure gi+es rise to pain. So ,e see the *ontinuity in feelings. 7ut ,e miss the
gaps in bet,een *onse*uti+e sensations.
In the Cula+edalla sutta upsa(a #is(ha Nuestions Dhammadinn the arahant
nun1 C9hat is the pain and pleasure in the pleasurable feeling:C Dhammadinn
responds1 CThe arising of the pleasurable feeling is a pleasureQ the disappearan*e of
a pleasurable feeling is a painC. Then upsa(a #is(ha as(s1 C9hat is the pain and
pleasure of the painful feelingC. Dhammadinn responds1 CThe arising of pain is a
painful feelingQ the disappearan*e of the pain is pleasurableC. Finally upsa(a
#is(ha as(s1 C9hat is the pain and the pleasure of the indifferent feeling:C
Dhammadinn responds1 C7eing a,are of an indifferent feeling is a pleasure to not
(no, an indifferent feeling is painfulC.
9e are rarely a,are of indifferent feelings. 9hen ,e re*ei+e meditation
instru*tions ,e are as(ed to see the in2breath and out2breath but not the
indifferent feeling. 9e start ,ith aspe*ts of materiality as they are more prominent
and ,e *an feel them. Then the breath disappears gradually and ,e are left ,ith an
obser+ation of feelings 2 pleasure and pain. )s ,e *ontinually e;ert mindfulness on
the feelings that arise and see their beginning the middle and the end ,e see the
gap in bet,een them. Then ,e e;perien*e indifferen*e. 7eing a,are of indifferen*e
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 B/ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
is an immaterial pleasure. Eust li(e the s(y at night ,ith an infinite span of spa*e
for most of our daily li+es ,e remain in a state of indifferen*e. 7ut ,e are not a,are
of it. 9e are too *aught up in pursuing pleasure at the *ost of pain or perpetuating
pleasure ,ith positi+e sentiments that ,e are unable to see the indifferen*e.
If you follo, meditation instru*tions ,ith pre*ision and a**ura*y progressing ,ith
mindfulness on materiality ,hi*h then leads to mentality you ,ill progress
to,ards indifferen*e. It is li(e obser+ing the sea from afar. >ur nature is to fi; our
attention on the thin layer of ,ater the ripples and the ,a+es ,hen ,e first arri+e
at the bea*h. 9e ,at*h the ,a+es. 9e *an e+en *ount ho, many *ome ashore and
go ba*( into the sea. If ,e obser+e beyond the ,a+es ,e see a glare. Then ,e donFt
see ,a+e after ,a+e any more not a single ,a+e but only a straight line. 9e
e;perien*e the same during meditation. 9hen the meditation is immature ,e
obser+e the ,a+es ,ith greater for*e. 7ut if ,e penetrate deeper the differen*e
bet,een the ,a+es ,ill disappear. 9e see the ,ater as if it is sha(ing. Sometimes
there are frills and thrills. 9hen ,e progress deeper into meditation ,e rea*h a
state of indifferen*e a state of deep *alm just li(e the stillness of the deep o*ean
horiGon.
&aterial and 2mmaterial Feelings
In the Salyatana +ibhanga sutta the 7uddha e;plains ho, household pleasure
pain and indifferen*e *an lead to *omplete eman*ipation. 8leasure pain and
indifferen*e *an be separated into household life .gehasita0 and to a life of
renun*iation .nissaraSa sita0. The 7uddhaFs instru*tions are to s(ilfully repla*e
household pleasure ,ith the pleasure of renun*iation.
S(ilfully a yogi must repla*e household pleasure ,ith the pleasure of a renun*iate.
