THE MEDITATION AND ITS USES (VIPASANA)

WHAT IS VIPASSANA MEDITATION?

WHAT IS VIPASSANA? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WATCH THE BREATH?

THAT WHICH YOU CALL VIPASSAN TODAY IS A VERY RECENT PHENOMENON. THEY CLAIM THAT IT COMES FROM THE BUDDHA, ACTUALLY, IT DOES NOT . THE STREAM FLOWING FROM BUDDHA GOT EXTINCT AROUND THE 8TH OR 10TH CENTURY AD. THIS MODERN VIPASSANA CAME UP IN BURMA JUST AROUND A 100 YEARS BACK, AND THIS IS NOT WHAT THE BUDDHA TAUGHT. IT IS VERY MUCH AN IMPROVISED THING.

IF YOU COULD REALLY LOOK, FIRST OF ALL YOU WOULD LOOK INTO WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. WHY WOULD YOU BE SOMEONE WHO HAS THE CAPACITY TO LOOK AT SOMETHING AS SUBTLE AS THE BREATH, AND YET HE IS NOT ABLE TO LOOK AT SOMETHING AS GROSS ARE SO ACTIONS?

IT IS ABOUT LOOKING, RIGHT? OBSERVING, VIPASSANA, OBSERVING RIGHTLY. THE BREATH IS SUBTLE, ACTIONS ARE SO LOUD.

SEE HOW YOU ARE LIVING THAT'S ALL.

OBVIOUSLY, SEEING IS IMPORTANT, BUT WHAT TO SEE? THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BREATH! WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING THE BREATH? OR MAYBE WATCHING THE BREATH IS A CONVENIENT WAY TO AVOID WATCHING THAT WHICH REALLY NEEDS TO BE WATCHED.

YOU NEED TO WATCH YOUR BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS YOUR WIFE. INSTEAD OF THAT, YOU ARE WATCHING YOUR BREATH. NICE TRICK. SMART CHAP!

YOU NEED TO WATCH HOW GREEDY YOU ARE TOWARDS YOUR CUSTOMERS AND HOW EXPLOITATIVE YOU ARE TOWARDS YOUR EMPLOYEES. AND INSTEAD OF THAT, YOU ARE WATCHING YOUR BREATH. NICE, PRETTY NICE!

WATCHING THE BREATH IS A CONVENIENT WAY TO AVOID WATCHING THAT WHICH REALLY NEEDS TO BE WATCHED.

YOU NEED TO WATCH YOUR RESTLESSNESS WHEN YOU ARE WAITING AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL - AND IT IS SO EVIDENT, IT IS OBSERVABLE. LOOK AT THE TENSION IN YOUR CALVES. SEE HOW YOU ARE CONSTANTLY PUSHING AT THE CLUTCH PEDAL OR THE ACCELATOR EVEN THOUGH YOU FULLY WELL KNOW THAT THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL. THERE ARE FORTY MORE SECONDS TO GO BEFORE IT GOES GREEN, AND YOU SEE HOW YOUR LEGS ARE TWITCHING, AND YOU ARE FUDDLING WITH THE CONTROLS? THE MOMENT IT GOES GREEN, YOU HONK!

SO, YOU GO FOR A TEN-DAY VIPASSANA RETREAT. TEN DAYS OF WATCHING THE BREATH, AND THEN YOU CAN COME OUT WITH A CERTIFICATE THAT HELPS THE INNER LIE. "I AM SPIRITUAL. NOW I CAN GO BACK TO MY SHOP AND CONTINUE ADULTERATING AND LOOTING!"

YOU WON'T OBSERVE THE FACE OF THE GOAT OR THE CHICKEN BEING SLAUGHTERED FOR YOUR FOOD IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES. DO YOU OBSERVE THIS? NO, THAT IS SOMETHING YOU STUBBORNLY WANT TO AVOID OBSERVING - BUT YOU WANT TO OBSERVE YOUR BREATH. HOW EXOTIC. SERIOUSLY SPIRITUAL!

OBSERVATION IS GREAT, AND YES, THE BUDDHA DID TEACH THE OBSERVATION. BUT OBSERVE WHAT?

QUESTION AND ANSWER ABOUT OBSERVATION!

QUES : SO, ALL THESE MEDITATION TECHNIQUES OF WATCHING AND OBSERVING THE BREATH ARE BEST TO BE AVOIDED?

ANS : OBSERVE, BUT OBSERVE THE REAL THING. I AM REPEATING THIS.

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QUES : THERE ARE MANY TEACHERS WHO SAY THAT WATCHING THE BREATH IS THE REAL THING?

ANS : WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEM, WE HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME. SHOULD WE SPEND THIS TIME TALKING ABOUT CHARLATANS? AND I DON'T EVEN WANT TO ACCUSE THEM, THEY THEMSELVES ARE MISLED. MAYBE THEY NEVER HAD A TEACHER WHO COULD TELL THEM A FEW NUANCED THINGS.

THEY ARE JUST FOLLOWING THE TRADITION. THEIR GURU WAS OBSERVING THE BREATH, SO WAS HIS GURU, AND SO THEY HAVE NOW OPENED A SHOP AND ALL WITH ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENING. AND ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING A TRADITION, IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO BREAK AWAY.

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WHAT IS MEDITATION ?

