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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