Thus materialisti* pleasure is repla*ed ,ith an immaterial form of pleasure. 5nless
you pra*ti*e meditation and e;perien*e the benefits of a renun*iati+e form of
pleasure you ,ill not see its +alue. In the household life you e;perien*e grief or
sorro, ,hen you hear that your relati+es or friends are un,ell. 9hen your
properties are destroyed you be*ome hurt. >n the immaterial le+el mon(s or yogis
that diligently pra*ti*e also endure pain and suffering. 7e*ause they ha+e not yet
be*ome a stream entrant a sotpanna they be*ome disheartened. )**ording to the
7uddha ho,e+er e;perien*ing this form of pain is better than household pain
be*ause it does not arise out of desire. It is immaterial. The 7uddha instru*ts the
yogi to repla*e ignoran*e of indifferen*e ,ith an a,areness of indifferen*e thus
penetrating the myriad tensions that e;ist un(no,n to the yogi.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 B$ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
) yogi must repla*e the pain of being ignorant of indifferen*e ,ith the pleasure of
(no,ing indifferen*e. "ot all meditation sessions are su**essful. During a session of
meditation you may find that your mind is s*attered and that you are mo+ing a,ay
from the primary obje*t. So you be*ome disappointed. Instead of be*oming
disheartened you must be*ome a,are that you are e;perien*ing an unpleasant
state of mind. 9hen you be*ome mindful of your e;perien*e you ,ill immediately
e;perien*e *ontentment and pleasure. Thus you repla*e renun*iati+e pain ,ith
renun*iati+e pleasure. That is ,hat the arahant Dhammadinn meant ,hen she
said that seeing the end of an unpleasant feeling is pleasure. Lou must be patient to
endure pain and see its end.
)ll dar( *louds ha+e a sil+er lining. 7ut ,e *an see it only if ,e see the *loud in its
totality. 8ain *an be re*y*led to gi+e ,ay to pleasure. It is ine+itable that yogis
endure pain during meditation in parti*ular ,hen +ipassan insights unfold in
pra*ti*e. 3;perien*es of insight are not ,ithout pain.
7ut the pleasure e;perien*ed at the end of pain is still insubstantial. Indifferen*e
ho,e+er is more *onsistent and natural than the +ibrations of pain and pleasure. So
the 7uddha re*ommends that renun*iati+e pleasure must be repla*ed ,ith
renun*iati+e indifferen*e. 9hen you e;perien*e indifferen*e you are li(e a turtle
that ta(es all its limbs under its shell. 9hate+er distra*tions may o**ur both
internally and e;ternally ,hether they are sounds pains or thoughts ,ith
*ontinuous mindfulness and ,ell de+eloped *on*entration you *an remain ,ith the
primary obje*t.
Indifferen*e e;perien*ed during meditation is t,o2fold. >ne is the yogiFs
indifferen*e to internal and e;ternal distra*tions ,hen establishing *ontinuous
mindfulness on the primary obje*t 2 nnatta sita upe((h. The se*ond is the
indifferen*e e;perien*ed in deep undisturbed *on*entration 2 e(agga sita upe((h.
To maintain the latter during meditation is +ery diffi*ult. ) yogi must ha+e
perfe*ted morality and e;erted energy to maintain *ontinuity of *on*entration. )s
you progress ,ith meditation you repla*e household feelings ,ith those of the
renun*iati+e life renun*iati+e pain ,ith renun*iati+e pleasure renun*iati+e
pleasure ,ith renun*iati+e indifferen*e. )t this stage you enter into deep
*on*entration a stream of *ons*iousness unrelated to the senses. Lou e;perien*e
just being. Lou rea*h a state of mind that is in*ommuni*able in ,ords. 7e*ause
language is based on e;pression of feelings it is diffi*ult to *ommuni*ate a neutral
state of mind. Lour e;perien*e is so subtle that it is indes*ribable.
) yogi must e;perien*e all the feelings ,ithout lea+ing anything out .iti ajjhattam
+ +edansu +edannupass +iharati0. Then by inferen*e he or she understands
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 B' 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
that others e;perien*e the same feelings .bahiddh + +edansu +edannupass
+iharati0. In the *on+entional ,orld ,e import a gender or a se; to ,hat ,e
e;perien*e and ,e differentiate ,hat ,e feel. >r else ,e differentiate feelings
a**ording to pain and pleasure. Instead ,e must obser+e the uni+ersality of
feelings. Then ,e ,ill be able to see the ,hole of humanity through the sensations
,e en*ounter.