WHAT IS MEDITATION ? IS MEDITATION ABOUT UNDERSTANDING? WHAT IS MEANT BY PURIFYING THE MIND THROUGH MEDITATION? THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION IS MENTIONED AT MANY PLACES. WHAT IS THIS PRACTICE ABOUT? IS THERE ANY METHODLESS METHOD TO ATTAIN THE UNCHANGED UNDERSTANDING OR MEDITATIVE STATE?

"JUST AS GOLD, BY THOROUGH HEATHING IN FIRE, GIVES UP ITS IMPURITIES AND GAINS ITS OWN LUSTRE, SO TOO THE MIND THROUGH MEDITATION SHEDS ITS IMPURITIES OF SATTVA, RAJAS, AND TAMAS, AND ATTAINS THE NATURE OF BRAHMA".

THE QUESTION IS ABOUT MEDITATION. WHAT IS MEDITATION? IS THERE ANY METHODLESS METHOD? IS MEDITATION ABOUT UNDERSTANDING ? LET'S BEGIN FROM WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW OF. YOU KNOW OF THOUGHT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW OF THOUGHT. SO BEGIN WITH THOUGHT.

WHAT IS THOUGHT? THERE IS YOU AND THERE IS THE OBJECT YOU ARE THINKING OF , AND THERE IS A RELATION BETWEEN YOU AND THAT OBJECT. YOU DON'T JUST THINK OF ANYTHING. YOU DEFINE THE OBJECT YOU ARE THINKING OF. THE OBJECT THAT YOU THINK OF DEPENDS ON YOU, AND THE RELATIONSHIP IS ALWAYS OF EITHER FEAR OR GREED.

THAT WHICH ARE ARE EITHER WANTS OR REPELS. THAT WHICH YOU ARE IS EITHER GREEDY OR AFRAID. HE KNOWS NO OTHER STATE. THAT IS THOUGHT : YOU WANT SOMETHING.

WHAT IS MEDITATION THEN? MEDITATION IS WHEN YOU WANT THE HIGHEST ALONE. MEDITATION IS WHEN YOU ARE FED UP OF LOOKING AT THE SMALL. MEDITATION IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SMALL AND YOU SAY THAT "IF THIS IS ALL THAT I CAN LOOK AT, THEN IT CANNOT BE SMALL, IT HAS TO BE VERY, VERY LARGE."

MEDITATION IS WHEN YOU WANT THE HIGHEST ALONE. MEDITATIONN IS WHEN YOU ARE FED UP OF LOOKING AT THE SMALL.

MEDITATION IS WHEN NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH IS, THEREFORE, THE OBJECT YOU AIM AT.

I WANT THE TRUTH". YOU CAN SAY YOUR SOLE FOCUS, THEN, IS THE TRUTH. BUT THE TRUTH, AS WE KNOW, IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE THOUGHT OF, BECAUSE ONE IS TOO SMALL TO THINK IF THE TRUTH. THEREFORE, IF ONE STUBBORNLY INSISTS THAT NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH IS TO BE KNOWN, THEN EITHER ONE FAILS OR ONE BURSTS.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND. THERE IS A BALLON, IT CAN ONLY HOLD A LIMITED QUANTITY, A LIMITED VOLUME OF AIR. YOU TRY TO INFLATE IN BEYOND ITS PERMISSIBLE LIMIT, EITHER YOU WILL FAIL IN INFLATING IT AND THE BALLON WON'T GROW BEYOND A PARTICULAR SIZE, OR THE BALLOON WOULD BURST. MEDITATION IS THE BURSTING OF THE BALLON. THE BALLOON IS SAYING, "I WANT TO HOLD THE INFINITE. I WANT TO HOLD THE SKY. JUST HOLDING A LITTLE BIT OF AIR IS NO FUN. I WANT TO HOLD THE SKY". SO , THE BALLON BURSTS.

YOU ARE LOOKING AT SOMETHING AND YOU ARE CONTENTED WITH THE LOOKS YOU ARE CONTENTED WITH THE FORM, YOU ARE CONTENTED WITH THE LABEL - THEN MEDITATION IS NOT FOR YOU. MEDITATION IS WHEN YOU LOOK AND YOU ARE NOT CONTENTED. YOU SAY YOU WANT MORE. YOU SAY, "IT IS JUST NOT WANT IS APPEARS TO BE" . YOU WANT TO BE SHARPER, YOU WANT TO BE FINER.

THEREFORE, MEDITATION IS NOT FOR THOSE WHO EASILY SATISFIED. AND THEREFORE, MEDITATION IS NOT FOR THOSE WHO JUST WANT TO PRACTICE METHODS.

MEDITATION IS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE A TASTE FOR THE MYSTICAL.

MEDITATION IS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE A KNACK FOR THE UNKNOWABLE.

MEDITATION IS THE HONEST WAY OF LOOKING AT THE UNIVERSE, AND THAT INCLUDES YOURSELF. WHEN YOU ARE HONESLY LOOKING AT ANYTHING , YOU ARE MEDIATING. WHEN YOU ARE COMMITTED TO THE TRUGH, THEN YOU ARE MEDITATING.

AND WHEN YOU SAY THAT EVEN THE HALF-TRUGHS AND LIES ARE ACCEPTABLE, THEN IT IS BEYOND YOU TO MEDITATE. MEDITATION IS FOR THE DARING ONES, WHO SAY THAT, "WE ARE PREPARED TO DIE, WE ARE PREPARED TO DISAPPEAR, BUT WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THE STORIES. WE WANT TO GO INTO THE DEEP, DARK CAVE ADN FIGURE OUT FOR OURSELVES WHAT LIES WITHIN".