I did another Vipassana course. This has been my 6th one thus far. I did not get as much as I had previously because I did not work as hard. One thought kept coming to me: it is better to do this practice consistently rather than come here and “burn through” [my karma/ sanskaras].
The results that I got in my WC state are as follows:
· My joints have relaxed considerably. I understand the biu jee elbow force now. The shoulder joint + spine is so relaxed that I can pivot using only the force of the shoulder coming down.
· Spine is loose now
· Rising has improved
· Can pay better attention to the spine for longer periods of time
There are also tips and tricks to Vipassana. I have been meaning to write them for awhile but have never gotten to it. Here they are:
Breath
· Slow down the breath manually. When concentration intensifies, the breath will naturally slow down. If you do it manually, then you can naturalize it after awhile.
· To increase concentration of the breath, focus not only on the breath but the gaps in-between. So now you have more things to focus on. This is kind of difficult because the gaps may become longer or shorter when you are trying to focus on them along with the breath. But this is perfect awareness of the breath. You are looking at everything.
Vipassana
· If the mind is not concentrated, then, like pulling a small child along the road, push the mind along the body. Do not stay in one place.
· You must not do tens of rounds but rather hundreds and thousands of rounds to maintain concentration of the mind upon sensations.
· If the mind isn’t cooperating, zip through the body speedily. After a few times, you will feel resistance – the mind will begin picking up more subtle sensations and will slow down accordingly.
· Focus on and repeatedly peel one part of the body. Say you have picked the hand, just focus on the hand and keep going back and forth. It will feel more subtle compared to the rest of the body. Concentration will also increase.
· If you are feeling too much pain, you probably are not relaxed. Relax. You are tensing up and that is causing the feeling of pain to increase.
Other
An easy way to understand Vipassana is like this:
1) mind is being sharpened through focus on breath;
2) vibrations are felt;
3) mind is restrained from not reacting to those vibrations.
The questions that arise are:
1) how do these vibrations appear?
2) what reaction is there?
2) what reaction is there?
The answers are:
1) these vibrations appear as sensations – anything taking place upon the body.
2) one does not react because one stays in the medium path. There is craving to the left, equanimity in the center and aversion to the right. Stay in the middle path so you do not react.
2) one does not react because one stays in the medium path. There is craving to the left, equanimity in the center and aversion to the right. Stay in the middle path so you do not react.
· There is only one mind. This mind is sharpened to feel and not react to vibrations [sensations].
· Adhisthan is good for checking how much equanimity one can maintain. One does not need to suffer through it since it will succeed only in throwing the mind off balance [off equanimity].
· Consistency – doing Vipassana a few hours daily – is better than going to Vipassana courses.
· It is very easy to lose equanimity. Keep it simple. Look at sensations and keep a stable – equanimous – mind.
· Lying down. You can meditate lying down. I do this often. The only downside is that you may fall asleep. However, when you wake up and start doing it again, you will be in a position to adequately tackle your mind. What this means is that when you are tired, you will struggle keeping concentration situated within the body. When you are rejuvenated, it becomes another ordeal entirely.
· There is a concept of Vipassana which I find interesting. I do not know whether it is correct or not but it is interesting. Sensations and impressions (sanskaras) are one and the same. One does not occur without the other. A impression comes out in the form of sensations. And sensations are the manifestations of impressions in the body. Vikars or agitations of the mind are the manifestations of those sensations in the mind. Vipassana is used not to control but simply to view them. Do not react. There is action by non-reaction.
· Effectiveness of Vipassana. I do not know how effective Vipassana is [daily if at all]. I have seen people who have been doing 2 hours or more of Vipassana daily and so have done many courses for over 20 or 30 years. And still, their outward behavior remains unchanged. It is possible that they have completely changed from the inside and the outside personality is only a front. However, if one cannot interact well with another, in a positive manner, then what point is there in doing this practice? Others have to see, to feel, this change. That is what I believe.
· Efficiency of Vipassana. I do not know how efficient Vipassana is. I have constantly heard the words that “Vipassana is a natural practice.” There is no “faster” way of doing things. There is only a natural method. What comes out, comes out of its own accord, at its own time. Are there faster methods than Vipassana? Quite possibly so. Just because one has not had the opportunity of dealing with them, it does not mean such paths do not exist.
· Another thought came to me: we are observing vibrations without reacting to them. What about observing our thoughts and not reacting to them as well? This works only if the thoughts – as vibrations – are able to be felt. Yet everything is a vibration. If we take the idea that our “job” is not to react vibrations, then this works in thoughts as well.