9hene+er a feeling arises you are prepared to e;perien*e it as su*h .samudaya
dhammnupass + +edansu +edannupass +iharati0. 9hen a feeling disappears
you are not disheartened. Lou (no, that is its nature .+aya dhammnupassi +
+edansu +edannupass +iharati0. 9hen you obser+e the arising and passing a,ay
of feelings the differen*e bet,een pleasure and pain disappears .samudaya
dhammnupass + +edansu +edannupass +iharati0. Then you are only
e;perien*ing the indifferen*e. Lou simply see that this is an o*ean of feelings .atti
+edanti + panassa sati pa**upattit hoti0. Lou mindfully e;perien*e feelings. Lou
a,a(en to ,isdom and strengthen your mindfulness .y+ade+a Aanamattya
patissatimattya anissito *a +iharati na*a (iA*i lo(e updiyati0. Then you ,ill not
grasp either feeling as pleasure or pain. Lou ,ill neither re*ogniGe yourself ,ith
the flu; of pain nor identify yourself ,ith the pleasure. 9ith a healthy deta*hment
to the sensation you ,ill neither personaliGe the feeling nor ,ill you ma(e the
slightest attempt to ma;imiGe or minimiGe the pleasure and pain e;perien*ed in
life.
The ,orld around us is in a *ontinuous pursuit of pleasure. To appre*iate the
profound Dhamma prea*hed by the 7uddha ,e must mindfully retra*t from this
pursuit. !indfully,e must be*ome a,are of pain and pleasure as mere feelings.
!ay you all e;perien*e indifferent feelings in your meditati+e pra*ti*eT
#n our day to day lives as the sense impinements enter our consciousness, the transition
between corporeality and mentality happens very swiftly. $o, is it your recommendation to
become aware of the sense impinement as soon as it arises"
3ye *ons*iousness is +ery s,ift and therefore being a,are of CseeingC is +ery
diffi*ult. So ,e are instru*ted to start ,ith the most prominent of the fi+e
aggregates 2 the body. >f the body and the four elements espe*ially the air element
is the most prominent. Therefore the 7uddha instru*ts us to fo*us on the in2breath
and the out2breath During npnasati bh+an ,e fo*us on the air element. Then
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 B= 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
,e pro*eed to,ards the four mental aspe*ts. >f this the most prominent are the
feelings. Then ,e pro*eed to,ards the other mental aspe*ts. Theoreti*ally ,e *an
say that one must be*ome a,are as soon as the sense obje*t impinges on the
*ons*iousness. 7ut in pra*ti*e ,e must follo, the gradual seNuen*e 2 mo+ing from
,hat is prominent and per*ei+able to the subtle.
0ow does a *oi retain mindfulness when the mind e&periences unpleasantness durin
meditation"
First be*ome a,are that you are no, e;perien*ing unpleasantness. 9ith this
a,areness you *ome to the present moment 2 e;ert mindfulness. It is easy for us to
be mindful of pleasant feelings. 7ut unpleasantness is something that ,e ,ish to
get rid of. Lea+e aside the unsatisfa*toriness or unpleasantness entertain the
mindfulness. 9hene+er an e;perien*e is unpleasant the mind rea*ts. 9e ,ant our
pleasant feelings ba*(T 5nder the light of mindfulness ho,e+er ,e see the
differen*e bet,een a*tion and rea*tion. 9hen ,e are mindful of the feeling
pleasantness and unpleasantness has the same taste. They be*ome t,o sides of the
same *oin.
Ta(e the e;ample of a burglar that is regularly brea(ing into houses. >ne day the
State hires a pri+ate in+estigator. )ssume you are the pri+ate in+estigator. If you
are (eeping a (een eye on the burglar he or she ,ould be brea(ing into the house
under your sur+eillan*e. If you are doing your job properly the burglar is li(ely to
get *aught isnFt he: 3+en though you are follo,ing the burglar you donFt ha+e the
right to *at*h the burglar do you: Lour job is simply to (eep a (een eye on ,hat is
happening ,hat time the burglar be*omes a*ti+e ,hat he does et*. In a similar
+ein mindfulness la*(s the jurisdi*tional rights li(e the pri+ate in+estigator. Its
tas( is to be mindful of the obje*t 2 be mindful of the burglar. >n*e the poli*e are
tipped off then the poli*e ,ill *at*h the burglar. So you must appre*iate the true
fun*tion of mindfulness and its Nuality. 9hether you are e;perien*ing a pleasant or
unpleasant state of mind it does not matter you just be*ome *hoi*elessly a,are.
Do not *hoose or dis*riminate bet,een feelings and try to maintain one form of
feeling and dis*ard the other 2 be *hoi*elessly a,are of the pleasantness and
unpleasantness under the light of mindfulness. 8ain ,ill no doubt lose its +igour
under the po,er of mindfulness.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 B& 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
)ppendi;
3""endi6
2nstructions for sitting meditation, walking meditation and establishing
mindfulness in daily affairs
itting meditation
) yogi *an pra*ti*e both insight meditation and *on*entration meditation
.+ipassan and samatha bh+an0 during npnasati bh+an. In the Satipa66hna
sutta Mnpnasati sutta and the Iirimnanda sutta the 7uddha dis*ussed the
suitable en+ironment and the appropriate posture for the npnasati pra*ti*e.
Mnpnasati bh+an must be pra*tised in a rela;ed en+ironment ,ith a little
breeGe and a medium amount of light. The yogi must be in solitude and *onsider a
*omfortable and *ondu*i+e posture. It is re*ommended that the yogi sit firmly on
the ground in the full lotus posture. )lternati+ely the yogis *an sit in a half2lotus or
Nuarter2lotus posture. Logis ,ith disabilities or ,ea( health *onditions pre*luding
them sel+es from sitting on the ground *an use a meditation ben*h or a straight
ba*( *hair. It is important that the yogi sits in a symmetri*al and rela;ed manner
(eeping the upper part of the body ere*t. )n ere*t posture fa*ilitates the mo+ement
of air through the body and energiGes the meditation pra*ti*e.
Close your eyes and sit in a *omfortable rela;ed symmetri*al and ere*t manner.
Then be*ome mindful of the sitting posture. S*an through the posture and bring
your mind to the present. Do not thin( about the past or the future the person
sitting in front of you or those around you. It is preferable if you are in a solitary
pla*e ,ith the least amount of distra*tions.
If you *ustomarily sit in a parti*ular pla*e you ,ill be*ome a**ustomed to it and it
,ill be *ondu*i+e for your pra*ti*e. 3arly sittings of *ourse ,ill be a trial and error
pro*ess. Through e;perien*e you ,ill identify the most *ondu*i+e posture for you.
>n*e you (no, your alignment and the posture that ,or(s best you *an *ommen*e
npnasati bh+an. 7ring your attention to the present to the Chere and no,C.
Sitting in this manner in itself is a meditati+e e;perien*e. Pemain in the present to
a+oid *hain thoughts irritating sounds or bodily pains from disturbing you.
Fo*us your attention on the primary obje*t. Then your attention ,ill *on+erge to
one part of the body 2 your nostrils the top of the lip the throat or the diaphragm.
Do not do for*ed breathing to lo*ate the in2breath and the out2breath or to gain a
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 B@ 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
)ppendi;
prominent e;perien*e. Let the breath be*ome prominent at its o,n pa*e.
Iradually the in2breath and the out2breath ,ill be*ome prominent. The breathing
must be natural and not for*ed. Eust be a,are of the in2breath and the out2breath
o**urring. )s you *ontinually fo*us on the in2breath and the out2breath the
breathing pro*ess ,ill be*ome prominent at a parti*ular point. Then your
attention should be refined to this point.
)**ording to the Satipa66hna sutta you should fo*us on the obje*t in front of you
.parimu(haO satiO uppatthapet+0. Classi*ally the attention of the in2breath and
the out2breath is referred to as being at the tip of the nose or at the top of the lip
.as an obje*t in front of you0. 7ut some may find the most prominent point of tou*h
to be in the middle of the s(ull the throat the *hest or in the na+al. 9here+er it
may be your attention should be *onfined to one pla*e and you should not allo,
the mind to mo+e from one pla*e to another. Lour fo*us ,ill be*ome refined as you
progress ,ith the meditation. 9ith a refined fo*us *almness ,ill set in.
Lou must obser+e the in2breath as a separate unit from the out2breath. >bser+e the
in2breath and its tou*h. 7e fully a,are of the out2breath as it o**urs. Iradually the
noting mind ,ill mo+e *loser to the breath and you ,ill e;perien*e the in2breath
and the out2breath in a *ontrasting and different manner. For e;ample you ,ill
obser+e that the air draught of the in2breath is *ooler and that the out2breath is
,armer. >r else you ,ill obser+e that the in2breath is longer than the out2breath
or +i*e +ersa. Do not manipulate ,hat is o**urring. Eust obser+e the transa*tion of
air.
>,ing to *ontinuous mindfulness you ,ill not be distra*ted by irritating sounds
bodily pains day dreaming or fantasiGing. 7ut e;ternal distra*tions ,ill interfere. If
distra*tions *ome and go ,ithout any interferen*e you *an *ontinue to obser+e the
in2breath and the out2breath. 7y ma(ing a mental note of the in2breath as CinC and
the out2breath as CoutC you *an (eep *asual thin(ing bodily sensations or sounds
at bay.
9ith *ontinuous mindfulness the breathing ,ill be*ome subtle. The mind ,ill ha+e
a refined obser+ation and the body ,ill *alm do,n. The breath ,ill be*ome less
prominent. !indfully you must obser+e the differen*e bet,een *ontinuing in2
breaths and *ontinuing out2breaths. 3arlier you obser+ed the differen*e bet,een
the in2breath and the out2breath. )t this stage you must obser+e the in2breaths
and the out2breaths in the totality from the beginning through the middle to the
end. >bser+e the differen*e bet,een one in2breath to the ne;t and one out2breath
to the ne;t.
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 BB 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
)ppendi;
Distra*tions su*h as thoughts sounds or bodily pains ,ill o**ur. Do not rea*t to
them. If you are a habitual thin(er and day2dreaming o**urs ma(e a mental note
that you are Cthin(ingC and bring your attention ba*( to the breath. >r else you
should note it as Cthin(ing2thin(ing2thin(ingC Cday2dreaming 2 day2dreaming 2
day2dreamingC or C fantasiGing2fantasiGing2fantasiGingFF.
9hene+er thin(ing is noted as Cthin(ingC you are able to deta*h yourself from
digesting the *ontents of the thought. Simply be*ome a,are that Cthin(ingC has
o**urred and not be *on*erned about the *ontent of the thought. Similarly if a
sound irritates you just note it as Chearing2hearing2hearingC. 9hen pain arises
note it as Cpain2pain2painC. 9hen they re*ede *ome ba*( to the breath and note
the in2breath as CinC and the out2breath as CoutC. The line bet,een the noting mind
and the obje*t of meditation must be straightened. That is the purpose of
meditation.
Lour obser+ations during meditation must be dis*ussed ,ith an ad+an*ed yogi
e+ery t,o to three days. 7y doing this you *an re*ei+e guidan*e on ho, to ad+an*e
in your pra*ti*e. The distra*tions en*ountered in the pra*ti*e ,ill be spe*ifi* to
your personality traits. )**ordingly it is important to report them to an ad+an*ed
yogi ,ho *an gi+e the appropriate instru*tions. 9ith pra*ti*e you *an determine
,hether your natural in*lination is to,ards *on*entration or insight meditation. It
is +ery diffi*ult to predi*t this beforehand. 7oth the meditation and the reporting
,ill lead to the proper path. Lour obser+ations must be *lear and your reporting
should be to the point.
Ienerally a beginner yogi must do at least an hour of sitting meditation daily
%alking &editation
)fter a meal or a sleep it is re*ommended that you do ,al(ing meditation before
sitting meditation. Further a period of ,al(ing meditation before sitting ser+es to
fo*us the mind.
In traditional meditation *entres there are open2air and internal ,al(ing
meditation paths. Internal meditation paths are *o+ered to a+oid ad+erse ,eather
*onditions.
7efore *ommen*ing ,al(ing meditation stand at the end of the ,al(ing meditation
path and *ontemplate the body. Then you bring your attention to the present
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 B% 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
)ppendi;
moment. During ,al(ing meditation you establish mindfulness amidst a*ti+ity as
your eyes are open and you ,ill hear the sounds of birds and the e;ternal
en+ironment. Thus any mindfulness established *an be *arried for,ard to day to
day a*ti+ities.
The yogi must first ,al( up and do,n the path to a*ti+ate blood *ir*ulation
.espe*ially after a long session of sitting meditation0. Lou must ,al( at a normal
pa*e to ensure that the path is suitable and that there are no obstru*tions. )s you
,al( be a,are of the mo+ement of the feet. Lour arms must be as if tied in front of
you or behind you. Lour attention must be on the mo+ement of the feet. 9hen the
right foot mo+es you must obser+e the e;perien*e of the mo+ement and the
sensations of the foot. 3;perien*e and note the sensation of the sole tou*hing the
ground. >bser+e ,hether it is a *oarse or soft sensation. Then shift your fo*us to
the left foot its mo+ement and the sensation as it tou*hes the ground. Lour
attention *ould also be (ept on the mo+ement of the joints the an(le and so forth.
Lour eyes should be *ast do,n and you must loo( about fi+e feet ahead of you. The
eyes should be fo*used on the ,al(ing path. Eust as during sitting meditation your
attention may be *arried a,ay by thoughts and sounds. -o,e+er your attention
should remain ,ith the right foot and the left foot as mu*h as possible. 9ith
*ontinuous attention on the right foot and the left foot you *an (eep distra*tions at
bay and pro*eed ,ithout any interferen*e.
During ,al(ing meditationyou e;ert energy to maintain the fo*us on the steps and
to note the mo+ement of the feet. )**ordingly the energy that is e;erted must be
double. 9arming up in this manner is *ondu*i+e for sitting meditation. During
intensi+e retreats it is usual to alternate periods of sitting meditation ,ith periods
of ,al(ing meditation one after another throughout the day.
In your daily life you must ha+e at least one session of ,al(ing and sitting
meditation in the morning and in the e+ening. If you meditate in the e+ening after
,or( doing some ,al(ing before sitting fo*uses the mind and arouses energy for
the sitting that follo,s. Do not *ommen*e sitting meditation straight after your
daily a*ti+ities. The energy aroused during ,al(ing meditation de+elops a**ura*y
of a,areness as ,ell as durability of *on*entration.
Establishing &indfulness in Daily Activities
Doing a tas( simply for the purpose of establishing mindfulness is diffi*ult in our
daily a*ti+ities. Ienerally ,e do things for a purpose or to fulfil responsibilities. 7ut
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 BD 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition
)ppendi;
to *ontrol the speed of our daily a*ti+ities ,e must find some time to establish
mindfulness. 9e must try to bring our attention to the present moment as mu*h as
,e *an. Then ,e be*ome a**ountable for your e;perien*es and a*tions. 9e ,ill no
longer do our daily a*ti+ities me*hani*ally li(e a puppet or a robot. 9ith
mindfulness our e;perien*es ,ill be li+e and +i+id.
8ra*ti*ally it is diffi*ult to be mindful ,hen you are so*ialiGing unless you are
e;perien*ed in maintaining *ontinuous mindfulness. To establish mindfulness in
our daily a*ti+ities you *an start ,ith your personal a*ti+ities su*h as ,ashing
sho,ering or going to the toilet mindfully. Lou *an start doing things Silently
!indfully and Slo,ly. This is the CS!SC that you should apply ,hen establishing
mindfulness in daily affairs. In this ,ay you *an e;tend the mindfulness
established during sitting meditation to day to day a*ti+ities.
3stablishing mindfulness during sitting meditation is an intensi+e method of
meditation. 9al(ing meditation is a semi2intensi+e method and establishing
mindfulness in day to day affairs is an e;tensi+e method. If you *an master
establishing mindfulness in day to day a*ti+ities you ,ill be*ome more organiGed
and you ,ill e;perien*e an appealing *hange in your life.
!indfulness *ulti+ated during sitting meditation *an diminish after you get up. 7ut
the mindfulness established in day to day a*ti+ities is durable. 7oth sitting
meditation and ,a(efulness to day to day a*ti+ities must *ompliment ea*h other to
ensure *ontinuous appli*ation of mindfulness.
)lthough instru*tions for sitting meditation .being the intensi+e method0 are gi+en
first you should not underestimate the benefits of ,al(ing meditation or
establishing mindfulness in day to day a*ti+ities. >ne *an obser+e +ery profound
aspe*ts of the Dhamma during ,al(ing meditation and e+en be*ome enlightened.
,,,.+ipassana.*om
#en. Dhammaj+a1 In This Life Itself 2 BH 2 #ipassan Fello,ship 3dition

In This Life Itself

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